The feeling of fullness is different with VSG/DS

[Clematis]

It was definitely the egg that caused me trouble. This morning, out of "soft" ideas (i.e., sick of cottage cheese and yogurt), I finely minced a half ounce of turkey and had no trouble eating it very slowly over a half hour. (I was pretty nervous after yesterday -- probably could have eaten it faster.) I never felt in the slightest full or feeling like I needed to burp. A half ounce of turkey won't put a dent in my protein needs but it is a step forward. At lunch I did eat the lobster bits in my soup mixture. Also no trouble. Now I'm feeling adventuresome. For dinner I may try a half a tablespoon of mashed tuna with a bit of mayo. I know -- I'm such a wild woman.

@more2adore I don't know what the "hunger pains"/growling were about the first two weeks but they are completely gone now. I am taking prescription Prilosec (I was before the surgery) for silent reflux. After two episodes of vomiting, both without stomach acid appearance or odor (in fact NO odor), I think I no longer have an issue with acid.

No wonder you lose weight - you starve! ha ha ha!

That's what I thought, but my weight loss is very slow. It was much faster in the two weeks before the surgery. I think my body has gone into starvation mode. I hope that goes away as I add more food.

@BebeZed So sorry I planted the mental seed of vomiting in your head. The power of suggestion happens. I'm never cold but read that thread now on this board of being cold and am in the house wearing a fleece vest AND a fleece hoodie over that.

 

[Soonerjoseph]

I took @DSRIGGS advice in another thread and bumped my Nexium up to 2 pills a day. Ever since then I haven't been able to burp. Actually, I think saying I haven't needed to burp is more accurate. I don't understand it because I was burping 100+ times a day. That 2nd Nexium also took away all my gurgling noise coming from my throat.

I've also found that I don't tolerate eggs very well, just like most everyone it seems.

 

[BebeZed]

@BebeZed So sorry I planted the mental seed of vomiting in your head. The power of suggestion happens. I'm never cold but read that thread now on this board of being cold and am in the house wearing a fleece vest AND a fleece hoodie over that.

LOL it's all good - it kept me real. I am pretty sure I caused it myself by gulping down a bit too much at once and I've not had a recurrence. Lesson learned

I'm glad that it was just the egg. You're probably right about your body thinking it's starving and it'll perk up after you start eating more normally. I didn't really lose much until I started eating real food. It's still slooooowwww but at least it's steady now

 

[DSRIGGS]

I took @DSRIGGS advice in another thread and bumped my Nexium up to 2 pills a day. Ever since then I haven't been able to burp. Actually, I think saying I haven't needed to burp is more accurate. I don't understand it because I was burping 100+ times a day. That 2nd Nexium also took away all my gurgling noise coming from my throat.

I've also found that I don't tolerate eggs very well, just like most everyone it seems.

Interesting on belching @Soonerjoseph . I take two 40 mg omeprazole and I belch all the time when eating as it seems to clear space and feels good.

Regarding eggs, don't give up on them. I puked the first one and it was several months before I tried again but eggs are a huge part of my diet now. In fact as soon as I finish typing this reply I am off to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, slice of oatnut toast with almond butter and jelly (carbs don't bother me and I am still not gaining weight) and 4 eggs scrambled with a half cup of 4 cheese mexican blend cheese. These eggs are so creamy good and very light......I know that sounds like a load of crap to you now, but it is amazing how different it will be six months from now.

 

[southernlady]

In fact as soon as I finish typing this reply I am off to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, slice of oatnut toast with almond butter and jelly (carbs don't bother me and I am still not gaining weight) and 4 eggs scrambled with a half cup of 4 cheese mexican blend cheese. These eggs are so creamy good and very light......I know that sounds like a load of crap to you now, but it is amazing how different it will be six months from now.

It's STILL too much food for me (almost 5 years now) unless you make it an all day affair, My sleeve is still VERY TINY. I have to work hard to get enough protein in every day. Thank goodness for eggs, I do a hard boiled egg all the time.

 

[DSRIGGS]

It's STILL too much food for me (almost 5 years now) unless you make it an all day affair, My sleeve is still VERY TINY. I have to work hard to get enough protein in every day. Thank goodness for eggs, I do a hard boiled egg all the time.

Yeah, the volume I can eat is huge compared to everyone else it seems. I am getting hungry again already and might have some left over chicken cacciotore here in a minute.

