UPSET BELLY FEELING

I also only use lactose free milk had no trouble before op.  I did try gluten free bread for a while but i have come to the conclusion that it is lactose not gluten.  I do however eat many gluten free products cereals snacks etc just to try to help the digestion.  I found in the first months I fluctuated between constipation and diarrhea and also that heavy almost sickly feeling many times taking myself to bed to recover.  It at times lasted hours in truth for me it was the difference between a teaspoon I still do not use full size utensils I use teaspoon small forks and normal knives.  My plates and bowls are still kiddy size but i did purchase adult designs so I feel NORMAL.   Just because the so called textbook says by 12 weeks you should be able to eat this or that it doesn't work that way for everyone.

When this terrible overfull feelings happened as I tried to eat a bigger variety I put myself back on soft and made sure I used plenty of gravy.  I'm afraid it is a waiting game with the new tiny tummy some people are able to eat a huge variety quickly within 3 to 4mths others take several months to expand their repertiore.  I have noticed that you have asked about other things like softdrink that for most is off limits for anything up to 12mths I think maybe you need to see your dietitian for more advise on what is and isn't tolerated as I think maybe you are pushing yourself a bit.  Its very hard to get the head around the sudden drop in food and head hunger is a killer at your stage it was sometimes overwhelming for me so a trip to the psychologist wouldn't go astray either.  Lets face it we all overate not one of us can say i don't know how I got fat I barely ate a thing and just because you have had the stomach removed doesn't always take the urge to eat away not in the head anyway.  What the stomach does is makes you pay big time if you do go more then you should.  Yes that is a painful thing to discover just how little you can eat in the first 6mths.  I have however expressed that is does get better I can eat just about everything I will openly admit that even 11mths out I get caught out eating to much and pay with discomfort and as I discovered on Thursday evening after a laproscopy I have another hernia which certainly adds to discomfort when overeating.

Changed mind no-one can really give a definitive answer as to when it will get better for you as we are all different for me food wise I will say 6mths but for others its way longer or shorter.  One thing i will say as far as eating and drinking goes make sure in this early stage you space the 2 way apart that was the cause of most of my really bad experiences when i forgot and drank to early after eating.  With heavier foods it may be more like a good hour rather then the half hour before and after.  I can now drink almost right up to the time when I eat but certainly not after the longest I had to go was 2hrs post eating.  Please keep in mind I am 11 months post op it is a huge difference between 3 and 11mths.

Good luck and just try to be patient with the tummy she is a hard task master but if you pay mind to her you will achieve the greatest of rewards a so called normal size.

Hi Lexi,
Thank you so much for your kind words. After yesterday i am staying away from toast for a while or maybe just eat half a slice, i think i have been eating cruskits from about 10 weeks or even before.

I have been taking benefibre, jusr 1 satchet a day but today i have tried 2 so will see if it makes a difference. I have cut out a lot of dairy especially yoghurt although i was told yesterday to also cut out eggs just for the time being.

I find it so hard somedays to stay positive cause i sort out one issue to only gain another, today is the perfect instance. Today for breakfast i had my usual weetbix, then at lunch had cheese and biscuits, 20 mins later had the worse heartburn ever, the pain was so excruciating that i was in tears. Yet the cheese and biscuits i had i have had them so many times before no problems. That 2 hours later i can still feel the pain. I am now scared to eat dinner tonight.

I agree that stress does change how your body reacts but i never thought i would have so many issues that to be and feel normal will just never happen again.

Xxxx

Hi Changed,

I'm 10 weeks out and am so impressed by what you can get down!! I can't even manage cruskits yet, so bread is probably still a few months away.

I was thinking with the diarrhea, maybe adding a fibre supplement like benefibre? I know it sounds like it should be the opposite, but it definitely helped for me. Also, like Sway was saying, you can develop food intolerance that can cause that. I'm allergic to gluten and lactose. But, with the sleeve even the lactose free products which used to go down fine now my make tum gurgle and carry on.

I know that a lot of people on here seem to go from strength to strength and by 6 weeks out seem to be eating whatever they want, but remember that you have had a bit more to deal with! I had to adjust my expectations as well. I kept comparing myself to everyone else and thinking 'wtf why am I so different!' and once I let go of that, I was a lot more peaceful.

