Question:
I am having a hard time eating and drinking,

I am not sure why. I had my surgery on 7/2/01,open rny distal, I came home and couldnt deal well with the liquid diet. I presently can only eat anything liquid(yogurt, jello, some soup). I am now on soft diet, and everytime I take a bite I feel like I am having chest pain, I know thats only going down, but it really hurts. Plus I have been trying protien drinks, and I can not keep them down at all . So basically I feel like my body is dying... What can I do to make this feeling go away?    — STEPHANIE N. (posted on July 28, 2001)

July 28, 2001
Hi, I would start off by calling your dietitian or surgeon if you don't have one. My first day on soft foods was really hard for me also, As the days go on they do get easier. Try sucking on saltine crackers, pasta, a scrambled egg with about 1 1/2 tsp milk. Just remember to go really slow. It is kind of like sipping your water, try 1 really small bite and wait a couple of minutes and repeat. It could be you are just so hungry and are eating a bit faster than you realize. I also had to smoosh everything in my mouth before swallowing. I hope this helps. Feel free to e-mail me of you need more suggestions. Good luck and don't give up. Each day you will feel better. Carla
   — Carla C.

July 28, 2001
Best of luck to you Stephanie. I know this is hard. I am 19 days post-op and am getting so sick of the liquids. My advice to you would be to first contact your surgeon. You probably should not be throwing up. Perhaps there is some excessive swelling.. Be honest with your surgeon and do not hesitate to ask for help.You are worth it! My instructions say that even a small amount of solid food in the initial stages of healing can form a mass of fiber in the stomach which can lead to repeated vomiting to try to get it up. Are you trying to get something in your stomach about every 3 hours? I find that if I let too much time pass (I am not hungry--imagine that-- so I forget to drink protein drink)then I am overcome with more than the normal nausea. Are you eating blenderized or pureed foods? If so, be sure to measure each time so that you can avoid the painful overload problems with nausea, pain and vomiting. I am no expert. This info is from some of my instructions from my surgeon. Twice now I gulped water, forgetting to sip and I had terrible pain that passed after about 10 minutes. It scared me and when I start on pureed foods I will remember what just drinking water too fast did to me. I hope some of this info. can be of help to you. Good luck. This (using our "tool") is a learning experience for all of us. Good luck and keep us posted!
   — lovebug2