OMG...3 WKS OUT..NOT DOING GOOD

(ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE LIGHTWEIGHTS BOARD, YESTERDAY, MONDAY MAR.4, 2014)

Hi, Everyone! I had my sleeve on 2/11/14. I am so not felling this, major buyer's remorse (too late now, I know!) However, this is my problem:

For the first two weeks I was on liquids and clear broths (I did the best I could considering the awful stomach spasms I was having). On the 24th I was told I could start eating eggs, jello, pudding and cooked vegetables! Well, on the first day I ended up throwing up, but only after I ate the egg, (multiple times), I didn't eat the whole egg! Ok, so I just chalked it up to perhaps eating too much! So the next day I ate even less of the egg! Guess what? Nausea and vomiting, OK no more eggs.

Fast forward to yesterday, Monday 3/3. WOW. now I can add fish! Well Monday I measured 1 1/2 oz of fish and a little less than a tablespoon of green beans. I ate most of it at 12:45 for lunch. Guess what? Nausea and vomiting off and on until about 3:45. Yes, I know the exact time because I had to actually had to pull over on the highway to vomit one last time! Ok, so today figuring that I had eaten too much, I only ate 1/2 oz of fish (salmon) today! Lo and behold the exact same situation happened today as yesterday, including throwing up alongside the highway! Why would fish still be in my stomach almost 3 hrs later is a mystery to me.

So I called my surgeons office and spoke to his head nurse who tried to convince me that perhaps the fish was bad but I informed her that was impossible because I brought it Sunday and cooked it the same day! She suggested that I do only liquids for the next couple of days. Ok, sounds good but then what happens after that? I'm going to make an appointment to see the doctor on Friday! This is really more than I bargained for! My daughter had the same surgery in Nov by the same surgeon and she's had none of these issues. She is so not following the diet and yet she followed it the first two weeks only! I am amazed at the tings she eats and has no problems, Yes I know we all heal differently but this is now just crazy to me!

My doctor's meal plans consists of eat only when you're hungry and get in at least 32 of water and other non-caloric drinks. Duh! that doesn't sound too healthy to me!So I planned on following the eating plans that I have seen posted here, but that does not seem to be possible with my throwing up! No SOLID proteins want to stay down! I am truly at my wits end!

Me and my daughter's first 2 weeks have been very different experiences. I am aware that every body heals at different rates, But I was not expecting all of this.

I've been reading how great other people have been doing and sadly I can't say the same! I am at truly my wits ends!

I am scared to even try proteins when the time comes to start them again! Any suggestions? Has anyone been through this before?

 I really would appreciate any type of feedback or suggestions you may have because I just don't know what to do!

Thanks for reading my long rant! I just hope somebody can offer me some insight because I am at a loss...Thanks, Kim

Progress your diet slower!  It is exactly what I did because I was afraid and wanted to heal.  So stick to plain Greek yogurts, cottage cheese, cheese sticks, protein drinks, broth (pref. Low sodium).  Soon enough you will be able to eat EVERY SINGLE THING AND  . . . TOO MUCH!   Just chill out and enjoy life outside of eating.  YOU CAN do this!!!  Remember why you've had and wanted this surgery in the first place. And know that is a blessing.  Unless you have a medical issue, you are simply healing and a spread of food is simply out of the question.  Concentrate on getting your protein and vitamins in.

You will survive this and be happy.  Give your body as chance.  Man salmon, tuna, meats . . . try week 6.  Those are really solid proteins.  Go by what your body feels and it seems to me to be rejecting even eggs.  Leave it alone.  You don't need it, you want it!  Stick to soft smooth proteins right now - it won't be forever PROMISE!

Blessed Love,

Layla

I feel your pain.  (((hugs)))

When I first started out I was throwing up all the time.  I talked and talked to people that have had WLS and figured out my trigger was drinking too soon after eating.  I'm 2 1/2 months out and am doing much better.  I still lose my lunch, so to speak, but it's usually because I eat too much or too fast.

