Marilyn, Unraveled

151 Days. That’s how long it took. For what? For me to really find out how much my stomach can hold. 

I’ve definitely felt full before — got that tight feeling in the middle of my chest, then stopped eating to let it pass. Some food goes down easier but some takes time. Might be a texture thing. Might be just the mood of my bicycleta (the South Park-inspired name for my pouch). My bicycleta was feeling angry I think. 

Last night I decided to make a big batch of roasted Brussels sprouts to have with leftover crockpot chicken that Mike made. We had the chicken Friday and it was awesome. Chicken thighs with fresh rosemary and thyme. Very tender. Didn’t anticipate any issues. 

I noticed that full feeling halfway through my leftover meal. Did half of the chicken first (protein first rule), then had a few Brussels sprouts. Felt immediately full. I stopped. Waiting for it to pass. I sat at the table making pained sounds for about 15 minutes while Mike made his dinner. It was hurting more and more. Waited some more. Decided to pack the rest into a container, then I realized just how big the portion was. I figured the Brussels would be okay…maybe they were denser than I thought. (Note to self: yes, you are good at ball parking portions, but stop that now!)

I set my 30 minute timer to wait before liquids, thinking I could make some peppermint tea and that would help. Skip ahead 45 minutes. As I went to make the tea, the felt a familiar feeling. I was sure I was going to hurl. I stood over the sink and that feeling passed. I went into the living room to watch TV and another 30 minutes later, I made a mad dash to the bathroom and threw up for the first time since surgery. It was scary because I don’t actually know where my stomach is and how that would work since it’s like a straight path through to the intestines. I’ll spare you the details, but it’s pretty much what you might expect. I definitely felt better afterwards. Came back to the living room and after a little while, I took a sip of tea and made the mad dash to the bathroom again and this time barely made it. The tea I drank came out first but I think I expelled whatever was causing my distress the 2nd time around. 

Not sure what the heck happened. Could be the reheated chicken had too much of a texture change, or the volume of food. One thing I know for sure is that I do not want that to happen again.

Today’s going to be a protein-yogurt-soup kind of day, just to give my bicycleta a break. 

Again, another example of me thinking something would never happen to me. Another lesson learned. Good times.