3 years out and busted back to liquids! never say never! *job disaster update*
Hi kids,
for those keeping track, i am on medical leave from an abusive work situation that caused all my psychiatric problems, especially ptsd/anxiety disorder, to flare up massively. I have come to term,s (mostly) with the fact that by deciding i will never work for the abuser again i have left a job i love. really sad. the only two people who think i suck in my whole agency are my manager and department head. we'll see what happens about another position there. who knows? i've put in paperwork to support my FMLA leave which will take me up to the 90 day mark after which i can get long term disability. Just blows. And FYI, i work for a national mental health non-profit. hmmmmmm.
so, i've been eating better, if not perfectly, and haven't gained, even lost a little. and i'm working up to the whole job search thing, working on linkedin and so forth. yuck.
but, but, but . . . this is just a "never say never" from a vet (how did THAT happen!??!). i ate some shredded wheat w/pb this morning, not much, and later, nothing would stay down. everything just slimed back up. so gross. when i realized that it was everything, i called the surgeon, actually the first time i've done that in all this time! he basically said that things felt stuck bc my sleeve was swollen and that i should do liquids for the weekend. eeeek!!!! i think soup will be my friend and good thing i finally found a protein drink i can stomach. Click is the bomb!! if you haven't tried it, it's 2 shots of espresso, 15 g of protein, 120 cals and you can just drink it hot! will be making a shake with it at some point this weekend, i'm sure!
that's the report from lake less-woebegone! xxxx
Ann 
Everybody's normal is slightly different. As Ann said, the surgeon thought her sleeve was swollen. That can happen for a number of reasons and may not have been the result of what she ate. It was just an unfortunate choice of food for a swollen sleeve. I have learned through this process that a "normal" stomach constricts during times of stress and panic - it's a natural reaction that aids our ancient fight or flight reactions. Ann is under a great deal of stress. High fiber and high fat takes a long while to digest. That's probably the nature of the problem and the liquids are just to let her stomach rest over the weekend and get on the road to normalcy.
I'm over two years out, and yes, I can eat just about anything I want, but in much smaller portions. Though if it's a highly refined carb, I can eat far more of it than I believed possible. So, I tend to stay away from things like that or measure them very carefully!
But, I will say, that I never went back to my old normal. I don't feel full the way I did pre VSG. It's an entirely different feeling and I did miss that old feeling for about the first year. My new full is very different and not at all pleasant.
No, I don't - anymore.
I used to, especially because I thought that that was what restriction was going to feel like. I had no idea that being full meant I would feel it up in the back of my throat (well actually at my esophageal sphincter, but it feels like the back of my throat!). It took me a good year or so to adjust to that new feeling. Sometimes I do find myself wanting that old sense of full, but I know it's pointless to pursue. One, it won't happen, and two, I'll get sick if I try!
hope you are feeling better and recover from the shredded wheat incident as well as the work horrors.
regarding the shredded wheat, you might want to read the book "Wheat Belly" which is about how horrible wheat is for you. maybe you have some issue with wheat. if you are like me, you rarely eat wheat products during maintenance.
when i have soup i sometimes stir in some soy based plain protein powder from the health food store. the taste is fine in tomato basil soup which would be gross with whey protein.
diane
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