What should I be able to eat 5 weeks after bypass??

[strawberry twig]

I'm really struggling with food. What could you eat 5 weeks post op?? All I can keep down is Quavers for goodness sake. So all I seem to do is eat crisps .

I just cant seem to eat anything. Eggs is a no no, prawns are a no no, I can manage mash but its getting really boring now.

Do you think I could maybe melt cheese over mash??? Or is it too soon for cheese?? I'm so fedup of being sick after everything .

Any suggestions would be really helpful.

 

[kathleen1960]

aw hun hope you soon get sorted, i will watch answers to this thread with interest as i am having my op in 4 weeks time

 

[shelbell]

Firstly, step away from the crisps! They have no nutritional value and won't do you any good long term. The occasional few isn't a problem but try not to get into a habit of eating them regularly this early on.

At your stage, cheese is fine. I was recommended to add cheese to everything in the early days to increase the protein content. So tomato soup with grated cheese in, baked beans with cheese etc are all good. Mash is fine, but remember its just carbohydrates so won't satisfy you for long and will leave you feeling hungry again in a few hours.

If you are struggling with meat and fish, take a step back and mush them. Go for soft options like poached/steamed chicken with a sauce or gravy, fish pie again with poached fish, mince in gravy/bolognaise etc. Go for protein based soups like chicken soup/beef broth etc for an easily digested meal with good protein content too.

 

[Sambucca]

Hi Tammy,

Shel has given you some brilliant advice above.

Dont forget that under Dr's orders, we were only just meant to be moving to sloppies at week 5 so in that respect, *anything* you can manage to get down is a bonus.

Just take it a day at a time and dont be too worried if you cant manage much. I'm nearly 12 weeks out now and still on a restricted diet eating tiny portions. We'll get there eventually but many of the people posting here got to month 4 or 5 before they started being able to eat a more varied/interesting diet.

 

[strawberry twig]

Thanks for your idea's and advise.

I tried a cheese string today and it went down a treat, so tonight its tomatoe soup and grated cheese nom nom.

Its so hard to get used to the fact I can only eat a few spoonfulls of food before I start to feel uncomfortable. I just start looking forward to eating when before I know it i'm full.

However i'm only a couple of lb off my 3 stone loss so it's got it's plus points

 

[phatgirl]

Hiya hun, I know how boring the early days can seem. However you may just need to ease into foods. Only try one new item at a time, make sure you are making it as smooth as possible if you are still on mushy foods. Try spicy things, I found that I felt more satisfied with my food if it had spice, bland things were boring when you only can get a few mouthfuls in at a time. At 5 weeks I was getting ready to start soft foods but sounds like you need to stay at mushy for a bit longer, and don't write off any foods that made you sick yesterday, tomorrow it could go down really well!

Things to try:

FAKE-OUT LASAGNE
http://www.wlsurgery.com/wls-recipe...-stage-soups-sauce-recipes-2.html#post1086480
Vanilla Cinnamon Applesauce
http://www.wlsurgery.com/wls-recipe...ee-stage-soups-sauce-recipes.html#post1070578
VANILLA EGG CUSTARDS
http://www.wlsurgery.com/wls-recipe...ee-stage-soups-sauce-recipes.html#post1070743
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
http://www.wlsurgery.com/wls-recipe...-stage-soups-sauce-recipes-3.html#post1101939
MEXICAN BEAN DIP
http://www.wlsurgery.com/wls-recipe...-stage-soups-sauce-recipes-3.html#post1106914
Thai Chicken Puree
http://www.wlsurgery.com/wls-recipes-forum/73736-thai-chicken-puree.html#post1230846

Some of these dishes I still eat today only less blended!

Nic

 

[Porpo]

Hiya,

You've had loads of good advice. the only thing I can reccommend is use mash as a base to add things to.

I tried mash with some chilli and then put through the food mixer so the meat etc was mushed and it was fairly smooth but tasted more like chilli than boring potato. I did this with baked beans and tuna too but the tuna was a bit random.

Hope you find something...

xxx

 

[sukay]

I'm really struggling with food. What could you eat 5 weeks post op?? All I can keep down is Quavers for goodness sake. So all I seem to do is eat crisps .

I just cant seem to eat anything. Eggs is a no no, prawns are a no no, I can manage mash but its getting really boring now.

Do you think I could maybe melt cheese over mash??? Or is it too soon for cheese?? I'm so fedup of being sick after everything .

Any suggestions would be really helpful.

