Frustration

I haven't been consistently posting on the menu thing because I am having a hard time. I am tolerating less instead of more, in both kind and amount of food. today I made a protein shake and got about half of it down. Still working on that. I made eggs this morning and they did not do well at a ll...I was naueous and in pain for hours on one po, ached egg. I am trying to finish a last serving of ricotta bake,,I tolerated the first two servings fine, but the rest has been harder. I'm no, t in pain from it tonight but I only ate a few bites. It's not consistent. Yesterday I did just fine. But Wednesday and today...I'm not getting in my protein, water, or all my supplements anymore. When these attacks happen even a sip or water is very painful. Am I developing a stricture? I had no issues in the beginning...no problem getting in my fluids and shakes was a non issue. I am a month out.

Reading this I realize it sounds like I've been eating ricotta bake all day. It's just the one serving. I have been eating it all week.

Cathy, I thing you need to call your Surgeons  office.

I'm sorry you are gong through  this 

that's exactly what I was going to say - it sounds like it could be a stricture.  I had two of them early out.  Call your surgeon's office - if they agree that's what it sounds like, they'll send you for an upper endoscopy.  The fix is super easy - and you'll feel better immediately.

"Call your surgeon" might sound over the top but considering that we are all different and some of us have experienced those symptoms with the result of a stricture, then it would not be good to chance anything. I personally went through the same thing but it was simply my body changing and adjusting. It was super easy the first two weeks and nothing made me feel ill and then all of a sudden I couldn't handle anything I had been and I really struggled to get it all in. My doctor just said to try my best and I  leaned heavily on premiere protein shakes, Atkins lift protein water, and struggled with water and vitamins. 

Good luck to you and know that you're not alone, either way it pans out!

Cathy, I am only two weeks out but have experienced the same thing related to eating.  Tried turkey chili.  I loved it, went down fine.  Second time ok.  Third time the smell of it made me ill.  Same thing with the vanilla shake.  I have found that there are only two things so far that still go down consistently... Cottage cheese with pepper and applesauce.  I tried a scrambled shirred egg today, very soft, and it really upset my stomach.  Ricotta bake makes me feel sick now, too.

You should definitely call your surgeon, but the food issue sounds familiar.

I was on cottage cheese with a little spag sauce and poached flounder - soft foods for awhile.  I don;t think I could even stand the thought of anything baked until a few months out.  

Also, every day is a science experiment - even if nothing is wrong.  I had stomach pains, but it turned out to be the vegetarian (bean based) prot shake I tried - it just sat in my stomache.  I did go into to see my surgeon - she suggested that I wait longer between eating and drinking - one hour - and that has solved the problem.

I would not hesitate to see my surgeon in the first 12 weeks out - that is the major healing period and they want it to go well and catch any problems early.

I have been having some small issues too,( 16 days out now) but I think I'm eating too fast. It's hard to fathom eating 3 fluid ounces quicker than 20 minutes would cause trouble, but it does for me!!  I'm switching to an infant spoon, trusting myself to only taking the tip full of puree on the spoon is not working!!  STEEP learning curve!!

That is good thinkgin. It is difficult to remember all the time. 

I forgot about this until you mentioned it.  I had to drink out of a little metal cup like you would get melted butter in at a seafood restrauant.  And i would have to sip it.  I had a hiatl repair alos and one time I had a normal swallow - not a gulp - just a normal swallow and it hurt like the berjeebers.  Also, if I am having grilled chicken, I cut it at the cutting board and put the small pieces on my plate so if I forget to chew chew chew - I do not have any problems. It does take awhile to get used to it all but it is worth it.  Sometimes you can eat more than others - don't force it, juct listen to your body.  I can feel when my gastric juices start to flow and then I will begin to feel full - it's the hormones in the gastric juices that make you feel mentally full - that is one reason to eat very slowly.  Even if you get up, do the dishes and then sit back down or put your plate back in the refrgi for later.  I have also spit out food when I was still hungry when I started to chew it but was full by the time it was to swallow.  (Sorry if TMI, but it may help you.)  I stuck to the straight and narrow until I acheived goal and dream goal weights.  I will be 2 years this coming december.  People say this is the honeymoon phase and it is, but too many people do not take advantge of it and stop 50+ pounds shy of a healthy goal weight, and then are sorry.  It sounds as though you are sticking to the straight and narrow - it will pay off.

My doc says that the trick to maintainence is to take advantage of the first few months after surgery to retrain your eating patterns when it is easier to eat less generally, and to stick to the protein first model.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the input. I may be eating too fast. I used to be a nurse, and now a busy mom of littles...my reflex is to inhale. I have been trying to eat slow but it may not be slow enough. That egg was comake oked pretty dry too. I don't know. I'm having a better time today. Pouch feels kinda irritable, but that might be after effects from yesterday's drama. I have my 6 week follow up in two weeks so I'm hoping to make it till then, and maybe things will settle down. From what I've read, strictures can even resolve on their own. Here's hoping, if I do have one, that it does!