Question:
I can not eat any meats at 4 months post-op, is this normal?

I had a small pouch gastric bypass on 3/7/00. I have lost 92 pounds in the last 4 months. I am happy with the weight loss but miserable in the eating department. I can not eat any meat, pasta, rice, or practically anything that is not a soft liquid. Tuna does not even stay down. In my honest opinion I feel that the tube exiting my stomach built up scar tissue around it and it is hard for food to exit. I vomit almost every day. It is usaully about 1-3 hours after I eat that I am still so miserable that I go ahead and vomit. There are only 3 times that I vomited right after I have eaten. I wait at least an hour after I eat to drink and it feels like my stomach gets clogged up. I mean with only small sips. I am definitely eating slow and chewing my food up carefully, so please don't say to chew any slower. I may just have to wait longer than 4 months, it is just that I hear of others eating normal very small amounts of food at only a few months post-op. I am at my wits end if this is something that will be correctable in the future. I don't want to see into it with a doctor until I get a little closer to my goal weight. Just to eat one bite of chicken, fish, shrimp, crab, or beef would make me a very happy person. Thanks in advance for the replies.    — Judith K. (posted on July 13, 2000)

July 13, 2000
Your story sounds just like mine. I am 9 weeks post op and I have tried every kind of meat imaginable. I get a pain behind my breasbone and back up it comes. I thought for sure tuna would work but it gave me the same kind of feeling. My Dr. told me that I just have to keep trying that in time I should be able to tolerate it. I hear of everyone else eating all kinds of meats. The only thing that worked was putting a little deli chicken in cream cheese. Hardly seemed worth it. I am leary about trying again because I hate that sick feeling but would like to have an option for protein. I guess we need to hang in there. Good Luck to you!
   — Tami G.

July 13, 2000
sounds like it is time to call your surgeon about an endoscopy.
   — Marjie W.

July 13, 2000
I'm having trouble with course meats at 3 1/2 months, but I'm doing well with things like tuna and chicken. I've had the pain you are describing, but only when I've tried to eat in a hurry (not chewed well enough). It sounds like the opening is smaller than the food - call the doctor.
   — Kasey K.

July 13, 2000
I would suggest that you contact your surgeon. An outpatient endoscopic procedure would determine if you have a stricture or abnormally small opening at the pouch. If so, it only requires a simple dilatation to correct the problem. This is not such an unusual complication following WLS...and I personally don't think it's worth it to continue to be miserable and wait until you reach goal before determining if this is a problem that's easily fixed. I also am at 4 mos. post-op and strangely enough, pork is the only meat that gives me the feeling you describe...all other foods are fine at this point, and I'm still losing weight. By the way, 92 lbs. is truly remarkable at this point! Call your doctor, please. This "new life" is too good to be feeling this bad.
   — Diana T.

July 13, 2000
I too had similar things happen to me in the beginng of this new life. At just over 8 weeks, my dr. finally did an endoscopy, and I had some major scare tissue going on down there!! I had a hole no bigger then the size of the tip of a writing pen for stuff to "seep" through. Those first 8 weeks were pretty hard, I can't imagine having the same issues prolonged for more then 4 months... I would highly recommend speaking with your dr. requesting this procedure, and whatever anyone tells you... you know you are chewing enough... I can't tell you how many times I had people tell me "your just not chewing slow enough and not enough" and also I was eating too fast... I would have accepted the idea if it had only happened a couple of times... but for 8 weeks I was convinced there was something else causing it. Good luck!
   — Jamie T.

July 13, 2000
Judith: It is time to call your surgeon. To say that you don't want to see a doctor to check on it until you are closer to your goal weight is ludicrous. You need to get it fixed and the procedure is very likely quite simple. You will still get to your goal weight. As is, you are probably way malnourished! That is not good! Call your surgeon today.
   — Cindy H.