JaminJ

I was told to have my 3 meals a day and snack 2 times a day once 2 hours after Breakfast and once 2 hours after lunch. If I still haven't eaten all of my Protein or my calorie goal I can have one at 8pm for bed but most days I find that hard.

I just eat when I'm hungry. Sometimes that's 3 times a day, sometimes it's 6 or 7. I only eat small amounts, so it seems to work out OK. And because I eat when I need to, I don't feel deprived. The only thing I'm strict about its alcohol - I only drink it when it's an occasion with friends. I think wine was what piled on the pounds in the past, so I'm not going down that road again!
Some people are really strict about food too, but you have to find out what's sustainable for you. If you're really very strict about food for a few months and then fall off the waggon because you feel deprived, then you won't keep off the weight. I have the occasional treat, but make sure I still lose a pound or two a week. I think I'll be able to sustain that in the long term.
There won't be a single right answer - I think you've just got to experiment to find out what works for you.

I know some hospitals say eat 3 times a day, no snacking. But we were advised to have 3 meals and 3 healthy Snacks during the day, all 2-3 hours apart. Healthy Snacks are Protein high and low in calories.
As for unhealthy snacking, I take some chocolate now and then , or some crisps. Nowhere near the amount i used to, but still a bit. Not every day, of course

I am almost 4 months out and I can only eat about 1 ounce of food per meal and snack. My situation may be different my stomach no longer empties all the way so I have to break my food into very small portions! Always a good idea to measure out your food though just to be safe ya mnow

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I had my sleeve done almost 4 months ago and have lost over 60 pounds since then. If you total up my pre-op weight loss I've lost over 100 pounds all together now. I was on the pre-op diet for three weeks!

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I've dealt with depression and anxiety for a long time as well, since I was in middle school now after surgery at 23 years old I feel like my anxiety has hit harder now, as well as my depression that rears it's dreary head. I can't offer much solace, (I can offer support) but I do hope things start looking up for you soon! Even doing small things should help, maybe a nice stroll out to the backyard to smell fresh air. Just a small idea ~

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So my doctor told me it seemed like my stomach can't handle much food at all. Which is kind of understandable, he told me to eat several Snacks through out the day keep them small, and space them out between meals. Do any of you snack? Any ideas on how to notice when it's time to eat??

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I would ask for an endoscopy. I felt like that was the only way to rule out a stricture and actually see what was going on. Good luck!

My husband was sleeved 11/29 and did ok the first month or so and then totally regressed. He had constant nausea and difficulty holding anything down. The dr. upped his antacid and order an upper GI that appeared normal. Finally they did an endoscopy and it revealed he had a severe stricture. He had to go back twice for balloon dilation to stretch it out. Nausea is such a common side effect after the sleeve that I feel sometimes it can get dismissed too easily.

I am almost 9 months post surgery and you are eating things that I can't tolerate like red meat. It takes a long time for the body /sleeve to start tolerating certain foods. At 4 months out I was still eating mainly blended foods. So I had Soup but with blended chicken. Everything I blended and made into mush.
Beans made me vomit! I can only eat about 2 tablespoons of beans now before I will start to gag.
Stick with the foods that make you least nauseated and don't force your body to accept the ones that are making you vomit. I can only eat chicken, soft fish like cod and 2 strips of bacon. Sometimes I can have a little ground beef but it hurts my stomach. And I am almost 9 months out and you are only 4.
I definitely took the acid blockers up to 6 months after surgery, every single day. very important. Someone also mentioned in this thread that you have to take acidophilus when you have been on a course of antibiotics. So, so important to repopulate your gut with good bacteria.
Up to this day plain Water makes me feel nauseated, even though I force myself to drink it. Adding flavour takes away the nausea

Oh, I just had an ultrasound and have gallstones now, great.

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I am really sorry. No advice, but I am in a similar place. Sleeved on 10/29. I'm nauseated 90% of the time and have reflux 100% of the time. Luckily, I haven't thrown up yet. I just feel like I need to. And I can eat less now than I could about a month out. Just got off the phone with my doc's nurse and looks like more testing is in order. As I was crying and saying how much I regretted this decision, she told me "This is not my life, this will pass." I just need that to be my mantra for now.

Wow [mention=213093]James Marusek[/mention]! Great great responses!!!
Sorry OP for the troubles you are having!! One thing to also bring up...is that GERD has a strong component in lung health or unhealth.
GERD contributes or can cause pneumonia (from aspiration and micro aspirations of acid and food). It also keeps too much mucus going and can cause your body to ramp up the inflammatory process. All of it increases asthma/colds/pneumonia/infection, etc.
My GI guy wants me to take my 40mg of prescription omeprazole by emptying the capsule onto a single teaspoon of unsweetened applesauce cuz it's easier absorbed. Since doing that, I feel my esophagus feeling better and my cough going away again.

