Tena,
I'm 10 months post Nissen and the gas and bloating has diminished to a large extent. The 7th month on is where I noticed things improving. I can also release a little air from my stomach when I feel stuffed, which is often. That ability developed over time and it's not full relief but it helps a little. You may or may not develop the ability over the next few months. Hopefully you can, but don't put it on your schedule. I still carry Gas-x with me always but I use less and less.
As far as diet and weight loss goes I fully understand the challenges. Your full all the time, bloated and uncomfortable. Still, I feel better without food. I became lactose sensitive post surgery. So no whey protein or regular milk. Artificial sweeteners also caused me stomach upset. I track my diet using Myfitnesspal and use a macro based diet plan to maintain my weight. I lost 27 lbs post surgery that I didn't need to lose. Myfitnesspal will calculate your caloric needs based on your profile to give you an idea how much you need to maintain your weight. Because I don't feel hunger post surgery and a small amount of food makes me full I will under eat if I didn't track.
Here's a few suggestions that have seemed to help me with caloric needs and avoiding gas build up.
-- Always chew to a liquid.
-- Cook all vegetables and steer clear of any known gas producing foods. I use the FODMAP diet guidelines for choosing foods to include or avoid.
-- I use digestive enzymes before my meals. Just one capsule at the start.
-- If your tracking your food intake try and keep note of the amount of fiber your getting. I slowly increased my fiber intake and I believe it's made a big difference for me. 10 g per 100 g of carbohydrates in your diet.
-- Dried fruits are a great way to add calories without volume. I found some without added sugar that I add to my breakfast everyday.
-- I found "fairlife" lactose free ultra filtered milk to be a real blessing to me. High protein and easy on my stomach. I've been drinking it since my first month post surgery. The whole milk is great for keeping my calories up.
-- I've avoided yogurt and most regular dairy. However, I tolerate ice cream and cheese well in moderation so that helps with calories as well.
-- Eggs and egg whites are my go to source of protein. I scramble eggs every morning. It's the one protein rich food that I tolerated well post surgery.
Many people don't mind the weight loss side effect of this surgery but it was of great concern for me. And it was much more dramatic and unhealthy than I expected. I use a website called Avatar Nutrition to help me with my macro based diet. There's a small monthly fee but its been a real help over the last 6 months. It doesn't tell you what to eat just helps with how much and the recommended protein, carbs and fat breakdown of your diet.
Hope this helps. Everyone is different when it comes to recovery so the above are just suggestions and what does or doesn't work for you now may change as time goes by and your body adjusts.
12 weeks is still early recovery. 20 weeks I felt more in control of things but bloating and eating enough dominated my thinking. 7 months is when I noticed a marked change in the bloating problems. This 10th month feels great compared to previous months. I still don't get hungry and if I eat a big meal I feel awful and my shoulder hurts. Hang it there and be patient.
-Mark
Post Edited (celerity-dad) : 12/7/2017 10:21:42 AM (GMT-7)