Postop Bread/meat/fish

I am seven weeks post op and for the most part have not had too many problems with what i eat. My pouch definately tells me when i am full....and i think i now know what "foamies" are! I am still having difficulties with bread, meat, chicken and fish. I get major discomfort after even a very small bite of any of these even tho i make sure i chew them up until "mush". Is this just too early for me or should i just give up on these food items entirely?

My experience, and I was definitely someone well familiarized with both the Foamies and with Dumping, was that protein of the solid variety took a lot longer to get through the stoma (therefore backing everything else up) than the other foods.
And bread tends to glom up when it's introduced to you juices inside. Becomes a big mass - again, stopping up the "drain".

I found that meat already ground up (eg ground beef or corned beef) if well-cooked into a mush, then had to be chewed well - and eventually went down.
But the time guidelines  they gave me at my clinic (of taking 45 minutes for a meal) were bang-on. If I tried to finish my little bowl any faster, I was in trouble.

I am now 10 months out, and while I still have to eat slowly, I can now finish my plate in about 25 minutes. I only get the Foamies once or twice a week now, and I dump maybe once a month. It does improve over time.

never give up on anything "forever" sometimes you just need to admit defeat, and lay off of those things for a while. Try them again sometime in the future, when you've had a significant period of time with no dietary issues, just to make sure that nothing else is the culprit.

I'm 5+ months out and just started eating chicken again. Fish is still out though. I can eat shrimp, mussels & crab but that's it for seafood. I'd say give them up for a bit but try them every now & again. Your pouch will likely adapt with time.

I'm six months out and don't really have problems with meat but find if it's too dry or too fatty or if I eat too fast and don't chew enough I get foamies. Perhaps cooking the meat in different ways may help, such as it took me longer to adjust to baked chicken breast (drier) than chicken breast made in the crock pot with a sauce (moist). I found it helped lubricate the food going into my pouch and made it sit a little nicer. When I do get the foamies, I find it best to wait until I feel better, than not to try to eat again until a half hour after that. Usually then my stomach is settled enough and I can tell if I should give my meal a second shot or give up and make a protein shake. Definitely don't give up on the food entirely, just give it some time between trying it again. Best of luck!

Ground meat is definitely easier, and I found ground turkey and chicken much eaier to deal with than ground beef.  Adding mayo to chicken, turkey, tuna or salmon helps too; actually, adding any type of moisture helps.

I occasionally eat a tiny bit of bread but it sometimes doesn't go down well.  It is much better toasted (well-toasted).  A good alternative is Ry-vita or whole wheat crackers.  Try to stay away from any white carbs (white bread, potatoes, white rice).

At 3 months I have had 1/2 rye toast and the ocaisional bite of a wrap. Dont tolerate it well. Just lumps up. Initially I found shrimp or the fake crab sticks the easiest to eat. Wendy;s chili is good lots of protein and the beef is easy to chew. Able to do ground beef. Chicken is good as long as have some sauce. If dry it is no good. Never give up. If it doesnt agree today try again in a few days.

Had the same issue with eggs. Couple of great days then one bite the next and nope no good.

can someone please tell me what "foamies" are? I am 3rd week post op and still on puree but wonder what it is I should anticipate.

thanks,

Sarah

I couldn't eat bread for close to 8 months post-op....

do you think the porteins may be due to the lack of moisture???

I know from our WLSupport group that some people can't handle pork, while one woman pretty much eats ONLY prok.

you have to find what works for you..in the meantime..I hope that you are supplementing your protein intake with a shake of some sort..it is VERY important to your recovery and future success that you get sufficient amounts of protein in..not to mention that it may help reduce the amount of hair loss in the upcoming months~!

don't give up the foods entirely..just give them a break and try re-introducing them a couple of weeks or even a couple of months down the line.

My bread aversion lasted for almost 8 months..now I can eat a slice or two now and then and it has to be toasted...I don't do untoasted bread or sub buns or buns of ANY kind

...actually that's a bit of a lie.

on the rare occasion we are having homemade hamburgers on the barbecue I will sometimes eat the BOTTOM part of the bun with my burger...but never the top.

  (But again I am 3 years post-op) and maintaing between 110-114lbs weight loss.. (I allow myself that fluctuation)

just stay the course!!