Question:
General Questions:

I was wondering if anyone out there can answer my question on how long a post op RNY patient is not supposed to eat Salad? If there is a restriction on eating it for how long have you been told to not eat it? And why? I also wonder if any other post op's had a saliva problem. Kind of like when you get ready to vomit. Where it just feels up your mouth and you have to spit it out? I have been having this happen all the time, I am one month post op and wonder if anyone else is having this problem? Please E-mail me at [email protected] Thank you, Dana    — DanaDee1969 (posted on April 8, 2000)

April 8, 2000
Haven't had the nerve to try salad yet cause there's no protein in it and I have to use all my space for protein. As for the saliva...well, three things make me puke, too much food, not chewed enough or if I eat to quickly...On these occassions, I know right away that I have blown it...and the saliva glands start working overtime...the bad thing is the more i swallow, the more i make...and as there is no room in my pouch to hold even that much more, it leads to the final barfing...I believe this is normal for us as it happens each time...there HAVE been occassions when I had food stock (broccolli for instance) and the excess saliva swallowed made it go down...finally...so It helped in that case. Don't worry about it...as you get more control of what you eat and how you eat etc, you won't be puking as much or slabbering either! lol
   — Shelly G.

April 8, 2000
Yes, yes, yes...the saliva is the first thing that happens when I have gone too far...either not chewed enough or insisted on that "one more bite". I am two months post op and have been told to add veggies to my diet. Nothing tastes as good to me as a tomato or cucumber. I have never been much for lettuce, but raw vegetables make my day. I put a little olive oil and taragon vinegar....sooooo good. The fat is such a small amount that it is not a problem. But the protein is my priority. So these vegetable salads are far and few between.
   — S S.

April 8, 2000
Hi Dana - we both had our surgeries on the same date! The saliva thing is from either not chewing food properly, taking too big of a mouthful, eating too fast, and/or eating too much. Isn't it awful! I've been told to try veggies -- I've added really chopped lettuce (iceberg) and tomatoes to a tostada and had no problems. I've heard that the canned veggies are the easiest to digest - and anything crucerifous (broccolli, cabbage, etc.) is the most difficult to eat. I've added some canned asparagus tips to scrambled eggs, but for the most part don't have much room for veggies. Except tomatoes. I put them on everything. Even the canned ones.
   — Toni B.

April 9, 2000
I started salad at about 6 weeks out. I was conservative at first (just a little lettuce and some turkey). At 8 weeks out I started adding sheredded carrots, broccoli, garbanzo beans, turkey and low fat cheese. It's now a good source of protein, tastes wonderful and I can eat more salad at a meal than any other food. BTW, I use the low fat dressing, not fat free (lots of sugar in fat free).
   — Morgan B.