It's officially done!

Day 1 was a little rough till I got rid of the gas then the only painful area were the 2 largest incisions and they aren't all that bad.

That being said, I was served Breakfast, lunch and dinner. All containing broth, Jello, tea,and crystal light. I had no idea how much to eat- I couldn't tell between the incisions, the pain from th gas or hunger/thirst. So I had only 3 spoons of broth, 2 of jello and a few sips of crystals light. It took me 2 minutes to do that because I was so cautious.

So I'm wondering- how did you guys handle your first few meals and how much did you have?

I was told to shoot for 1 ounce per hour for the first day and to increase it slowly to a goal of 4 ounces per hour after I got home and then gradually increase to the 64 ounces per day. Doing it slowly is wise. Good luck and hope your recovery continues to go smoothly!

I guess you could call me "lucky"? Frankensleeve was so intolerant of food for the 1st month that I virtually ate nothing. The 1st 2 weeks, I ate maybe a tablespoon of food per day, drank lots of Crystal Light, and ate sugar free popsicles. Starting week 3, I ate less than 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup per day. And by the end of the month, I was eating 1/2 cup of food per meal (4 or 5 meals/day) - and continued to eat that amount per meal till the 6 month mark. Then things eased up and I was able to eat more kinds of food, but not much more volume.

Liquids go in and go out, they don't sit in stomach at all. Refer to the barium swallow test, does anyone remember that crap just hanging out in the stomach? Liquids you should have no problem, drink away but don't chug, or you are gonna puke

I sipped when I could, but the first few days, I would sip and dry heave, sip and dry heave. It was hell. They kept me hooked up to fluids, and by day 3, I could sip a bit without the nausea. I spent 4 days in the hospital (I had A Fib, so they stuck me in the cardiac ward.) I didn't eat anything, aside from sucking on a sugar-free popsicle or 2. When I got home, a couple of teaspoons of cottage cheese or yogurt was the best I could do. Protein shakes were my main source of nourishment. I always think of it as a baby beginning to eat baby food. Their main source of nourishment is liquid--mother's milk or formula. As they get better eating, food begins to be the main source of nourishment. As long as you are getting in liquids and plenty of Protein Shakes these first few days, you are doing great.

My surgeon advised slow small sips so as not to put pressure on the staple line... I had no issues except one late night large gulp of water which was painful for about 3 seconds and then was fine. But now a few weeks out, I can take large sips again.