are there any sleevers here who have had leaks from cheating on their post op diets?

[leeann71 539]

Just wondering if there are anyone who has cheated on their post op diet and got a leak or other complications?

[Alabamasleever 58]

I've been wondering the same thing. I can't find any literature that says not having just liquids will cause a leak, nor did my surgeon or nut say that but it's all over this forum. Also, some surgeons say Clear Liquids for 2 weeks, full liquids for 4, regular foods on day 3, the list goes on with the variations so where does it say eating mushees too soon actually 'causes' leaks? Everything I find pretty much says bad staple line.

[bbbslady 18]

I've been eating regular right of the back

[bbbslady 18]

Sleeved 12/5

[*susan* 1,709]

Oh goodness, yes, people do cheat. Does that mean it is okay to do so? Absolutely not. Your doctor doesn't put you on the post-op diet to torture you, it is done for good, solid medical reasons. You just had 3/4 of your stomach removed. It is being held together by a staple line and needs time to heal. Basically, the more solid your food, the harder your stomach has to work to digest it. It doesn't have to work very hard to digest liquids, thus it doesn't put excessive pressure, pulling, etc. on your new staple line and that gives it the time that is needed to heal. That is the reason for the post-op diet and the slow progression to the various stages of eating. If you don't follow your doctors guidelines, you are basically playing Russian Roulette with your life. There is no guarantee you will get a leak, but there is no guarantee you won't either. Leaks can be life-threatening.

I understand how difficult the post-op diet can be, and I am not going to lecture or condemn you for what choices you make with your body. It is your body, you own it and nobody can force you to follow your doctors orders or not. However, my advice is to follow your doctors and nutritionists guidelines to a tee, they are only looking out for your best interest. And like them, I also want to see you succeed and live a long, healthy and happy life.

Sent from my iPad using VST

[leeann71 539]

Don't get me wrong. I have not cheated on my diet not even once. I was just wondering if there were any sleevers out there who did cheat and have complications or a leak from cheating. I have read the other stories about leaks and complcations because of doctor or medical error. Just would like to see what the the people who cheated would want to say.

[Alabamasleever 58]

Thanks Susan but I don't think that was the question, at least not for me. I totally understand the purpose of the diet. However, when someone says that they cheated, people automatically start freaking out that it will 'cause' a leak. Just saying this forum is the only place I've seen that lists that as a cause. Obviously overeating or eating solids to early is not good when liquids is advised, but, again, there are some surgeons that tell their patients to eat whatever they can tolerate from the get go or to advance as tolerated with no specific time frame. Just curious as to why all the variations if eating solids too soon can cause a life threatening complication. Seems that there would be research to back this, and there may be but I haven't seen it.

[AussieLady 521]

I've been wondering the same thing. I can't find any literature that says not having just liquids will cause a leak' date=' nor did my surgeon or nut say that but it's all over this forum. Also, some surgeons say clear liquids for 2 weeks, full liquids for 4, regular foods on day 3, the list goes on with the variations so where does it say eating mushees too soon actually 'causes' leaks? Everything I find pretty much says bad staple line.[/quote']

I can't find any documentation to support this theory either. All documentation I have read attributes leaks to the healing or non-healing of the staple line. I do think some people on this site go overboard about this. From what I have read, if you eat something your stomach can't cope with you will either vomit or it will pass through quickly (dumping). Alcohol has a risk of giving you ulcers but I can't find anything to link it to leaks.

The people on this site who have experienced leaks are very vocal about what you should eat and drink but are quick to state that they got a leak through no fault of their own.

I totally agree that if you have had this surgery you should be following your doctors orders but if you have the occasional slip-up others should not be terrorizing you that you will get a leak.

[funinthesun00 154]

I read a post (not sure if it was here or OH) about a lady who had a leak and in her post she was saying how she wasn't sure if she dreamt about eating a piece of chicken if if it actually happened. Does this sound at all familiar to anyone? It was long and I read it awhile ago and even them I don't know that it was a current post. Anyway, after reading it, I came to the conclusion that she likely caused her own leak.

[leeann71 539]

I have not read that one. Maybe she or someone will reply to this post. I would really like to hear the stories from the people who did get a leak from cheating with food, sodas or anything else that one is not to do.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

How would anyone ever know the cause of a leak? There is no documentation because there is no way to pinpoint the cause. You can cheat or not. You can have a leak or not. You can't say for sure what the cause and effect is going to be. But you can do everything in your power to increase your odds of healing properly and living a healthier life in the long run.

Each doctor's plan is different because each doctor developed his plan based on how he was trained, and then surely tweaked it over the years based on his patient's experiences. Add to that each doctor's personal sense of conservatism vs. his willingness to push the envelope. Not to mention his fear of malpractice lawsuits. Then divide that by his penchant for oversimplifying things so that even the stupidest of patients can follow the plan.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

I have not read that one. Maybe she or someone will reply to this post. I would really like to hear the stories from the people who did get a leak from cheating with food' date=' sodas or anything else that one is not to do.[/quote']

Often times the "rules" about not eating certain foods or drinking sodas are not just about preventing leaks, they can also be about preventing weight regain. Doctors see the patterns over time. If a high percentage of patients who resumed drinking diet sodas failed to make their goal weight, naturally he's going to start telling his patients to not drink diet sodas ever again (I use diet sodas strictly as a hypothetical example).

[Alabamasleever 58]

Ok, so to answer the question...when someone on this forum says 'omg, you are going to cause a leak' they are assuming that you could cause a leak. Thanks

[ReduceReuseRecycle-Me! 119]

I've been eating regular right of the back

Regular, regular food since surgery day?

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Ok' date=' so to answer the question...when someone on this forum says 'omg, you are going to cause a leak' they are assuming that you could cause a leak. Thanks[/quote']

I honestly think it's a great question to ask your surgeon. I also think it's unwise to develop a post op eating plan based on the word of people on an Internet forum. I know some doctors' plans are more detailed than others. But that's good information to find out before one has surgery. My doctor gave me a list of foods I could eat, and when I could eat them. If a food wasn't listed, he didn't tell me to ask a bunch of strangers on the internet, I was just not going to eat it. Sadly, many wait till after to find out what they can and cannot eat.