Cheated
Lora did not suggest you should not follow your surgeon's plan. She simply said she hasn't seen any evidence (as in studies published in peer reviewed journals) that show eating solid food too soon after surgery causes blockages or ruptures. Have you seen such studies? If so, please post the information here so we can read them, too.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Some of us have done an EXTENSIVE amount of research on certain areas of RNY, post-op nutrition and care, or the psychological aspects of life post-op. enough to know when someone is just spouting the "part line" on something that there is no medical evidence for or repeating incorrect or dangerous false information. Like surgeons who tell people that Tums is an acceptable form of calcium post-op, that carbonated np beverages will defy the laws of Physics and stretch the pouch, or that eating food at three weeks post op can cause an intestinal blockage or rupture.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Common sense would dictate that solid food needs to be chewed longer and more thoroughly than liquid or puree. At 3 1/2 weeks post surgery, if you were on a liquid or puree diet and suddenly introduced solid food, you could easily swallow a piece that is too big or not chewed well enough that could cause a blockage. That was the intent of my comment. Also, liquids and purees leave the pouch more quickly than solid food. If you eat too much (of whatever type of food you are having, regardless of consistency) you could push your pouch beyond it's limits and tear (or rupture) a staple or suture. I'm not saying it's a definite or even common thing to happen but it is certainly a possibility.
All this being said, I am NOT a doctor and it was simply my attempt to explain why others might have been so quick to judge her decision. Fact is, it's her body. She can do what she wants with it. Its none of our business if she decides to eat pizza every night for the rest of her life. If it works for her, great. Instead of us fighting or sniping at each other over whose program is better and whether liquid is better than solid, etc., why don't we just support each other. That's all I was trying to do in the first place.
Pizza was my favorite food pre-op. As soon as I thought I could handle it, I took 2 spoonfuls of heart healthy Prego, 4 slices of turkey pepperoni, and a quarter cup of mozzarella and nuked it. I ate a few dime sized bites of it and it really helped with the pizza craving. I've done it with chicken, mushrooms, and other things I would have enjoyed on a pizza.
I am very happy to report that as time has passed, I no longer crave this as I once did. And when I do make it, it doesn't taste as good as some of the other things I eat.
Your mileage may vary! Best wishes to you!
on 7/12/13 9:44 pm
After surgery you are walking at the edge of a high cliff. You can maneuver over to a safer position or you can stumble off the edge and fall through the air until you crash into the sharp rocks at the bottom of the ravine.
The pizza beckoned, you could not resist and you fell over the edge as you grabbed it. Right now you are effortlessly falling. You have not reached the bottom and the flight is painless. Your eyes are tightly shut and you can’t see the rocks below. You feel safe and free as you glide through the air with no one able to make you stop. You are sure you can fly back up to the top tomorrow with no help from anyone.
Your friends are throwing you a lifeline and telling you to grab it and they will help you back to safe ground. You are irritated by their reaction to your one little mistake. More than forty percent of people lose and then gain back their lost weight after RNY. Poor food choices are addictive and the more you go back to your old eating habits, the less chance you have of maintaining weight loss long term.
Catben78: I'm going to put in my 2 cents here. We have all ended up doing surgery because other methods have not worked for us. This wasn't our first choice, obviously. I'm going to say that you didn't "CHEAT." You're not on a "diet" anymore. We all know how "diets" set us up for disappointment. We made a life choice. There will be moments of trial and error on this journey. If we use words like "cheat" and "diet" and "failure" we're moving back into that head space. You didn't "cheat." You made a discovery and now you'll figure out how that affects your journey. You'll make your choices. We all do! We all will also discover foods that we wish would make us sick, foods that DO make us sick, what we can/can't tolerate emotionally, etc. But the days of beating ourselves up has to be over. Believe me, I'm guilty of all of it. There's no perfection here. If we were that perfect, there would be no "Obesity Help" message board! We do the best we can, try to follow our doctors' orders and keep on with our lives. This is brand new territory for anyone 3 1/2 weeks out of surgery. It's all about healing right now, not berating yourself or being berated.
This this one step at a time, breathe and figure out your own parameters with your doctor. NOBODY can judge you, you're not a "cheater" and you're still in the process of changing your life. Congratulations on your surgery and keep moving forward. We're all in it together.
Jennifer
