3 weeks post op pain?

It took about 3 months until I could eat about 1 cup of food.  I don't know if that's bread and butter sized potion.  


Of sourse, it depends what it is.  I could eat a cup of bolognaise sauce that I make myself with heaps of veggies and freeze.  But I'm still struggling to eat 1 scrambled egg.  Obviously I can eat a lots more Pho, without any noodles, just the broth, some beef and lots of bean shoots (yum!).  So it just depends what it is.

For some reason,  I can eat a heap of popcorn at the movies. I can finish a packet of twisties or cheezels.  Lets not ask how I know this... hehe

I try and keep to the one cup of food anyway.  Its what my dietician reccomended sticking to.  So far so good.

Thanks for the encouragement greenfrog!

I saw my nutritionist today and she's wrapped with my progress and even wants me to try a bit more solid food next week (chicken breast and veggies to begin with) She showed me the size plate I should be able I eat and I laughed - there's no way at this point I'll get that in! Hahahaha
How long before you all were able to get the bread & butter plate size meal in? It feels I never will! I had more caneloni (without the pasta just the spinach ricotta and sauce) tonight and didn't even get 1/4 of a cup in!!

Yep, that would be it. 

The biggest thing I have learnt (or have to learn some-days... hehe) is to eat regularly.  I can't wait until 10 or 11 to have breaky, its too late for the new tummy.  

I now have three meals (of just under one cup each) per day and at least 2 snacks.  Coffee and bickies or fruit at 10.30ish and yoghurt or some cheese at about 3.30ish.  It just helps everything keep ticking over.

Even at 3 weeks out, I was having 5 or 6 smaller 'meals' per day of about 1/2 a cup.  Or more if it was a brothy soup.  I could only get about 1/2 a cup oif the musashi protein shakes in (those were recomended by my dietician) So drank those throughout the day.  And water, gotta try and get your two litres a day... hard I know... but stick some cordial in it, make it a fruity tea whatever you need to.  But it also helps.

I also still do the no pasta thing still, and order pho with no noodles etc.  Unfortunately my love of savoys is still there...  Luckily I don't drink and eat at the same time any more, so the coffee and savoys combination works because of the 15-20 minutes between the two... hehe

Thanks greenfrog and Dayle!
I'm wondering if I was just hungry, as I only had juice for breakfast (habit) and a tiny lunch because of the cramps I didn't feel like eating. However about 40 mins ago I had spinach & ricotta cannelloni without the pasta and the pain has gone! Interesting. I hadn't noticed it had gone until my friend who moved in with me said "you haven't held your tummy since dinner!"
I guess this is all trial and error right? I'm too scared to eat too much as I don't want reflux or heartburn or to bust a staple (I've been so lucky with none of those yet) but maybe I'm not feeding myself enough! And as for breakfast I've never been more than a juice in the morning but maybe my body is telling me to eat now!! Strange!

I agree, tummy gurgling and rumbling, mine still does it every now and then even 3months+ out. 

I only had pain in the area of my largest incision, and the doctor told me it was more than likely the inner stitch pulling when I was moving.  But this was minimal pain and it was directly near the cut.  Not sure what your pain sounds like, but definitely keep an eye on it and keep in touch with your doc.

Well done on your weight loss!!  Only down from here :)

DayleD

Noises!! So many noises at the start. Lots of grumbling noises! hehe
About 3 weeks ago I ate an orange for the first time since surgery (5 months ago) and I think half my office could hear the tummy noises!!
Yep, lots of noises at the start, I assume its perfectly normal, since I know lots of people who have had them.

Re the pain, I can only say I had pain at the start when I ate too much or didn't chew enough.  Or totally ate the wrong thing way too early.  It happens rarely now that I overeat, I'm much more cautions and slow down my eating when I know I'm close. Plus if I eat something once I just know any more will be 'bad' and stop.

For example, about 5 weeks out I ate a piece of duck... I thought I was going to throw up and the pain was huge!  In the middle of an expensive Chinese restaurant.  Yep, a quick dash to the toilet to walk that small space until the pain went.  Another time I ate beef casserole, and the meat wasn't as soft as I needed it to be, and I didn't chew enough... Luckily that was at home.  So after walking around the house until I threw up (gross part) slime (not the meat... slime is the best way to describe it) then the pain slowly went.
I think there is a word for that but I can't think what it is, I have read it happen to others here.

But I knew it was what I had eaten, because it happened within minutes of eating.  If yours is happening at other times, it could be something else.   You might need to mention it again to the surgeon.

Have you noticed when it happens? is there a pattern?
Could it be reflux?

Hi all,

So I'm now 3 weeks post op. Saw my surgeon who was wrapped with my progress both in weight loss (10.6kg - 2kg lost pre surgery diet the rest post surgery) and in what I'm able to tolerate now (water, juice, about 10 teaspoons of puréed food at a time). I talked to him about how on Sunday I had cramp like pains in the area just below my ribcage but that by Monday they were gone. He said only to be worried if pain persists despite pain killers, if it gets above a 7 on the pain scale (although he noted that for me that should be above a 5 as I had a higher pain threshold) or if there is persistent diarrhoea (more than twice a day) or any vomiting or Intolerance to food and liquid.

Today the same cramps are back. They are only about a 3 or a 4 on the pain scale and pain killers help. I am still drinking water and able to eat.

I'm just wondering... Could these be hunger pains because I get too scared to eat more than the 10 teaspoons, and am only eating 3 meals a day. Did anyone else have issues with this sort of cramp like pain? I should mention there are noises from my stomach too - like grumbles or bubble sounds. Weird I know. Maybe it's just my body responding to my new stomach?
My fellow sleever friend/nurse hadn't heard of it but said if the surgeons not worried and I'm tolerating food and drink not to worry! But I am a bit!!