2 questions

hey everyone, i had two questions that i am in need of answers for. i plan on calling my surgeon tomorrow but thought i'd stop here also and see what feedback i can get. yesterday marked my 3 week post op just so ya know.. here i go... 1. i am still on the "soft food" diet until june 12th. i have been following my nutrition list of things i can eat egg beaters, beans, cheese ect...someone please tell me i will get to a point where i will not want to rip my chest off from pain from eating? if i try to venture out of the yogurt or really really soft food range it hurts so much i want to die! i know i might be being dramatic here but what the hell? haha i tried soft baked chicken and it feels just like a hard rock sitting in my chest even if i cut it into the most tiny pieces you've ever seen! i'm getting kinda depressed because i'm tired of just eating yogurt. i'm hoping that this is normal and that it will go away at some point 2. i know when i went to all my classes and doctors appointments they always said that the biggest incision would probably hurt the most. i was lucky and haven't been in pain since the day i left the hospital, i mean maybe minor pain when i still had the staples in but other than that i've felt great until the past week. my side hurts so bad! if i laugh, sneeze, cough, get up funny anything my bottom left incision (the biggest one) hurts! my mom keeps telling me it's probably because it's healing, or that i might be doing too much. i'm just nervous. like i said i'm gunna call my surgeon and see what he says, but anything you guys could let me know/share your thoughts would be much appreciated! :) thanks!

Oh man, Im sorry. You know my mom is right there with you! She had hers the same day and shes still can only eat cheese, beans, and mostly just her shakes. On Saturday she tried a piece of very soft baked fish and she threw up and it hurt her so much. Last night she made a chicken salad with a hard boiled egg and very finely shreded chicken and she couldnt eat anymore after the first bite. I think its normal, but I wouldnt know for sure. Sorry. I hope it gets better!

Hi Lisa, Let me see if I can put your mind at ease... 1.  Chew and then chew again, eat slowly and eat conciously avoiding swallowing air.  Food not chewed well enough could cause that feeling, eating too fast could as well and swallowing air is another likely culprit.  And avoid chicken and other dry meats for a while.  If I eat over cooked meat or dry chicken I still get the lump in my chest feeling.  Since the meat is so dry it makes it hard on your pouch to process it, so stick to moister preparations.  I cook my chicken in a crock pot (just cooked one up like that today actually) and that way it is so moist it practically falls apart, which makes things really easy on my grouch pouch. The pain might also be an indication that you are moving to denser food before you are ready for it.  Make sure you're following your surgeon's recomended diet, and when moving to a new phase pay very close attention to how you are eating and how it makes you feel.   2.  Make sure you're not doing too much too soon - you wouldn't want to end up with a hernia. This is the hard part and the good news is it gets better.  Hang in there and I hope you're feeling better soon! 

1. Its not the size of the piece you are eating its how well you are chewing - you should be chewing food to a liquid consistancy. When it comes to meat it need to be SUPER moist - with chicken I suggest keeping to something cooked in a soup or crock pot... baking, broiling, grilling and especially microwaving may make it too try - chicken has virtually any fat so its easy to dry out. Make everything you eat super moist, mushy, even slightly runny until you are further out. With eggs try adding a little cream cheese to them... it adds protein, good flavor and makes them much softer.. and chew chew chew. 2. Is it your left side? Typically thats the spot where surgeons work from so a lot of people have pain on that side. For me I felt like I had a string going from my skin into my belly and when I moved it would pull, while it didnt hurt it sure felt weird.... its normal and will pass.

for your first wuestion the answer is most likely your not chewing good enough, the other thing it could be is you are taking that one bite too many. like when you feel satisfied yet you still have 2 bites left on your plate, and you eat that two bites.  and or one more reason would be if your drinking with your meals. so the good news is, that the pain your experiencing is caused by you, so its an easy fix. you'll get the hang of it.

thanks everyone for the advice! i know i need to slow it down, i keep forgetting i had the surgery its so unreal! i did much better today, had some turkey chilli and it went down just fine! thanks for all the support everyone, it means alot