Feeling FULL...

Hi all! I was wondering if anyone has gone through the surgery and not had any feeling of fullness. I had the surgery on June 10th and have lost 51 lbs. I eat what I am supposed to eat, 4 to 6 times a day, but have not felt FULL yet. I also have not had any symptoms of the 'dumping syndrome'. I have read soooo many posts of people who feel full after just a few bites...but I don't! I have also read that a good way to see how big your pouch is to eat cottage cheese out of a carton until you feel full, then measure how much is left in the carton. Could my pouch just be really big??? I was just wondering if this is something that I should research more... Thanks! Amy In Columbus

Hello there! This is Erin Hurst, Dr. C's Dietitian. First of all CONGRATS ON THE WEIGHT LOSS! That's a lot to lose in a month so you must be your programs poster child! I'm just wondering how much you are eating at each meal. In our program you get to eat a little bit more with each stage of the diet that you go through. What are you consuming??? Fluids tend to move through the pouch more easily and if you are drinking a lot of fluids (for meals) that could be the problem. Please do not do the cottage cheese test! That could actually stretch out your pouch and you don't want to do that!!! You could also have some dumping syndrome(nausea, vomitting, diarrhea). So please for the love of all things holy DO NOT TRY THAT! If you need anything else please email me! Hope that helped a bit! Erin

Hi Amy- I had my surgery on the 29th of June. I too have yet to feel "full". I have had no dumping either. I am drinking water constanly and can still eat my meals. I have lost 21 lbs. in 2 weeks. I am feeling just as you are, but at the same time greatful. I had no complications with surgery and have had no problems with anything I put in my pouch so far. I just hope it doesn't decide to come back and kick me in the butt!! lol I don't try and eat till I'm full, I just cut all my portions in half and eat half, if that feels fine then alittle later I eat the other half. Good Luck! Ang

Hi Amy. I am laughing because I am 7 days out and just had my first cottage cheese.It had 4 ounces in it and I ate 4 ounces. I dont what it feels like to be full. I feel like I have a big pouch too but I am sure we dont.As long as we still lose. thanks,Cindy from Cincinnati

Hello all.. Here's my 2c.. This is normal, and actually a good sign. As you eat the food will slowly drain into the bowel attached to the pouch, so you can eat more than your pouch will allow, especially with things like cottage cheese, yogurt, jello and the likes. A few weeks after surgery I was so dehydrated I started drinking water faster. i found I could down 10-14ozs in about 5 minutes without discomfort. My surgeon blew a gasket. He said I could damage the bowel with the pressure from the water. anyway i digress.. Be careful eating anything dry or solid too fast or too much, or you can stretch your pouch, or even worse the valve into the bowel. Doing that can lead to major malnutrition and sugar cravings... Anyway on dumping... I have found I don't really dump on anything too. Last night was my daughter's 18th birthday party and I had sliver of ice cream and a chunk of cake... both small, but probably the first carbs I've had in a month. It was fine... well maybe a 'little' discomfort a bit afterwards, but nothing like I heard dumping was like. I don't plan to make that a habit, but at least I can have something good every now and then, so I don't feel so deprived. I mean after losing 46lbs in 1 month, I can afford to reward my body and spirit... The only things I've found I can't tolerate are Popeyes spicy chicken strips (with breading removed) and grilled cajun perch. It very well could be the spice, but for the time being I'm afraid of both! And on top of that, I HATE CHICKEN, TURKEY, HAM, and anything else with no carbs and high protein! ;^) Next week I get to start vegetables and fruits. Looking forward to a little smoothie, some green pepper, and some cantalope. Weird gravings, huh? In good health! Joseph