Question:
HOW LONG AFTER OPEN BYPASS R-NY SURGERY WHERE YOU ABLE TO TOLERATE COOKED MEAT ??

I AM POST-OP 9 WKS HAVE I AM NOT ABLE TO TOLERATE COOKED MEATS. I TRIED BAKED & BROILED FISH THAT DIDN'T WORK. I CAN ONLY TOLERATE CHICKEN SALAD,TUNA OR CRAB MEAT SALAD. ONCE IN AWHILE BAKED CHICKEN BUT RARELY??? I'M CONCERNED THAT I MY NEVER EAT MEAT AGAIN. PLEASE GIVE ME IDEAS FOR COOKING, TYPES OF MEATS THAT WORK BEST & APPROX. WHEN YOU WERE ABLE TO EAT MEAT. TURKEY,HAM FROM THE DELI WORK MOST OF THE TIME. THANKS    — Lavernn A. (posted on July 13, 1999)

July 13, 1999
Lavern, I am almost 2 years post op and still don't tollerate meat very well...I've faced the fact that I probably will never be able too..especially red meat. It's a pretty small sacrifice to make for being a size 4-6 instead of a size 24-26. I spoke to a doctor and he confirmed that the small tummy sometimes just can not handle digesting meat post surgery..it isn't anything done wrong, just individual reactions. What meat I DO eat is usually in soups..I can do chicken really well in soup..I can do salmon pretty well...broiled or BBQ'd. Meat tends to fill your pouch really quickly and can be kinda dense..so it can be uncomfortable. Try taking really really small bites and chew them really well. Good luck De
   — Deanna D.

July 13, 1999
I have never been able to tolerate meat well since my surgery unless it is very tender and chewed extremely well. I supplement my diet with extra protein in the form of a soy powder. Sometimes Pork goes down well and sometimes it doesn't. I find it the meat is in longer fibrous pieces I should just forget it and go with the veges.... Best of luck to you... Just remember to chew till you think you have chewed well enough and then chew it some more.. ;)
   — Peggy W.

July 13, 1999
I am 10 weeks postop and I can tolerate chicken, pork chops, and ground beef. I can NOT tolerate fish of any kind. I tried tuna and orange roughy. For some reason the strands of fish seem to come together at my stoma and block it. I can eat pork if it is cut up very, very small into pieces smaller than my fingernail. The same with chicken. When I try bigger bites, invariably I will "forget" and let a bite that is too big slip through and end up with blockage. I haven't tried beef at all yet, due to the numerous warnings I have heard on this and other sites.
   — Deborah L.

July 13, 1999
If this were 9 months or 9 years ... I'd say you might have a valid concern that you won't be able to eat meats again. However, I find it interesting that you can eat cold chicken, cold tuna and cold crab ... but you cannot eat them hot! I might suggest that the reason you can eat the chicken, tuna or crab meat in a salad is because you usually shred that stuff up really well before mixing in the dressing ... thus ... it's already "chewed" substantially before you put it in your mouth. However, the baked chicken or fish you're taking bites of, and it sounds like you're probably not chewing well enough. Also ... if you over cook meats you'll have a difficult time getting them down. You must cook meats and fish JUST to the point of being cooked thru, but not well done. If it's too done you're sure to get it stuck. It took me about 6 months to be able to tolerate red meats in anyway, but it was nearly 2 years before I could tolerate steak. Chicken and ground beef as well as firm kinds of fish were the only meat type proteins I could handle for a long time and it had to be JUST to the point of no red juices ... or it was too done. Good Luck .. You'll be fine!
   — Sherrie G.

July 13, 1999
Hi .. just reading Allisons response on this ... And I'm not trying to be judgemental ... but dousing your steak in A-1 is not very good advice. 1) for anyone who does experience dumping syndrom, A-1 is LOADED with sugar and will trigger dumping syndrom instantly, and 2) it's just not a healthy choice. A taste of A-1 just enough to flavor the meat is one thing but "dousing" is quite another .. and a good way to sabatoge your efforts by adding a great deal of unnecessary, non-nutritional calories. Non Caloric herbs and seasonings are even a better choice.
   — Sherrie G.

July 13, 1999
Hate to tell you this, but for me meat is pretty much no longer an option. I can do seafood, most any type. But meat, even chicken, is a no-no. I can occasionally do weird things like lunch meat or deli meats. But that is pretty much it.
   — dboat

July 14, 1999
Hi lavernn, I'm 9 years post. NOW i can eat any kind of meat and protein. But I well remember the first couple years. I couldn't eat anything that wasn't cooked just right and moist. The best advise has already been given, take very small bites and chew thoroughly. Another small thing that MAY help is to purchase a tiny but fancy fork. I found an antique seafood fork in a flea market. I carry this in my purse and always use it. It helps me to take very small bites, reminds me to be "ladylike" and eat like a bird. This is one of the small yet big things that helped me loose 160 pounds, and keep it off. 9 years later I'm a size 8 and extremely happy to be here. I wish you only the most wonderful success. :~)
   — Christine N.