Question:
I just wanted to hear from other post ops

When I eat certain things my stomach feels like it is balling up in a knot. The pain or should I say pressure is awful. I can only take a few bites of something and it happens. This usually happens when I try new things , such as nuts, vegetables, certain meats. It is so awful for about 20-25 mins. My surgeon says it could be air or eating too fast. I try to chew slow and eat small bites. I ate some shelled sunflower seeds because I was craving salt. I ate only about 10 or 15 at the most, boy did I hurt. Does certain food hurt any of you or is it that my stomach is still so small? I never try to over eat. I dont eat bread or any carbs to make my stomach feel extremely full. I am 3 months out and have lost 45 lb. as of my last dr. visit feb. 10th. he said all was going well , so I figure it is something I am eating. If anyone can suggest something for me I would appreciate it. I want to try new foods a little more, but it scares me. I am tired of the same blah foods everyday, but I don't want to go through the awful feelings again. thanks ! melinda mills    — taterbug898 (posted on March 3, 2005)

March 2, 2005
Three months post op is not that long... I think eating nuts is to soon for you. It takes 6 months before you are fully recovered from the surgery. If you crave salt suck on beef jerky. When you have foods that bother your stomach you need to stop and not introduce it again for another week or two. You may never be able to eat them again. After the surgery your stomach will dictate what you can and can not eat. I loved beef before the surgery. However, now I have no taste for it. Chicken I have a problem with. I eat a lot of soy based products and soup. I take soup and put ff cheese, diced up veggies, diced up shrimp, my powdered milk and that is my meal. Love it! Take you time when you introduce new foods. 3 months out and eating 10 to 15 nuts sounds like a lot to me. How many ozs of food are you up to. It took me over 6 months to work up to 1/2 cup of food. Good Luck.
   — Linda R.

March 3, 2005
yes, i have trouble eating breads . and some times if i eat a lot of pasta or stuff with alot of starch or carbs in it . but bread has been my main problem . it will et beter
   — lizzie72

March 3, 2005
Hi, Melinda. I remember "soft" was the way to go for me for quite a while post-op. I was unable to eat harder, denser foods for a while. Any meat that I ate had to be extremely moist, and I usually added gravy or broth to make it even moreso. I know it can be a little boring for a time. But you must let your new stomach dictate your new eating habits. Give it another month or so, and if things haven't improved, or you feel that you are still only able to eat extremely small amounts, then you might want to ask your surgeon to check things out. I wasn't able to eat raw veggies for a good while, and I didn't try nuts/seeds until I was around 5 months out. I stuck with very soft meats as I mentioned, mashed potatoes, and very well-cooked veggies, as well as applesause or other pureed fruits. Chili became a big favorite for me during that time. Also, most cheeses worked OK too - I usually carried string cheese with me for snacking, and of course cottage and ricotta. Eggs did not work for me for many months - every time I ate them, they made me sick, so I quit trying until I was around 8 or 9 months out, I think. If you feel your protein levels are not high enough, you may want to consider supplementing with protein drinks. I did this for a good while after surgery. I usually made a protein shake in the AM for my breakfast, just to get that added boost of protein. Best wishes, and hang in there. Lap RNY 9/11/03, 270/163
   — Carlita

March 3, 2005
Well, because you obviously are eating some things without pain, it would seem that you are just not ready for certain foods yet. There is no rhyme or reason why some foods work earlier for some and not for others. At 6 weeks post-op, I could have handled all the things that you can not. But I know of others that take much, much longer for their pouches to adjust to certain foods, especially meats. Denser foods can take longer. I know the exact pain you are talking about. Reheated salmon and stuffed peppers did that to me at about 2 mo post-op and even at 11 mo post op , it happened but i cant recall what it was I ate at that time. To this day, and i am 3 years post-op, I have to watch certain carbs like pasta and rice because a spoonful too much and I will have pouch pain. As a previous poster said, if something causes the pouch pain, delete it for another month and see what happens then. Have soft things that slide right thru the pouch like scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, steamed white fish, shrimp, and if eating meats, VERY moist, like crock pot moist.
   — Cindy R.

March 3, 2005
I get this paint too. I am almost 3.5 years post op and I STILL get it when I eat some foods. And honestly, only some of the time. Just yesterday, one bite of my sandwich and that was it. I immediately felt extremely full and it hurt. One bite. I can not explain why it does this, it just does. Anyhow, most likely in your case it is because you are just not ready for a certain food. Wait and try again another time.
   — RebeccaP

March 3, 2005
thanks for all the responses. Also Linda, I didn't think that 10 sunflower seeds were too many because they are so tiny. I haven't tried larger peanuts of any kind. These were the shelled ones and all of them total were the size of a quarter. I was just trying something new. I only eat small amounts during the day, I eat one yoplait lite, 1 adkins protein bar, 1 piece of turkey bacon, 1 protein shake, 1 ounce turkey, 1 ounce soft cheese, and alot of water. this is the amount I usually eat everday. is this too much for 3 months out? I just crave salt sometimes, mostly during my monthly. I just wanted to try to introduce my new stomach to other things besides the same foods everyday. I felt I needed veggies and other things. thanks. melinda
   — taterbug898

March 4, 2005
Sounds like you are doing just fine. Sometimes there is no rhyme or reason why things don't set well. Only one word of caution. The same thing happened to me and I suffered for way too long. (Read my profile) -- Anyway, to make a long story short. It it continues to happen, especially with one or two bite of food, you may need to see if your stoma too small due to healing. I heal really well, and because of that my stoma nearly closed down. Therefore, food would not empty the pouch for a long time, sometimes even hours -- so when it was time to eat again, one or two bites would make me overfull - because I was already still full from the previous meal. Just watch it, and don't suffer to very long without asking for another EDG to see if the opening is closing down. It's a very simple fix to stretch the opening and then all is fine. Just another avenue to explore and keep in the back of your mind if things don't improve shortly. Good luck! sounds to me like you are doing all the right things.
   — Brenda D.

March 6, 2005
Melinda, I have an extremely difficylt time eating cucumbers and drinking milk with my cereal. Anytime I suspect a potential or new food may give me problems. I take Gas X pills (others have tried Bean-o) and it relieves that bloating and pressure. Take small bites, chew well with your mouth closed, and put your fork down between bites. Hope that helps. Works wonders for me.
   — CHARLYLVN