Concern and fear

[Danimonster 0]

So for context. I had the surgery March 8th.
So after my surgery they told me to eat Jello, I couldn't it hurt incredibly bad. So I just didn't eat anything. In fact I eat maybe a bite of food a day, still. I get horrible pain when I eat or drink. I've told my surgeon's office and they say "Don't worry you have tons of fat to live off of, it's not a big deal." I can't eat even week one post-op food. I can't drink Water, it has to be hot tea or I am met with awful, rough pain. On top of that, everything food related smells and tastes like ROT. Straight rotten food, garbage taste and smell. No one else I know who had the surgery suffered from either one of these things. Does anyone have any advice?

Pre-Op: 398lbs
Post-Op: 336lbs

[kristieshannon 1,544]

It’s not uncommon to have heat or cold intolerances post op. Some can only tolerate ice cold things, others only warm. It’s ok to have everything warm! Warm water/tea counts as Fluid intake. Can you tolerate broth? Bone Broth is nutritious with a good amount of Protein. Some of the unflavored protein powders will mix in to a hot beverage. sugar free hot chocolate might be a good option for you. As long as you are staying hydrated at this point you’ll be ok. Just keep trying new things in TINY amounts, your tolerances should increase as time goes on. If day after day you can’t meet your hydration goals reach out to your team again. I went many weeks in the beginning only getting in about 300 calories/day. I’m now 3 years out, have met goal, and can tolerate most anything. It gets better!

[Arabesque 6,470]

Like @kristieshannon, I didn’t eat much either for a while. And food smelling or tasting awful isn’t uncommon either. But because you are experiencing pain on swallowing I wonder if you have a stricture. They do happen & can be repaired quite easily. Demand an appointment with your surgeon. They need to see you to diagnose that. If you track your food intake, take that information with you so they can see what you are actually consuming.

[catwoman7 10,856]

the food aversion isn't uncommon - that goes away over time.

I agree with Arabesque that it could be a stricture. They happen to about 5% of bypass patients (can also happen in sleeve patients, although it's much less common) and you're in the right window for it - they almost always occur 1-3 months after surgery. I'm really shocked your surgeon's office would respond the way they did. You CAN live without food for awhile (but not forever..), but when it gets to the point you can't even keep fluids down, that's a huge problem. People can't live without fluids for long. If you can't keep fluids down, I'd go to the ER.

if this is a stricture, it's an easy fix.

[Rettak64 34]

So for context. I had the surgery March 8th.
So after my surgery they told me to eat Jello, I couldn't it hurt incredibly bad. So I just didn't eat anything. In fact I eat maybe a bite of food a day, still. I get horrible pain when I eat or drink. I've told my surgeon's office and they say "Don't worry you have tons of fat to live off of, it's not a big deal." I can't eat even week one post-op food. I can't drink Water, it has to be hot tea or I am met with awful, rough pain. On top of that, everything food related smells and tastes like ROT. Straight rotten food, garbage taste and smell. No one else I know who had the surgery suffered from either one of these things. Does anyone have any advice?

Pre-Op: 398lbs
Post-Op: 336lbs

Try eating Soup or foods a room temp.

Sent from my SM-G981V using BariatricPal mobile app

[heddenturner 7]

I had similar issues after my surgery. It ended up I had a massive ulcer caused by acid. It was the pain that was in my stomach that really helped determine this. They did an endoscopy and found it. Listen to your body and if you are co to Hong to experience a pain I would seek further advice.

[daynuhlicious 61]

17 hours ago, Danimonster said:

So for context. I had the surgery March 8th.
So after my surgery they told me to eat Jello, I couldn't it hurt incredibly bad.

Maybe not every program/surgery is the same, and I don't know which surgery you had ... but I'm extremely concerned they allowed you Jello right out of surgery. My program (and most others I've seen) require at LEAST a week of pure liquid and continue with phases for increasing food textures and quantity to allow proper healing of the stomach and to prevent staple tears and whatnot. Eating a consistency of food before your body is ready can cause extreme pain you are feeling.

It could be a stricture as others have stated, but I'm just stuck on, and appalled at, the speed with which they had you eating soft solids. Just my 2 cents.

Edited June 9, 2022 by daynuhlicious

[lizonaplane 1,605]

1 hour ago, daynuhlicious said:

Maybe not every program/surgery is the same, and I don't know which surgery you had ... but I'm extremely concerned they allowed you Jello right out of surgery. My program (and most others I've seen) require at LEAST a week of pure liquid and continue with phases for increasing food textures and quantity to allow proper healing of the stomach and to prevent staple tears and whatnot. Eating a consistency of food before your body is ready can cause extreme pain you are feeling.

