Looking for feedback - 8 weeks post-op VSG

DiamondRidge

Good Morning MFP friends....

I have a love-hate relationship with my sleeve. I've named her. Her name is Tina the Tiny Tummy Tyrant. I love her because she has helped me to lose a significant amount of weight so far - I am enjoying my smaller clothes, my shrinking body, the appreciative way that my wife looks at me, and all of the extra energy that I have found as my body gets smaller.

However. I cannot seem to eat anything without discomfort. Sometimes it is fairly minor discomfort (tightness, lots of rumbling) and sometimes it is not minor (super tight, very rumbley, nausea, painful)... It does not seem to matter WHAT I eat, how fast/slow I eat it, or how much I eat. I have yet to be able to eat more than 2 Tablespoons of food at a time.... and that takes me 30-45 minutes to eat. Yes, I'm chewing well. Yes, I am mindful of putting the food/fork down between bites. I've even gone so far as to use a timer so that I am allowing at least 2 minutes between bites. I stop eating as soon as I feel full. I stop if I am uncomfortable.... And yet, I'm still getting the discomfort. And it lasts for half an hour or more after food.

I'm frustrated. I'm concerned because it seems that the only nutrition that I am getting, really, is from my shakes and my vitamins...

Looking for feedback, reassurance, suggestions...?

Thanks!

dearestbree86

I was/am having the same problem. I am about 6 weeks post-surgery and time myself between bites as well. It has gotten easier but I have noticed it depends on what I am eating. There are times when I am able to eat without the discomfort and then there are times where I barely get 2oz down. Pay close attention to what is irritating Tina. She may be trying to tell you something. I have also found that I am having issues with air getting stuck. Sometimes if I feel full too quickly I will get up and give my body a straight path. Swaying side to side while standing helps too. Just really pay attention to what your body is trying to say. That is something I needed to learn quickly. But of course, if it persists, always check in with your doctor. Personally, i think it is still Tina adjusting and trying to teach you. We are retraining our minds with this. It doesn't happen over night. . . or within the first few months. Hang in there.

april731

It gets better. Just hang in there. I am a little over 6 months post-op and I still eat 2 oz of dense protein at a time, 3 oz if it is something really soft like tuna salad. I still drink a 30g protein shake to get about 1/2 of my protein and then eat 4 other meals to get the other 30-40g protein. I very rarely eat vegetables, and it's just a bite or 2 when I do. I'm not concerned about the small capacity and neither are my surgeon and NUT; it's helped me lose right at 100 pounds since April. They've assured me that by 1 year out I'll be eating 3 oz of protein plus 1/4 cup or so of veggies.

As long as you're staying well-hydrated and getting your protein through shakes at least, I wouldn't worry about it. The discomfort is normal as well, I didn't like the feeling of food in my stomach for quite some time (maybe 3-4 months out); and the rumbling goes away.

keewarrior

You may want to check with your doctor as it sounds almost like a stricture. They may need to expand the opening a bit from the healing.

pawoodhull

You might want to check with your doctor, but it doesn't sound odd either. At 8 weeks out I was still eating really soft food and very little, about your amount and 6 times a day just to get all my protein in for the day. Anything dry gave me a "stuck" feeling, so everything had to be really moist. Ate a lot of homemade soups and stews for that reason. I also discovered that my "full cue" was the feeling that I had to burp. Anything consumed after I felt that way, even if I did indeed burp, would come back up. I'm 3 years out now and that is still my "full cue". If I feel the need to burp I'm done eating. It does get easier as you finish healing and things ease a bit. You will get to a point where you can eat more at one sitting. not a lot more, but some. And as you really get used to Tina's cues, it will get easier to avoid the discomfort.

You might want to try going back to shakes for a bit, just to give Tina time to settle down. But this all sounds a lot like what I went through in the beginning. Good luck and hang in there. I will get easier and better, it just takes time.

Pat

DiamondRidge

Thank you all for your suggestions, reassurance, and support!

I had lab tests and an ultrasound this morning and found out that I actually have a large gallbladder stone.

I go in to have my gallbladder removed on Monday... Lucky me...

Thanks!
Rebecca

klcovington

Great info! I was asking about this in another post because I have been having some issues with eating and knowing when I feel "full" before I am actually full. I get the rumbling sometimes which kind of makes me giggle. But that kind of "almost-suffocating-feel-like-I can't even swallow" feeling has to go! It happens even when I chew until applesauce consistency and try to take my time between each bite. I think sometimes I push myself a little to eat a bite more because it is mental too and I think that I CAN'T already be full since I only ate a little bit of food. Or I am afraid I will be hungry again too soon and end up grazing and eating too many calories.