QUESTIONS,QUESTIONS,QUESTIONS.

I am two weeks out (surgery 10/25). The surgery and my stay in the hospital was a breeze. But the last 10 days have been very hard. 1st I have had a real hard time with the protein shakes. I prefer carnation instant breakfast. The taste is not the problem. The problem is I can hardly get it or any other protein drink down. All others seem to have an after taste, vitamin smell or are just gross. 2nd I have had a time with constipation. I have had irritable bowel syndrome for 8 years. I will never complain about that again. 3rd I have a hard time getting anything down past my esophagus. I called the doc and they said that a stricture usually comes with nausea and vomiting. I have had none of that. I can only drink drops of fluid at a time. It feels like when I swallow that a gas bubble is fighting it and then I belch soon after. I am being very careful to take my time but still it is always the same. Yesterday I ate some sf jello and it went down fine. I even took a sip of water after and it went down easier. Has anyone else experienced this? I am wondering if you body can just make up it's mind that it is not going to tolerated liquids only. I have been on liquids 1 month tomorrow. I go to the doc tomorrow and then I will start soft's what do you recommend starting with? I will ask this to the doc tomorrow but I know he has never had a gb so I think the people here are the experts at this phase although I think Dr Lowe is the bomb. What a blessing he was to find. Thank God.

it was tough to get anything down the first month...all I could do was baby sips all day long, alternating broth, water and protein drinks...although I couldn't (and still can't) tolerate anything 'milky'...I use Fuzzy Navel or Anywhey mixed in Crystal Light. For the constipation, which I am still bothered with (14 months out), I use Colace and also a herbal tea called Smooth Move. Hope this helps. Pam

The first month is always the toughest. Protein... I tried 20... TWENTY... before I found one I liked. I made *many* shakes, took one sip and dumped them down the drain. If you have an Earth Fare in your area they sell tons of samples by different brands and flavors... just keep trying and you will find something I like. Constipation... sprinkle some fiber into your shakes... food... I bought Benefiber it has NO taste, NO smell and you cant tell its there. Dairy products make me consipated so I too had the same issue at first. As for having a hard time... have you tried different temps of liquids?? For me super cold makes my pouch crampy... I find that warm liquids (like tea) seem to calm it and make eating and drinking easier. Softs... for soft foods I ate cottage cheese, yogert, chicken cooked in the crock pot, refried beans (I only ate once or twice, they were too heavy for me), string cheese, tuna fish, soups... the list is pretty limited but its a nice change to all the liquids

Hi ya Tammy! I'm six months out and I STILL can't tolerate protein shakes. It used to amaze me when I was pre-op when folks would say that they had problems getting all their protein in. I was like, "just drink a protein shake or two, silly!" Little did I know that I cannot stomach them, at all. I force them down and then comes the nausea. Once the nausea came, I couldn't tolerate anything else, so I ended up getting dehydrated. Now, I just don't worry about drinking protein shakes...I try to get protein from the natural sources. Yougurt and cottage cheese are godsends. I also bought a month's worth of Profect (www.profect.com) They are little 3 oz. fruit flavored drinks with 25 grams of protein. I could choke one down, and at least I was getting some protein in. However, they are too expensive for me to use continually. You should read my profile...and try some of the tricks I learned. And, hang in there, it will get better. I still can't tolerate milk, but I'm down over 130 lbs. and I'm getting better every day. Phyllis

Hi I just had my surgery on july 24 and I had the same problems.I got very discouraged and stoped eating all together.The protien is nasty I still struggle with it.Once you can eat and drink more mix it with a little water and drink it like a shot. It will get better in about a mounth.You can't be scared to try foods.If you get sick you get sick,and it is not like haveing the flu.Don't drink with a straw or gulp.Your stomach is like a babys now gas and all.Just keep trying it will get better Kelly