Question:
I feel TOO good.. and feeling guilty about it. Is something wrong with me?
I am two weeks post-op. I'm down 17 pounds and 15 inches. I'm SUPPOSED to be eating Pureed Foods...but I'm not. I'm eating roast turkey/swiss steak/steamed vegetables/tuna salad/taco salad. NOT pureed - I just chew it REALLY well. I supplement with a Protein Shake, just in case. Today I had a total of 118 gr. protein/63 gr. carbs/21.4 gr. fat/6.5 gr. sugars/813 calories. I'm pretty sure I'd be content to eat this way the rest of my life. I'm satisfied. I'm eating about 3,000 calories less than I'm used to. I'm getting plenty of protein. Ok, I'm still having trouble pushing all the water..averaging about 35-45 ounces/day (but, hey.. I am a short person! lol). Does this sound wrong to anybody else? I know I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth..and complain about recovering SO well..SO quickly. But it doesn't sound right to me. Any thoughts, folks? — Diane E. (posted on December 25, 2001)
December 25, 2001
Congrats your doing great! I never pureed anything and was similiar to you.
I was scared constantly that something would go wrong and it didnt. Enjoy
that your doing well and do other MOs a favor, promote this surgery to
EVERYONE you contact.
— bob-haller
December 25, 2001
I too have done very well and I\'m 3 1/2 weeks post op. I also haven\'t
pureed my foods. My concern for you and myself is that our pouches may not
be healing properly from our \'pushing\' it. I usually eat very soft foods
but sometimes I know it\'s been more than 1/4 cup. My main goal has been
to heal properly but taste is getting in the way again. Just be sure you
aren\'t hurting yourself even though you can tolerate things. Good Luck!
— Sharon M.
December 25, 2001
I NEVER ONECE ate pureed foods.
— Danmark
December 26, 2001
Hi Diane, I never pureed foods either. The thought of eating pureed
anything made me sick lol. I did stay on soft foods for a while, and when
I ate harder foods,I just chewed the heck out of them. If your losing, and
you don\'t feel like your overstuffing your pouch then I would say keep up
the good work. I can only reccomend more water. If you can\'t get it in
between meals, try water loading before a meal. Drink as much as you can
prior. Getting in 64 oz is pretty easy if you drink as much before a meal
as you fell comfortable with. Congrats on the weight loss!!
— Carey N.
December 26, 2001
Congrats on feeling great!!! I had a similar experience - I was literally
on a high for the first three weeks. I had a lap BPD/DS so we are off
pureed foods out of the hospital but I was able to eat 4-6 oz a meal (which
is the stomach\'s capacity immediately post-op) and was reading about
others who had severe nausea or reactions to various foods and just
couldn\'t eat. I was getting my 75 gms/protein in every day and feelin\'
fabu! :) I felt like such a freak! It may not be the average experience
that many have but I can relate and it is a blessing! :) ENjoy! All the
best, (lap ds with gallbladder removal/January 25, 2001, preop: 307
lbs/bmi 45 now: 194 lbs/bmi 28),
— Teresa N.
December 26, 2001
I\'m going to play the devil\'s advocate here. If you are
\"SUPPOSED\" to be eating puree food why aren\'t you? I\'m not
trying to be critical here, but the key to being successful at this surgery
is following your doctor\'s instructions to the letter. I didn\'t like
eating puree food for six weeks either, but I did it and have done really
well since then. I think it\'s great that you\'re getting in so much
protein - that is really important. I just worry when people don\'t follow
their doctor\'s instructions about eating. Please consider why he/she asked
you to follow this diet in the first place. It is to give your stomach time
to heal and no matter how hard you try to chew well sometimes you
accidently swallow before you should and then you run the risk of injuring
your healing pouch.
— georgiacarol
December 26, 2001
My surgeon says there are 2 ways to puree something. In the food rocessor
OR cut into pencil eraser sized pieces and chew chew chew. I NEVER pureed
anything that didnt already come that way.
— bob-haller
December 26, 2001
georgia....before i got to end of ur post i knew it was urs. lol. georgia
was my angel last week & we have the same surgeon. his rule of 6 weeks
pureed is for a reason!!! u have ur whole life to \'eat\' normal after ur
surgery. 6 weeks of puree is not a big sacrifice to make after going thru
this NOT EASY surgery.
— sheryl titone
December 26, 2001
At my pre-op apt. 2 1/2 years ago, there was a girl in the next room that
was SCREAMING! I was terrified. My husband and I were debating about
leaving when the nurse came in. When she saw my fear, she explained that
the person was 2 weeks post-op and had decided to eat some McDonald\'s
fries, (not pureed); the fries busted open something, and surgery was
needed. The pain in her scream was enough to make me follow my doctor\'s
advice EXACTLY. I guess that my fear for you would be that mentally
you\'re already \"pushing the envelope\", so to speak. We\'ve
all gotten to the point that we are because of this mentality. The farther
out from surgery I get, I find that I want to test the limits a bit
further. You have a window of opportunity to lose of 18 mths. - 2 yrs.
with the program they gave you to follow. Why would you want to hurt that
opportunity? Also, could you be stretching your pouch this early in the
game? Be very careful. Talk to your doctor and others that have been
there. Good luck!
— tammy R.
December 27, 2001
Hi.. original poster here. Went to see my surgeon/nutritionist for my
two-week follow up today. While they agree that WHAT I'm eating should be
ok.. the FORM that I'm eating it in isn't yet right for me. They ask that
I 'blenderize' as much as possible for the next couple of weeks yet. Their
reasoning (which makes sense to me): my stoma is as 'unhealed' as the
incision on my chest. If too 'hard' of substances are being swallowed past
it, it will remain irritated and possibly develop more scarring - possibly
resulting in a stricture or blockage. SOOOO.. In the interest of my
future health - I will continue to eat the good foods I currently am..I'll
just try reducing it all to a smoother consistency for the next couple of
weeks to allow proper healing. Thanks for all your answers, though.. made
me feel not quite so alone.. :)
— Diane E.
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