Hi everyone. I thought I posted this before but I can't find it and got no responses so maybe I forgot to hit post. I think I left some brain cells on the OR table LOL! Anyway, my doctor said becaus of my age(68) he used a 36 bougie instead of 32. Something about the esophagus as one gets older doesn't stretch as much. So I am wondering if I have enough restriction. I can eat a whole large orange with no trouble! Is anyone else able to do this or is this a sign of not enough restriction. I hate to ask the dr. As he might think I am questioning his expertise. Would, as always, appreciate your feedback!

I would think (and I am no expert) that the orange is mostly juice so it will go down easy and you can have a good bit. Try meat. See how much you can hold by slowly eating. I'm sure you will find that your capacity is small enough. The density of the food also makes a difference so fish will not fill you as much as chicken or pork. This is all based on only my experience thus far. I am interested to see what others say...

Shae

I tend to agree with Shae, an orange is also considered a type of slider food, so it'll go down really well. If you want to "test" your restriction, try it with a dense protein, like chicken, fish, egg, cheese, tuna etc. . . you should feel some sort of restriction after a few bites. . .

I agree, the orange is a lot of juice so you may not feel as full. Poultry, pork or even greek yogurt may have a completely different effect, at least it does with me. Also, depending on when you had your surgery, you may not feel such a tight restriction just yet because your stomach muscles are still in shock. Trust me, your full factor will definitely kick in. Mine was around the 3 week mark, but each person is different. Lastly, please keep in mind portion control . Measure your food and don't eat large amounts because you can. After a while your new tummy will feel uncomfortable and begin to protest.

All the best to you and congratulations on your surgery!

Niki

If you investigate the difference between a 32 and 36, I think your worries will be put to rest. You're talking about the difference between a really small banana and a small banana. As they said above, an orange is mostly juice, so ... it should go down relatively easy.

As usual you guys have helped me so much. I do feel tightening when I eat dense food and did not realize an orange is a slider. I just get worried the surgery won 't work for me because of my age. Thanks to you all for responding. It helped so much!

As pdxman said, any bougie 40 or under will give you excellent restriction. It is over 40 when the restriction might not be as good as one would want. If you do a search for "bougie" there are a lot of old posts. I think Tiffykins posted a link to a website showing the minute differences in size.

Thank you for that info. I will check it out. Feeling better about the size now with the info shared here. :Banane55:

Definitely do not use an orange as a 'capacity' test. And definitely DO NOT EAT MORE just because you can. The size of the bougie is really just a measuring device, and as someone else said anything less than 40 should be fine with restriction. But definitely to not get hung up on the bougie number!

Measure everthing! Do not just eyeball it...you are retraining your brain to recognize an appropriate sleever amount. Use a good food scale or measuring cup or some way of measuring your food.

If you follow the rule of Protein first I'm guessing you won't have room for an entire orange after 2 or 3oz of dense protein.

I hate to ask the dr. As he might think I am questioning his expertise.

I would go around this by saying with a smile something like "I picked you because you are an expert in your field, but I still have some questions.........". Ask away!!!

Niceeee side step! I'll try it with you Know who. How are you feeling?

Lol. I have developed a good rapport with Dr. Marema. He could tell right away I was "informed" (thanks to this website). Every time I have met him (pre-op, right before surgery, at the hospital), I whip out my iPhone with a list of questions. He has always answered thoroughly and sometimes humorously. When I started talking about leaks he said in a nice way "STOP! you do NOT have a leak!"....lol. You know what he told me after my pre-op visit as he shaked my hand? "Looking forward to be of service". WOW, is that cool or what? He is humble, funny and yet at the top of his game. We picked a good one!

I am feeling great. Just went shopping for groceries. Tomorrow I move from full liquids to the next stage! Can you give me some ideas of what you used to eat?

Congrats on moving on to the next stage. Some foods I ate were fried or soft boiled eggs, or breakfast sausage patties (I cooked the whole package and then took one out as needed) topped with cheddar cheese. Just like Holly said I found seafood to be a friend. I still liked getting the protein from Wendy's Chili, and soft meats like moist homemade meatloaf in small bites. Probably some of the things you were pureeing are good in small bites. Are you going to the party tomorrow night?