 

[Soonerjoseph]

I can't eat much of anything and was feeling a bit down with not being able to eat much during Thanksgiving with the family. So 4 nights ago I went to Long John Silvers and got 2 pieces of fish and a corn on the cob. I had all that ate within an hour or so. It didn't make me feel uncomfortable, I didn't come close to puking either. I haven't been able to eat like that since. I'm wondering if I just tolerate Long John Silvers really well? I'm not big on the grease from that place (once I eat it I don't want to eat it again for a few months) but I'm thinking about going back soon and seeing if I tolerate it just as well a 2nd time.

I had planned on making eggs a big staple of my diet after the DS so I'll continue to try to eat them.

 

[Clematis]

TWO pieces of battered fish and corn? Geez @Soonerjoseph I can;t imagine eating all that. (And you're dropping weight like crazy, too.) I ate 1 oz of minced turkey today. You MEN

 

[southernlady]

I'm wondering if I just tolerate Long John Silvers really well? I'm not big on the grease from that place (once I eat it I don't want to eat it again for a few months) but I'm thinking about going back soon and seeing if I tolerate it just as well a 2nd time.

I use Waffle House as my grease fix. Sometimes I just need it esp when on the road.

 

[Soonerjoseph]

Yeah, I'm losing at a rate of a pound a day. I'm down to 192 as of yesterday. I'm actually trying to slow the weight loss to the point I can target a stopping point. I've never lost at this sustained amount of weight before. 1/2 pound a day is what I thought I'd be losing at, not 1+.

 

[duh_Mom]

@Soonerjoseph it's like magic isn't it. I had to stop weighing weekly for a while 'cuz it was freaking me out a bit. Glad you are doing well!

 

[southernlady]

Yeah, I'm losing at a rate of a pound a day. I'm down to 192 as of yesterday. I'm actually trying to slow the weight loss to the point I can target a stopping point. I've never lost at this sustained amount of weight before. 1/2 pound a day is what I thought I'd be losing at, not 1+.

1) STAY off the scale except weekly or monthly
2) UNLESS your protein and other labs hit the toilet, do not stop the weight loss until you get all your excess off...get to just below a 25 BMI before trying to slow it down. You don't want a 19, but getting to a 21 BMI is not a bad place to be cause MOST of us see about 10-20 lbs bounce back after year 2. And you might need that cushion. My husband saw a 20.9 BMI before he started back up...he's about a 26.5 BMI now. Could stand to lose about 10 lbs around the middle again. He's also 5 years out next week.

 

[Clematis]

I'm not sure I am making progress. Last night I had a little more than a half ounce of baked salmon (chewed well but not minced) when the "gonna explode" feeling started. This feeling then built up over the next hour until I upchucked about half of that. (I still don't understand how one can stop eating but continue to feel fuller and fuller and fuller as time passes.) I haven't been able to eat anything today. I feel queasy and can barely drink water. Is it possible that my pylorus just isn't allowing anything other than liquids through and that nothing more solid is digesting in my stomach, especially with a PPI? I've been taking some vitamins and don't barf them... but then they may dissolve in my stomach fluids first. Did anyone else have an issue with a lazy pylorus post-op?

In other news: I had to take milk of magnesia last Sunday because nothing was happening. Nothing has happened since so I was considering taking some more this morning. Thankfully I did not because I have had strange diarrhea of sorts all day. (Maybe the dab of butter I put on the salmon while it cooked moved things along.) What's weird about it is that it is flecks of food (although I haven't really had any) and then army green bile. It's as if each limbs contents refused to merge in the common channel. Weird.

 

[duh_Mom]

@Clematis I would offer that the vomiting is inducing swelling of your stomach. I would also suggest since you are having so much trouble that you resume liquids (protein) only for several days. Then literally put your protein in a food processor to make it like baby food. It is not for long and it will taste delicious. if it doesn't, then my philosophy is that your body does not want it. Listen to it.

You are just post op day 21 so everything in there is still very very tender. I was not even allowed solids until about this point and was eating a teaspoon of 'solid' protein. drop back and punt and try not to eat that will induce the vomiting. Vomiting is very traumatic to your new guts.

 

[Clematis]

Thanks for your wise advice @duh_Mom. I am officially off solids for now.

As for vomiting being traumatic... I have never in my life vomited so LESS traumatically. Seriously, I just open my mouth and there it is. So strange.