I'm 3 months post-op and I have an issue eating lettuce. Has anyone else had this problem?

I am about 8 months out and don't even try to eat lettuce. I MAY have had one or two lettuce leaves here and there but I don't really attempt it. I have had a few spinach leaves but it was probably closer to six months than three.

I know that a lot of folks have trouble digesting lettuce.

@neva77 I have eaten a few pieces here and there ... but I waited until I was 5+ months out ... tummy took it "ok" ...

but I eat the other things in the salad and then have a few pieces of the lettuce here and there .... no nutritional value .... so why waste the limited space!

@neva77 I have eaten a few pieces here and there ... but I waited until I was 5+ months out ... tummy took it "ok" ...

but I eat the other things in the salad and then have a few pieces of the lettuce here and there .... no nutritional value .... so why waste the limited space!

I have had it twice and both times my chest hurt so bad I thought I was having a heart attack. So, I have swore off lettuce (for now). As you said, no nutritional value, so I'm OK not having it. Someone mentioned my gallbladder, but I'm not sure

I am about 8 months out and don't even try to eat lettuce. I MAY have had one or two lettuce leaves here and there but I don't really attempt it. I have had a few spinach leaves but it was probably closer to six months than three.

I know that a lot of folks have trouble digesting lettuce.

I feel better know it is hot just me, I may try again a few months out, just not in the near future. Lol ???? it was an awful pain

As time passes you can eat plenty of lettuce and vegetables. And everything else.

As time passes you can eat plenty of lettuce and vegetables. And everything else.

Veggies are my fav, green beans and I have become buddies, lol

I can do the shredded lettuce, like on a taco. I even use it if I am going to have a small salad. I can't tolerate the big lettuce leafs anymore. 4 years out now.

Oddly, lettuce was one of the first veggies (other than canned green beans) that I could eat from the minute I was allowed that texture - but it IS awfully fibrous so I can see where you might have issues! I'd wait another few weeks and try again

I have yet to try lettuces at all. Its on my 'no-no' list from the surgeon and NUT. I was told that maybe a year out, it may be ok, but not to try until then.

I HAVE had some spinach but not raw like in a salad. Its been an ingredient in a Soup I've had from the mushy-foods stage (Italian Wedding Soup). No issues I am guessing cuz its pretty much boiled to death!

I do miss my salads. Even threw out the salad dressings I had in the fridge with a recent kitchen cleaning. No sense storing what will likely be outdated by the time I'm eating a salad again.

Lettuce does offer some nutrients.

This food is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Folate, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.

Lettuce does offer some nutrients.

This food is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Folate, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.

Agreed. Especially if it's not iceberg. I have to be honest, I get a little tired around here of hearing people dismiss lettuce (and other leafy vegetables) as a useless waste of space and acting like it's some kind of junk food. I eat salads pretty regularly (I'm 7 months out), though now I load them with Protein, and I usually go for ones made with mixed greens and spinach. I guess I could eat nothing at all but protein like some people claim to do, but I would prefer to be able to have regular bowel movements. I'm just silly like that, I guess.

I don't do great with lettuce, especially the thicker, darker kind (which I guess isn't lettuce but spinach or kale etc). The sliced up iceberg like in a taco seems to go ok, and a piece of lettuce here and there or a salad with light colored lettuce cut in small pieces is ok, but loads of lettuce my stomach doesn't tolerate well. I'm 29 months post-op and my stomach just likes to barf vegetables that aren't soft.

Lettuce does offer some nutrients.

This food is low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Folate, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.

Agreed. Especially if it's not iceberg. I have to be honest, I get a little tired around here of hearing people dismiss lettuce (and other leafy vegetables) as a useless waste of space and acting like it's some kind of junk food. I eat salads pretty regularly (I'm 7 months out), though now I load them with Protein, and I usually go for ones made with mixed greens and spinach. I guess I could eat nothing at all but protein like some people claim to do, but I would prefer to be able to have regular bowel movements. I'm just silly like that, I guess.

I don't eat lettuce and I have a BM every day....

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I have trouble with any raw vegetables post-op. I am 16 months out and they still cause me to have super uncomfortable gas and burping. Cooked veggies I can handle just fine.

I don't eat lettuce and I have a BM every day....

I'm not saying you have to eat lettuce in order to, but I've seen a lot of posts on this site that basically say that if you eat anything other than Protein protein, protein, you're essentially an idiot who is going to fail. My apologies for being hyperbolic, and I'm not directing it at you or any one person really, but it's just starting to get to me.

I spent an inordinate amount of time for the first couple months post-op sitting on the toilet while crying because I simply did not have enough fiber in my diet to pass things without tearing and bleeding. Yes, I took stool softeners, and yes, I tried fiber supplements (the ones allowed by my surgeon, at least), and I drank senna tea, and all of that, but the only thing that helped was adding in oatmeal, prunes, and more veggies. Honestly, if things hadn't started to get better, I would have major regrets about having surgery. I know that to a lot of people, anal fissure are just a punchline, but in reality, they are enough to make one verge on suicidal. And I'm not being hyperbolic with that.

And I feel so much better now. But I hate that I feel like I'm a failure, even though I'm below goal, and that I'm essentially just a ticking time bomb who'll start packing the weight back on at any moment.

@@lauraellen80 Ultimately everyone is going to have to figure out what works for them long term. Guidelines from surgeons and nutritionists are all well and good, but only YOU have to live the rest of your life. I do think establishing a good foundation early on by sticking to the guidelines is critical for success, but over time we all have to find our own way. Sounds like what you are doing is working for YOU and that's all the matters!