quantities eaten as a postop...down the road a ways

[Guest guest]

I am not sure how to word this question, but I will try.

It is my understanding that after surgery (one year postop?) we are able to

eat a small-normal meal. As to what a small-normal meal is....I guess I

really have no idea.

So, my question is for anyone father postop than myself (19 weeks tomorrow).

Did you notice a gradual increase in the amount you could eat or was it

fairly rapid increases at certain times?

Dr. A asks us to rate our eating in comparison to our postop eating limits.

(For instance, at my first postop visit I rated it a 1, at the next 1-2 and

at the next a definite 2). I had said 3 and he asked if I was eating 1/3 of

what I had preop, to which I laughed and changed the answer to 2.

I am already aware that some days I can eat way more than others. Some weeks

more than others.

What I hear on the list is that some can eat fairly " normally " after a year,

but others are still nowhere near that. Is the range really that large? How

is it after two years? After three?

Nothing earth shattering here, I am really just curious.

Thanks,

Dawna

[Guest guest]

I am not sure how to word this question, but I will try.

It is my understanding that after surgery (one year postop?) we are able to

eat a small-normal meal. As to what a small-normal meal is....I guess I

really have no idea.

So, my question is for anyone father postop than myself (19 weeks tomorrow).

Did you notice a gradual increase in the amount you could eat or was it

fairly rapid increases at certain times?

Dr. A asks us to rate our eating in comparison to our postop eating limits.

(For instance, at my first postop visit I rated it a 1, at the next 1-2 and

at the next a definite 2). I had said 3 and he asked if I was eating 1/3 of

what I had preop, to which I laughed and changed the answer to 2.

I am already aware that some days I can eat way more than others. Some weeks

more than others.

What I hear on the list is that some can eat fairly " normally " after a year,

but others are still nowhere near that. Is the range really that large? How

is it after two years? After three?

Nothing earth shattering here, I am really just curious.

Thanks,

Dawna

[Guest guest]

It is my understanding that after surgery (one year postop?) we are able to

eat a small-normal meal. As to what a small-normal meal is....I guess I

really have no idea.>>>>>

Hi Dawna!

Dr Welker said by the time we are one year out we should be eating 2500

calories a day and only absorbing half of them!

A normal meal to me would be what your thin friends eat.....at a restrauant,

for example I can now order a regular meal but end up having to take alot of

it home for another meal! Sometimes Mike and I will split a large chef

salad loaded with protein....so Im guessing " normal " would be a little more

than half of what we ate before?

I think it was a gradual increase in the amount I could eat....like you,

some days I eat alot more than other days.....

Hugs, Judie

[Guest guest]

It is my understanding that after surgery (one year postop?) we are able to

eat a small-normal meal. As to what a small-normal meal is....I guess I

really have no idea.>>>>>

Hi Dawna!

Dr Welker said by the time we are one year out we should be eating 2500

calories a day and only absorbing half of them!

A normal meal to me would be what your thin friends eat.....at a restrauant,

for example I can now order a regular meal but end up having to take alot of

it home for another meal! Sometimes Mike and I will split a large chef

salad loaded with protein....so Im guessing " normal " would be a little more

than half of what we ate before?

I think it was a gradual increase in the amount I could eat....like you,

some days I eat alot more than other days.....

Hugs, Judie

[Guest guest]

some days I can eat way more than others.

I think that this is how it is for most of the post ops from what I have

been reading on the boards for the past 2 years. For myself anyways this is

true. Like I posted before after being a post op for 21 months my somach is

still only 5.5oz, so I cannot eat a lot at a meal yet. I know it is this

size because when I had my revision on June 25, Dr. Gagner measured it with

fluid. He did not have to revise my stomach as it was small yet. I have

never drank anything when I ate, as I never could. I have to wait at least

an hour after eating to drink, even water. If I drink within a half hour

before I eat, I just don't have any room for food.

What I hear on the list is that some can eat fairly " normally " after a year

but others are still nowhere near that. Is the range really that large?

