post op, somethings not right?

[k4rid4]

well i am now 3 weeks post op. i am really confused, for the first 2 weeks i never hardly ate untill the dietitian said if i didnt start i would end up back in hospital. so i have been eating, and now my apatite is back. i didnt stay on the pureed diet long as it made me feel sick, so i have been eating at the soft stage which iv been told is ok. iv never been sick once. i am finding i can eat quite alot of food, around 3/4 table spoons and then i am hungry again not long after. i am really worried that it hasnt worked. i lost 30lb since my op. but for the last week my weight has actualy gone back on 5lbs. is this normal or am i a bypass failing? i am so upset..

 

[Yvessa]

First of all, at this stage 3-4 tablespoons is fine. Are you drinking enough? Are you taking your meals slowly?
Its unlikely you are hungry again soon after unless you're not eating filling enough food - could you give us an idea of what you're eating?

 

[Paula Garner]

Firstly I'm glad to hear that your ok and well done on your 30lb loss. I wouldn't worry too much about how much you can eat at the minute. On the soft stage food just slides through your pouch and your still healing internally, so you won't feel any restriction yet. I used to eat about 6 small meals a day on soft food. Just keep doing what you've been advised to do, keep your fluids up and if your still worried, contact your bariatric team for further advice xx

 

[k4rid4]

ye i have 2/3 table spoons of mince for breakfast with abit of tiny bit of pitta, then a cheese triangle or maybe 2, mini milk ice cream or 2 depending how hungry i am.. another portion of mince and pitta. cheese string for a snack. maybe i am snacking to much.. the other day i ate about 4 ice lollys in a row and got a sharp pain in my chest, is that what being full feels like?

 

[Paula Garner]

I'd try and get more protein in. Things like fish in sauce, tuna, mashed down chicken in gravy etc. the pain could have been that the lollies were too cold? Add skimmed milk powder to your hot drinks. If I'm honest, I wouldn't have tried pitta on soft stage.

 

[k4rid4]

thank u paula i had a pretty crappy time with infection so iv only just managed to get online. getting better now tho xx

 

[Paula Garner]

I'm glad your feeling better x

 

[k4rid4]

ye i know i was dying for bread tho. lol didnt think i would miss it so much. iv stayed away from pasta and rice tho. dont seem to have the dumping syndrome. dont know whether thats bad or good

 

[Paula Garner]

It's early days yet. Just take your time and listen to your dieticians advice and you'll be fine x

 

[fjsinc]

When you say you feel hungry, what does it feel like? I ask because us bypasses dont tend to feel classic hunger in the early stages. I know when I'm needing food, but its not belly hunger, its more a weakness.
I've been told 5-6 small meals a day is essential at this stage. If you think about it, the stomach is a storage device, we cant store anything much any more, so we have to top up little and often just to keep our metabolism ticking over. Why did you have 4 ice lollies in a row? Are you feeling thirsty? I find thirst can manifest itself as belly hunger. Perhaps you could try a few milky drinks spread throughout the day, in addition to water/squash.
I have never had a Sharpe pain in my chest, so cant help you there.

 

[k4rid4]

well im tryin to drink a pint of milk with crusha a day but i am always sipping water all day long. maybe it is just all in my head, and i need to see a shrink. i dont really feel hungry i guess i just sit ther and think of something nice to eat and want it. i have this strange feeling its just boredom and a bad habit. im going to ask to see a shrink. how does ur full feeling start? maybe i am eating to fast altho i do take around 15/20mins for a meal?

 

[Yvessa]

I wouldn't expect a full feeling yet. Stick to the quantities that your dietitians have given you for now as you're not healed enough to feel restriction. Agree with the avoiding pitta - it's not soft and can damage your still healing pouch. I was told not to touch bread till solids. If you feel the need try something like Melba toast or cracker bread. It does sound like your comfort eating - not least because the first month post op is hell! Don't worry about the gain right now but do stick to your dietitians advice. And if in doubt ring them.

 

[fjsinc]

To be honest Karida, I dont often get to the point when I'm full. I have a small dish that takes about 120g max and I use that to measure my portion. When its gone, I know I'm finished. I have eaten too much when I used a side plate, and I felt tight in my chest, and then sore (like a raw feeling) for a little while after that. Its only happened twice, and it was when my eyes were to big for my tummy, and I was really enjoying what I'd cooked, haha. So I try to stick to specific measurements, for me about 100-130g of anything . I have a rule that at every little meal I have to have either meat, eggs, fish or milk/cheese as the main ingredient.

