restriction???

[gregken77]

Hello everyone ---hope all are doing well. I started my first day of soft foods today and I have a question. What does restriction feel like? I think I have some serious restriction and I am wondering if that is a bad thing right now. Im assuming that means my stomach is still swollen. The funny thing is my hunger has not returned all that much yet either. This morning I tried eating some oat meal I blended up to make more flowing. I had about 5 or six bites and all of a sudden I had this tightness right under my rib cage right in the center of my stomach. My first thought was Oh (#*!!) I got some of the stuff stuck. Then I thought wait a minute that is impossible I am totally unfilled. Anyway it wasnt painful or anything ---I did have to burb several times and then it ended as quickly as it happened. So I am back to liquids again just out of fear. I could go a few days more on the liquid thing if I had to. Im honestly not even hungry for food. Ive stayed pretty hydrated and get plenty of protein so maby this is why I am not hungry. But I heard somewhere that when your stomach is still swollen you dont have hunger. Well according to my doctor I can start soft foods as tolorated for two weeks then solids. Did anyone have to extend there liquid diet? Do you think I am hurting anything my starting the soft stuff? Im not going to be able to get much down as it is but Im thinking ---wow 3 weeks without any sort of food cant be good for the body. Anyway tell me what you think please.


Thanks--Greg K

[Bandedmomof7]

Greg--
It is hard for me to describe restriction, but I am pretty sure that is what you were feeling. For me, it is a pressure--no pain--that makes me feel like I need to either stop eating, or at least pause for a while. Don't be afraid to go to musshies...you need to start the education process and get to know your own body. Anything "bad" will hurt!!:wink2:
Good luck, Greg. The beginning can be a bit unsettling. Trust your instincts and know that your band is not really that "fragile." Your band and your body are pretty forgiving while you figure it all out.
Good luck!!
E.

[newlifeat57]

Greg, I found that oatmeal is one of those "iffy" foods. Somedays I can eat it, somedays I can't. Try something else that is mushy or soft. There are some people that have been banded that have NEVER had to have a fill. They had restriction from day one. Maybe you are one of them.....If you are unsure, contact your Dr.

Also remember to take tiny bites. Use a baby spoon if you have to. Hope all is well with you....

[qmom]

Greg--
It is hard for me to describe restriction, but I am pretty sure that is what you were feeling. For me, it is a pressure--no pain--that makes me feel like I need to either stop eating, or at least pause for a while. Don't be afraid to go to musshies...you need to start the education process and get to know your own body. Anything "bad" will hurt!!:wink2:
Good luck, Greg. The beginning can be a bit unsettling. Trust your instincts and know that your band is not really that "fragile." Your band and your body are pretty forgiving while you figure it all out.
Good luck!!
E.
Thank you for the info about not being fragile. I have been banded since Sept 28th and that is exactly how I feel but could not put my finger on it. I too, am afraid of doing things wrong and not trusting myself to recognize what is suppose to be. Qmom :ohwell:

[gregken77]

man I cant believe oatmeal is one of those iffy foods. Seems like it would just slide on down to me. Anyway Thanks ---I feel better about going ahead with the soft stuff. Yeah I didnt have any pain just felt full real quick. I mean real quick. This is all so new that when you feel something for the first time you freak out. And with me being a self pay bandster ----well I cant afford any problems happening.

[Kate]

I'm right there with ya, buddy. Right now, we can drink with our meals. We need to heal, not worry about all the rules. Just the ones that have to do with the first 4-6 weeks post-op.

I am eating lots of soft foods, but boy, I mean SOFT and MUSHY! My oatmeal goes down fine if I put milk on it and it's more liquid than not. Cottage cheese, grits, oatmeal, yogurt, mashed potatoes (thin, not stiff), etc. will go down even with our restriction as we heal, but it has to be thin. I am drinking with all my meals and have lost 17 pounds in 3 weeks. I smash everything with my fork, almost like it is already chewed before putting it in my mouth.

Right now, while you are healing, get the nutrition. Don't worry about drinking with meals. I drink Isopure or milk with food to help get it down so I don't have that restriction feeling. We can't afford to have that tightness until we are healed. That tightness is proof of pressure happening on the opening and on the pouch which in turn puts pressure on the sutures holding the band in place.

[kristina]

cant add much- but of course i will try. restriction feels different for different people.
some hiccup. some burp. some have runny noses. i was one of the lucky nose runners. :)
whatever it is..it should not be painful. make sure ur taking teeny tiny bites, chewing to goo, and eating very soft foods.
this is a time for healing. making sure that band stays stitched in place to ur tummy. baby it, and take care of it...by following the rules...

erika said it best...its not a fragile thing. find what works for u in the mushies department and go for it. i like cottage cheese and egg salad at ur stage.
as much as i love ya kate..drinking with meals was a huge no no for me from the beg. i would make sure its okay with ur doc before u do that.
i met someone that still never gets hungry while at the conference..and i must say i am JEALOUS! i was hungry an hour after surgery!!! HA! consider urself blessed! and keep the questions coming! we love to help. :)

[Azuredreams]

I have been banded since late may 09 and restriction for me is (for lack of better words) like a huge burp that takes a while to be burped LOL. Also I have found alot that in the morrning eatting is almost impossible (most days) I tend to do my protien in the morrning and work my way up to eatting.
When I started out being unfilled I might have done it the wrong way but the best thing I found to go down was mash potatoes that where slightly on the creamy side. I no longer eat mash potatoes like I was in the begaining.... but pretty soon you will start feeling that hunger again and although not the best thing to start out with they do seem to help.