My suggestion would be to figure out what is triggering your vomiting.  Slow your phases down.  Your tummy might not be ready for fish.  I did really well with ham salad or tuna salad when I first started eating real food.  Another thing I did was add milk to my scrambled egg.  It makes them fluffy with a little liquid.

Best of luck!

Hey there, Three weeks out is very soon to be having those solid proteins. Those came at week 5 for me. I refused to eat a blenderized meat because that's just gross so I decided to get the protein in via drinks. I echo the comments below...stick to plain yogurts, soups, etc. Everyone is different. You can't go with what your daughter is doing, especially if its not on plain its probably not the right way.

Do not drink 1/2 before, during or 1/2 hour after a meal. This was the hardest thing for me to get used too. But, it does work. If you need to get your protein in, focus on getting it via a shake this way when you feel like eating something, you can eat an approved food without feel like you are not getting the extra protein in. I bought a box of hungry jack potatoes...take some protein powder, use some skim plus milk, and follow the directions and you just amped up those potatoes to have more protein than normally would!

Everytime I try something new, I see if it will stick. If it gives me issues, I tuck it away for a bit and then bring it back out again. This phase is not forever. I am only 6 weeks out and its hugely different from where I was at 3 weeks out. Give it time, this takes patience. I know you are frustrated and all you want to do is consume by mouth, you have to get out of the head hungry mentality and focus on the belly hungry.

I hope this helps!

Eggs are one of those things that a lot of people have issues with. If it doesn't stay down, don't go back to it. Give it a few more weeks. I'm 4.5 months out and still haven't tried them, or beef. I did eat a small quarter size piece of thinly sliced brisket and it stayed, but I'm going to wait until I am closer to 6 months out before trying something like, say an ounce of finely minced steak, for that. 

If you're throwing up, your stomach is talking to you. It's your body, not your surgeons, so listen to it. It's telling you HELL NO on the solids. 

32oz of water and other non-caloric drinks..not sure how many ounces of fluids you're getting but it's CRUCIAL. Drink the very minimum of 64oz and shoot for higher if you can. 

Stop comparing yourself. It does you zero good. ZERO. You are you and your new tiny tummy are unique. And why are you eating vegetables? Protein only my friend. That is your top food priority. There should be no room whatsoever at this point for veggies. 

As for your daughter eating whatever she wants and not following a sound post op bariatric diet plan, that's on her. She will regret it and sooner, rather than later.

This surgery isn't so much as to lose weight, although that's nice, it's to change your eating habits. You have a honeymoon period of 6-12 months. During this time you are setting the foundation for the future and to do that you eat protein first 60-80g a day. If you have room after eating a 2 oz portion (and yes, you do weigh your food to avoid overeating while the nerves are healing), then a bite of veggies is fine. Start making the right protein choices, get all your fluids in, exercise when your energy level allows it, take your vitamins and supplements.  If you make bad choices now, what are you going to do when you no longer have as much restriction as you do now? Read the posts on here..it gets harder to lose weight the farther you are away from post op. It's not impossible to lose weight, but it is harder. 

Stop the solids. dial back to pureed food. If that doesn't stay down, back to full liquids. This is a marathon, not a race. It is not normal to throw up your food and it's very hard on your new tiny tummy. Give it the rest it needs to heal.

This sounds like it would be really hard! Everyone heals at a different rate though, so what your daughter experienced may not necessarily be your experience. We all have our own path to follow.

I am wondering about the puréed stage. Did you do that stage at all? And remember, just because your plan says you can add eggs or fish, doesn't mean YOUR tummy is ready for that. The first time I had an egg, my tummy definitely wasn't ready! A few days later, it wasn't a problem.

My plan, and many others, have a clear liquid stage, then a full fluid stage, then a puréed stage before getting to the soft food stage. You might have jumped a few stages? Maybe your surgeon's office thought you would be ready to try the soft foods like cooked veggies? Heaven's only knows. I can tell you that I'm at four weeks out (sleeved a week before you on Feb. 3), and it's only late last week and this week that I'm doing soft foods. Here's what my clinic does... maybe it will help you?

