Stage 2 and struggling

[curlystacey]

I'm 18 day post op and now on stage 2 have been for 4 days but I'm really really struggling with the consistency of food I'm ok with breakfast but lunch and dinner I can't stand it all blended it's making my feel sick today I cooked a chicken casarole in the slow cooker it looked and smelt yummy but because I had to blend it I had to force it down me which I would of never of done if I had it the way it was.
Finding things really hard and just want to cry don't know wot to do.

 

[countrywench]

bevause the casserole would be very tender after being slow cooked , can't you just squash it with a fork instead of blending ? It might not look to bad then .. Just make sure you have plenty of the gravy ..

 

[Lynneslims]

I really struggled with purée and puréed chicken casserole in particular. I'm afraid I stuck to soup which I took to work for lunch and in the evening there were quite a few texture issues. Try your best to get the goodness in from your protein and veg. And if all else fails get something nutritious from your liquid phase.

Mashed potatoes that have been mashed with warm milk so it's a bit runny with butternut squash or carrots was nice. The consistency is a bit meh but much better than the puréed casserole! Also you can mix into the mash a laughing cow triangle. It's a short time but my team would not let me have anything with little lumps until the 4 week mark (hence had to purée). Trust me you'll soon be onto cottage cheese and other foods with little lumps. And then the world starts to get more interesting again.

 

[curlystacey]

Thank you
Have tried calling dietician but she hasn't got back to me to see if this was OK.
Instead of blending my food I just mash it with a folk don't know if I can do this yet on stage 2 ? X

 

[Tracey]

I'm the same as you @curlystacey ...
Just gagged on puree food couldn't do it
I rang my team and told them and she said I could have mash .. cod in butter sauce ... tuna and cottage cheese and jacket pot (no skin) and weetabix in lots of milk ...but I still had to chew and chew until it was mush in my mouth ..
But I must stress I spoke to my team before I tried this ... every team is different ....
If my team had said I had to stick to puree I would have just had soup until the next stage lol ....puree is not nice I feel your pain !!! Xxxx

 

[SUNSHINE]

I'm in my 4th week post op. It's not easy eating mashy food. I think cook what you really fancy having and mash with a fork then chew until purée in your mouth. Well for me I can put up with purée but the hard part is it's only a couple of spoons for all that effort. Get some advice from the dietician first though.

 

[Tina Rogers]

Im 5 days post op (bypass) and cant abide the puree so im just mashing and have had no ill affects. Also im eating a whole weetabix for breakfast instead of half a one as im sposed to at my stage. Im still hungry and am really dispondant coz it was drummed into me pre op that i wudnt feel hungry, wud only b able to eat tiny amount b4 feeling full. Ive not had that full feeling yet and feel a bit cheated. It doesnt seem to be how they said it wud be. Maybe everyones different i dont know. Oh and also havent opened my bowels for 3 days (sorry) is this normal? I feel so down

 

[starryeyed]

Im 5 days post op (bypass) and cant abide the puree so im just mashing and have had no ill affects. Also im eating a whole weetabix for breakfast instead of half a one as im sposed to at my stage. Im still hungry and am really dispondant coz it was drummed into me pre op that i wudnt feel hungry, wud only b able to eat tiny amount b4 feeling full. Ive not had that full feeling yet and feel a bit cheated. It doesnt seem to be how they said it wud be. Maybe everyones different i dont know. Oh and also havent opened my bowels for 3 days (sorry) is this normal? I feel so down

Not opening bowels is completely normal. Talk to your team regarding appropriate laxatives. You can also search on this forums previous threads that will be useful. Regarding the full feeling - please take it slow. Your pouch is healing and Though you may not be feeling full you could be pushing it a bit too much internally. There's a reason we are given guidelines at the beginning of our journey and we need to stick to them as much as possible. Yes you may feel hungry but maybe you're also thirsty? Don't give up hope just yet. I found the fuller feeling came once more solid foods were introduced. I'm quite surprised you're not on liquids for the first two weeks or is this new? X

 

[Hannah2]

I was on liquids for 2 weeks then 2 weeks purée then 2 weeks soft - don't push it to begin with as you need to allow your pouch to heal. I was worried on liquids that I didn't seem to know when I was full and also I still felt really hungry - some people can feel their pouch/ get a sensation when full/ hiccup or a little burp. I don't get that but I do get pain like bad heartburn when I have gone too far!

As for not feeling hungry, I questioned that and was told that the bypass won't necessarily stop that as unlike the sleeve we still have ghrelin, the hunger hormone.

However, as Starry said, once I was on solid foods the feeling hunger stopped and I could quite easily miss meals without realising now. I just don't have the same need anymore.

I have to regulate by portion size as I don't get a stop signal all the time. So I would suggest small bowls, side plates and only giving yourself the half a weetabix. Just because you can eat a full one doesn't mean you should.

If you are feeling hungry afterwards, you could always have a snack or have 4 or 5 small meals instead of 3. Also, is it really hunger? Or head hunger? It can be hard to tell sometimes!

We are all different and our new pouches all behave as individuals - it takes a while, but you will work out what works for you, just be careful the first few weeks to allow healing to happen.

 

[Rose2016]

@Hannah2 is spot on. Your body plays tricks so just play tricks back. I only use a small side plate now and a small bowl and eat with a small spoon, when at home. It really makes a massive difference.

Drinking loads of water with nas squash is another trick.

And finally distraction- busy yourself by having a bath or doing something with your head and hands otherwise you focus on food al the time.

It is hard but the surgery only takes you part of the way and the rest is up to you. Good luck.

 

[Rose2016]

Also - don't beat yourself up - it is major surgery so of course you are feeling down afterwards as you are probably exhausted