Changing from liquid to purée/soft

Muppet I have found soft foods fine as long as I

1. take it really slowly
2. chew really well - much much more than I would have pre-sleeve
3. pause between mouthfuls - quite a big pause - I tend to sit and read forums like this while I eat
4. a tea spoon at a time


:)

Hi Muppetgirl,

This early out it's a learning game, to find out what your Sleeve will tolerate and what it doesn't like. I tended to transition slowly over couple of days. I tried a little of the new food but added a lot of gravy, sauce or stock. Over the next few days I would add less liquid so it became more of a puree and less of a liquid. It's amazing what sit's well and what doesn't. I tried not to have too many new foods all at once, that way I could tell which one was the problem. I found boiled or scrambled eggs sat heavy and didn't agree with me at first whereas soft poached eggs were fine. It took a couple more weeks before I could stomach soft boiled eggs and then another week before scrambled egg was ok. Slow cooker meals are wonderful pureed up, moist and tender, just what a Sleeve loves.

First thing in the morning my Sleeve would be quite tight. I found if I had a cup of peppermint tea first it relaxed my Sleeve and I tolerated my breakfast fine half and hour later. But if I tried to eat breakfast first it really sat heavy. You will need to experiment to find what suits your stomach, it's like learning to eat all over again. If something doesn't agree leave it for a week or two and try it again later, it's amazing what a few more weeks healing will do.

cheers Nini

Thanks Quirky, i appreciate you taking the time. I think I will do as Dr/Dietician has ordered and if it doesn't sit well wait a day or two and try again.

Different surgeons seem to have different ways of doing things so you need to follow doctor's orders. I did 2 weeks fluid, 2 weeks purée, 2 weeks soft food then on to regular food.  If you are worried at all, there's nothing wrong with erring on the side of caution.

I am trying to be really conscious of it but I got a little carried away with the yummy soup I made tonight and had a couple of mouthfuls too close together...it was quite uncomfortable for about 5 minutes. 

I know a lot of surgeons put their patients on just purées next but my schedule allows for more such as soft steamed fish, scrambled eggs and porridge and I wonder if that is too big a next step? Then I tell myself to trust the person who does this as a profession and stop being so anxious about it!

If I ate too quickly or took too big a mouthful, I found it quite uncomfortable but it didn't happen too often as I was hyper aware of it. I think being a bit scared/nervous serves us well as it keeps us in check if you know what I mean. Try not to eat when you're in a rush or distracted so you're really mindful of what you're doing. I'm sure you'll be fine luv as you're already so conscious of it :-)

Thanks Quirky. Did it hurt/was it uncomfortable to eat at all? Or ok as long as you chew well and eat slowly?

Even now, with my soup, if I have a mouthful too quickly it's very uncomfortable. So it's making me nervous about moving to the next stage.

Just remember to eat really slowly so getting full doesn't take you by surprise! I started to notice my restriction more as transitioned on to solids so I made sure to take little, slow mouthfuls so I couldn't accidentally overeat.

Btw, I noticed my energy levels picked up as I moved on to solids.

Is it a difficult transition? I am currently still on liquids, including soups, and on Tuesday next week my dietician has said to start trying purée/mashed as well as porridge, scrambled egg and soft, steamed flaky fish. 

Is there usually anything to worry about when stepping up to new foods?