[Kate]

Kristina,
It actually says on one of the pages in my book that the nutritionist handed me. Until I am healed and have my habits changed, drinking will help keep pressure off the band. I am now to the point where I have it handy, but rarely need. I am finally getting the bite size correct!

[kristina]

oh i believe ya kate- really! isnt it funny how all docs are different? i am a firm believer in doing what our docs tell us to do...not others. so greg should check with his doc, if he is unsure. :)

[Mloukas143]

I have a question for Kate...this definitely struck my curiousity, if you didn't notice already lol. But, are you saying that drinking with your meals can actually help keep the pressure off of the band while you are eating, even after you are healed? For example, an occasional sip here and there is something you do if you start to feel discomfort? Or do you sip occasional just because? I also find it very interesting how each doctor is different, and ironically, each doctor makes sense in their own ways!
If you can, please explain to me the reason/method behind why drinking with your meals isn't a bad thing...and if you do/do not continue it after you are healed.

Thanks!

and for Greg...my only input on this, when I was first banded, i had a weird feeling every time i ate something, whether it was soft/mushies/solids/liquids. It was always this pressure feeling...i think it's the fact that we have a band around our stomachs, that alone causes a slight restriction, whether we are filled or not filled. If you continue to stay on liquids, your body will not get the appropriate nutrients that it needs..this being said, in my opinion, i feel that you should move onto soft foods, and take little chances here and there and start to really experience your band. take your time, eat slowly..and listen to your body after every sip/bite. you definitely don't want to miss out on the experience! if one food scares you, try a different food later on. Hope this helps =)

[christie]

Listen to your body and your band. If you're not ready for oatmeal yet, that is OK. It is also good that you're not hungry just yet. Try to get your protein in because that will help prevent muscle wasting. So its important to get the fluids in and protein...even when you don't feel like eating. But from what I've read and my own experience, you will one day be hungry and you'll be YEARNING for your first fill so you DON'T eat everything you desire because of hunger. Enjoy. Relax. and HEAL.

[maggieD]

I thought drinking with your band would liquidfy our foods in the pouch...pushing that on through the band and then therefore not allowing the band to do the job it was designed for...But I too have taken a sip here and there and sometimes when I do it hurts..just a few of my thoughts...

[newlifeat57]

I think it was Kristine that said it best.... drinking with your meals is like flushing a toilet. The liquid just pushes everything right through.... Or something like that. LOL I think Kate's Dr advice about drinking with meals at the BEGINNING may be Ok, but after you have begun to eat reg. foods, it seems to me that it would be a big no no.... IMHO.

[Kate]

I have a question for Kate...this definitely struck my curiosity, if you didn't notice already lol. But, are you saying that drinking with your meals can actually help keep the pressure off of the band while you are eating, even after you are healed? For example, an occasional sip here and there is something you do if you start to feel discomfort? Or do you sip occasional just because? I also find it very interesting how each doctor is different, and ironically, each doctor makes sense in their own ways!
If you can, please explain to me the reason/method behind why drinking with your meals isn't a bad thing...and if you do/do not continue it after you are healed.

Thanks!



I am just starting my week 4, so I am not healed yet. The nutritionist and the surgeon both told me that once I am healed, which should be by week 6, I should no longer drink with meals. I don't know what I'll do once I'm healed, but I'm pretty good at following orders, so I will probably not drink with meals. This has been a blessing for me since I have had to undo a 50 year habit of not chewing well enough. The first bite was a killer for me when I started on even mushy food. I just took too much at a time. But taking a sip helped it down and the rest of the bites were teeny, believe me!!! I hate pain! I didn't need any liquid with meals today, and hopefully, the habit is starting to take hold!

Greg and I have the same surgeon, so I assumed he got the same information that I did.

[Mloukas143]

oooh I see, well it all makes sense to me...you just have to have an open mind when you are listening to all of the different pieces of advice...but yeah, after you 6 weeks, I think you won't drink with your meals when you are told not to..its like a sudden change, and it may sound hard now, it will come as a natural thing later on because you know you won't want to sacrifice anything to you or your band...trust me! lol

[GirlyGirl]

Greg, just make sure you follow your doctors orders about what you are eating.

It is not uncommon to have some restriction after surgery. That will most likely go away.

Most doctors will say they are not worried about any weight loss the first few months because of the healing process. They just want you to concentrate on letting your band set.

As far as water with food. Once you get to true restriction, you will most definately NOT want to drink with food. The opening is so restricted there is no room for air to escape. With liquids in there no way to do a natural belch without everything coming up with it. One of those episodes and you wont want to ever drink water with a meal again.