 

[chrisa]

well im tryin to drink a pint of milk with crusha a day but i am always sipping water all day long. maybe it is just all in my head, and i need to see a shrink. i dont really feel hungry i guess i just sit ther and think of something nice to eat and want it. i have this strange feeling its just boredom and a bad habit. im going to ask to see a shrink. how does ur full feeling start? maybe i am eating to fast altho i do take around 15/20mins for a meal?

Well in the early days and thats what it is I would have had something like this-

B - 1/2 WEETABIX OR 1/2 PORRIDGE SACHET
SNACK - LOW FAT CUSTARD 1/3 LITTLE POT WITH MASHED BANANA OR STEWED FRUIT
L - MEAT N VEG POS BIT OF MASH
SNACK - SNACK POT MUNCH BUNCH OR PETIT FILOUS YOGHURT
D 1/4 TIN OF HEINZ BIG SOUP

You have to keep up ya protein intake, at this stage its- yoghurt, milk, cheese, meat/lean of course.
plenty fluids that means water based to help keep wounds clean inside and protein helps repair itsself. I missed bread very much but I didnt start on any bread at all till boiut 4-6 months as thats what my hosp advice was, smae for pastra n rice. WRaps were earlier and pitta bread but still bit early really for that. Take a look at smaples of food the dietician gave you for examples and if not look on internet.
Best of luck xx:wave_cry:

 

[k4rid4]

ye i got some small tubs from the pound shop that fit in around 3 table spoons so im just goin to stick with that. seems like it is comfort food n that chest feeling is horrible. not in a rush to feel that again. im goin to put the pittas out for the birds lol u are all right. and stay away from the lollys. jet my alarm at eating times, so im not tempted to eat when i shudnt. i feel alot better now. i guess im not doin that bad. just needed a kik in the pants lol

 

[Mazza]

Another suggestion, why don't you start logging what you eat on the bypass daily thread?

Lots of longer termers post on there what they are having throughout the day - it might give you some helpful tips and keep you heading in the right direction x

 

[chrisa]

Yes why not do what Mazza suggested come and log on to the bypass daily menu thread we all post on there where you cna get meal ideas we all share on there and its amazing you think there is nothing new you havent tried but biy there is loads. Instead of bread even now being 19 months out I try n have Cucumber slices with pate on its lovely, and you have to crunch or chew it tis gud for you n has no carbs so has to be a plus. xxxx Looking out for ya on the other thread xx

 

[Paula Garner]

You can also try using Myfitnesspal app. I find it invaluable for keeping track of my protein and carbs. Come join us on the bypass daily menu thread. It was (and still is) a godsend in my first few weeks post bypass

 

[kellyhymas]

i am 2 weeks post op tomorrow and i couldnt imagine eating pitta bread. at srh i have to stick with pureed food pretty similar to chrisa said. ice cream has lots of sugar in it too. so that prob wont be too good. ice lollys again are calories and food that you dont really need you need food to fill you up. i have another 2 weeks on pureed food, and then i have 3 other stages until i can eat from a saucer as such. as much as i hate the pureed stage it is stopping my new tummy from over stretching, its still healing, yeah i do feel hungry this week compared to the first week. but this kind of pureed stage doest stay in our tummy very long which is why we get hungry as such. that is why they say drink 2-3 litres of fluid a day which helps you keep that full feeling. also your meats etc will help keep you full for longer, i have hardly lost a thing! the pre op i lost 13pound. then from the day of operation until today still only a loss of 6 pound. not sure why but i am pretty confident that it will catch up its prob my body tolerating all the changes and storing everything it can inside of me as its not use to so little amounts. i can now manage around 100g of food. so half a small tin of spaghetti bologense. sometimes i think i could eat more., but i think thats just the greed shouting it out and not what my body really wants or needs. once my body has adjusted to the new amounts of food, and once i can manage more mushed up food after 2 weeks i think the weight then will start to come off, well here is hoping it will! but if you add up calories you have a day and then think about what you have done in that day to burn them off if its nothing like me opps! then that could be a reason for gain also. as i have taken time off work and found myself sitting or laying down at home alot more. so from tomorrow im going to start short gentle walks with the dog. burn off some of the things that i am eating. x good luck x

 

[lyzzyanne]

Are you sure that feeling you are getting in your chest isn't dumping?? it can manifest in all different ways. I kept my protein up, I wouldn't touch ice lollies because of the sugar content, I made myself smoothies, whizzed up strawberries, poured it through a sieve and added milk and a few spoons of milk powder. That was lovely to drink and I froze the left overs into lollies.

I can freely eat bread, rice and pasta now but so early on I couldn't and didn't even try for around six months as I was worried about doing damage. Even now I know my limits.

The early days are a great time to start to make the changes that you need to make on a permanent basis it helps you later on when you can eat more to make the right choices.

Good luck,