Hi! I had VGS on 8/23/23. 4 weeks from surgery TODAY! I feel great. The past few days have been weird, though. I can't eat or drink as much as I have been able to the past 2 weeks. I used to be able to somewhat easily get down a protein shake in 30 minutes. Now it takes me a few hours. Does that sound right? I don't feel sick or anything. It just feels like I am going backwards. Should I be concerned about this? Anyone had similar experiences?

Thanks for your help!!

Melanie

First, congrats on your surgery & you feeling great. Yay! Secondly you’re still healing & your tummy is still sensitive (it will be for a while). Are you eating purées or soft foods now? If so either are more dense & filling & can sit in your tummy more heavily than just liquids. They take longer to digest & may be contributing to taking you longer to eat or drink.

I used to take hours to drink my shakes too & even now at 4 yrs out I take 30-45 mins or even longer to eat a meal. In the beginning I want hungry or interested I eating but knew I had to to get my nutrients in. I didn’t care how long it took as long as I ate. I mean we are told to eat/drink slowly. I still have times when I’m not hungry & can’t eat what is usually my portion size of a meal eat less. Yesterday, for example, I couldn’t eat all my porridge. Popped the leftovers in the fridge, then mixed it with yoghurt & had it for lunch. I wouldn’t worry too much unless you find you’re not meeting your goals for more than a couple of days. Then give your team a call.

Thank you for the response! I think you are right- the purees and soft foods are just sitting harder and taking longer to digest. And I am still trying to figure out how much is the right amount for me to feel satisfied! I worry about not getting in my protein but I am drinking protein water to help combat days where eating my protein is harder.

Thank you for the encouragement and congratulations on how well this surgery has worked for you!

Cheers!

Great to hear you're feeling well.

I too had surgery and am now 2 weeks PO. I've managed ok I reckon on the liquid stage and ready to move to puree tomorrow. I am however feeling quite a bit of pain in my right side. Like stabbing pain sometimes when I stand up or move. I unfortunately took a really bad cold after surgery and was sneezing and coughing so I was tender anyway but just wondered if this pain is normal and will it ease ?