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relentless2121
relentless2121 Posts: 431 Member
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I sailed through the first 3 weeks post op without any Reflux issues. The last few days I've been experimenting with foods on the Soft Food List. Last night I tried to eat a bit of rotisserie chicken with applesauce. I removed the chicken skin and cut the meat into very small pieces. Well I guess my stomach isn't ready for "real" chicken yet because shortly after eating it I starting having reflux. I had to take a few sips of water because it was so dry. The water made me regurgitate the chicken up even more. What an uncomfortable experience it was.

Today, I had some Greek Yogurt that I had put in the Magic Bullet with some canned diced peaches packed in water. I've had this before and it didn't bother me at all, but that was not my experience today. Again, reflux started and I think I ending up spitting most of it out (sorry for being so graphic).

Tonight I reverted back to mashed potatoes and jarred baby food for dinner. I was hoping to test the waters with the chicken yesterday as I'm going to 2 potluck Christmas dinners this week and wanted to try it. This has been the first time my stomach told me it wasn't ready for something.

Tomorrow is my first Christmas Party Potluck and I know I will have to be very careful. I plan to bring a Premier Protein Shake, some saltines and some cottage cheese as I'm not sure what I'll be able to have and I don't want to have a reflux attack at the events.

I don't see my surgeon for a few weeks. If any of you have any suggestions on how to prevent reflux or some over the counter remedies, I'd really appreciate it. :)

Replies

  • renovagirl
    renovagirl Posts: 85 Member
    edited December 2014
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    What you are experiencing is a normal process of healing. My dr told me to test various foods, if you can tolerate them, great. If not, stay away from them for a few weeks and try again. I would not force myself to eat certain foods if your body can not tolerate them yet. Just stick with what works and avoid the reflux. (by reflux, are you referring to what I call the foamies?"

    Regarding the pot luck - I wouldn't feel obligated to eat anything. Just sip your protein shake and enjoy the party :)



  • klcovington
    klcovington Posts: 381 Member
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    I found that when I first started adding "real" foods back into my food plan, I often had the same thing happen. I would wait a bit and then retry them later and it seemed to help me. Also, I have to be very careful to eat slowly and only a little bit at a time and then pause or else the same thing will happen. Hope that helps --- and it does get better!
  • loriloftness
    loriloftness Posts: 476 Member
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    My sister-in-law had her sleeve about 2 yrs ago. She told me that chicken had that effect on her and to this day she still can't eat it without having problems. She thinks its because it is hard to make chicken moist enough to go down well. Maybe if you had a little bit of chicken but it was in a sauce?
  • wilrhy
    wilrhy Posts: 199 Member
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    I have done well with chicken as long as it is very, very moist. I did best making it in the crockpot and then shredding it. I did the same thing with pork. The crockpot really helps it stay moist enough for us to eat. When we go out and i order chicken--it is usually to dry for me to digest. There is only 1 restaurant i have found that it was moist enough.
  • relentless2121
    relentless2121 Posts: 431 Member
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    I'm finding I'm getting a lot of reflux the last few days when drinking water. Perhaps I am drinking it too fast. Funny how I didn't really experience that for the first 3 weeks of recovery but I sure am now.
  • nowucme
    nowucme Posts: 88 Member
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    Chicken seems to be one of the harder foods to eat for a lot of people. Two people I know are still having difficulty with it due to the dryness factor. Six months and twelve months out.
  • jamezln
    jamezln Posts: 182 Member
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    I haven't had any issue with reflux since surgery. Now gas, that's another story, but no reflux and I was on reflux meds prior to surgery. Water, when I drink it too fast I know i'm full when the sudden burp comes up. Not the most pleasant things to talk about but it's needed since we all have or have had or may have some of the same issues. I would just be careful of the spices on things, the grease, and acid foods. The Greek yogurt is odd, but it's hard to say. I have pretty much returned to my pre-surgery diet except for the junk and greasy foods with relative ease. The first cheese I had wasn't really great, but it has since been well tolerated. Hope you get it worked out, but don't rush it. Eat what you can and keep it settled. Did your surgeon put you on reflux meds for after surgery? My surgeon puts everyone on reflux meds for 30 days post-op. I was already on them.....and soon I think i'll be able to cut them out altogether.
  • relentless2121
    relentless2121 Posts: 431 Member
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    Today is day 26 for me since surgery. I don't check in with my surgeon till my 6 week check in on December 29 but can call his office anytime with questions or concerns.
    No he did not put me on reflux medication before or after the surgery.
    He did call me though before the surgery and told me that the results of my reflux test before surgery indicated that there was some. He also said that he would normally recommend RNY for patients with reflux but he knew how strongly I felt about wanting the sleeve and that I didn't think I was personally a good candidate for RNY. I'm grateful he didn't pressure me to have RNY.
    I wasn't aware that I had any reflux issues at all before the surgery and would not have ever known if he didn't tell me about the test results before surgery.
    I have heard though that reflux is a very common thing after the sleeve. Hopefully it gets better over time.
    Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread.

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