Cant eat much...

So I am one month out as of today.. and I find that within the last week I am completely unable to eat very much. Just a few small bites and I am getting a feeling of pressure. The first three weeks I was easily able to eat 4ozs at a time. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it just caused by the healing of the incisions on the opening of the new stomach? I am still able to get all of my liquids in without any problems.

Thanks!

Are you eating denser protein? That could be the reasoning or it could just be small pouch days. I've dealt with both.

I was trying denser proteins, then I switched back to yogurt and refried beans. Having trouble with all the last few days.

I'm 6 months out from surgery today--I get so envious of people posting they are eating things like pork chops , steak,  pasta or even chicken. I still can't eat 1/2 cup of something like cottage cheese and as for chicken, pork or beef --forget it. I mostly eat egg beaters, deli ham, turkey bacon, cottage cheese or cheese sticks, usually soft foods. I can only handle 1-2 tablespoons of food at a time. I'm in Dutch all the time with my doctors because I'm not eating enough "real" food. I get most of my protein from the protein shakes I take. Hope things get better for you. Go at your own pace only you know what your system can handle.

I'm having a similar problem. I am one month today as well. I haven't had a single problem with full liquids or puréed foods. But I upgraded to soft foods yesterday and I can't keep anything down. My friend (she had her surgery in 2007) said she thinks I'm eating too fast. I'm not entirely sure I fell like I was eating slow. I also went back to work too early and did too much, so I think my stomach may be too swollen to take on soft foods yet. I'm gonna stick with puréed foods for a couple more days and then try soft again. Good luck with yours!

How would going back to work and doing "too much" cause your stomach to be swollen?  

Even if you still had some swelling (and it is normally swelling of the stoma, not the pouch), it doesn't affect being able to eat soft goods even right after surgery as long as you a chewing everything to "mush".  Once properly chewed, the soft food should be the same texture as the puréed foods, so it should make no difference what it started out as.  If you are not properly chewing, however, that could be the problem.

Lora

Are you chewing the food down to "mush" as you are supposed to?  Even if you are eating denser food, if you are completely chewing it up, it should end up almost the same texture as the puréed foods.

Normally, the swelling after surgery s swelling of the new stoma, not swelling of the pouch along the suture line, and -- unless you are developing a stricture, which it doesn't sound like -- the swelling should be constantly going down as time passes. You will, however, be able to eat less of denser foods even if properly chewed simply because that food will stay in the pouch longer.

Lora

Thanks for the reply, Lora. I am trying to be very conscious of eating slowly and chewing thoroughly. But I was still getting sick on things like yogurt. However, I ate this morning, 2oz of cottage cheese and handled it without a problem. Maybe it was just a bad couple of days.. its all a learning experience! 

Yes, I know that some people have foods that are fine one day but not the next, and fine again three days later.  I didn't have any trouble with anything I ate (with the exception of a couple of minor dumping incidents and one major dumping incident) during my entire first year.  

I have found here, though, that some people weren't given instructions to chew everything so well after surgery and when they changed how much they chewed they had much less trouble... so when someone has trouble as soon as they start eating denser foods, that is the first thing I ask about.

Lora