I am clueless as to how much to eat. I full full before I even start because of this gas crap!! Is that normal. I had surgery on Thursday. I had some potatos with gravy for dinner with my family, and now I am burping a lot, except it doesnt come all the way up, and it hurts really bad. Please someone tell me if this is normal. there is no way I could thin out the potatos anymore. I mashed them in my mouth until they were like milk. You guys are the only the only people I know to ask that have an answer, and I appreciate it so much. You guys are soo much help!! I soo dont want to mess this up. When did you guys start trying mushies, such as a soft egg, or soggy cereal?? Thanks in advance for your help!!:welldoneclap::laugh::Banane53::laugh::Banane44::laugh::laugh::woot:

i'm sorry...but mashed potatoes and gravy 3 days post opp?? that is hilarious!!!

that is the funniest thing i've heard on this forum yet.

i hope you feel better.

My question is should I still be feeling like I cant hold anything when I havent had anything. I know that Im not drinking as much water and stuff as I should. I just dont know if I am full, or if my stomach is just swollen. When does it start to get better. This rolling gas stuff is killing me, I actually had one of those "why did I do this to my body and my family" nights last night. My 18 month old woould not even kiss me goodbye this morning because I havent been able to play with him and take care of him since Thursday, my husband is doing great. Its just so hard to get used to this. Is ot always going to hurt like this. I can deal with the surgery pain, its just this gas..........uugghhhhh!!!!!!! Im sorry that I am whining, This is a great place to do it because you guys dont have to continue reading unless you want to. Thats whats so great about most of you, you will read it and respond! You guys are great!!

To answer your question, I got my band on Friday and feel the same way. I have not had any trouble with gas, however, I do feel like I can't hold anything down (even when I have not eaten anything!) I think that is just from the bloated feeling. Also, every drs post op diet is different. My diet is similar to yours and I feel great. No gas pains and when I eat I don't get sick. Introduce new foods slowly. But follow your drs orders and no one elses. If you have a problem, call and discuss with your dr. and he will rearrange your diet as he sees fit.

as far as the gas pains....

willsmom - i used milk of magnesia and GAS X Strips. the gas x strips worked like a CHARM!!!! i ate like 4 of them in the first hour. the gas flowed out of me.

good luck.

I had surgery on Tuesday and tried some watered down cream of chicken cup of soup and that was more than I could handle. I'm still queasy two hours later. I would call your doctor and see what he suggests you eat so soon out of surgery. Good luck.

It appears that I have the strictest surgeon of the bunch. I was on clear liquids for 4 days post-op (surgery 5/6/08) and am now restricted to jull liquids for 5 weeks. His follow up nurse (Jill and I call her iron pants) is very strict and has already called me at home to make sure I am "behaving."

The surgery went so well and I have had so few post-op discomforts that I am going to go along with their recommendations. BTW, the doctor is Dr. Cribbins of Plano TX.

Sip 1 ounce of full liquids every 15 mins while awake, for a grand total of 64 oz. per day. 12-24 ounces of the total should be liquid protien. You need to have between 40-60 grams of protien per day.

If your drinking a little at a time you shouldn't be too full.

When in doubt call you doctor!

Jack, I totally agree with you regarding willsmommy. I didn't want to eat and only did clear liquids for 1 week and full liquids for 3 weeks. I just started the mushies. I am taking it slow and it is paying off. Lost 25 pounds. 10 pounds pre-op and 15 pounds post-op. Banded Apr 14

i'm sorry...but mashed potatoes and gravy 3 days post opp?? that is hilarious!!!

that is the funniest thing i've heard on this forum yet.

i hope you feel better.

May I say that I thought this sounded kind of mean? I am only one week out and if I came here and got that response I would be upset. Every surgeon is different. Like I said..mine had me eating custard when I got to my room from post op. a simple...ahhhhh that sounds a bit heavy ..would have sufficed I think.

JMO

Cindi

May I say that I thought this sounded kind of mean? I am only one week out and if I came here and got that response I would be upset. Every surgeon is different. Like I said..mine had me eating custard when I got to my room from post op. a simple...ahhhhh that sounds a bit heavy ..would have sufficed I think.

JMO

Cindi

Thanks!! I have to agree that was a little harsh. Its not like I have done this before and I know what to do. I trusted these people and the many other people on this site enought to do what they said. I just didnt understand why I was hurting if I was doing what they said. Please dont take that the wrong way, I am really trying hard to get this right.

I couldn't get anything down the first week except for clear liquids and ice pops. Just couldn't do it. Never felt hungry either. To top it off, even gained some weight. I then spent another 2 weeks on liquid diet and then mushies. The first 6 weeks are generally the healing time since the band is anchored to your stomach and has to settle in. You don't want your stomach churning while the band is settling in.

