I am so not doing this right

today I am going back on fluids, giving myself 3 protein shakes today, last night I cooked grilled chicken and potatos in the oven , and gave myself such a tiny peice and 2 tiny potatos and I didnt even fini**** I know I did not puree the chicken but i chewed it up soo well in my mouth and it was tiny and after acouple bites i was in pain again like it was when I ate a few noodles... I threw up 4 times and had pressure in my chest where my pouch is... the papaya didnt work I threw that up too. It finally went away after acouple of hours. so I am taking a day off and going back on strictly fluids... my protein shakes jello etc.... tomorrow will be 3 weeks and i feel like i dont know what I am doing..: ( i have nibbled here and there thinking i feel fine and it didnt bother me.. but i know just because i feel fine does not mean my pouch is completely healed and ready for solid foods... its not.. and i should know better... anyways... i am in such a need to go to a support meeting to learn what im doing wrong... thanks for letting me vent. Beth

Beth , I truly think you should call your doctor . Anytime there is pain .. and it is going on as long as you have .. I really think you should consult with him . It cannot hurt .. and it will eliviate any worries you may have . And if you can not eat .. this is a concern . Please keep us posted ... and I am praying you get some relief soon . Natalie

I can eat foods fine without pain but i think last night i tried to over eat and the chicken was to much to dry or something.. and it wasnt pureeed but i guess i should call the doctor with pain... i just hate to be a whiner to him.. he will tell me what i already know.... eat puree soft foods for 6 to 8 weeks and i have tried to eat things i shouldnt of... not bad foods but i have nibbled on grilled chicken or even had a bite of potato salad and a brocoli.... i need to start eating like she told me too... puree foods... Beth

I still don't eat chicken (not broccoli either). It is just too dense for the most part. At only three weeks, you really need to be on puree or soft foods only and chicken does not come in that category. err on the side of caution and have soups, mashed potatoes, tuna salad, etc. Remember, there is a reason they have us on graduated diets. At least you have backed off and are doing the protein drinks only to rest your stomach today. Try soups. Usually everything Campbell is quite mushy inside. You are a long way off from chewy and crispy yet. AND, if you are in pain, call the doctor, as Tink said. Good luck, Lois

Beth, - first of all did you make sure the chicken was moist and not dry? - in the beginning I ate a couple of things that I thought were okay and I thought I was going to die - it turns out they were too dry. You should always eat chicken with gravy to keep it moist. Also you need to be able to take papya enzymes correctly - you need a few sips of liquid to help it break up the protein and you usually need to take about 4 at the one time - depending on what you ate. It does make you froth a bit but then you start to burp and then you start to get some relief. I have never been sick - wished I could have been - when anything got stuck. So I froth and burp until the obstruction has passed. Secondly - you just may not be able to eat meat yet..... some people can't eat it for a while. Do you have the same reaction with scrambled egg or cheese? Thirdly you should give the doctor's office a call just in case there is a small stricture. If there is that can be taken care of very quickly. Hope this helps. See you Thursday Jackie

No eggs and cheese are fine with me beans hamburger meat that is all fine i think like you said the chicken was to dry... ok so explain the papaya i take 4 of them with a sip of water.. i tried sipping water but with the pain i had and i sipped it just made it hurt more and i throwing up just made me lose the papaya i took... beth

It sounds like the chicken was either dry or not a good choice for you...... the papya enzyme needs a tiny sip of water to help break them down - you crunch them until they are powder and swallow them down - don't take them whole or they have to breakdown and when you feel like that you want the breakdown to be instant! Even if you throw up, some of the dissolved papya will have got through. You are lucky you can throw up - it gets rid of what was stuck so much faster. It is probably time to give chicken a little rest and try again another time. Give your pouch time to get over this before trying chicken again. And just because it hurt once does not mean it always will. My times that it hurt me were always reheated chicken - to this day I am wary about chicken left overs being too dry... Jackie

Beth- I just wanted to support you and let you know that you're not the only one that feels like this during their journey. I went for about a week (around wekk 5-6) that I couldn't keep anything I thought was a good (but adventurous) choice down....I was starting to get worried that I'd done something wrong too. BUT, like you, I said "OK, back to basics" and did that for a few days...it worked. I know that 6-8 weeks on pureed feels like an eternity, but it really does help. Also...just because it makes you sick one day doesn't mean it won't the next. I had this experience with eggs. One day...yummo...next day puked like no tomorrow. Trial and error..and trial and error again. (Eggs aren't an issue for me anymore.) Hang in there...you'll continue to learn what will and won't work for you....and vent anytime..that's why we're here. Christina S

I feel for ya, Beth. Everyone else gave pretty good advice. I'll keep you in my prayers! Amber

Hi Beth, Sorry to hear that you are having a rough time. For me, white meat chicken was a problem until about a month ago(I am 6 months out). I was able to eat white meat canned chicken but could not do white meat chicken at all made fresh. If you tolerate the canned chicken for a few weeks, the next time you try fresh chicken, you may want to try the dark meat. It is a little higher in fat but much moister and I rarely have a problem with it. Hope that helps! Christine 253/173/158/134 PreOp/Current/Surgeon's Goal/My Goal