Full liquids this long??

[Tamz 8]

I have been reading a lot of posts tonight and I am noticing that a lot of people are not that far out and are already on solids or mushy solids..... I was sleeved June 9th, and started my full liquids yesterday.. which I have to continue for 5 weeks. That seems WAY longer than I have been reading anywhere else

I am already running out of ideas of what to eat. Yogurt, pudding, Jello and boring creamed Soup I can only stand for so long.

Any input??

[meggiep 57]

Considering how absolutely miserable you have been with fluids- give yourself time! Clearly your swelling is still happening- adding purees would bring you a world of hurt. I was on clears a week, and thin liquids two weeks after that- and I moved to purees because I was having NO issues getting ALL My Protein and all my liquids. Focus on that, and it never works to compare yourself. Your doctor's policy is their policy and you are best off following it. If you have a problem and have NOT followed it then you will have trouble identifying the issue.Not to mention having to tell your doctor you did not do what they said to do! I resented my weeks on thin liquids, but by following my doctors plan I have not had any problems with each new food stage and I know I am treating my sleeve right.

Don't forget you were stressing about how hard it was just yesterday. Don't push the river! Be patient. There is yogurt, there are all kinds of Soups, - and it is what it is! This is a short time in a long life and it will be worth it.

That said- do you see your doctor for a post -op? That would be the time to ask if perhaps you can move forward.Until then work on getting all your Fluid and all your protein- if you can do that it will show you are ready for purees.

[Tamz 8]

Considering how absolutely miserable you have been with fluids- give yourself time! Clearly your swelling is still happening- adding purees would bring you a world of hurt. I was on clears a week, and thin liquids two weeks after that- and I moved to purees because I was having NO issues getting ALL My Protein and all my liquids. Focus on that, and it never works to compare yourself. Your doctor's policy is their policy and you are best off following it. If you have a problem and have NOT followed it then you will have trouble identifying the issue.Not to mention having to tell your doctor you did not do what they said to do! I resented my weeks on thin liquids, but by following my doctors plan I have not had any problems with each new food stage and I know I am treating my sleeve right.

Don't forget you were stressing about how hard it was just yesterday. Don't push the river! Be patient. There is yogurt, there are all kinds of Soups, - and it is what it is! This is a short time in a long life and it will be worth it.

That said- do you see your doctor for a post -op? That would be the time to ask if perhaps you can move forward.Until then work on getting all your Fluid and all your protein- if you can do that it will show you are ready for purees.

I know I know... it just seems like way longer than i been hearing! I did get all my Protein in today I split up one serving between my yogurt, and the rest in my pudding.. the other 2 servings I did with Water and was able to have each in 30 min. so not bad I think.

I saw my dr today for my first post op.. and have lost 11lbs since I saw him 2 days before my surgery - so 7 days ago. I am pleased so far and he said i am doing great. The only issue with drinking im having now is the freakin water...... it just doesnt wanna go.... so he said mixing with juice or Crystal light is fine. So im sticking to that Thanks!!!!!

[ybnormal 21]

Tamz! Didn't your doctor tell you these things up front?! Was it a huge surprise to see that you were going to be on liquids for so long? Again, my doctor didn't let me move to full liquids until day 10 and that was IF thin liquids were sitting well on my tummy. You're lucky that this soon out you have a lot of variety in your diet, heck just walk down the Soup aisle! Anything there you can blend into a liquid, even if you have to strain it afterwards.

Renee`

[Tamz 8]

I knowww lol.. I did know ahead of time.. I just found it weird that soo many ppl were off full liquids sooner.

I didnt realize I could get any Soup and just blend. I thought ~ low fat lower salt cream based Soups

[ybnormal 21]

LOL I thought that at first too and then ran out of options and grabbed the blender and more soups!

[swizzly 901]

Well, perhaps I'll add my freakish experience in here, just so you don't feel like the odd one. I had zero liquids/clears/mushies pre- or post-op. They are very against getting calories through liquids here, so I have been on food since day four post-op. Granted, it was quite soft food at first, but no shakes or Soups phases. So I've been eating cottage cheese and refried Beans and tuna and stuff since right out of surgery practically. The only restriction was against raw fruit and veg, which I was cleared for at four weeks. It's very trippy how varied the rules are. (It's also clear that I had little post-op swelling, or it went down very quickly, because I didn't have a problem eating almost anything -- though I kept it pretty conservative. I swear, if I didn't read the boards, I would think I was normal and all...lol)

[ybnormal 21]

It always gives me hope to see that you had no restrictions at day 4. How very different than here in the US and Mexico!

Just wanted to add here also for Tamz, what about cream of wheat? It's pretty yummy and you can make it as runny as you need to. Also if you're southern, grits are always a good stand-by!

Renee

[MaggieMusic 2]

I was on liquids for a month post surgical (protein drinks, Water, chicken broth, and diet jello). I add new things each week after the first four.... but it's very specific as to what I add. Each dr has their own way of introducing new foods -- just follow the dr's orders

[apple-saucy 17]

as my very good friend would say "Just goes to show you that human medicine doesn't have a whole lot to do with evidence"

[finallyformyself 0]

I really feel for you. I was eating soft Proteins at day 6, and anything I wanted by 4 weeks since I wasn't having any issues. It is strange how there are such drastic differences!

[mcalillian1976 0]

My doc put me on 5 steps, every doc is different but this is what they gave me.

Step 1 - 3-5 days Clear liquids

Step 2- Full liquids for 2 weeks

Step 3- pureed for 4 weeks

Step 4-Soft Solids 4 weeks

Step 5- Solids

I have been reading a lot of posts tonight and I am noticing that a lot of people are not that far out and are already on solids or mushy solids..... I was sleeved June 9th, and started my full liquids yesterday.. which I have to continue for 5 weeks. That seems WAY longer than I have been reading anywhere else

I am already running out of ideas of what to eat. Yogurt, pudding, Jello and boring creamed Soup I can only stand for so long.

Any input??

[RickM 1,747]

I was surprised to read about how long so many are on liquids (maybe it's a holdover from RNY practice?) since my doc's practice is mushies/soft foods from the hospital on out - I guess that just seems normal to me since it's the same protocol my wife was on when she had her DS a few years ago. Our progression starts with the liquid Protein drinks/yogurts/puddings/purees and introducing softer solids like tuna and seafoods as they are tolerated, then progressing to firmer Proteins like dark poultry and firmer cheeses - if they don't sit well, go back a step and try again in a week or so. Experimenting is encouraged, within reason, as they note that most patients do better as they get into "normal" foods. I had no problem tolerating anything that I tried as things progressed, and by the 10 day checkup they suggested adding some veg to the diet since I was having no problems getting in the requisite Protein. On the other hand, my wife had a harder time introducing new things and couldn't get in any more liquid than her nominal stomach size which meant that the Protein drinks had to be so concentrated that they were intolerable. According to the doc, both are compeletly normal - just the variations between us as individuals.

Whatever protocols our docs use, it's best to stick to whatever you signed up for with your doc. Maybe this is one more thing to research when looking into different procedures, surgeons and practices, as they evolve their procedures based on their experiences (or copy them from more experienced surgeons...) I can hardly say that my doc's practice is wrong or overly aggressive since they've been doing VSGs for upwards of twenty years (primarily as part of the DS,) and have adopted the protocols that they have found to work the best for them and their patients. Other docs whose pre-VSG experience were centered around bands and RNYs may be more comfortable with with protocols based more upon what "they grew up with".