YES, it is. I have a friend whom had her DS 10 months ago, and she could

eat more out of the hospital than I can now. I have eaten with a group of

DSer's and everyone ate so differently. I don't think it is fair to say one

will be eating a normal entree at 1 year, or two years, as many of us can't.

Look at , she had a very large stomach at 1 year out, and had to have

it revised so she could lose more weight. Eveyone is so different.

Patti

> Nothing earth shattering here, I am really just curious.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Dawna

>

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

some days I can eat way more than others.

I think that this is how it is for most of the post ops from what I have

been reading on the boards for the past 2 years. For myself anyways this is

true. Like I posted before after being a post op for 21 months my somach is

still only 5.5oz, so I cannot eat a lot at a meal yet. I know it is this

size because when I had my revision on June 25, Dr. Gagner measured it with

fluid. He did not have to revise my stomach as it was small yet. I have

never drank anything when I ate, as I never could. I have to wait at least

an hour after eating to drink, even water. If I drink within a half hour

before I eat, I just don't have any room for food.

What I hear on the list is that some can eat fairly " normally " after a year

but others are still nowhere near that. Is the range really that large?

YES, it is. I have a friend whom had her DS 10 months ago, and she could

eat more out of the hospital than I can now. I have eaten with a group of

DSer's and everyone ate so differently. I don't think it is fair to say one

will be eating a normal entree at 1 year, or two years, as many of us can't.

Look at , she had a very large stomach at 1 year out, and had to have

it revised so she could lose more weight. Eveyone is so different.

Patti

> Nothing earth shattering here, I am really just curious.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Dawna

>

> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

Re: quantities eaten as a postop...down the road a

ways

> salad loaded with protein....so Im guessing " normal " would be a little

more

> than half of what we ate before?

> I think it was a gradual increase in the amount I could eat....like you,

> some days I eat alot more than other days.....

I think it depends on the person, too -- what you described in what you ate,

Judie, is nearly equivalent to what I eat now, so half of that wouldn't be

very much at all. It's probably relative to exactly how over-efficient your

digestive s ystem was pre-op, too...? Who knows -- I'm not even a post-op

yet!

alyssa, soon to be officially " pre-op "

[Guest guest]

Re: quantities eaten as a postop...down the road a

ways

> salad loaded with protein....so Im guessing " normal " would be a little

more

> than half of what we ate before?

> I think it was a gradual increase in the amount I could eat....like you,

> some days I eat alot more than other days.....

I think it depends on the person, too -- what you described in what you ate,

Judie, is nearly equivalent to what I eat now, so half of that wouldn't be

very much at all. It's probably relative to exactly how over-efficient your

digestive s ystem was pre-op, too...? Who knows -- I'm not even a post-op

yet!

alyssa, soon to be officially " pre-op "

[Guest guest]

It's probably relative to exactly how over-efficient your

digestive s ystem was pre-op, too>>>

Alyssa,

possibly but also my surgeon isnt called " The Wizard " for nothing!!! He

works his magic and our insides respond!

Hugs, Judie

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 08/23/2001 1:31:29 AM Central Daylight Time,

DawnaJoy1@... writes:

> What I hear on the list is that some can eat fairly " normally " after a year,

> but others are still nowhere near that. Is the range really that large?

> How

> is it after two years? After three?

>

>

I would say that I can definitely eat a " small normal " meal which I would

define as about the amount of a lean cuisine in one not too drawn out meal.

The other day I went to lunch with my fellow teacher (beginning of the year

thing) and ordered an Italian sausage on a bun and you could have either soup

or fries with it. I ordered the veg. soup with it. I ate about half of the

soup (mostly broth) and the whole sandwich. Of course this is while gabbing

with coworkers, so it was stretched out a little. If I eat by myself I eat

much faster and can't eat as much at once. Today for lunch I had a can of

tuna with miracle whip and relish in it and about a cup of cut up tomatoes.

I was very satisfied and not overfull.

Just some examples at 16 months post op. Oh, by the way, my stomach was

about 100cc or 3 ounces at the time of surgery. I also know that if I eat a

banana fairly quickly it feels as if it is just about the capacity of my

stomach.

Dawn

Dr. Hess, Bowling Green, OH

BPD/DS

4/27/00

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