Some days I can eat what feels like quite a bit, typical day =
Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg
Lunch: 1/4 cup chicken risotto
Dinner: 1/4-1/2 cup Chicken and steamed veg
Usually I can get about 700ml of water down throughout the day and have a glass of water before bed.
I find I can always eat more in the evenings then when I wake up.
But, then yesterday it took me all day to eat the scrambled egg. My husband took me to the drive in movies to cheer me up, and I ate two tiny sticky chicken pieces. Even water wasn't happening yesterday!

So, I've learned to just relax and take it as it comes. Keep trying the foods I like, but I don't get hung up if it doesn't work. I only have teary moments when the food gets stuck (bugger that hurts!!!!) and I throw up. I hate throwing up!!!! I've also learned that stress effects my digestion a lot more than what it used to, so I try to be gentle with myself.

We'll get back to a version of normal eventually. It's just going to take time. Stay strong and positive
Lexi xo

Changed Mind wrote:

That upset belly feeling was with me all night,!!!  Perhaps it was the  strass or the fact yesterday i just ate bulky foods.  I just want to feel normal again and eat the foods i did enjoy just in smaller portions. Surely people are eating toast/bread by 3 months???  I am still having diarrhea daily that yesterday i tried to up my fibre and well maybe it was to much or to heavy at this stage.  PLS PLS tell me when it feels better

Unfortunately, your 'normal' life is no longer again when it comes to eating and it's hard adjusting, but the more you work with it, the easier life will be.  Cut the bulk out - you need nutrition. 

Spoil yourself with more expensive but nutritious foods.  Enjoy a nice prawn & avocado salad, even a crayfish - you certainly won't be eating it in one go and it will take you forever to consume a few pieces and you will have heaps left over to enjoy the next day or to make a soup!  Oysters are no longer a starter- they are a meal!

Are you slowing down with your eating?  I measure out what I am going to eat then usually put a few tablespoons back as my eyes are bigger then my stomach.  Take my time eating my meal, play with the food a bit, read or watch tv pausing for a bit.  Near the end of the meal I slow down even more to see if I really need to finish it off because that one extra bite can make a huge difference on enjoying your meal or feeling uncomfortable.  The old habit of finishing off your meal rule no longer applies anymore - you are the adult here and it's ok waste food.

I've also found, the more processed, the more preservatives the more yuck I feel after eating it.  I've never been a huge cook before but now I'm cooking all the time and feel better for it.

Say goodbye to 'normal' (whatever that is LOL) - say hello to new you! :-)

JellyB wrote:

Garfield, why do you say you cannot eat any fruit since having your gallbladder out ?
I've never heard of that before.
When I had mine out, I was told I could eat anything I wanted.

Lucky you!  Everyone is different on how they react when they get it out and sometimes anything acidic is off the menu for a while.  For me it's all fruit, fruit juices, alcohol etc.  Just one mouthful and then as it hits the stomach I feel awful, either just general nausea which can last all day to full on vomiting.  Several other people I know who have had the gallbladder removal have reported this too so it's totally individual and it varies from you recover.  After a few incidents with bananas, fresh OJ, pineapple I've just given up and will wait.  I do miss the fresh juices the most.

To be honest it's made huge progress in my weight loss when I was going through a stall, and I've got PCOS so I'm not meant to be having those things if I was following the PCOS diet, so my body is liking the diet adjustment and it's showing on the scales.  I just make sure I eat more veges to compensate :-)

Hi, I'm just over 4 months out. I can eat toast but it's a very small slice (country split, 56 calories/slice wholemeal) with just a slice of cheese and maybe some tomato. It completely fills me up. To be honest I should probably stop at just under the whole slice to feel comfortable but old habits die hard and I think that it's only one more bite, I may as well finish it.

At three months out I would not have been able to eat this without a lot of discomfort/vomiting.

I suggest you stick to Cruskits with a low fat cheese and a slice of ham. Stras is very fatty and without all the stomach juices to emulsify the fat it's going to go straight through you and cause bloating and diarrhoea.