Clear liquids for 3-4 days post surgery

Full fluids for the remainder of the wee****il you are 1 week post-op -- this includes yogourt, protein drinks, puddings with protein powder

Puréed foods for 1 week to 10 days (bringing you to 2 or 2.5 weeks post op)... turkey soup, stew, chili, and maybe (?) try a scrambled egg at this point. Chew thoroughly.

Then soft foods until you are at least 1 month post surgery. This includes cheese, deli meats, ground beef, salmon.

Only after that, when we get to about 6 weeks post op, and assuming everything we've had to date goes down well, should we try things like green beans (with a peel, so harder to digest) and the like. They tell us if at any stage we have trouble, we stop and back up a stage for a few days, until the stomach is ready to handle the next stage.

It may not help you, but I think that if you try something like this, it might get you on the right track and help your tummy heal. Oh, and of course, don't forget to get as much water as possible (flavoured water is okay, as is decaf tea, and boy, I love the tea these days! Warm liquids feel good in my tummy) and all your vitamins as your doctor prescribed. Good luck! I am keeping fingers crossed that you get to where you want to be! Sending hugs. We all need to rant sometimes.

I think you've been given some great advice already. I was allowed a regular diet starting at 1 month post op. That didn't mean my stomach was ready for everything though. I was truly amazed at just how little I could eat once dense protein was added in. I literally at 1/2 of an egg and was full. A couple tablespoons of food was all I could handle. I continued to rely on shakes to get in enough protein. I still have to make sure my protein is moist, and for me that means maybe adding some gravy to it so I can keep it down. (Yes, it adds carbs, but for me it's what I have to do.)  Like others have said, I would back up a stage and go to pureed foods instead of solids at this point. Soups, refried beans, chili, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, deli meat, etc. It's not good on your new stomach to be throwing up.

It seems that 32 ounces of fluids is really on the low side to shoot for also. 64 ounces is a way better goal. Remember protein shakes, Jello, popsicles, and other liquids all count towards your fluid goals. My final suggestion is to make sure you're eating really slow, chewing your food really well, and that you're waiting long enough before and after eating before drinking again. Depending on how dense the protein you're eating is, sometimes I had to wait 45 minutes after eating to drink again.

I hope you're able to figure things out soon. 

Your doctor prescribed your eating plan based on your body and your specific procedure. What you see others eating post-op may not necessarily apply to you. Do NOT follow others' plans that you see here. 

If it "doesn't sound too healthy to you?" Too darn bad. Your doctor went to med school, does lots of surgeries each year, and probably really knows what he's talking about. Honestly? You're no expert at this point. Trust the doctor.

During recovery, one of the important things to learn is to "undereat your sleeve." Right after surgery, your tiny tummy will be swollen and even 1.5oz may be more than it can hold. Eating too much (i.e. more than your sleeve can hold) will make you throw up. Try eating less.

Additionally, are you trying to eat "whole" fish? At 2 weeks out, it's fairly rare to see people eating solid protein; most folks are on puree or "mushy" food for at least a month. (Again, plans do vary, follow your own doctor's schedule ONLY.) You may want to try mashing the fish up very well, or maybe even giving it a whizz through the blender. You should also be chewing VERY thoroughly before swallowing; vomiting can also be caused by bits of food getting stuck in your sleeve.

I say go back to liquids! I didn't have anything I could chew until 5-6 weeks per doctors orders. I lived on Unjury Chicken Soup mix (20g protein) It was warm and went down easy when my stomach was feeling queasy. Premier Protein chocolate shakes are also my favorite and go down smooth. I get them at my local BJ's wholesale club.

The first few weeks are a rollercoaster. I felt moody, depressed, and trapped in the liquid diet. Time went by SO SLOW. Hang in there...it WILL get better. Everyone is a little different. Just take your time. And Good Luck.

I agree with all the advice you have gotten here. No way could I have eaten fish and green beans at three weeks out, I was barely eating 2 oz of yogurt or cottage cheese.

Back up a little bit and give your stomach time to heal. Take it a little slower and eat mushy foods.

I wish you the best!!!!