HELP. Have I messed up and ruined my surgery?

[sleeveduk96 3]

Hi, this is my first post, just looking for some advice!

I am currently three weeks post op and I have kind of been pushing the stages a bit faster than I should have.

I was already having thick Soups from week 2 and started having some purées and mash from a few days before week three. I still have a few more days left on purées before I start soft foods on Wednesday but I have already had crackers, boiled eggs, hard cheeses, even a few Doritos - I have just been chewing them down into a proper mush. I haven’t felt unwell from it but i know I shouldn’t be having them yet. Anyone else who was kind of pushing boundaries with the texture of foods?

My other thing is, I have been chewing and spitting bad foods. Like greasy fish and chips and fried chicken, even donuts, chewing them up and spitting them out. I am going to stop that because I know it’s bad but it’s so addictive and satisfies my old cravings. I am starting to feel like I can eat more than I should be able to.

I really struggle not to eat and drink at the same time too. I constantly have drinks with my food because it makes me feel better. Do you think I’ve stretched my pouch and ruined my surgery? I have still been losing okay, it’s just the past couple days I have been making bad choices. Have I messed up?

[allwet 868]

well Duk i guesss i'll be the first to wade into this mess.

the purpose of all those early restrictions is to allow the massive injury inside you to heal fully.

so if you manage to dodge all the possible issues with those foods and that huge line of stitches inside you then no long term problem.

BUT the issue here is really that you are not winning the mental game and after surgery its almost all about the mental game. The hunger and cravings are head hunger not actual hunger and by pushing ahead in the stages you are not learning to tell the difference.

You will lose weight at the start very easily but it gets harder each month to get the pounds off.

You are going to reach that point just as fast as you are going thru stages.

I am going to hope i am dead wrong about every word above and in a year you have amazing results.

good luck

p.s. the eat/drink thing put that at the bottom of your worry list

Edited March 18, 2018 by allwet

[lindsayAK 100]

I moved through my stages a little quicker than expected but my nutritionist gave me the go ahead. I wouldn’t be too concerned about that. The Doritos and chewing and spitting is the concerning part. Junk food three weeks after surgery is not good. I would make an appointment with your nutritionist and/or therapist as soon as possible. You do not want to get back to old habits. Just remember, this is a learning process. we all make mistakes. It’s how we recover from them that counts. You’ve got this!

[MyMojosBack 20]

Hi, this is my first post, just looking for some advice!
I am currently three weeks post op and I have kind of been pushing the stages a bit faster than I should have.
I was already having thick Soups from week 2 and started having some purées and mash from a few days before week three. I still have a few more days left on purées before I start soft foods on Wednesday but I have already had crackers, boiled eggs, hard cheeses, even a few Doritos - I have just been chewing them down into a proper mush. I haven’t felt unwell from it but i know I shouldn’t be having them yet. Anyone else who was kind of pushing boundaries with the texture of foods?
My other thing is, I have been chewing and spitting bad foods. Like greasy fish and chips and fried chicken, even donuts, chewing them up and spitting them out. I am going to stop that because I know it’s bad but it’s so addictive and satisfies my old cravings. I am starting to feel like I can eat more than I should be able to.
I really struggle not to eat and drink at the same time too. I constantly have drinks with my food because it makes me feel better. Do you think I’ve stretched my pouch and ruined my surgery? I have still been losing okay, it’s just the past couple days I have been making bad choices. Have I messed up?

Let’s start with, you haven’t ruined anything. We didn’t get fat because of one bad choice. And a bad choice isn’t going to derail your success on this surgery. HOWEVER, you’ve got to be honest with yourself too. Keeping your trigger foods in the house is a bad idea. Throw them out now. Seriously, now. Find something that you can eat on this program that sounds good and make sure you have plenty on hand. No more tasting foods and spitting them out. I say this because I can relate to you. After getting rid of the bad foods, the second thing you must do is join a support group of some kind. A good one for you might be over-eaters anonymous. Or even weight watchers. The last thing you should do is beat yourself up for being human. You have not failed and you’re not a failure. Choose to get back on track and forgive yourself. You deserve that!

[Dabearo 118]

You are fine. But, dude. Really. Use this tool to break your old habits. The crap food has got to go. Get full on Protein. Getting over the addiction to food. I’ll not be easier as time goes on. Use your tool to get off of it now. I have no room for crap food, Not to say I have not had some crap, bu5 cer6 little. Mainly because it does not taste good and I don’t feel good afterwards

Seek professional help help if you need to.

[sleeveduk96 3]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate peple not being judgy and actually trying to help.

It doesnt help that I am currently unemployed and depressed so it’s hard to get into any kind of routine. I do have weekly therapy but she isn’t great at tackling my food issues.

