Question:
Why can't you eat carefully?

If you always measure your food, and never eat over your pouch size. Actually staying 1 1/2 oz under the pouch size, taking your vits, pouring in the protein, and water and not eating but maybe one gram of sugar per sitting(If that). Always chewing,chewing,chewing, VERY small bites almost nibbles. Why can't we eat as long as we are EXTREMELY careful? Please answer because I am 6 days post-op, being extremely careful, but so far I can eat anything I've tried. I haven't tried meat or anything heavy or spicy or with lots of sugar. But I can eat a scrambled egg, a couplee oz of mac n cheese, and some mashed potatoes. (NOT ALL AT ONCE) I am still eating the creamed soups and such but sometimes I just flip and have to chew some food. Tell me what you think. I had Lap RNY.    — Tonya J. (posted on November 24, 2002)

November 24, 2002
... well it all depends really on your doctors orders and your stomach.. my doc gave me the ok to eat when i felt ok to do so.. said as long as it is staying down and i chew really well, and i do 75%protien.. im fine.. it is very very important to get the protien.. but again.. ask your doc..
   — Erinn M.

November 24, 2002
Tonya - at 6 days post-op, you still have to be wary of your healing pouch. I didn't move from liquids to pureed foods until day 10. If you want something to chew, get some sugar-free popsicles and eat those. It'll help your fluid requirements too. You really don't want to push the more solid foods so early - you've just been through major surgery...JR
   — John Rushton

November 24, 2002
I can see why you would ask this question. I had a problem with not being able to CHEW food for so long either. Like you said you FREAK out. It's not normal so we have to try really hard to do it. I did follow my plan to the letter until I got to pureed foods. I couldn't see taking a nice cheeseburger (or half of one) and putting it into the blender then scraping it out to eat it in liquid form. Just couldn't get the old brain to do it. Soooo what I did was be extra careful about chewing (which I still am) but I wouldn't try before that stage. I was also reminded that the stomach has just been cut and is trying to heal itself. It doesn't need to work hard on anything other than liquids at this point. It would be kinda like breaking your leg and then going out to walk a marathon or something. The stomach has to do a lot more healing before it is really safe to eat different foods. You may try it and get a way with it you think but later on down the line it could catch up with you (infection, staple line disruption, etc). Please be careful and TRY real hard to stick with it. I can empathize with you because I wanted to do the same thing. That 6-week period seemed like an eternity to me. I thought it would NEVER end!! It will be over soon enough though and you will be back on regular food. Boy was that a happy day for me!!!!! Take care.
   — wemax2

November 24, 2002
I was required to eat food BEFORE they would discharge me. But that was my doctors orders. They all do things so differently. I think that those that put their patients on all liquid for quite some time, are just being overly cautious. I was given scrambled egg in the hospital the day after surgery. I also ate yogurt and jello. My surgery was in November of '01, and I was 2 1/2 weeks post-op when I traveled and ate a little bit of everything including a moist sliver of turkey. I spoke with my nutritionist about it beforehand and she said that as long as the bites were the size of a pencil eraser and I chewed it well enough, it would be fine. So I did that and was fine. They do recommend waiting 4 weeks before trying meats though. I also never pureed anything, unless it was pureed with my teeth:~)
   — Cheri M.

November 24, 2002
I found a saltine cracker helped with the desire to chew something crunchy at that early state post op.
   — Darlene P.

November 24, 2002
It is so strange how all tehse doctors can be so far off from each other. At week 2 my doctor gave me the ok to start adding a new food at each meal, including meats. I was too scared to try anything that I thought would be too hard on my stomach so I stayed with pretty soft foods. I did eat a little spaghetti in a can and it went down nicely and tasted so good. I can also eat the fruit you buys in the small cans. I have tried a piece of hamburger meat but I just don't like the taste as much as I used to. I only eat one piece of bread in the morning and usually end up not eating but half of that. Eggs go down easily, I make a lot of tuna and chicken salad. That is the only way I can eat chicken right now. For some reason it will not go down - it just sits there - sutck - until it comes back up. I am at week 6 now and may try a few more varieties of meat. I've upped my exercize regime and have finally found a protein shake that I can drink without making an ugly face. LOL Just take it easy and when in doubt, ask your doctor.
   — [Deactivated Member]

November 25, 2002
My doc. was pretty mellow about the guidelines...his advice was (after the two week soft food period) to test things out slowly, see how they go down...just be aware that if you "rush" things, it may be a while before you can tolerate it again. I did this with chicken, and it's only been recently that I can deal with this great source of protein. Don't worry though, but your 3-4 month you should be able to eat "whatever" you want...you just won't want. Good luck!
   — rebeccamayhew

November 25, 2002
What might agree with you one day may not agree with you the next. I am 5 months post-op and my sister-in-law is 3 weeks post-op and the things that I could eat at 3 weeks she couldn't eat and vice-versa. Everyone is different. If you haven't tried meat yet, I would start out with meatballs because they are very easy to digest and chew. It is one of my main meals because they are so easy to eat. Also try making a fruit smoothie as well. I pretty much stick with food that doesn't consist of chewing so much because I still have a hard time chewing everything into little pieces (it's just that I forget to do it). Keep up the good work. You'll get there.
   — msferret6

November 25, 2002
You are essentially starting out with a stomach of a newborn. Even if a baby could chew it couldn't handle the heavy food. My best advice is to follow what your nutritionist and/or your doctor says to do.
   — Lahoma C.

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