When can you eat normally without discomfort? Everyone is different but I think you are expecting a little bit too much at this stage. Your sleeve surgery is still very recent and it takes time to learn what's okay to eat and how much. I don't think we have answers to some of your questions because it's such an individual thing. Why are you wanting to eat more? Is it hunger? Head hunger? Habit? Are you worried because it seems you're not eating enough? If you are eating toast Stras and cheese that's a reasonable amount of food and you are already eating small amounts of normal food. You said you had some steak the other day. That's a normal food. Besides your reflux, bloating and diarrhoea it seems as if you are completely on track. I just had a thought about the diarrhea too......could you have developed a lactose intolerance? Some people developed it for the first time after the sleeve.

Lizzy is right I can eat fresh bread but I can only have one small mouthful every half an hour to an hour.....it can take all day to eat a sandwich...it's really not worth the effort.

I tried toast a few times, and it just doesn't sit right. Mountain bread was ok, I cut it in half and made a wrap with some ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato.. but normal bread.. nope, can't do it anymore. Tried a ham, cheese and pineapple croissant from the bakery, nope, can't do that either. I don't do well with foods that are too heavily processed. For me, the fresher, the better. We all seem to tolerate food differently. If I remember right, Swayback doesn't have an issue with bread. I do. Others do. You might too.

You're what.. three months out? It's probably way too soon for eating the foods you used to. That time will come, but wayyyyyyyy in the future. It's all trial and error to see what your new stomach can handle. I have a little exercise book, and I write in it every day that I try something different. If there don't seem to be any issues, I put a tick next to it. If I get the gurgles, the poops, or any other not nice feeling, it gets the big red X and it goes off the shopping list for a while.

That upset belly feeling was with me all night,!!! Perhaps it was the strass or the fact yesterday i just ate bulky foods. I just want to feel normal again and eat the foods i did enjoy just in smaller portions. Surely people are eating toast/bread by 3 months??? I am still having diarrhea daily that yesterday i tried to up my fibre and well maybe it was to much or to heavy at this stage. PLS PLS tell me when it feels better

Garfield, why do you say you cannot eat any fruit since having your gallbladder out ?
I've never heard of that before.
When I had mine out, I was told I could eat anything I wanted.

Ah Wenchiepoo - Polony!  Now I get it :-) 

Born and bred aussie, although I like several international foods, for my cold meats I'm not so adventurous, just like a good quality ham.  Nothing too overly processed or with much fat, and can only manage around 50gms at a time. 

Now I can see - cheese, strass and bread  - my cheeks would be puffed up like a chipmunk!  

Maybe try rolling a nice piece of ham and some cheese up together, I can manage 1 or 2 of these.  Plus might higher in protein and lower in carbs :-)

I'd definitely be wondering about the stras.. the fat content in that would have to be pretty high, and it's also a very highly processed meat. A lot of people can't handle that. I tried a tiny piece of kabana a couple of months ago, did not go down very well at all.

Garfield, it's a luncheon meat, not sure where you're from, so if I throw out some words like Devon, Fritz, and Polony, one of those might ring a bell?

That is a bit more then what I can eat but it's totally individual.  Also it varies day to day, so one day you can eat more then others, so any diet plan just gets thrown out the window.  But I'm a big believer is alternating your calorie intake daily so your body doesn't adjust and stops metabolising.

Not sure what strass is?  I know I can have a few slices of cheese, and maybe if they are thin enough on a cruskit, but no way on a piece of toast, it would just be too much.  Plus foods like bread and weetbix tend to expand in the stomach.  Like rice and pasta, anything that can expand when liquid is added, will expand in your stomach so be careful as yes it will hurt and there is simply nothing you can do apart from vomiting it up or letting it pass.

Bananas are also a very filling fruit hence you were unable to eat much of it.  I find it easier to have them in a shake then I can get more in.  Now that I've had my gallbladder removed, I'm unable to have any fruit at all which isn't ideal, so I try to increase my veges instead with homemade soups to get more in.

Hi, i am just wondering if people still suffer with an upset belly feeling. The feeling is hard to explain, today it feels like i have eaten to much but i know i havent, would this be because its still healing or still a little swollen. Its just an uncomfortable feeling.

I guess it could have been what i ate:

1 weetbix for breakfast
1/4 banana for mid morning
1 piece of toast with strass and cheese for lunch

But i dont think so.......