Hey ya'll --

I've moved right along from liquids only to mushy and have been trying a few other foods here and there. Since its only been 10 days, I have no restriction. I've had a few things not go down well and obviously stop eating whatever it is.

Tonight I was at a friends and had some tortilla chips and cheese dip plus a few chocolates. Chewed very well. Obviously, not good food choices for long-term success and don't plan to make a habit out of it.

Don't feel great (duh) now...in addition to guilt, have some tightness in/above the stomach area.

Now I'm worried I've messed up the healing process for my stomach.

What do you think? Am I pushing it?

I was thinking I'd go back to liquids and Protein shakes tomorrow to give it a rest. Plus, I plan a good pep talk...after going through all this, sabatoge is the last thing I want to happen.

Elizabeth in ATL

8/28/03

Hi Elizabeth,

10 days probably is on the early side for trying "solid" food, but you probably haven't done yourself any damage. If you had, you'd be feeling more than tightness, I think.

I've been discovering that even on mushy foods it's really easy to eat too much. My eyes and brain still think my stomach has enough room for, say, a medium ice cream when in actual fact a small is all I can handle. Yesterday I made that mistake and paid for it with a mild case of heartburn. Yuck.

I'm 18 days out and am getting really sick of mushy food. I had a bite of my daughter's PB&J sandwich yesterday and it was like manna from heaven.

I would think you haven't done any damage either. But I would definetely not make it a habit. Your right they are poor food choices but we are all human and it happens to the best of us. I have done it as I am sure most here have. I do believe though that it is VERY important to following the liquids and mushy stage all the way through. You don't want to risk band slippage. Give yourself that pep talk and don't look back and make yourself feel guilty that will only make the matter worse. Good Luck!

Thanks! Sometimes, we just need affirmation of what we know!

Elizabeth