Desire to eat?

OK - I know I am fairly new to my surgery. Everything seems to be going well - drinking pretty close to 64 oz water a day, taking all of my supplements, losing plenty of weight, not nauseas typically.

BUT - I have very little desire to eat. Nut said I can have a protein drink as a meal substitiute once per day. But beyond that I have no desire to eat. I force my self to eat, and it seems when I do, I try to take 30 minutes to eat (usually skinless chicken, maybe some broccoli flowerettes, a few bites of roasted potatos). Within 45 minutes I feel sick - like the food is coming back up. End up with the foamies. Has happened 4 times now. I am eating about an ounce of each. Am I eating too much? too fast? wrong food? It's getting frustrating.

I see the doc tomorrow and I'll talk to him about it, but is this normal?

I think you are basically having a fairly normal post op period, but you should always talk to your Doc about any of your concerns.  Your pouch will be easily upset / tempermental  for the first few months.

The foamies is usally caused by the stoma (or exit from your pouch to the intestine), becoming plugged.  Sometimes this can be caused by eating too much, I knew I ate too much due to a pressure in my upper abdomen lower chest.  It can be caused by not chewing well enough ( my first experience with foamies was scrambled eggs I didn't chew well enough because I was in a hurry).  Some foods tend to clump in the pouch (bread, rice).  Chicken can be a bit dry, especially the white meat, which can lead to difficulty tolerating food.  Some people just have problems with certain foods.

I found that Chili always settles well for me and it has been my go to food, when I just am having a "bad food day", where I just can not eat much.  Even five months out I still have days when I just can't eat more than 3 or 4 ounces at a meal, although the frequency of this is greatly reduced.

To this day, I rarely feel hungry.  Much of my hunger is "head hunger" and I need to control this to keep from reverting to my old ways. 

I also had good luck with "Crock Pot" meals.  The slow cooking made the meats very tender and moist.

Do you keep a food journal?  Some times seeing it in writing will make it very clear if there is a pattern to what you are eating and when you get sick.  I wouldn't be surprised if this get much better as your pouch continues to heal.

Good Luck

Jim

Funny you mention a food journal. I started using the Daily Plate again for that very reason. I was using it for regular dieting before, but thought it might help me see some trends in how I feel versus what I am eating.

I am thinking the chicken might have been too dry. So - I think I will try some other foods - chili - refried beans and salsa etc. Thanks for the post.

I think you're right on track. I think our new pouches won't complain until they're too full or blocked up. Learn from each bad episode and try to mix things up. More moist foods. Smaller bites. More chewing. Slower times. I find that I am less likely to bother my stomach if I eat about 60% of what I think I can eat. Put the fork down. Wait 3-4 minutes. Try another bite and see how it feels. If that bite has me feeling full, I stop. I not, I eat some more.

Maybe eating to fast or it may be a stricture.  Check with your doctor on that one.  Very slow boring the first few months on the slowness of the eating pattern.  Brian

I was the same way BigDaddy. Absolutely no desire for food whatsoever. I still don't have much desire for food at 4 1/2 months post-op.  I force myself to eat solid food at least once a day, but it's more of a chore to me. Just make sure you get the protein in, maybe  with the protein shakes and shots - they sure have worked for me!

Thanks for all the good advice. Today I had Chili (lunch), cheese and whole wheat crackers, and apple (dinner). All went down without a hitch. I think it was the chicken that was giving me trouble. I had no problem with chicken for a couple weeks - then BAM! - it didn't want to go down.

Glad to have you guys so quick to respond! Thanks again.

It's all about trial and error, BigDaddy. Certain foods will make you barf and others will go down without a problem. Eat slow, chew, chew, chew then experiment with a variety of "high-protein" quality food. For dry foods, like chicken / turkey breast, lean beef and pork, try mixing in some fat-free salad dressing to help it go down easier. Fish is always good as well and seems to go down easy for most.

Best of luck.

Boner