I didn't listen!!

There is still learning to come...I enjoyed a small helping of French toast for breakfast and half a sandwich of roast beef on toast. They both went down easily and tasted wonderful. So wonderful that an hour or so later I made another roast beef on toast. Only managed to get about 3 small bites before something got stuck and I had to go through the old routine. Not a major setback, just a reminder to be careful. It will be back to soup and pudding tommorrow!

I actually felt so good today though that I went shopping! That's pretty good for only four days out from surgery.

Sandy

Hi BCer,

Whoa!  You are SUPER-NISSEN patient if you're eating roast beef on toast at Day 4!  Yikes!  Good for you that you tolerated the first batch without trouble, but I would imagine that your esophagus, wrap, and stomach were surpised at what you were sending them.

I'm all for taking tiny bites and chew, chew, chew until it's a liquid consistency (creamy), but even at that, roast beef and toast are pushing it at Day 4.

Keep in mind that you're at the very early stages of recovery, and you'll need to baby your wrap and stomach.  Laproscopic surgery is deceiving.  Your outsides have 5 little slits that don't reflect what was done to your upper GI tract.  That has been dramatically revised.  Your hernia was repaired which is a job in itself, then your stomach was stretched and wrapped and stitched.  Your insides have been through MAJOR surgery. 

Over the next two weeks your wrap will become increasingly swollen, so don't be surprised that your swallowing gets worse before it gets better again.  Stick to soft foods for a while longer.  That's not to say you need to have only liquids, unless the swelling gets so bad that it's the only thing you can manage.  You can use your good judgement and select only foods that can be chewed to a liquid (your mouth becomes your blender).  Take small bites and chew thoroughly.  You should do just fine.

My surgeon also had a laissez faire view of post-Nissen eating, and I am thankful for that.  Many here are forced to eat only liquids for two weeks or so, and then move to blenderized food for a couple weeks.  I would have had a hard time with that.  Instead, my mouth was my blender, and I took tiny bites and chewed until whatever I was eating was a liquid consistency.  If something didn't chew to a liquid, I would deposit it in a nearby paper napkin.

That type of eating freedom post-Nissen requires a lot of responsibility on the part of the patient.  You will have to use your own good judgement and select the foods you choose very carefully.  You can do this!

Welcome to the Wrapped Club!

Happy healing,

Denise