It could be a stricture as others have stated, but I'm just stuck on, and appalled at, the speed with which they had you eating soft solids. Just my 2 cents.

Jello is not considered a solid. It melts in the mouth

[daynuhlicious 61]

37 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

Jello is not considered a solid. It melts in the mouth

It is considered a soft solid because it does not flow like a liquid. But by definition it is neither a solid or a liquid - it is a colloid. Liquid is usually judged by it's state at room temperature. Jello is still solid at that degree.

For my program, with liquid stages, it has to be something that is liquid BEFORE it is put into your mouth. Same with pureed. It has to be that consistency BEFORE going in your mouth to count. Otherwise you put yourself at risk for problems.

Again, I have learned that all programs are different, but jello is not a liquid once refrigerated and set.

Edited June 9, 2022 by daynuhlicious

[lizonaplane 1,605]

Just now, daynuhlicious said:

It is considered a soft solid because it does not flow like a liquid. But by definition it is neither a solid or a liquid - it is a colloid. For my program, with liquid stages, it has to be something that is liquid BEFORE it is put into your mouth. Same with pureed. It has to be that consistency BEFORE going in your mouth to count. Otherwise you put yourself at risk for problems. Again, I have learned that all programs are different, but Jello is not a liquid once refrigerated and set.

It may be a colloid scientifically, but nutritionally, it is a solid liquid and MANY programs allow it right after surgery. Like ice pops. Just because your program doesn't allow it doesn't mean that OP's program is wrong. Jello is not going to hurt her sutures because it will be a liquid long before it gets into her stomach.

[catwoman7 10,856]

3 hours ago, daynuhlicious said:

Maybe not every program/surgery is the same, and I don't know which surgery you had ... but I'm extremely concerned they allowed you Jello right out of surgery. My program (and most others I've seen) require at LEAST a week of pure liquid and continue with phases for increasing food textures and quantity to allow proper healing of the stomach and to prevent staple tears and whatnot. Eating a consistency of food before your body is ready can cause extreme pain you are feeling.

It could be a stricture as others have stated, but I'm just stuck on, and appalled at, the speed with which they had you eating soft solids. Just my 2 cents.

it's not all programs - they actually served me Jello in the hospital! In addition, she's three months out....not just out of surgery. At three months out, people are eating solid food.

Edited June 9, 2022 by catwoman7

[catwoman7 10,856]

2 hours ago, lizonaplane said:

It may be a colloid scientifically, but nutritionally, it is a solid liquid and MANY programs allow it right after surgery. Like ice pops. Just because your program doesn't allow it doesn't mean that OP's program is wrong. Jello is not going to hurt her sutures because it will be a liquid long before it gets into her stomach.

I agree, I've actually never heard of a program that doesn't allow Jello in the liquid stages until now, and I've been hanging out on this forum for seven years. I suppose they exist (well evidently they do since the above commenter is in one), but honestly, I haven't heard of that before. I think a vast majority of them DO allow it.

Edited June 9, 2022 by catwoman7

[daynuhlicious 61]

4 hours ago, daynuhlicious said:

Edited June 9, 2022 by daynuhlicious
accidental post, trying to delete???

[RickM 1,747]

4 hours ago, daynuhlicious said:

It is considered a soft solid because it does not flow like a liquid. But by definition it is neither a solid or a liquid - it is a colloid. Liquid is usually judged by it's state at room temperature. Jello is still solid at that degree.

For my program, with liquid stages, it has to be something that is liquid BEFORE it is put into your mouth. Same with pureed. It has to be that consistency BEFORE going in your mouth to count. Otherwise you put yourself at risk for problems.

Again, I have learned that all programs are different, but Jello is not a liquid once refrigerated and set.

As you note, programs differ, (and sometimes wildly!) both in their progressions and also in how they define food types (what's a liquid, what's a puree, etc.) and also in how much they trust their patients and in their own communication with their patients. We had yogurt and scrambled eggs in the hospital - if we could tolerated them, that was great, but if not, liquids were fine too until we could do more.

As to the OP, it is concerning that at three months there has not been more progress. A stricture does sound like a possibility - that's not uncommon with a bypass (scar tissue forming around the stoma overly restricting things) and from what I have seen, they're usually fairly quick to do an endoscopic dilation (or two) to open thing up - twenty years ago, this was so common that it ceased being considered a "complication". With a sleeve, it is less common, and more indicative of a surgeon who hasn't quite got the technique down yet, so they may be more reticent about correcting it (if they know how) and just seeing if it will fix itself.

I would be a squeaky wheel and get after them to address the issue, as this isn't normal.