Question:
Im curious how post op's tolerate pastas ?

I am only four weeks out and have not tried pasta yet. Im curious as to how most tolerate it and in what form they eat it such as, spagetti, pasta salads ect.    — Barb B. (posted on June 27, 2002)

June 27, 2002
I'm eight weeks post-op and have tried pasta and pasta salads. Make sure it is well-cooked (very soft) and chew very well. A friend of mine who is 1 year post-op says she could never and still cannot tolerate spagetti (long) noodles. She says they make her sick every time so I haven't even tried that type of noodle. Good luck!
   — Annette H.

June 27, 2002
I eat pasta occasionally and it seems to sit fine in my pouch. However, I've found that I don't really care for the texture of it anymore, so it's not one of my favorites anymore.
   — Christine L.

June 27, 2002
i loved my pasta before surgery, but alas, they don't seem to set very well with me now. i do okay with rice, but noodles of any kind just don't taste very good any more. when you try them, be sure to just try a bite at first, and of course, chew well. i find that it is just tooooo heavy for me, but you might do okay.
   — deb_wls2001

June 27, 2002
Maybe I am just lucky but I can eat anything I could pre op. Spaghetti is fine. But I try to eat more protein rich foods.
   — bob-haller

June 27, 2002
i've had no problems eating pasta of any kind. unfortunately i eat too many carbs and don't get nearly enough protein into me. i had tuna salad about day 5 post op. just one bite though. now i can eat any kind.
   — candymom64

June 27, 2002
Hi, Barbara, I personally cannot yet tolerate pasta (9 months out) of any kind, or bread, or rice. It just sort-of lies there, like a lump of library paste. Just goes to show, I suppose, everyone's different. Margie B
   — Marjorie B.

June 27, 2002
I could not tolerate pasta at all the first six months post-op. Now, at 15 months post-op, I tolerate it fine, but only in moderation. Thin pastas like angel hair go down much better than thicker pastas like fettucini.
   — Terissa R.

June 27, 2002
I'm 4 weeks out as well and have tried pasta a couple times ( I LOVE IT ) I try to stick as much as I can to protein, but cannot resist my macaroni here and there sometimes, especially b/c I work in an authentic Italian restaurant! I only eat about 10 noodles with tomato sauce and some cheese, but i tolerate it very well. it's quite yummy. But i must say, I have had no problems tolerating anything else either, I have a pretty strong stomach, so everyone is different. You'll probably have to try it yourself to see. But, not a great food to eat all the time, just ONCE IN A WHILE! :) goodluck!!
   — Lezlie Y.

June 27, 2002
I am 8 1/2 months post op from an open Duodenal Switch. I am still totally unable to tolerate pasta - end up with explosive diarrhea every time. Yuck.
   — Spunkwoman S.

June 27, 2002
I'm one year out (anniversary on Saturday); pasta can cause problems for me. Kind of a shame, as it was one of my favs. With my RNY, it sort of "blows up" in my pouch to feel like I've eaten twice what I've actually consumed...so I need to eat it very slowly. I seem to do better with corkscrew pasta than with spaghetti...but indeed YMMV.
   — CaseyinLA

June 27, 2002
It took quite a while, but I am now over 2 years post & I can eat pasta, rice & bread quite well. I'm still careful & sometimes I can eat more than other times, but I can usually eat most of a 10 to 12 ounce frozen mac & cheese (Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, Stouffers) entree. I can eat most other pastas, too, although I still eat them slowly & carefully just in case...
   — Kathy W.

June 27, 2002
I tried to eat pasta but haven't for a long time because it filled me up to quick. I haven't tried it for 3 months so I might give it a go again. Maybe it will sit better on my stomach this time!!
   — Patty H.

June 27, 2002
I really believe that the determining factor is the size of your stoma. If the stoma size is small, the pasta, or breads, have a hard time going through and get stuck and end up coming back up. If the stoma size is average to large, then you shouldn't have any problems. However, I would wait the 4-6 weeks waiting time for your pouch to heal before trying. And try with just a bite or two initially.
   — Cheri M.

June 28, 2002
I eat pasta every now and then. I haven't ever had a real problem with it--although I was scared to death the first time I tried it after all I had heard! lol I do seem to do better with the larger pastas like ziti or farfalle rather than spaghetti. Angel hair works good, too, tho come to think of it, so maybe just the size of spaghetti is not good for me for whatever reason. Can't imagine why. One thing you might do--once your dr releases you to eat anything (6 weeks for me) try it with a meat you are SURE you can tolerate. I had a hard time with pasta and sauce before and came to find out that it was the ground beef making me nauseated, not the pasta. I had a hard time with ground beef for about 6 months. Now it is fine (just over 1 yr out).
   — ctyst

June 28, 2002
Hi.. I am 11 wks post op and only recently could I eat actual long spaghetti but sometimes it still gets stuck. I do that slurping thing mindlessly and forget to chew! Bad! But other pastas such as macaroni, penne, farfalle, ziti, rigatoni works fine. I even tried cutting up the spaghetti small but I also didn't like the texture in doing that. You might also include some of the pastas in a light alfredo, pasta salad that includes protein sources, etc. Good luck to you.
   — AJC750

June 28, 2002
I am 16 days post and although I havent tried pasta yet, I have tried bread. No problems with it. I just eat it slow and chew the heck out of it (otherwise, it gets stuck)! SInce bread is so similar to pasta, I am hoping I can try a little next month.
   — emilyfink

June 28, 2002
I am 4 1/2 months post-op and pasta and I DO NOT get along. It's not that it makes me feel sick, it's the taste. The first taste I had post-op was the last. The texture was all wrong, and it tasted like cardboard. Pasta abnd I were great friends pre-op! I felt the same way about bread too, although in the past couple weeks I have been able to tolerate a few bites. Everyone is different, you may have no problems with it. Good luck!
   — Jennifer G.

June 28, 2002
I am 4 1/2 months post-op and pasta and I DO NOT get along. It's not that it makes me feel sick, it's the taste. The first taste I had post-op was the last. The texture was all wrong, and it tasted like cardboard. Pasta abnd I were great friends pre-op! I felt the same way about bread too, although in the past couple weeks I have been able to tolerate a few bites. Everyone is different, you may have no problems with it. Good luck!
   — Jennifer G.

June 28, 2002
I am 4 1/2 month post-op RNY and -50% of my excess weight. I love pasta and have no problems with it....as long as I eat some protein with it! I also have to be careful to chew it up really well. I've only vomited twice, and one of those times was when I didn't chew a spaghetti noodle enough and, boy, was I SORRY. Anyway, I dump on refined sugar and on high fats, so I don't eat pasta alfredo, for example. I eat pasta in salad with a little cheese, spagh with meat sauce, etc.
   — Kathy J.

June 28, 2002
I am 4 1/2 month post-op RNY and -50% of my excess weight. I love pasta and have no problems with it....as long as I eat some protein with it! I also have to be careful to chew it up really well. I've only vomited twice, and one of those times was when I didn't chew a spaghetti noodle enough and, boy, was I SORRY. Anyway, I dump on refined sugar and on high fats, so I don't eat pasta alfredo, for example. I eat pasta in salad with a little cheese, spagh with meat sauce, etc.
   — Kathy J.

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