Cheese is good!! At Sunderland , Cheesey mash is recommended right from the start

HTH

 

[strawberry twig]

Well cheese was lovely with beans and mash (tiny amounts of course) but I was still sick???

It seems I can eat in the day no trouble but come 6pm everything gets stuck or I seem to develope a lump in my throat and eventually get sick??

Now when I had surgery Mr Khan said he'd had trouble with the top join of my bypass because he had trouble getting the gun in??? I had a swallow test to be certain the join was ok , which it was.
I cant even swallow small tablets with out them getting stuck is this normal or do you think I should go back to the hospital??

I'm so confused is it the food or is it my throat and why do I only have trouble in the evening??

 

[Barbie-Pink]

I find its not what I eat its how I eat that causes me problems. If I get too hungry I eat too quickly, don't chew enough and that makes me sick. So now I will have a small yoghurt or something just to take the edge off.

I also use quark to make puree's and pate. Its low fat and a good source of protein and I use it to make wonderful smoked salmon, prawn, crab and tuna pates. Which I find very yummy!

I have educated myself on nutrition I don't bother with anything that doesn't give me something of value. As I can eat so little I try and make sure its really good and tasty food.

I think I would check back with your surgical team about your swallowing it can't hurt to ask them about it. Good luck!

 

[swizzlestick]

Hi Strawberry

Are you taking the lanzoprazole and what dosage? sometimes people need a higher dose of this. I am not saying this is the cause of your sickness but it can be one reason for it.

Long before I had even considered wls I had to take esomeprazole (40mg) as I had problems with sickness and nausia, usually during the night and the esomeprazole corrected this for me.
If you can feel the tablet getting stuck you should book an appointment with the surgeon and discuss it.

Good luck and I hope you get sorted soon Xx

 

[wannabeslimagain]

The only thing i can think of is to see your team about the swallowing and if you get sick after 6pm why not have your main meal at lunch time and then at 6pm or after have soup, I like to have Leek and potato soup with a touch of mint sauce in it i blend it a little so there are no lumps or if any they are very tiny and this fills me as a tea time meal after eating a lumpier one in the day. Hope this helps xxx

 

[Porpo]

hi,

Just a thought but are you having your main meal with people and chatting more than earlier in the day?? Sounds a bit strange but I have had BIG problems when eating with company as I dont chew and rush and end up feeling sick and having pain. Now I've worked out what Im doing wrong Im okay though.

Speak to your WLS people though if you are worried.

xx

 

[Porpo]

Ooh also I had to mix my mash and beans mess with milk to start with as it was too thick.

x

 

[zetacatty]

Hi Twig, sorry to hear you are having problems. I can totally relate to eating ok during the day but feeling sick and uncomfortable in the evenings. I think I eat too fast. I have a couple of stanbys which always go down easily: frozen faggot with mashed potato (I eat half and save the rest for lunch the next day) and half a small tin of salmon mashed into cottage cheese. I can swallow tablets though. When I saw Miss Heitmann she said I should be able to swallow tablets now (5 weeks) how long ago did you try? Perhaps you can now. Try with a capsule (vitamin) to start with because they are the easiest. If you still have trouble I think you should check back with the hospital. Better safe than sorry. Take care and big hug, Mxx

 

[Sambucca]

aww Tammy, sorry you are still suffering hun.

Ive seen the experts on here advice that if you are constantly being sick then maybe you need to go back a step for a couple of days to give the pouch a rest. So maybe go back to liquids or purees - just for 24/48 hours and then try again.

As others said, are you still taking the fast-tab for acid? I feel very sick if I forget to take mine.

And of course, remember the golden rule to eat slowly and chew chew chew.

Its such a huge learning curve and I'm still making mistakes hun. We'll get there in the end. In a few months we will be looking back and laughing at the difficult first few months xx

 

[rosejohnson]

I find the amount I can eat varies across the day, but in your situation I think I would be getting checked out, just in case.
Good luck
Rx

 

[strawberry twig]

Your all brill.

Thank you for your suggestions and comments.

Today I had liquids only and i've been loads better. Maybe I was rushing and my body needs longer. I managed to swallow my thyroid tablets (they are small) with no problems too, so i'm gonna have a couple of days back on liquid and then try again.

I do eat and chat at night and it never occured to me that it may cause blockage, I will try and eat alone for a while at night and see if there is a difference.

I do know this tho, if anyone tells me i've taken the easy way out god help them lol