I feel like in the US people get a lot more support with the surgery with behaviour changing classes and support groups and stuff, here in he UK (at least with self-pay) it’s like - oh you have the money for the surgery okay cool let’s do it next week. There isn’t much focus on changing your attitude to food, you have to fix that yourself.

I also was getting nauseous from my supplements and was throwing up my lansoprozole so I stopped taking everything until I go to soft foods in a few days. I have also been picking my surgery scabs and it’s all made me feel like a massive failure.

[NYCNomad 64]

Sleeved 3/12 and and my doc sent us home straight to purée. In order to leave hospital, we had a tolerate a few bites of either cottage cheese or puréed tuna salad. Pretty sure you are fine with moving through stages fast but as others have said, the chewing and spitting out is a problem. When you feel that trigger find something to substitute it with.

[logicwand 269]

I chewed on chicken and spit it out. I ate a bunch of mashed potatoes I shouldn't have. I don't even know how it all fit in my new stomach. I miss food, I miss chewing food. This is all very, very hard. But we are both still new out of surgery. I realize now that it's going to take a lot more time to adjust to this than I thought it would. It reminds me of when I first put my puppy in her kennel. She would crrrrrrrrrrry, oh good lord she would cry. She stopped crying but then she'd chew her beds to bits. Now, her kennel is her comfort zone. She got used to it and is no longer scared or anxious. It is her new normal. Kind of a silly analogy, but I hope ppl get my point. It takes time to train your brain, it won't happen overnight or even in the 6 weeks post op. ....sooooo, I'm gonna try not to worry too too much.

Edited March 19, 2018 by logicwand

[FluffyChix 17,409]

I actually do think that drinking while eating is a VERY big thing. It expands the stomach and can cause leaking. According to Dr. Duc Vuong (I think), it's one of the culprits of actually stretching your stomach out over time? But dunno.

I don't think you've hurt it for now. But the potential is there. And the disregard for your rules is unsettling. So I would also vote to call your RD. And to also find a support group!

Hang in there...

(I was also advanced in my foods per my surgeon. I skipped pureed and went strait to softs at around 1 1/2 weeks.)

[Apple203 1,314]

On 3/18/2018 at 6:55 AM, sleeveduk96 said:

I feel like in the US people get a lot more support with the surgery with behaviour changing classes and support groups and stuff, here in he UK (at least with self-pay) it’s like - oh you have the money for the surgery okay cool let’s do it next week. There isn’t much focus on changing your attitude to food, you have to fix that yourself.

You can use this group as a support group, right? Isnt that what we're all doing?

[Apple203 1,314]

13 hours ago, logicwand said:

I chewed on chicken and spit it out. I ate a bunch of mashed potatoes I shouldn't have. I don't even know how it all fit in my new stomach. I miss food, I miss chewing food. This is all very, very hard. But we are both still new out of surgery. I realize now that it's going to take a lot more time to adjust to this than I thought it would. It reminds me of when I first put my puppy in her kennel. She would crrrrrrrrrrry, oh good lord she would cry. She stopped crying but then she'd chew her beds to bits. Now, her kennel is her comfort zone. She got used to it and is no longer scared or anxious. It is her new normal. Kind of a silly analogy, but I hope ppl get my point. It takes time to train your brain, it won't happen overnight or even in the 6 weeks post op. ....sooooo, I'm gonna try not to worry too too much.

Ha -- I like the analogy!

[FluffyChix 17,409]

4 minutes ago, Apple203 said:

You can use this group as a support group, right? Isnt that what we're all doing?

Yes, sure. But sometimes an in-person support group that's mediated by a licensed professional is very beneficial. I'm about to start going to mine from the hospital it's a monthly free group run by my RD.

[Apple203 1,314]

4 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Yes, sure. But sometimes an in-person support group that's mediated by a licensed professional is very beneficial. I'm about to start going to mine from the hospital it's a monthly free group run by my RD.

I have the same, but I haven't gone yet. My first meeting is tomorrow night. :-)

If I came off glib, I apologize -- it may be my crankiness at play today. I am a huge fan of professional therapy.

[FluffyChix 17,409]

5 minutes ago, Apple203 said:

I have the same, but I haven't gone yet. My first meeting is tomorrow night. :-)

If I came off glib, I apologize -- it may be my crankiness at play today. I am a huge fan of professional therapy.

I was wondering if you'd lost that loving feeling for me!

Seriously, I have had days of severe crankiness for no understandable reason at all--everything going well--but I end up becoming Snarla the Dough-faced Girl within minutes of waking lol. So no worries!

I found one up where I live that meets quarterly and am gonna go. I may also go to mine down in the Med Ctr but dayum, that's about a little over an hour away on a Saturday. LOL.

[Apple203 1,314]

11 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

I was wondering if you'd lost that loving feeling for me!

Never!!!