Food Help

Hi.

My NUT and I concluded last visit that I can do supplements during the day, and at night introduce something new (I'm on the soft & crunchy phase). I purchase some items through her office, and others I've gotten through Vitamin Shoppe (a little pricey, but their people were so helpful...and I'm still saving money over what I spent at McD's every day :)). Anyways, this weekend I tried the oatmeal suppement I got at the Nut's office, and four hours later it was still sitting there. Stuck. Along with the 1/3 of a bottle of water I drank during hours 2-3.5.  I ended up bringing all that back up.  I was fine about ten minutes after.

Today I went to breakfast with my best friend, and I ordered an egg white, mushroom, spinach scramble. I asked the waitress if they could chop everything up really small, which they did. And four hours later up all the veggies and spice came (I think it was basil).  Again it's been about ten minutes and I"m feeling fine.

I found a similar problem with Morning Star's veggie burger, so I tried Boca Burger's cheese burger. It didn't come back up, but it took a looooong time to go down.

Now egg & tuna salads and ground hamburger I've processed well after I've tossed them into the processor. I have had small bits of deli turkey (shaved), which did ok (more like a munchie). I can eat a whole banan *** about 7"), slowly. I can do TLC Ka**** grain crackers with hummus or sour cream, Greek yogurt with fruit (tolerate very well)...but the egg and oatmeal thing threw me.

Is it just hit and miss?

Hi! I'm your surgery buddy--same date.

I can eat nearly anything (I don't, but I think I probably could) at this point. I eat lots of ground meat and dark meat chicken, eggs, tuna, turkey slices (all chewed very, very carefully), all kinds of dairy. I tried a quinoa taboule yesterday with small pieces of tomato, cucumber, garbanzo beans, mint and parsley, and it was fine. Tonight for dinner I had beef kabobs: ground beef mixed with onions and on a skewer. I ate 3 and was fuller than I ever remember! I am also eating lots of cooked veggies, cauliflower and brocolli, zucchini and peas.

I think it i**** or miss, but I do think you just need to be careful and chew very, very carefully. Take it slow. My NUT says if something gives you trouble, drop it and reintroduce at a later date.

FWIW, I have not tried oatmeal. The idea of having it without sugar/maple syrup didn't sound appealing, and I try to avoid artifical sweetners at all costs.

Good luck and hope you continue to feel good.

Eggs are tolerated by some post ops and cause issues with others.  Oatmeal can be an issue, expecially if it's steel cut oat--these are the hardest oatmeal to digest.  I used the 1 minute oats and would cook them for 2-3 minutes.  These are granulated finer than other oats and may be easier to digest. I do like the Glutenfreeda oatmeal that come in packets and several flavors. Nice consitency, cooks easily and tastes very good.  Highly rated by independent food "raters".  The packets require 6 oz of water, so you'll likely only want to use half of a pack and 3 oz of water at this stage.  Ebay, Amazon and food specialty stores stock these items, not your local market.  Chewing may be part of your issue too. Chew well, take small bites and take your time.  Try to avoid talking, using the phone, or discussions with others when eating, as these interruptions may cause you to swallow foods prematurely.  DAVE

 It i**** or miss. You have to take things slowly, try a bit- 1-2 tablespoons see if that's OK, then try some more. For me hard protein, solid meats were awful. They sat like rocks in my pouch for hours

I found that I could tolerate foods the 1st time, but as left-overs they don't sit well

You eased my mind when you said that certain foods do stay down. I was concerned about a blockage. I'm a graduate of the "high functioning-partial blockage club" - an intussuscepction. Much like  a telescope when you pu**** together to make is shorter. Depending on what was down there, liquids would pass, solids/semi-solids would come back up.  Surgery was the answer.

I met with my Nut last night. She suggested 1 of 2 possibilities. A: maybe stopping of the prevacid. I haven't had acid reflux issues since before the surgery, and she (and the doctor) said that it's also to prevent ulcers and I have to be on it daily. So, she wanted me to try taking it again and see if that helps with the problems I've had. B: could be stomal stenosis.

Either way, I have to keep an eye on everything for the next couple of days and see how things pass. If I notice I'm still having a problem, I'll be contacting my surgeon's office to find out about getting that checked.