First, you will never ever stretch your stomach out to original size. Really, I promise. Your surgeon just removed 85% of your stomach and left behind the least stretchy bits. It would take real, concerted effort over a long period of time - overeating to the point of pain and vomiting for a long period - to stretch the sleeve what little it will give. By this, I mean stretching beyond the norm, beyond what is supposed to happen within the first year to two years post op.
That said, in my experience, my sleeve doubled in size from immediately post op in around six to nine months. It then probably doubled in size again to where I am more than two years post op. What does that mean? It means I can eat between half a cup to a cup of food, depending on how dense the food is and how I'm feeling that day. On very rare occasions I can fit 1.5 cups in...especially if I chose a brothy Soup to start a meal.
I am pregnant and have a much larger capacity than before and there is no way in the world I could possibly eat anything like I ate prior to surgery. One small slice of very thin crust pizza and a few spoonfuls of minestrone or a few bites of salad and I'm uncomfortably full.
Around one year out your sleeve is almost as big as it's going to get, though you'll likely find that your ability to eat a more normal diet returns. Any food issues like eggs, beef, and even lactose intolerance are usually much improved at this point. So I can eat "normally" as in, I can eat normal foods and feel like a regular person again (I only avoid milk, ice cream and yogurt at this point) but I can not eat normally, as in, the way the people around me eat without thinking about it.
Second, you will not hit your nutritional goals for some time. It's normal. Our doctors give us a guideline of where they want us to be, but it takes many of us months to reach those goals every day. Do your best, make smart food choices and yes, sip all day long. Dehydration can cause a host of side effects and can land you back in the hospital, so take care to drink whenever you can.
If you're cleared to use a straw, use one. Some docs say to avoid them; mine didn't. I definitely drink more when using a straw. If cold liquids bother you, try room temperature. For some reason, plain Water bothered me post op but adding fruit or flavor drops gave me no problems. Thin your shakes out if they're hard to drink.
It took me months to reach my doctor's goals for Protein and liquids. I wouldn't expect you to start hitting those goals for a while, but your ability to eat and drink should get better each day. Your sleeve is ridiculously swollen right now. Once you start on mushies you'll experience this frustration again. You'll know you should be eating more but one or two bites can fill you up completely.
Good luck,
~Cheri