I felt the gas all the time the first two weeks too, and used a heating pad and the gas x strips.

I would try to get someone in the doctors office to see what you should do. Its no doubt that everyone here has advice, as we all reacted differently to surgery. The only correct advice you should use in this case is from the doctors office.

Willsmommy, I think it is unfortunate that your doctor is giving you so little guidance in this. One thing I can offer you is the advice from my doctor, which is that everyone heals at different rates and the most important thing you can do is to LISTEN to your body. Your body is telling you that it is not ready for those foods yet, and it would seem that this is right on par with the advice given to most bandsters. The vast majority of people are advised to stay on clears for anything from several days to a week, then move to full liquids for another week or two, and not to attempt anything as solid as mashed potatoes until they get to the mushy stage, which can be anything from 2 to 4-5 weeks post-op.

I think you would get value from spending some time in the food and Nutrition section, looking at the recipes for the various stages and being careful not to try to move ahead too quickly. When you feel ready, introduce items from the next stage slowly and in small quantities (1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time), until you are sure your body is ready to handle them.

Soon enough, you will be healed and you will feel your appetite come back. For some of us, it comes back with a vengeance and we are hungry well before we are "allowed" to move on to the next stage, so look upon your current lack of appetite as an advantage. It may also be a signal that you will be sensitive to fills and won't need as much to get to your sweet spot. Based on your current reactions, I would recommend being cautious with those, rather than aggressive, and don't forget to go back onto liquids for 48-72 hours after each one, then slowly reintroduce foods again to determine what you can tolerate at your new fill level.

I'm 5 days post op. I had a very specific print out of what to drink/eat and when, and sample menus. I am doing fine, but did find on day 4 that I just could not get everything in. So I decided the next day I'd listen to my body and cut back, making sure to get in the Water and Protein. Today I felt much better and able to follow the menu without feeling overful. I'm sure everyone reacts differently, but besides needing support from your bariatric team, you need to listen to what your body is telling you. It will be trial and error with all foods for a long time to see what "sets well" and what doesn't. One nurse told me it will be like being a baby again-learning to eat all over. My Dr. also said when there are any problems or changes, like a fill, back off to clear liquids again for a few days.

I was also told to expect possible "depression" after the surgery, simply from all the chemicals. It can take up to six weeks to work it all out of your body. This surgery went well for me, but a previous gall bladder surgery did not, and it was every day of that six weeks of being depressed and in misery to finally have a day that I didn't feel at some point that I was unable to go on. At that time I also had a small child, and that does put more strain on you.

If you feel a great deal of depression or anxiety, don't be afraid to talk to either your surgeon or family Dr. Just like pain, gas, and swelling, all have medicines to help, so does your mind. Good luck, take care of yourself, and check back in and let us know how you are doing

Not as funny as "Tamale pie and Pepsi" under the heading "can anybody eat sushi?" LOL

Of course, None of it's funny, this is how we learn and get help when and if our doctor's don't tell us what we need to know....

Edited May 13, 200818 yr by ibjennifere

May I say that I thought this sounded kind of mean? I am only one week out and if I came here and got that response I would be upset. Every surgeon is different. Like I said..mine had me eating custard when I got to my room from post op. a simple...ahhhhh that sounds a bit heavy ..would have sufficed I think.

JMO

Cindi

wow cind didn't mean to get you all sad. you must have mis inter'd my post.

didn't mean to be mean. i just thought it was funny that someone is eating potatoes and gravy 3 days post opp. if you don't think it's funny, that's cool - i'm not mad at cha.

i think we've all been taught what to eat, and what not to eat and when to eat it. so - potatoes and gravy that early on OF COURSE you're gonna have discomfort. i do admire the bravery of trying such a meal.

i hope that clears it up. thanks for checking in cindi.

bye.

Ok gang - I understand what ras-sti is saying - why in the heck are you eating the gravy 1st of all. Eating those kinds of food is what got all of us fat in the 1st place.

I was on full liquids for 10 days - then to mushies - I came home from work - tired (big food trigger for me) and hungry. Was trying to think what I could eat - oh mashed potatoes and gravy - so I was frying the bacon to make white cream gravy and as I looked at it cooking - I said to myself - you just went thur major frickin surgery to get this band - you are going to continue to eat this junk - ya it's a mushie but was it healthy NO NO NO. So I dumped it out and fixed something else (don't remember what most likely just the potatoes make with skim milk and 1/2 tsp butter)

There is a food thread here - you really need to keep a food diary and count calories as a learning too - you don't have to do this for the rest of your life but until you learn a serving size - what's healthy whats not and how may calories are in that cup of mashed potatoes & gravy.

The band is not going to make you lose the weight - you will do that by your food choices.

Good Luck