5 weeks out.. was great.. not so much now

I had RNY on 07/14.   Things were going pretty smooth.   I just switched to soft foods.  However, I am finding it more and more difficult to find things i can eat.. everything is making me nauseous.. liquids are even becoming a challenge.  

Anybody else have to work through this??

I am struggling to eat and drink and know I am not intaking enough protein or fluids.  My poor spouse is at his wits end... he will go get me or fix for me whatever I think I can handle and then sometimes I take 1-2 bites and I am done.. 

If you can't get down food, aim for liquids. Dehydration can cause serious nausea and send you back to the hospital in no time. I couldn't tolerate plain water for the first few weeks but fell in love with Orange and Grape Crush squeeze-in water flavorings.

are you getting nauseous right after you eat?  You might want to mention it to your surgeon's office.  Yes - it could be dehydration, but the same kind of thing happened to me at six weeks out and it turned out to be a stricture.

are you weighing your food.  It does not take much to make you feel sick

This is a repost...but it usually helps one or two people going through it.

What is a stricture?  This question comes up weekly, if not daily on OH.  Below is a copy and paste from Wikipedia.  If you are a few weeks out post op from RNY and have problems keeping well chewed food (even water) down, you might have a stricture.  Very common and very treatable (about 5% of RNY patients get them).  Also do not freak out if you have to go back a second or third time to get treated for one.  The Gastroenterologist will go just below the pouch and air up the "balloon" .  It is an outpatient procedure and you will be sedated.
  
As the anastomosis heals, it forms scar tissue, which naturally tends to shrink ("contract") over time, making the opening smaller. This is called a "stricture". Usually, the passage of food through an anastomosis will keep it stretched open, but if the inflammation and healing process outpaces the stretching process, scarring may make the opening so small that even liquids can no longer pass through it. The solution is a procedure called gastroendoscopy, and stretching of the connection by inflating a balloon inside it. Sometimes this manipulation may have to be performed more than once to achieve lasting correction.

Make sure you are super well hydrated, dehydration causes nausea, many things make me queasy, smells, tastes, lots of foods, anything too sweet or too much fat or just too rich.  My go to for everything is unsweetened iced tea with lemon it's saved me from being queasy many times.  At your stage I would say drink drink drink water until you are ready to eat and then see if you still feel queasy afterwards.  Good luck.

Of course get checked for a stricture.  At a month out i could only eat one or two bites.  I sipped protein shakes and lots of water.

If you are not able to eat your body will be forced to burn off stored fat.  That is what happens with surgery and why we lose weight rapidly.

You will find your ability to eat will be more every month.  By a year out I coulf eat quite a bit and my weight loss stopped completely.

I miss the days when two bites filled me up for hours.

Mine was on 7/16 and I can commiserate.  I have had bouts of nausea randomly throughout the day myself.  Especially in the a.m. when taking my daily pills.  One thing I have noticed is sometimes the temperature of the fluids I'm trying to take in is an issue. Sometimes really cold water is great, sometimes not so much so.  When I haven't been able to "eat" or "drink" I have turned to popsicles.  If I'm nauseous at the time, I will usually try and have a citrus or lemon flavored as those seem to settle my stomach a little more than the other flavors.  It is kind of the best of both worlds between eating and drinking something, especially as it has been between 100 and 106 degrees here in CA. I also have had issues with "sweet" tasting things.  Not sure where you're located, but Trader Joe's has a great unsweetened green tea and Panera has a great unsweetened Hibiscus tea.  Neither seem to cause nausea for me. Another thing I have done is bought regular chicken noodle soups (the Healthy Choice) and just drank the broth.  It makes me feel like I'm getting something with flavor while still hydrating.

Good Luck and I would definitely recommend at least touching base with your doctor, so much better to keep them in the loop.  This isn't their first rodeo and don't feel bad about asking questions they've heard 100 times before.  Kinda in their job description :)

I was in the very same boat just recently.  It is part of the process.  I asked for help from the experienced ones in her and I promise you their advised is dead on and works.   When they tell you to go back to liquids for a bit do it.  Drink lots of water in anyway you can...with sugar free flavor drops...and get at the very least 60 grams protein in with protein shakes....introduce foods slowly...if you can do a scrambled egg in the morning do it...if it makes you sick...drink your protein drink.  Be kind to yourself and take it slow its a marathon and not a sprint.  And you will have lots of support.  I still rely on tomato soup with milk...oatmeal and yogurt everyday.  I cant eat a lot of things yet but thats ok...in time. I am just able to eat some lettuce today lol.  One day I can tolerate it and the next day it made me nauseous.  It will all pass in time.  Just be patient and dont rush yourself.

All the very best!  Kim ( I am 12 weeks out tomorrow)