Not taking solid food well...2 week post op

I started incorporating solid food such as eggs and salmon this past weekend.  The Salmon was an epic fail and I will not eat that again anytime soon.  I tried one organic scrambled egg. Was only able to get half of it down.  Seems like the food is stuck in my throat and it's very uncomfortable.  I think I'm going to stick with soups for now.  I can't take that feeling of solid food.  How long should I stay in soups?

I will be starting my soft food stage on Tuesday and am feeling a little nervous.  I've heard that many folks have difficulty tolerating eggs at first. My surgeon has recommended FF Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and other soft foods that are extremely moist. I will likely start out with some pureed soups too.  Good luck!

You will do fine. Just remember to stay hydrated and get in as much protein as you can. If you search websites such as the world according to eggface, bariatric foodie & pinterest, they have a lot of recipes for each of the food stages after wls. Good luck! 

Hello!

Take your diet very slowly.  Most doctors do not allow solid foods until 6 weeks postop - this gives your stomach time to properly heal (it takes 6-8 weeks to do so).  Overdoing it can cause the internal sutures to burst open, which would NOT be good at all!

At two weeks postop I was still on full liquids and moving up to pureed food.  Basically baby food.  I was mainly living off of protein shakes/drinks (like Isopure Zero Cal - 40g of protein!!) and SF jello/strained chicken soup with NO chunks (flavor is better than broth)/mashed bananas (water added)/apple sauce (water added).  At that point, even the bananas were somewhat hard to swallow.  My doctor told me that the mucosal lining of the stomach had not regenerated enough at this point and you need to eat "watery" foods.  This way they will slide down the esophagus and through the stomach very easily. 

I was not allowed to even start incorporating SOFT solid foods until postop weeks 4-5 - and that is only after tolerating 2 weeks of pureed foods.  Then after 2 weeks of soft solids, I was allowed to start eating regular solids - incorporating/trying different things ONE at a time, slowly.  I am almost 7 weeks postop and have not been able to do eggs yet, something about the texture does not go down properly.  Right now I am mainly sticking to chicken tenderloins or breasts (baked or cooked in a slow cooker with greek yogurt+seasoning to make it extra soft), low fat soft cheese (like the babybel light mini cheeses), low fat ham (chewed a LOT), avocado, and steamed veggies or ripe fruits.  Even now I still have a hard time getting certain things "down" - my stomach will let me know if it doesnt like something by causing terrible pain (like a rock sitting under my ribs) for 30-45 min.  This is why I take ONE bite at a time - waiting a few minutes between bites.  Tonight I tried spaghetti squash and was not able to eat a full portion of it, but tolerated some of it. 

My doctor told me if I have any issues with any individual foods to leave that food off my menu for a month then try it again.  Also, if you get nauseous or feel pain - STOP EATING - this is the sign your tummy is full.  I had some issues with food tolerances around 2 weeks postop (everything got "stuck" - even puree/liquid and I was extremely nauseous) so I went back to clear liquids for 24 hours, then started my 2 week stage of puree again.  This really helped. 

Good luck on everything, feel free to ask me anything - I am just a few weeks ahead of you!

Gina

I was allowed solid food at 2 weeks , take it slow chew it well and don't eat to much at a time , there is still plenty of swelling , if you cant eat solid food yet go back to soft food for a few more days and then try again

At that stage one or two small spoonsfuls of yogurt may be all you can get in - this is normal and don't pu****  savor every taste! 

Did your surgeon give you a post-op eating plan? Most surgeons have you progress each week post op along the lines of clear liquids, full liquids, purees, "mushies" (scrambled eggs and tuna salad), soft solids, and THEN solid food.

Trying to eat salmon this early out could potentially dangerous. You've got a staple line in your stomach, and getting something stuck in there or popping a staple could be life-threatening.

Call your doctor and double-check what you should be eating right now. I'm guessing eggs and salmon are NOT it.

I'm following the plan as I was given.  I think maybe I ate it too fast.  Learning to eat slow and chew is a learning curve.  It's a trial and error.  My stomach doesn't get that full sensation. The only way I know is when it starts to give me that stuck feeling in my throat.  This support group is absolutely wonderful.  You guys really help us newbies!!  I sincerely appreciate all the advise and tips!!!!

I was actually just going to comment and say that maybe you ate too fast. Trust me, I am 6 weeks out and I STILL struggle with eating slowly enough. One great piece of advice I got from someone on here is, "Chew, chew, chew, and when you think you're done, chew it again another 10 times." I TRY to remember it when I eat. :)

Just because your doctor advanced your eating plan doesn't mean that your stomach is on the same page.  If you're having issues, go back to your last stage for a few days or a week and then try again.  It's largely a question of how much swelling you have, and some tummies take a bit to get back to "normal."  As tiresome as the restricted diets can be, don't push them beyond your comfort level.