So it sounds like you are meeting your daily requirements for Protein, Vitamins and fluids. So that is the important thing. From what you said I do not think you have a stricture.
A main part of the problems that you experienced was due to the blood clot that made its way to your lungs, a pulmonary embolism. This was a life threatening condition. You experienced bronchitis twice and got pneumonia. This would be my main focus.
According to the Internet:
Your treatment for a pulmonary embolism depends on the size and location of the blood clot. If the problem is minor and caught early, your doctor may recommend medication as treatment. Some drugs can break up small clots.
Drugs your doctor may prescribe include:
- anticoagulants: Also called blood thinners, the drugs heparin and warfarin prevent new clots from forming in your blood. They can save your life in an emergency situation.
- clot dissolvers (thrombolytics): These drugs speed up the breakdown of a clot. They’re typically reserved for emergency situations because side effects may include dangerous bleeding problems.
Surgery may be necessary to remove problematic clots, especially those that restrict blood flow to the lungs or heart. According to the mayo Clinic, some surgical procedures your doctor may use in the case of a pulmonary embolism include:
- vein filter: Your doctor will make a small incision, then use a thin wire to install a small filter in your inferior vena cava. The vena cava is the main vein that leads from your legs to the right side of your heart. The filter prevents blood clots from traveling from your legs to your lungs.
- clot removal: A thin tube called a catheter will suction large clots out of your artery. It isn’t an entirely effective method because of the difficulty involved, so it’s not always a preferred method of treatment.
- open surgery: Doctors use open surgery only in emergency situations when a person is in shock or medications aren’t working to break up the clot.
Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/pulmonary-embolus#treatment
So I suspect that you were on medicine to dissolve away the blood clot. Once it has been taken care off they probably put you on some medicine to prevent new blood clots from forming. The article also mentioned two other things that are critically important for you. These are wearing compression stockings and exercising (such as walking 30 minutes per day).
Now back on the food issue. In my case I went for over a year with minimal food intake. I lost almost half my weight in 7 months. My body converted my stored fat into the energy that drove my body. So long as I met the other requirements fluids, Vitamins, and protein, my body was just fine with the minimal food intake. That was over 5 years ago and I am just fine.
From my perspective, I found the transition to solid foods (such as chicken and steaks) to be difficult so I relied on softer foods (such as Soups and chili) and still do to a large extent. These are not normal chili and Soups but rather home made ones that are doubly fortified with protein. As a result I reduced and stopped the Protein Shakes almost 4 years ago when I could obtain my protein from my meals. I have provided recipes for these at the end of the following article about my journey. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

I had RNY gastric bypass surgery whereas you had the sleeve. There are some similarities. The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. So how are you doing on meeting your daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements? Generally when you eat a minimal amount of food, the protein requirement is met by Protein Shakes. I was consuming around 3 per day for the first several months after surgery.
According to the internet:
Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include avoidance of NSAIDs, antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition, H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present.
So this has 3 parts to it. From what you said you are taking a proton pump inhibitor (omeprazile). Have you restricted yourself from using NSAIDs? Aspirin and Excedrin are just a few common items that are NSAIDs. Have you ever been checked for Helicobacter pylori infection. It is fairly common. About fifty percent of the people in the world have this infection and it is a hard one to kill.

When I stopped taking my omeprazile I had those issues am taking Pantrozole now and it is better.

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So I had my surgery in November 2018, since then I've remained sick. The first couple of weeks went fine aside from some nausea and pain. Now three months, almost four after surgery and I'm struggling to keep food and liquid down and continually get sick with every cold, bronchitis and pneumonia. The only food I can handle seems to be nuts, cheese, red meat, and Beans. Everything else comes right up, not only is this painful but it's annoying and worrisome. I've had several problems, I had this happen before and had to have a PICC line put in my arm (an IV line meant to stay in you for weeks to months or a year if needed) to give me my Vitamins and nutrients I need. I had it for about a week and then was able to eat again, then found out I have a DVT (a blood clot deep in a vein), then got bronchitis twice and got pneumonia. Now I'm not only throwing up again but I'm getting sick again and my doctor thinks that I'm throwing up from what I'm eating. I can't eat much, I eat about 1/2 a cup of food for a meal if even. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had any of these kinds of problems??? If you have what did your doctor suggest, did you try to substitute foods with other items? Surely I can't live off just meat, cheese, and nuts.