Does this get better??

I had surgery in Hamilton Ontario on June 16 2014.  The surgery went beautifully and the only small glitch was that the top of my stomach healed to well and I could not get ANY solids into me.  August 12th they scoped me and stretched the stomach opening and now I can eat solids ( thank the gods ).  They did the scope and stretch because I was losing weight too fast....70 lbs in 7 weeks ( I was literally starving to death ).

I am part of a small percentage of people who have some kind of switch flipped in their head and cannot stand the smell of food and the taste. Even people talking about food makes me ill.   I understand this is common in the first few weeks but I am 4 1/2 months out and still suffer from this.  The only fluids I can drink are water and tea, everything else tastes like syrup ( can't even do crystal light and such ).  I CANNOT stand the taste or smell of meat now (  can I sue if they made me a vegetarian?  lol )

The foods I can eat ( and not daily as of yet ) are scrambled eggs, potatoes, soup, salad ( sometimes ) and sunflower seeds.  Everything else is a NO GO.  I have tried and thrown out and given away so much food since June.  The only possible upside to this ( pfffttt ) is that people with this problem lose about 18% percent more weight.  I cannot do protein shakes.....even before surgery I would have to mix it, plug my nose and just chug it all ( which is now a complete impossibility ).  I still can't eat every day but on the days I can.....I get about 40 grams of protein ( better than nothing )  I forgot...I can eat cornflakes!!!!  this was very exciting for me as I LOVE CORNFLAKES!!

I am almost always cold/chilly now but have read that that is because of the weight loss and loss of insulation ( fat ).  I can't do as much as I could physically as I am weak and my body tires so much more easily right now.  I seem to have lost my lust for life socially.....and am currently fighting myself to get it back. 

I am not sure if I am going to go back to Hamilton to see the dietician as she is no help whatsoever......all she does is keep saying you have to eat!  NO SH*T SHERLOCK!!!!!  Last time I seen her was in August and she was upset that I didn't have daily record of food......I know I need to eat, I am not stupid and not trying to increase my weightloss.  I would drive 1.5 hrs for a 10 minute appt of her saying you have to eat.  Didn't go to my 3 month appt and they haven't even called me to rebook.  Safe to say, other than the scope and stretch, I am thoroughly disappointed in their aftercare.

I only personally know one person who had this surgery and she completely failed at it and gained all her weight back within a year after losing it.  No fault of the surgery, she just didn't change her lifestyle and eats fast food for every meal.

This whole brain flip thing is messing with my depression but I am fighting tooth and nail every day to try to eat.  At least I don't have to take gravol a couple times a day now....YAY an upside lol

Sorry if this came off as venting, I just needed somewhere to let this out before I snap and either lose it on someone or just become a hermit and succumb to this being this way for the rest of my life.

I don't have a goal weight.  I had this procedure because my Rheumatologist told me there was like a 50% chance that having the surgery could lessen my Fibromyalgia pain by up to 50 %.  So far........the answer is nope, still hurtin.  But it is still early....fingers crossed.

Surgery date : June 16 2014

SW: 320 lbs

CW: 235 lbs

I don't have a goal weight.  I had this procedure because my Rheumatologist told me there was like a 50% chance that having the surgery could lessen my Fibromyalgia pain by up to 50 %.  So far........the answer is nope, still hurtin.  But it is still early....fingers crossed.

A lot of people tend to get some pain as their body adjusts to moving with less weight.  So once that settles, you might get less of the other pain.

Some of what you are describing is becasue you are not getting enough nutrients in.  You may have tried these but in case I'll say them anyways.  When eating meat, try ground meats as opposed to solids.  Such as lean ground beef instead of steak.  Having the smaller cut is easier to digest than a bigger one no matter how small a bite you take.  Try anything that is comes in small pieces.  Avoid pork for now, it's harder to digest.  Also try cooked beans and lentals for protein.  Have you ever tried juice based protein drinks?  Webber has a peach mango one, and 4Ever Fit has a variety of protein drinks.  If it's the smell that bothers you, you could try a cup with a lid and straw and suck slowly, or try a sports bottle that has a lid with a small opening.  Then you don't smell it as much.  Also, make sure your food isn't dry.  If it's dry, it's harder to eat.  Just include your sauces  in your daily count.  You can also get plain protein and add it to your soups, that will up your intake.  Have you tried eating home made spaghetti sauce?

I wish you luck in finding things you can eat.

Cathy

That sounds like it really sucks!!   I'm sure you've tried everything by now, but just in case, this is my list of the easiest stuff I've found:

ground turkey- I fry it up with mushrooms, onions and tomato

lazy cabbage rolls- chop up cabbage, fry it up in a dutch oven with ground turkey and onion, add low fat tomato soup and marinara sauce and put the whole thing in the oven for an hour

cheese strings

greek yogurt with a bit of low sugar granola on top

shreddies with milk

peanut butter with apples, banana or ryvita snackbread

I hope I gave you a couple ideas!

Good luck and don't give up! I hope things turn around for you. 

Sonja