Question:
I'm not sure if this is normal or not. I'm 5 weeks post-op and I can not
most foods down. I eat slow and chew well, but yet I still end up getting sick. I've even gotten sick of cottage cheese and soup. I don't think I'm eating too much, I stop when I start to feel that lump in my chest. Is this too much? Am I over feeding myself? Today I tried to eat a hamburger patty with cheese and I had 4 bites, not big ones either, and I chewed them very well. All I could think about was chewing well, so I wouldn't get sick and about 20 mins. later, I was in the bathroom. Someone said I might have stonage or something? Is there something wrong? I need all the help I can get. — Shara L. (posted on June 13, 2002)
June 12, 2002
chew more. You should try to stop before you get that"lump in your
throat". Don't worry it get better in time. I had the same feelings at
5 weeks.--- Good Luck
— Robert L.
June 12, 2002
Try to eat LESS today and see if that helps. Someone posted a little while
ago not to eat until you are full, but to eat until you are no longer
hungry. That way, after 15 minutes, you will be comfortably full /
satisfied. If you are 5 weeks post op, I would suggest 2 Tablespoons of
cottage cheese for one meal, 1/4 cup of soup for the other two. If, in
those amounts, you can got the day without getting sick, you will have some
idea that the quantity, not the food, is getting you sick. I know it's
tough to stop at 4 bites. I wish I could tell you your brain adjusts to
the smaller serving size... 4 years after my VBG, I would still order too
much at restaurants and put too much on my plate. Right now though,
measure everything to see what you tolerate. That will help you and your
doctor identify what the source of you getting sick is. Good luck!
— Karen F.
June 13, 2002
Well the other posters are right BUT you are 5 weeks out and that is the
perfect time for a stricture...that is the closing of the hole leaving the
tummy..you need to call your doc and let him know... you may need an
endoscope....... to stretch the hole....... painless procedure.......
— Sharon F.
June 13, 2002
I don't think it's a stricture but if that comment felt truth for you,
follow up on it. I went through the exact same things from about week 6 to
week 7 and from asking around, it can be quite normal. I went through a
7-day period where literally nothing except liquids would stay down. I got
that same feeling in my chest and I hated it. Do not drink anything as you
eat - this helps a lot. I was taking a few sips here and a few sips there
and it was tearing me up. One half of an open faced turkey sandwich with a
few pickles took me literally 1-hours to get down but it digested well and
it stayed down - it was my first meal to keep down. Picked at the turkey
and chewed like crazy. A lot of times, there seems to be a lot of worry
from other people who frequent these patients - 'have I stretched my pouch'
or 'have I ruptured my staples'....I honestly believe that our bodies are
stronger than what we imagine. Try different foods - if one doesn't work,
try something else. Applebee's Restaurant makes a Santa Fe Salad that I
can only eat about 1/8th of but the chicken goes down really easy. It's
tender and spicy so it satisfy's the taste buds and it's filling. The
lettuce is cut up extremely fine and so are the other vegi's mixed in with
it. They have a variety of different types of salads but they all seem to
stay down for me - maybe give them a try. Good luck to you -
— Lisa J.
June 13, 2002
I am totally with you on this. I am six weeks out and I have had a
dilitation because I haven't been able to keep anything solid down. When
they did the endoscopy they found that the hole was slightly narrowed and
that it shouldn't have been causing my problem. As soon as I eat something
solid I know immediately that it's going to come up. I am vomiting every
day and it's frustrating. My PCP, who is a GI specialist thinks it's
possible that during the transection, some nerves were cut and there might
be some tempporary paralysis as a result. He said that this happens on
occasion when the stomach is transected. I know it's not a stricture
because I am able to eat a cheese sandwich without throwing up, yet I am
not able to eat egg salad, cottage cheese or tuna, which is much softer and
almost pureed. I am just frustrated that I am actually able to tolerate
foods less than I couild 2 or 3 weeks ago. I think that our stomachs are
still very sensitive to food at this point and that we'll have to continue
eating on a "trial and error" basis. I know this probably isn't
much help to you but at least know that you aren't alone and that it's
nothing you've done. Good luck to you.
— Michael N.
June 13, 2002
Hi, I am more than 12 weeks post op and I eat less than you. My diet
consists mainly of Ensure or Slim Fast shakes,smoothies without those tiny
seeds from fruit, crystal light, iced tea, water, no-fat yogurt ,vitamin
B-12 under the tongue and for solids, it's usually a protein bar eaten over
a period of a few days. (a bite for breakfast and a bite for lunch) If I
try to eat solids, I find it makes me throw up. Because I had this
frequently I went to my surgeon and had an upper GI series taken. There was
no stricture, just a tiny pouch. (which is what I wanted) So now, I relax
and try to get the vitamins in I need and take one bite of things instead
of two or three. It's hard to change the way you think about eating, but
getting sick kind of keeps you aware of how you have to make that change.
The last thing I ate and got sick on was 3 raw baby carrots. It was because
I didn't chew them properly. After 3 hours of suffering, it finally came
up. There as plain as day was a big piece that wasn't chewed. I think
everyone is different. So far, I am healthy and lost 75 lbs since my
operation in the beginning of March 2002. The solids I can keep down in
tiny quantities are health food type vegetables that are baked into chips,
olives (don't ask me why?!) saltines, yogurt with granola on top which I
chew thoroughly, baked beans, one thin sliced tomato with sour cream dabbed
on top, frozen bananas from Trader Joes, etc.
[email protected]
— Joanne G.
June 13, 2002
Tomorrow I will be 6 weeks post op. I have found that I get that pain in
my chest/back because I have either eaten too fast or too much and it's
almost always followed by throwing up. It's not that I am doing it on
purpose, I just need to start measuring my portions instead of
"eyeballing" my portions. According to my surgeon's office (the
same ones who did Carnie Wilson's surgery), I should only be able to eat
1/2 cup of food (protein) per meal. Do you measure your portions?
Also, I am not allowed to eat any red meat or pork until the 5th month. At
5 weeks post op, our tummies are still very tender. Red meat is hard to
digest - even when it is chewed very well. Perhaps you could try eating
something softer such as deli sliced turkey or grilled shrimp (5 shrimps
have 17 grams of protein) instead of hamburger.
41 days post op - 43 pounds lost forever!!!
— Jennifer A.
June 13, 2002
I would call your Doc. I am 7 weeks post-op today and I just came back
from my 4th Endoscopy/Dilation procedure. I get the same exact symptoms as
you when my stoma starts to heal closed. I get the tightness in my chest
and then I vomit what ever is stuck as well as mucous and foam. I
know...GROSS! The Endoscopy is a very simple procedure..don't be nervous.
Good Luck!
— pam29922
June 13, 2002
Shara, try eating mushier foods. Ground beef is hard to digest. Not too
much bothered me food wise, but I got sick twice on ground beef at about
the 6 week mark. Even now at 4 months, it doesn't digest as easy as other
foods, like steamed white fish, refried beans with cheese, stewed chicken
or bean soups with meat in them. Try some of those...you should check, too,
if you get sick every time to get to your doc. 5 weeks is about the time
for strictures to appear if you are going to get them...
— Cindy R.
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