Question:
Has anyone eaten anything

after surgery. I had Lap RNY March 7th. I am not hungry, but I want to eat something, just a little something so bad. I am on full liquids for two weeks then a pureed diet for 3-4. Does this sound right? I didnt go thru this surgery to screw things up, I mean the surgery is a big deal and I want to be successful but I feel deprived and depressed. I guess its all part of the process. My head is hungry and my mouth wants to chew. Any advice is appreciated. Also, my tummy feels bloated, is this normal? Thankyou    — L M. (posted on March 13, 2002)

March 12, 2002
Don't let my doctor know I'm telling you this because he says NO GUM, but how about chewing some sugarfree gum. I chew it by the pack! It keeps me from eating between meals. I have chewed so much gum that my jaw starts to hurt. Maybe this could work for you too. But remember one thing, DON"T SWALLOW IT!
   — MARSHA D.

March 12, 2002
hi there i had ope r n y on feb 8 i was on liquids in the hospital and at home then puried at home then by 3rd week i introduced soft foods to diet everything has gone dowm well i chewed ice and sf gm and it helped but like previous poster said to swollow would mean serious trouble i think you will feel better as soon as your on soft foods i bet im never physically hungry yet but i miss thecrunching part too just chew chew chew everything into puried concistency you shuld be ok i tried a baby carrot and chewed the heck out of it and i was fine if you dont want to do this just yet maybe you could chew it than spit it out ? just a suggestion good luck to you
   — carrie M.

March 12, 2002
I am about two months post-op and I can tell you what you are feeling is very normal. However, the best advice I can give you is to try your best to stick to your prescribed diet. I speak from experience because I pushed the limits of my surgery a little bit and found that when I did not have an adverse reaction, it became that much easier for me to push the limits a little more. Hindsight is 20/20, but if I could go back and stick to my prescribed diet, I would do it. Just try your best to stick it out. Purees are right around the corner and there are plenty of things that will satisfy you when you make that transition. I was just as depressed and discouraged as you are at this stage of the game. Things will get better, I promise you! Good luck!!
   — Christie S.

March 12, 2002
Youre probably still swollen and bloated because of the gas they pumped you full of in surgery. I think we all go through this for a while. I know I didnt feel quite right for a couple of weeks. Your body takes time to heal, dont worry, youll feel better soon! Your diet is very comparable to what I was put on after my open rny October 16th. As far as the cravings go, I also had them early on. Youre right, its just your mind going through withdrawals. I waited as long as I could to give in to the cravings. I think I was actually about 5 weeks out, on pureed foods, when I finally gave in and had some macaroni and cheese and a bit of chicken. Chewed everything real well and didnt have any problems with it. I, too, just had to have something in my mouth that wasnt soft, pureed, or liquid! LOL Something of substance. I felt so guilty when I saw my surgeon the next week, I confessed what I had done. He laughed and said he didnt have any problem with it, at all. Its trial and error. He said to try something, if it goes down good, thats great, if it bothers you, wait a while till you try it again. Only you are going to be able to tell what works for you. I think it might be too soon for you to be trying solids, try to control the cravings, but if you give in, dont beat yourself up over it. I think a lot of us *had* to have that little piece of this or that, early on. More of us than are willing to admit, Im sure. Its very hard getting through the first few weeks, but, hang in there. Soon enough youll be okayed to go to soft solids. It will be worth the wait! Good luck and God bless!
   — Kerry P.

March 12, 2002
Hi there! I remember so well how you are feeling,...my surgery (open SRVG) was Dec. 11 (3 months ago) and my doctor kept me on clear liquids for 4 weeks then up to full for 4 more weeks. I thought I was going to go crazy! I went through what everybody calls "head hunger" and I suspect that's what you're feeling too. You aren't physically hungry but your mind is saying "Hey, what's going on?" When we have this surgery we cut ourselves off from eating the way we're used to,.. cold turkey, like quitting smoking. I cried, the smell of any food bothered me, all that stuff. I refuse to do anything to jeopardize my surgery though, especially since I was a self-pay pt. because my insurance wouldn't cover it. I read, watched movies, and ate some popsicles! I told everybody that my stomach thought my throat had been slit and someone had pulled all my teeth! LOL!! This time will pass quicker then you think and you'll be back to chewing again before you know it! I am down 50 lbs. and there is nothing on this earth that would taste as good as losing this weight feels! Good luck to you!!
   — esthjb

March 12, 2002
We have ALL been there. If you are going to cheat, cheat responsibly. Bad idea, beef jerky, better idea, soft boiled egg chewed VERY well. Bad idea, chicken, better idea, runny cottage cheese chewed WELL. Bad idea any real solid food, better idea someting soft pureed runny then chewed well. Now I dont recommend cheating, but give some thought before breaking down and stuffing something in your mouth that could make you REALLY ill, your tummy isnt healed yet and very swollen. I knowq I cheated on strained spaghetti sauce, sugar free fudge sicles and other stuff at your stage. Told my doc, he didnt get mad, said take it slow and VERY SMALL AMOUNTS! Good luck you will get there. I missed chewing so I chewed ice, gently dont break a tooth.
   — bob-haller

March 12, 2002
Many on this site won't agree with my advice and will say you are heading toward bullemia. However, my surgeon actually recommended during your stage to chew foods and spit them out! It worked for me a couple of times when I just HAD to chew something. (someone I know licked the salt off of Dorito's!) Whatever works to get through this. Chewing and tasting something really helped me and I am not bullemic yet! I no longer do this and don't feel that I was harmed psychologically in any way. Now if I spit something out, it is because I know that it is too hard, chewy, tough and won't sit right on my tummy. Hope this helps. Hang in there, this phase will soon be a distant memory. Shelley
   — Shelley.

March 13, 2002
I had Open RNY November 29, 2001. From the day after my surgery til I was off liquds (12 days post-op), I chewed gum. My surgeon doesn't allow even ice chips for at least 36 hours after surgery but he does allow his patients to chew gum - the hospital will even supply it if you are willing to wait for it. I was forewarned so I took my own. Chewing gum helped me make it through those 12 days before I started soft foods. Also, while I was on liquids, I drank a LOT of V8 Juice. It has some food value to it and really tasted good to me. To this day, if my stomach is queasy for any reason, I can drink a small glass of V8 and it will settle down. My other staple while on liquids was sugar free popscicles - the cold was so refreshing. I started soft foods 12 days post-op and by three weeks out I was eating grilled pork chops, baked fish, etc. Just had to be sure to chew it really well. I was eating fish one night (and it is really soft) and let a piece go down that wasn't well chewed - I thought I was going to die. Another favorite early post-op for me was egg drop soup and the broth from hot & sour soup. I spent a lot of time at my local chinese restaurant the first few weeks. These soups were so much tastier than anything I could fix at home. I literally craved hot & sour soup and after a couple of weeks was eating the tofu and veggies in it also.
   — Patty_Butler

March 13, 2002
Soup was a savior for me. At about 3 weeks I ate clam chowder and it tasted wonderful. I had no appetite either for the first couple of months. One person told me to get over the chewing sensation to get some jerky or whatever food you wanted and chew it and chew it and then spit it out!!! It worked for her.
   — Patty H.

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