Question:
10 Weeks Post Op, Can't Eat or Drink Protein.
I had my GB surgery May 1oth and I can not eat any kind of meat. Even one bite makes it feel as if a ball is stuck in my throat. I unfortunately CAN NOT drink protein drinks as I start sweating and break out in huge firey red blotches that burn. I have lost 58 lbs. but all I manage to eat are sugar free popsicles and reduced fat cheeze its (about 10 of them). I drink at least 8 (1 Pint, 7.7 fluid ounces a day). Any ideas on different things I might be able to tolerate or is this normal? — AllieT (posted on July 31, 2007)
July 30, 2007
Have your tried lowfat cottage cheese, yogurt? Any kind of cream soups or
bean soups (lentil etc). I am 8 weeks post op today and still cant tolerate
a lot of things. Mostly soft foods still work best. good luck
— WendyFaith
July 30, 2007
I can't tolerate the protien shake's either so if you will go to the top of
the OH pagego over to the store ! i order the nectar powder and I am able
to mix a spoonful with water in the ounce cup and i have been doing good
they have several flavor's I got fuzzy navel ! good luck
— DONNABOO
July 31, 2007
i used to have this problem in the very beginning, try to moisten your meat
with salsa, low fat , mayo, lemon juice ,sgar free marinade and it will go
down easier, as far as protein, is it the taste you don't like?, keep
trying one that is right for, mine happens to be isopure (no carb) 40
grams, alot of different flavors, good luck
— Robert-P
July 31, 2007
wow you ahve lost great. I had mine on May22 and have lost about 37 pounds.
I also can not eat any meat or pasta because it does not stay down. I have
been eating south beach diet bars which are about 10 grams of protein for
one. I also eat a lot of seafood like crab meat and tuna.
— Alvernlaw
July 31, 2007
I would try tuna, very mushy. Shrimp cocktail, very mushy. Cottage Cheese.
Yogart. Most fish works as it's light and flaky. Do ground turkey, very
mushy and add a little salsa - that always went down well for me. Refried
beans are good, and again, I would add salsa and cheese. Any type of bean -
I love pinto beans and kidney beans with a little light Italian dressing
for flavor or sprinkle some cheese on them. Get creative! Good luck.
— jammerz
July 31, 2007
Try flavored yogurt. Instant Breakfast (sugar free of course), cottage
cheese? I feel your pain. For the longest time all I could eat were
popsicles too. I could just hug the person who invented those frozen
delicacies.
— Catherine F.
July 31, 2007
I also had issues with protein. I started to drink milk through out the
day and had soft foods that were high in protein. The first thing I
thought of when you said sweating was have you checked the sugar content ie
sucrose and such along with the artificial sugars. To this day, 2 years,
out I cannot handle many grams of artificial sugars so I limit them as I
normally do regular sugar. Also you state that you break out in red
blotches which can be an allergy of some kind. If that is the case DO NOT
continue until you know for sure. An allergic reaction is nothing to fool
around with as your body can go into shock or restrict you breathing. I
would contact you nutritionist or doctors office and see what the issues
are before trying any other protein powders.
— 1968 Loser
July 31, 2007
Have you tried the Nature's Best Isopure Zero Carb Protein Fruit Drinks.
They are available at GNC and Vitamin Shoppe -- cheaper at Vitamin Shoppe.
You can mix them with cold water and that might work for you.
— the7thdean
July 31, 2007
Dear Allie,
I would be concerned about a couple things. First, the sensation of
something stuck when you eat meat. You need some high quality meat protein
in your diet. You should be doing fine with deli shaved turkey or chicken
at this point if chewed well. I would worry about a possible stricture
with your symptoms. An upper GI test or endoscopy could be indicated if it
has not already been done. Check with your surgeon.
Second, you could have an allergy to some component in the protein drinks
you have tried. We have used carnation instant breakfast (SF) with skim
milk as a base then added beneprotein to it for years with success. No one
complained of allergic responses yet. The protein has no real gritty taste
either. It is something to try. My hunch is adult bariatric patients
don't get nearly the amount of protein we have our teenage patients on
(60-70grams/day).
So, this posting is not a substitute for your seeing your surgeon about
issue #1 and for seeing a good bariatric dietician for problem #2!
Best wishes,
Tom Inge
Cincinnati, OH
— Tom Inge, MD
July 31, 2007
I am 16 weeks out and I still have problems with meat. I can eat chicken
and fish with no problem but hamburger, steak, or pork still don't go down
right. I am hoping that by the time I'm 6 months I will be able to eat red
meat. Try beans and cheese, yogurt, scrambled eggs. Make sure you take
your vitamins 2x a day. Each day gets better.
— alceen
July 31, 2007
Hi Allie, thanks for writing. There are a lot of protein sources you can
try, but I really hope that you have been in touch with your surgeon about
this. You cannot go without protein and not really suffer physically,
eventually. It might not show right away, but there are many a wls patient
that figures they can live without protein that discover that they are in
horrible pain from muscle breakdown and other complications from protein
denial. Don't go there, get some help and figure out what you need to do,
then do it, it may cost you your health. Now, cottage cheese is good
protein, some have up to 12 gr per serving, eggs and cheese, yogurt is good
protein as well. I drink milk for protein, it gives me gas, but it is a
good source of protein. There is no "convenient" way to get
around some of the foods you eat, you just need to eat some of them. I
also used some of the soups you can buy in the single serving containers.
Some of the soups had great amounts of protein in them. It takes a long
time to eat them, but they taste good, and the ones with lentels are very
good. These may not be your favorites, but that doesn't matter, you need
protein, so you have to figure out what you can do to make it work. See
your surgeon and/or your nutritionist, but don't ignore this problem, it
can cause bad complications you don't want. Best to you, Patricia P.
— Patricia P
August 1, 2007
I have an allergy to soy, which is the ingredient in many of the protien
drinks in the mainstream market. I have found that drinking whey isolate
drinks don't trigger my allergies or upset my stomache. They are available
at most stores that cater to body builder types. I had a hard time the
first time I walked into one of these places, but when I explained what my
problem was and why I was looking for it, I found them to be extremely
helpful, even with finding the vitamins etc., I needed. Good luck, the
sensitivity to meat will come and go, but you will eventually be able to
tolerate it. I hope the whey protien isolate idea is helpful to you. = )
— Kristen J.
August 2, 2007
Go see your surgeon you may need your pouch opening dialated. It is not
unusual after the surgery due to scarring. I had to do it 13 years out my
best friend was like you and had to do it a few months out.
— DonnaB.
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