Question:
Why cant I eat Regular Food at 2 month post op?

I had 1st surgery on May04 2010 then had scar tissue block my bowel and had 2nd surgery on June 11,2010 and is 2 months out and still cant eat regular food not salad or anything whether healthy or not but of course its been healthy what I been tryin to eat.. Can someone tell me how long does it usually take to be able to eat regular foods cause I need answers and DR said i can move back to solid food a while ago but body wont let me have anyone ever heard of this?    — Tamc27 (posted on August 5, 2010)

August 5, 2010
First of all listen to your Dr. My Dr had at 2 months out had me eating just protein and I think for myself I pureed everything I ate. But it was only protein. Your pouch is healing. FOR me this was life changing, and I am very compliant in what my NUT and Dr tells me to do. I am shocked that you even can eat, it was a rough year for me.
   — FSUMom

August 5, 2010
Sorry you have experienced complications. I haven't had any at all and even I had a hard time getting food down for those first few months following my RNY surgery, particularly meat and especially chicken. Didn't think I'd ever be able to eat dense foods again. It was literally just a single tablespoon of something and chewed till it was liquified before swallowing. You really do have to re-learn how to eat again because the insides take a lot longer to heal than any external cuts do. Just one small bite at a time and give it a minute between bites. Hang in there and maybe try pureeing your foods for a few weeks longer. Be sure to allow yourself the time needed to eat your meals when you begin eating solids again. Chewing well can't be stressed enough. I promise that in a few months you will feel more normal again when it comes to eating.
   — Arkin10

August 5, 2010
I'm kinda shocked you are eating solid food at all. I'm 7 months post op and still drinking a protein shake for breakfast and dinner. For lunch I generally have soup and for snacks, cheese sticks or apple sauce. I've had limited success with very "wet" chicken salad, but can't do any kind of meat or even the "stuff" in soup (i.e. minnestrone ). My doc said i'm doing fine and that every stomach heals at a different rate. The stomach cramping I was feeling when I tried to eat solids was the stomach relearning to "push" the food down (i.e. contract) .. and that sometimes it took longer for the muscles in your stomach to develop than others. All in all I'm very pleased with my surgery. At 7 months i'm down almost 120 lbs. (with about 30 more to go). The weight loss has slowed down significantly, but now it's just a lifestyle where i'm not really hungry, and just eat to get the energy to do stuff instead of thinking all day about what i'm going to eat for dinner ! Best of luck.. take it slow.. Karen
   — KQinNC

August 5, 2010
At two months, I could do very FINELY mashed or minced chicken, moistened with light mayo or a little chicken gravy. Same with tuna (I made a tuna salad out of tuna, hard boiled eggs, some dill pickle relish and a quarter cup of light mayo). I could eat the pulled pork from Qdoba. If it wasn't dry, I could eat a little bit of turkey. Beef (in the form of steaks, took me a lot longer to eat, but I could eat a few bites of a nice, tender (falling apart) roast with a little gravy to moisten. Mostly, at two months, I was relying on things like EggBeaters with some fat free Great Value turkey lunchmeat from Walmart diced up in it along with Weight Watchers 4-cheese shredded Mexican and a little bit of diced mushroom; Oikos or Fage plain Greek yogurt with a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a couple of packets of Splenda and two tablespoons of Polaner Sugar-free Strawberry Preserves with fiber stirred in (YUMMY - very thick and satisfying); fat free cottage cheese with a little dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing stirred in for savory taste, and much as I'm not a fan of refried beans, we were told that Taco Bell's refried beans were an acceptable menu item. I was also told to get Kashi Oatmeal, because it is high in fiber, and have that once a week or so. And finally, I found that tilapia and cod, poached more than "cooked" was pretty good, too, high in protein, and went down pretty easily sprayed with a little "I can't believe it's not butter" and sprinkled with some mild seasonings.
   — Erica Alikchihoo

August 6, 2010
This is hard thing to understand but the changes are long term. I rarely eat salad and at two months soft mushy foods like scambled eggs, cottage cheese, tuna or chicken salad, soups, and protien drinks are pretty common. It gets better faster for some people than others. I still don't eat what people around me consider normal food. I pick the top off the salad, niblbe at nuts and though I eat often I don't eat much at a time. This is life changing and so complicated.
   — trible

August 6, 2010
I was still on soft foods at two months out. Though I was cleared to eat "regular" food, my pouch wasn't ready. I didn't eat full solids till about 5-6 months out. Sometimes I'll still replace a meal with a protein shake. It's just simpler for me if I don't have to put major thought into what I need to eat. It's also easier to count the calories and nutrients.
   — KiaSunRay