Question:
Is it normal to be afraid to eat?
I am 9 weeks post op today, on a general diet and am down 60 lbs. I am noticing that I am scared to death to put solids in my mouth. I have no problem with liquids its just the solids that scare me. I have always been terrified of vomitting and have not yet experienced it. I know that I need to eat solids and get back to a normal life but I feel like I traded one eating problem for another. Before food was my best friend and now it is my enemy. I tolerate everything( but am very careful with sugar and fat intake) it's just that everytime I put something in my mouth that is not a liquid all I can think of is "What if I don't chew enough or what if my body doesn't like this". Is this normal? I don't know what to do. — Nancy S. (posted on August 27, 2003)
August 27, 2003
Unfortunately this is more normal than one would like to hear. This is
exactly the reason I LOVE my surgeon's post-op plan. I started eating real
food at 7 days PO. You learn to deal with food and chew and slow down etc.
I have ready many times before that people who were on liquids for a long
time, which it sounds like you were, have a hard time transitioning to real
food. The least little thing doesn't go right and they revert back to
liquids.
<p>Resign yourself that you may throw up but it won't be the end of
the world. I did awesome with foods for 6 weeks and then started throwing
up frequently. Evnetually I was scoped etc and finally figured out the
issue was as I was moving to more solid dense foods I was eating too fast
and my body was reacting in a negative way. Start with something really
thin and easy like a piece of deli meat. Cut into tiny pieces and chew the
heck out of it. Go slow. For now try and eat 1 ounce of food and
supplement with the drinks. Each week or two try and increase the amount
of food and decrease the amount of drinks. Things like cottage cheese,
string cheese, fat free refried beans with reduced fat cheese are all
pretty soft. You need to take some steps and try some things. It's the
only way it will get better.
— zoedogcbr
August 27, 2003
Hi. I am 8 weeks out and I have lost 53 pounds and I,too, am afraid to try
meats or solids. Everytime I do attempt to eat somethign solid I can only
eat about 3-4 bites and then it just sits so heavy in my chest and I feel
so unsatisfied. I feel more satisfied when I can eat larger quantities of
food. My dietician told me I really need to eat more protein, but I hate
it. I am like you, I would just rather stick with the things that go down
easy.
— Denise D.
August 27, 2003
I am a believer in going slow while the new stomach is healing, with the
liquids and then moving slowly on to the general diet. The fear you are
experiencing is so normal. If you start off slow and do all the things
your surgeon suggests, AND listen to your body, you will be fine. My head
knew before I ever swallowed anything if my tummy was gonna like it or not.
It was a cool experience. Why hurry the process with solids and risk
being so sick? Taking it slow and easy and doing liquids at first is a
sure fire way to success.
— Ginger M.
August 27, 2003
I can relate to what you're saying, but just wanted to say that it does get
better. I'm 1 year out now and really just beginning to get over my
trepidation around meats. I had some really bad nausea episodes when I
added meats back to my diet post-op and prior to 6 mos. just nothing tasted
good by the time I had chewed it enough to swallow it. It left me with a
pretty healthy case of "respect" for meat. But it does get
better. While I was having problems, I just shifted my focus to veggies
and used liquid protein until I could get comfy enough with meats.
— Cathy S.
August 28, 2003
Mu suggestion is... go real slow and ease in. When I started solids it was
pudding, cottage cheese type stuff for quite a while. i was scared to death
to eat fruits and veggies as I was afraid the fiber would be to hard to
digest. When I eased into it imagine my surprise how easy thay went down.
My Dr. gave us a book with suggestions on all aspects of eating post op
step by step. One idea that migh help you is to start with 1 tablespoon of
a food, if it settles ok, try it again the next day. that way you are going
easy, not over filling your self. and I learned the hard way - chew chew
chew. the only times (3 in 11 months) I have had to vomit was when I was
not thinking about my actions and swallowed with out chewing thoroughly
enough, and LESSON LEARNED
— **willow**
August 28, 2003
My answer is to relax. I actually went through the same thing. I was
terrified that I had not chewed something up well enough and that it would
get caught in my ring. I did the wrong thing. I started making myself bring
it back up. So I really traded one problem for another. This went on from
my 3rd month out to about my 7th month. I have finally overcome this fear,
but it took a lot of hard work on my part. I had to learn to relax and to
concentrate on what I was eating, while I was eating. I had to stop eating
in front of the tv or talking during dinner until I got used to the new way
that I had to eat. I hope this helps.
— torran P.
August 28, 2003
Oh maaaaaaan! Watching television and eating is a KILLER! Not paying
attention, I find it way too easy to eat too fast. This is my biggest
problem. Now at work, I love my lunch time at my desk. I eat while I am
opening mail and preparing my bank deposit. I take a small bite, put down
my fork, open a few more pieces of mail, then take another bite. I do
really well and I'm actually able to eat a good amount that way. When I
eat too fast, my meal comes to a too early and abrupt end with a result of
pain in my chest. I HATE that! So far the biggest challenge for me has
been to eat slow. It's also frustrating that my hot food gets cold and and
my cold food gets hot before I've finished my meal. You get used to all
this and the results are WONDERFUL! 10 mos post op and minus 189 lbs.
Fifty more to go!
— Ginger M.
August 28, 2003
Although it's never a pleasant thing to get that sick feeling, don't be too
terrified of vomiting. For me at least, vomiting is not the same traumatic
experience that it was pre-op. I agree with the other posts... that if you
take it slow and easy, you will do just fine. Cottage cheese works
wonderfully for me. I have found many new ways to enjoy this protein
filled, easy on the pouch food.
— Kimberly B.
August 28, 2003
Original poster here. THANK YOU EVERYONE. I was feeling so abnormal, but I
guess I am very normal. I am going to take this slow and not obsess over
it. I appreciate everyone's advice and making me feel better. Nancy
— Nancy S.
August 28, 2003
Hi Nancy. I can completely relate to your question. I was totally phobic
about vomiting for many many years, but I wanted this surgery so badly I
figured I'd take my chances and deal with it if it happened. I was very
afraid to eat post-op, thinking that at any time, 'this could be the food
that makes me hurl!' So I took it reeeeeeeally slooooooooow and just
learned how it felt to chew food to smithereens, and what was enough. (And
boy was I crabby at giving up my previous method of inhaling food!) I
learned I have a little warning system, that I will start to salivate and
feel hiccuppy if something doesn't sit right. If I stop immediately, I can
be OK. BTW, I've had a few experiences with vomiting now, and it really is
tolerable. I know that's hard to believe, but if you can believe that I
was a former emetephobe who is now saying this, you can believe that it's
really not so bad, and there's no reason to be afraid of it. Email me if I
can be of any help to you, and best wishes!
— Judy M.
August 30, 2003
Don't let it bother you, for the first 2 1/2 months after surgery I was so
afraid of eating that I only ate cheese and crackers or lunchables
everyday. I'm now 6 months post and basicly got tired of cheese and
crackers. I wanted something with substance. I've basicly learned through
trail and error on what my stomache will allow...-101 lbs...Nea
— gyneasmith
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