After surgery

[triceyy20 2]

I had my surgery august 12 I was able to get All the gas Out tmi however now I can’t seem to get full at all no matter what I drink what are options you guys can offer I wanna try smoothies but I’m not sure please help I’m starving and I don’t think I will make two weeks to get back to the doctor to get to the next stage They put me back on the Clear Liquids

[Arabesque 7,566]

liquids go through your digestive system very quickly so you don’t really feel full on this stage. Also you’re nerve endings have been damaged during surgery so until they are healed your sense of feeling full is reduced. Consequently, it is even more important to keep to your plan & stick to the calories &/or portion size recommendations (& meet or try to meet your Protein & fluid goals of course). You don’t want to put stress on your poor healing tummy & all those internal stitches & staples.

Also it takes time for the full message to get through so when you feel full you’ll likely have had too much it’s one of the reasons we are encouraged to eat slowly.

What you’re feeling is likely head hunger. Most of the area that signals hunger in our body was removed during the surgery. So if you are able to feel real hunger it would be very minimal. Many of us discover that real hunger feels different from the head hunger that used to drive us to eat. Personally I get restless. Working out why you want to eat (emotions, cravings, habit or actual hunger) is part of the challenge. Do you need to eat or do you just want to eat? There’s a big difference.

Good luck & congrats on your surgery.

[NovaLuna 710]

Like stated above, liquid stage goes right through you and your stomach was just operated on. Some won't be able to feel full on liquid stage though on puree you may or may not be able to. Please don't move stages too fast, you can damage your still recovering stomach! I know it's miserable in liquid stage, but it passes relatively fast. It just feels like it crawls by at the time. Also, head hunger is a thing and can really mess with you. And smoothies may not be a good option. I was told to avoid berries for three months because they're hard to digest (strawberries, raspberries, bananas, blueberries, etc.) and berries tend to be the go to when it comes to smoothies. I mean, there is the option of peaches or apples or cherries or plums or mango, but usually people want to toss in a banana and that's hard on your stomach (according to my surgeon, anyway. I tried strawberries at a month and half out and got sooooo sick, so I believe it, personally).

Congrats on your surgery and I hope the liquid stage passes quickly for you. (Also, kind of wondering why they require two weeks? My surgeon was 1 week liquid, 1 week puree, 2 weeks soft food, and the general diet with some limitations [no berries, nuts, lettuce, peas, Beans, corn, potatoes, etc. for a certain amount of time]. I mean, all surgeons are different, but I'm kind of curious...)

[triceyy20 2]

On 08/15/2021 at 22:56, NovaLuna said:

Like stated above, liquid stage goes right through you and your stomach was just operated on. Some won't be able to feel full on liquid stage though on puree you may or may not be able to. Please don't move stages too fast, you can damage your still recovering stomach! I know it's miserable in liquid stage, but it passes relatively fast. It just feels like it crawls by at the time. Also, head hunger is a thing and can really mess with you. And smoothies may not be a good option. I was told to avoid berries for three months because they're hard to digest (strawberries, raspberries, bananas, blueberries, etc.) and berries tend to be the go to when it comes to smoothies. I mean, there is the option of peaches or apples or cherries or plums or mango, but usually people want to toss in a banana and that's hard on your stomach (according to my surgeon, anyway. I tried strawberries at a month and half out and got sooooo sick, so I believe it, personally).

Congrats on your surgery and I hope the liquid stage passes quickly for you. (Also, kind of wondering why they require two weeks? My surgeon was 1 week liquid, 1 week puree, 2 weeks soft food, and the general diet with some limitations [no berries, nuts, lettuce, peas, Beans, corn, potatoes, etc. for a certain amount of time]. I mean, all surgeons are different, but I'm kind of curious...)

I’m not even sure why my surgeon requires 2 weeks but I’m definitely calling in the morning to figure it out

[Arabesque 7,566]

23 minutes ago, triceyy20 said:

I’m not even sure why my surgeon requires 2 weeks but I’m definitely calling in the morning to figure it out

All plans are different. Mine was two weeks each liquid, purée & soft. But we all heal at our own rate. Some can move more quickly through the stages with their surgeon’s ok but some need longer because their tummy just isn’t ready yet. The purpose of the staged return to eating is to aid healing & not to stress & strain your tummy. You have a lot of stitches & staples inside holding your tummy together. All because you can’t see them they’re there. If you had a long wound with multiple stitches on your leg or arm would you be out running marathons or lifting weights before it was fully healed & risk infection or tearing the stitches?

Your surgeon may want two weeks at the liquid stage because they want to be more confident your tummy is ready to move to more denser food & further reduce any chance for an issue. Whatever your surgeon’s plan follow it - they’re pretty experienced & knowledgeable about this. And if something does go awry (unlikely but …) they have a starting point to be able to treat your issue. It’s only two weeks!