Almost 8 weeks out- hungry/nauseous.....advice please?

Hello all:

Monday will be eight weeks for me- hooray!  However, I am really struggling getting any food down without becoming quite nauseous and dry-heaving.  I am eating slow and taking small bites.  I am also not back to a "full" diet yet, so I wonder if part of it is that I am just soooo sick of grilled chicken, scrambled eggs and yogurt. 

I am very scared that it will be this way the rest of my life.  Any advice/input?

Thank you,

Emily

Don't feel alone. At 8 weeks I was still eating almost nothing but Cream of Mushroom soup every meal. Chicken and eggs are very tough on my sleeve, even now 18 months post-op. I can still remember the cramping when I'd eat either of them. One of the foods that worked for me was a combination of re-fried beans and turkey hamburger. I lived on that concoction for months and months. It was almost 9 months post-op that I was able to reasonably tolerate "good" foods like salad, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, apples, grapes, and pineapple. Funny how the healthy food was so tough to readjust to, but processed foods like peanut butter were never a problem.

Here's my recipe. I used different meats each time I made it to change things up ... chicken, turkey and plain old hamburger.

I got all the ingredients at Walmart. It cost about $4 for 2 days worth of meals (4 - 6 meals in my case). It's very filling and sticks with me.

1 lb of Chicken Breast or Turkey Hamburger or Hamburger Meat. (Pick one)
1 pkg of Taco Bell Taco seasoning.
(I tried other name brand taco mixes and the store brands, Taco Bell tastes the best and is just as cheap. There is a Taco Bell chipolte version as well, but I liked the regular version the best. )

1 can of gebhardt refried beans w/fat.
(I tried the non-fat version and I like the fat version better. It only has 2grams of fat per serving.)

Salsa or Picante or Taco sauce to taste
1 pkg of your favorite shredded cheese.

I grill the chicken breast and run it through my food processor.
Mix the taco seasoning with about 1/2 cup of water and mix it thoroughly. I mix it in my protein shake shaker.
Toss the chicken into a pot or pan and add the taco seasoning.
Bring it up to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Mix the chicken and beans in a bowl. Add some salsa if it's too thick for your taste.

Spoon some of the mixture into a bowl and top with cheese and salsa.

for me it was the acid in my stomach that made me feel hungry and nauseous. Are you taking your acid reducer?

I haven't been prescribed one- I guess I should ask my surgeon?  Thank you for the input.

I too struggled with getting back to a full diet but try things like chili, you might have to blend it a little but it'll help. Tuna with mayo was awesome and so easy on my sleeve as well as ground turkey. At that stage I didn't want to eat and the thought of food turned my tummy. It was a mental struggle and as post previously it could be acid production. Talk to your surgeon or even your gp about acid reducers like nexium or prevacid. You could also just buy over teh counter and try it for a few days yourself and see if it helps.

Hi Emily,

I went thru a period of weeks where the thought of eating made me queasy.  I think it was around 6 to 8 weeks post surgery.  It sounds like your discomfort is greater than mine was, so I don't know if its the same,  But it did pass after a few weeks or so. 

For variety, I used to get deli turkey and wrap it around a piece of string cheese.  I ate a lot of tuna salad, chicken salad and ham salad.  I'd pan-sear ocean scallops - yum - The good news is, although expensive, when you can eat only one or two, they are quite affordable (smile)!  I also ate a lot of salmon and tilapia. 

Good luck with your recovery.  It does get better, slowly but surely.  It'll feel normal again soon. - but that'll be a "new normal."

Carol

I think you're starting just a little to ambitiously, is all.  Grilled chicken is a very hard one coming out of the gate.  Breast meat is so dense and fills you up too fast.  Grilling doesn't always give you the moist results, either.  Put that aside for a few weeks and approach it again.  In the meantime:

• Try roasted chicken, and focus on dark meat, instead.  Think of meats moist enough to smoosh with your fork.  You don't have to smoosh them to eat them, but it's a tenderness gauge.  Think crock-pot, slow cooked meats for a few weeks.  
• Combine cheese with your scrambled eggs just before they firm up.  It makes them softer and easier to eat.  Try a fried egg over a slice of ham.  For some reason it's easier to eat for me.

Thank you all very much for the feedback!  I have realized that I think it really may be an acid problem for me, and am going to call my surgeon tomorrow.  Also, it's nice to know I am not alone going through this stage---not that I would wi**** on anyone.  Thank you again!