Question:
at 3 weeks post op and I ate a WHOLE lean cusine! I'm worried!!

Ok, I am now 4 weeks postop and I went to my first support meeting. Everyone was in horror when I told them I could eat an entire lean cusine 3 weeks after surgery. Sometimes i can, others day i get full really fast) It was the oriental chicken and rice.. 8 oz.. I did take 30 min to eat the whole thing.. but i stopped when i felt full. I left maybe one bite. Is something wrong with my pouch? Everyone there freaked. They all said they can only eat a bite or two and are stuffed. Could i have stretched out my pouch already??? My doc said liquids only for my first two weeks.. but I found myself eating soft foods by 10 days post op.. then i was to move on to pureed.. I skipped that step all together as I chew really well.. I know I was bad, however i am still losing great, but the dietician really freaked when i said how much I ate, so now I am concerned..    — msjmcalpin (posted on April 19, 2002)

April 18, 2002
You havent 'stretched your pouch'. BUTTTTTTTTTTTT I would have your doctor do an upper gi test. You could be like me (tho I didnt eat what you did 'so soon' it was evident from day one (even my surgeon was surprized) that I could eat 'more' than normal. WELL, he finally did an upper gi test. It showed that the pouch was not being used at all that the food was dropping directly from the espogus to the intestines. I was then given an endoscopy. The endoscopy showed I was in normal 'standards' for size; but evendently its too big for 'me'. WHAT this means. is that you will ALWAYS be able to 'eat'... I have not found a doctor yet that would fix it.. Mine didnt/wouldnt. You will still have your 'malapsoption' so you will still loose! but you will have NO limits on eating ... its very hard . Im sorry . This seems to be a problem ; I neverheard of pre op and found little information post. Finally someone from the Bariatric associations said surgeons have nothad luck in the past fixing this so they have basically 'ignored'it and told their patients to excerise and diet. A leading surgeon in the country who my surgeon did a consult told HIM to have me drink as much water just before eating... I was furious. Ive heard there is one doctor in Vermont triing to work on a correction; but she will only do 'her patients'.
   — star .

April 19, 2002
Jennifer, I would agree with the previous poster about having gi check..but I would also like to let you know that at 4 wks post-op I ate an entire lean cuisine, myself (spaghetti), after not eating for almost two days. I feel that at certain times my pouch/system is not "backed up" (ie. empty) and I can just EAT MORE. I am now almost 6 wks post-op and yesterday could only eat two bites of a hamburger..so I try not to worry so much when certain times I can barely eat a bite vs. other times when I can have a bit more. Good luck to you.
   — Jennifer C

April 19, 2002
I don't want to worry you, but I can barely eat a whole Lean Cuisine, and I am post-op nearly 14 months!!! I would definitely have a GI done.
   — Terissa R.

April 19, 2002
Jennifer, WOW that is alot!! I am 17 weeks out and it takes me one and a half hours to eat (1) scamble egg with a slice of cheese,clintro, one slice of lean ham. I have to make two portions. Please have your dr. check you out! But your still losing and thats goods!!! Sometimes I can eat better when I am totally relax and the food goes down so easy. Good Luck on your Journey!!
   — Laura G.

April 19, 2002
Please remember that each one of us is different! I don't understand why people react that way. Sure many people can't eat that much, but many of us can. Why put someone through such stress because they are different???? I was definitely able to eat an entire lean cuisine at 4 weeks post op. Not every day, mind you, but I could easily do so without any discomfort. Sometimes, just like "normal" people, we can eat more than other times. Unless you are eating that amount 3 times a day, every day, I don't think you need to worry. Be honest with your surgeon, tell him your concerns and let HIM help you decide if something is wrong. As long as you are losing, getting in all your protein, water, etc. don't get too panicky. I am 16 months post-op down 100 pounds (hoping for a few more) and very happy & healthy. I can eat much more than the few bites that many people describe on this board, but I'm not worried. My surgeon feels that I've lost an appropriate amount of weight, I feel better and that's all that matters. I guess all this rambling is just to try to help you feel better. I think sometimes people who are well meaning end up scaring us by their reactions to our questions and situations. You do not sound all that unusual to me. Hope this helps. Good luck!! Maria
   — Maria H.

April 19, 2002
How much you eat is your choice.
   — kim C.

April 19, 2002
You certainly are eating a lot more than most people. I would suggets not spending 30 minutes eating. That's way too long. I have always been full at about 10 minutes. You probably are overeating your pouch in that you are allowing it to empty and refilling it again too quickly. I suggest cutting way back. You will lose now but I believe your progress will stop very short of goal.
   — Frank M.

April 19, 2002
One Lean Cuisine at 3 weeks seems like an awful lot to me, too. But I will say that I also have days when I feel I can eat more than normal and days when I can barely finish a bite or two. You are going to lose weight regardless at this stage, but my worry would be that you could damage your still healing pouch. Like my surgeon said, only his handiwork was holding me together and I needed to do my part to protect it. I would try to stick to more pouch friendly food choices for a few more weeks. Before you know it, you will have a wide variety to choose from. Good luck to you!
   — Donna L.

September 11, 2002
JENNIFER--I AM SHOCKED THAT AT 3 WEEKS POST-OP YOUR EATING SOLID FOOD. MOST SURGEON'S REQUIRE THEIR PATIENTS TO BE ON PUREED FOR THE 2ND AND 3RD WEEKS POST-OP. I AGREE WITH THOSE WHO SUGGESTED A GI FOR STAPLE LINE INTEGRITY. THAT MAY BE THE REASON WHY YOU ARE ABLE TO CONSUME THE WHOLE 8 OUNCE MEAL. BETTER TO CHECK IT OUT THAN TO WORRY YOURSELF.
   — scrappenmom

September 12, 2002
Start OVER from the beginning. Your Dr. put you through these motions not simply because of your pouch healing, but so you get in the habit of eating a NEW WAY. So, because you can, does not mean you should or have to..... simply start over with his instructions- it will not hurt you, and make it up. I would also try and stick to basics. Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, etc.
   — Karen R.

September 12, 2002
I'm not sure what resurrected this old thread, but I'd like to note that this question was posted way back in April. Turns out, according to the poster's profile, not only is her original question now five months old, she's lost 88 pounds so far and still going strong. Some of us can just eat more than others early on, but apparently that does NOT mean the surgery is destined to be a failure. Interesting!
   — Suzy C.

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