I had the operation (but not keyhole)18 years ago. It took me 9 months before I could eat solid food.For the first 3 months I had soups, babyfood and a product called Buildup.As you won't be able to eat a balanced diet I would advise you take multivitamin drops as you won't be able to get tablets down.I still can't drink fizzy drinks and have to chew everything well as if I don't sometimes food gets stuck.You really can't eat quickly so set aside time.Later on when you start to attempt more solid food I found drinking warm water after swallowing helps the food down.I hope this helps you west ham fan and good luck with the op.