Post-Op Food Aversion

Prior to my gastric bypass, I read information from other patients about how their tastes changed following surgery. I guess I expected those changes to be more immediate, if they were going to occur at all for me. When I was finally able to start eating solid food again, I had no problem eating the foods I had eaten prior to my surgery…within the bariatric guidelines, of course! (Well, I did have a problem with eggs, and they are still a no-go for the time being.) Food was basically trial and error in case anything caused dumping, but other than that, each type of food worked for me.

As a refresher, dumping syndrome occurs when food, especially sugar, moves from my new stomach pouch into my small intestine too quickly. Most people with dumping syndrome develop symptoms such as abdominal cramps/nausea/diarrhea about 10 to 30 minutes after eating. I have had a few instances of dumping after eating something with too high of a sugar content. I’m not talking about trying to eat a big slice of cake or three scoops of ice cream. I’m talking about fairly insignificant items, such as one Andes mint or a tiny taste of my daughter’s tiramisu birthday dessert. For me, dumping presents itself as stomach uneasiness, massive cold sweats, and a spike in blood pressure. These episodes are extremely uncomfortable, so they are definitely beneficial in the food re-education process. I am now 2 months post op and things are starting to change when it comes to my food preferences. I have been surprised at how these changes have presented themselves so far, and they have come in two main areas.

If you know me at all, and some of you do know me personally, you know how much I LOVE COFFEE!!! Coffee has never been about the caffeine load for me. Drinking a good cup of hot coffee has always been about the experience. Coffee while enjoying the sunset. Coffee with a good friend and great conversation. Coffee paired with the perfect little cookie, or the worst little cookie…doesn’t really matter because everything goes better with a great cup of coffee. Well, not anymore. I can still drink coffee and it does not bother my stomach, but it just doesn’t taste good to me. I only drink 1-2 cups per week now, and that is just because I keep trying to like it. I rarely finish a cup and, honestly, I’m a little verklempt by this post op development.

Secondly, I am developing a real aversion to meat…any kind of meat. I think this really has to do with how much I have to chew each piece of meat in order to swallow. No matter how small I cut the pieces, the more I chew, the bigger the meat feels…especially shrimp. Yuck! In addition, meat just does not go down very well. I have had several times where food has gotten “stuck” at the entrance to my new stomach pouch, and most of those times have involved meat (or broccoli). Food getting stuck is extremely painful, and very hard to rectify. My body responds by trying to burp, which doesn’t work because of the blockage and only succeeds in producing foam. You can actually google “bariatric foamies”…it’s a whole thing, and just makes everything worse! Most patients recommend chewing papaya enzymes (or even mixing and drinking meat tenderizer, can you imagine?) to help ease the blockage. Sometimes the enzymes really help, but they sure taste nasty. Even after the blockage finally drops into my stomach, there is a lingering feeling like a rock in my gut. As a result, my daughter’s vegetarian lifestyle is now looking more and more attractive.

Being young in my post-op phase, I am learning new things each day. Some of these lessons are a little painful, but I wouldn’t go back and change my decision about surgery. I went into this journey very well-educated and with my eyes wide open. I knew what to expect in the post op, and I am feeling my way through it. Physically, I am doing great. I am down almost 40 pounds, have lost 15 inches so far, and have eliminated one blood pressure medication. Life is good and I am learning to enjoy the personal growth. My next step is to start incorporating INTENTIONAL exercise into my daily routine. This step will probably be the hardest mind-shift for me so far. I am not a morning person, and I hibernate from the heat of Summer. Forcing myself to do what I hate doing while staying motivated to continue doing it in this heat is going to be a HUGE challenge. I know all the benefits. I know how good I’ll feel afterwards. I know it will help move my WLS surgery journey along and help reduce muscle wasting. But none of that matters when that alarm goes off in the morning. So…on to next steps.