Eeeeek! I fell off the diet and am only a month post op. I'm so scared of stretching my pouch

I had a death in the family and found myself falling back into extremely bad habits as the grief hit me.  I ate not only solid foods at not quite a month post-op but some pita bread and dip amongst other no no foods.  And the worst part is I quit measuring my food so I'm sure I was eating way too much at once besides drinking water or juice with my meals.  

While I'm back on track now I'm so scared of screwing things up long term.  I had to pay for my entire surgery out of pocket so for me this is a once in a lifetime chance to get healthy.

Has anyone else ever screwed up and had to get back on track?

I did feel sick after a couple of the things I ate but I didn't ever throw up, but then again I haven't had any problems at all with food post surgery and was able to eat 3oz of applesauce while I was still in the hospital only a couple of days post surgery so I'm not sure I would get sick til it was far too late.

I'm frightened of the possibility of stretching my precious pouch......

Any advice would be appreciated.

My advice is to go back to your surgeon and come clean.  Tell him everything. 

You are still early enough out that he needs to know this, and once he knows what you've been up to he is the one who can best answer your questions.

amy

First of all, give yourself a break.  LOTS of people have "hiccups" post-op and the majority of them give themselves a "wake up call", get back on track, and do just fine.  Most of us have lots of food demons and bad habits to overcome, and surgery doesn't magically make them go away.

Second, some surgeons allow their patients to eat soft food almost right after surgery and solid foods within just a couple of weeks. Solid food at a month out is NOT going to damage your pouch!  I started soft food on Day Three post-op, and was eating solid foods like moist chicken and fish by two weeks out.

Finally, your pouch is not easy to stretch.  The stoma is more likely to stretch than the pouch, but it still isnt especially common and it doesn't happen from just a few episodes of overeating or a few weeks of mild overeating.  Most people feel pain or other discomfort when they have had too much food.  Some surgeons believe that drinking with meals contributes to stretching the stoma, but others don't.  

What is done is done, though, and you cannot undo it.  What you can do, however, is get back on track starting right now.  Stop drinking with meals (that will significantly effect how much you are able to eat and therefore effect your weight loss), go back to measuring your portions, and go back to eating on plan.

It might also help to seek out a counselor not only to help you with the grief, but to help you get back on track and help you develop coping skills that don't involve food.

Attending a support group and/or being her can really help keep you mindful of what you are doing and eating and can provide much needed support to stay in track.

Lora

Thank you so much for the dose of common sense.  

My surgeon had me on solid foods in about five weeks. I agree with getting help with not only the food but the grief because most people turn to food in this time. I don't think that you have caused any damage to your pouch at this point but here's your chance to get it back together. Also if you started the day off bad that doesn't mean that it has to end bad, start now and change the outcome :) Your totally not the only person to fall off the wagon it happens to just about everyone at one point or another. Chin up and back on track that's what will get you over this 

My post op diet allowed a lot of foods that others consider 'no-no's' at one month post op, so I doubt you did any physical damage.  I was eating solid foods at one week post op (peeled apples, cooked vegetables, chicken and turkey) Give yourself some grace because you experienced a loss and you're human.  The positive thing is you realized what you did wrong and want to get back on track. I think a big part of the post-op diet is actually a compliance thing, the doctor wants us to follow the rules (for a change, clearly we haven't been!) and when you experience a loss like you did compliance can go out the window. This doesn't mean you are a failure!  Let yourself grieve and get back on track and you'll be fine!