Stretching pouch directly after surgery?

[Krestel 329]

Ive been looking more closely at how much I should be eating for each "meal" directly after surgery and Im wondering if Ive been eating too much. I really dont want to stretch my pouch unknowingly. So far after the first week, Ive been able to eat about a third to half a cup. There has been no throwing up and ive only had hiccups a few times. How can I tell if Im overeating when I cant really feel my pouch yet? What do you all think?

[Mdnytangel 80]

This was something that I was worried about as well. However, I just kept sticking to the guidelines given to me...can’t go wrong with that!

[KCgirl061 1,529]

Early out if you truly overfill your sleeve you aren't doing to stretch it, you're going to cause a leak, which is ultimately much more dangerous. Stick to the portions directed by your surgeon and the pace you should be eating.

[Krestel 329]

38 minutes ago, KCgirl061 said:

Early out if you truly overfill your sleeve you aren't doing to stretch it, you're going to cause a leak, which is ultimately much more dangerous. Stick to the portions directed by your surgeon and the pace you should be eating.

I didnt think about it from this point of view. You're right. If im not having any physical problems then I should be ok.

The real problem was that we didnt get too much in the way of directions about post surgery other than that we should keep it to about .6 cups (1.5 dl) and follow the general liquid to puree to food plan. But compared to the information that you all get, It seems like a rather large amount.

[GradyCat 3,692]

It takes quite an effort to stretch your pouch. Stick with weighing and measuring everything and you can't go wrong. You may not ever "feel" it.

[Dr-Patient 830]

Are you actually "eating" the first week out; as in, actual food--solid or even semi-soft food?

Stretching is one thing. But at just one week post-surgery, the primary concern is complications to the stomach's incision line. As one said above, leaks; or even particulate (small) matter--food--getting into your incision line, etc. That would NOT be good.

**The particulate food particles can get stuck in the incision line, cause poor healing; and in turn, increase a chance of leaks due to the food particles interfering with the approximation of the cut edges. Also there's a risk of intraabdominal infection, etc. You want/need that incision line to close/heal completely, without 'contamination' by food particles.

Did your doctor permit actual food--solid food--or by "eating," do you mean your liquids? For many (myself included), I had a hard time [for weeks] getting my Water in because I felt full so quickly [Alas, that's not the same now, and I actually gained back some weight {very depressing and mad at myself}]. But check with the plan per your physician and make sure you're not ingesting too firm a food and not taking in too much.

[Greenstar 31]

hiccups generally mean you are full

[Krestel 329]

On 6/9/2019 at 7:26 PM, Dr-Patient said:

Are you actually "eating" the first week out; as in, actual food--solid or even semi-soft food?

You want/need that incision line to close/heal completely, without 'contamination' by food particles.

Did your doctor permit actual food--solid food--or by "eating," do you mean your liquids? For many (myself included), I had a hard time [for weeks] getting my Water in because I felt full so quickly [Alas, that's not the same now, and I actually gained back some weight {very depressing and mad at myself}]. But check with the plan per your physician and make sure you're not ingesting too firm a food and not taking in too much.

Im eating mostly really soft like cottage cheese, yoghurt, mushy bananas, overnight oats. Ive been choosing more from their taste (and protein) at the moment rather than choice. I think the most solid thing ive eaten recently (1.5 weeks out) is (half) a Protein Bar, well well well chewed. Water hasnt been an issue at all and Ive been able to almost get the full 64 oz a day from day 3. (Then again pre-op I also drank water constantly as well.)

Good point about the internal incisions healing...I didnt think about that. I hope that I havent screwed that up by going too quickly. Now that I think about it, I even ate some yoghurt that had seeds. Can I even feel if ive done something stupid?

When I double checked my dieticians information, they wrote surprisingly enough that "meals" should be half to three-fourths cup which is more than I am often currently eating. I was just so suprised that they wrote to eat that much. As for Protein, Im probably doing ok when choosing foods, but I have to start getting in Protein Drinks. Thats the one area Ive been bad at.

Edited June 11, 2019 by Krestel

[New&Improved 1,780]

Aren't you meant to be on liquids for the first 3 weeks

[KCgirl061 1,529]

47 minutes ago, Mikeyy said:

Aren't you meant to be on liquids for the first 3 weeks

Not necessarily, there is a lot of variation in surgeon's eating plans. Some progress very quickly, some much slower than others. I was on liquids for 6 weeks.

[jasmineinmymind 204]

Just be careful about eating till you're full. After a bypass "full" feels completely different. You will not feel the same sense of fullness that tells you to stop. You have to measure everything and then stop because you ate you 1/2 a cup, not because you feel full. If you go beyond that it's easy to get sick. At 6 months I still dont feel full, I just stop eating because I know I need to. As far as how much to eat, that varies by doctor and you'll get a lot of different opinions but early on should be around 1/4 of a cup and I think 1/2 a cup after 3-4 months. Try eating 1/4 of a cup and see if that keeps you satisfied for a few hours. You're going to eat tiny amounts but often

[NYJenn 1,461]

My instructions were a 1/4 cup at that point. Double check your nutrition plan