Question:
Does anyone experience a sharp pain in the middle of their breast bone?

I have an odd situation. I DO NOT EVER throw up. If I over eat I sit in pain for hours. If I eat something that does not agree with me I am in pain. The dr. feels it is scar tissue in my opening between my stomach and my intestine and he does not want to mess with it right now as it will slow my weight loss. I do not experience this pain all of the time but once every other day. I try to be very careful with what I eat. I am 7 weeks post op. I have lost 46 lbs already and I know that is doing ok. It just bothers me and I feel like a freak of nature. Can anyone tell me what I can do to relieve the pain, aside from throwing up because even with my finger down my throat it does not work. Not a puker before surgery and nothing has changed. HELP. Thanks....    — Dawn L. (posted on July 18, 2002)

July 18, 2002
Hi Dawn, You sound JUST LIKE ME! (8 mo Post). I"ve never thrown up, not once. But I can't count the times where something feels like it's stuck in the middle of my chest and all I can do is lay down until it passes. Let's see if the foods that bother me bother you: Soft breads of any kind, no matter how much you chew them, chicken, other heavy proteins not chewed to a liquid. According to my surgeon, breads are trouble - and I agree. Just think of a slice of white bread and how you can easily ball it up in your hands - that is what happens in your tummy. And it sits there.. and sits there.. until it finally passes. Anything that you don't chew well can do the same thing. My suggestion is to SLOW DOWN while eating.. if you eat more slowly and chew until you can't chew any more, you'll find yourself having less and less of this pain. it's not easy for sure, every now and then I still catch myself in the painful situation! But you are not alone.. :) Good luck to you!
   — Tracie B.

July 21, 2002
Yes! I have had this happen to me several times. The nurse at my doctor's office tells me to drink 1/4 cup of warm water with 1 teaspoon of Adolph's meat tenderizer mixed in. It tastes gross, but dissolves whatever is stuck in the stoma or where ever. I'd call my doctor to see if he thinks this will help.
   — Regina S.

July 23, 2002
I am THREE YEARS out and I do have pain also between my two last ribs. I was admitted two weeks ago into the hospital for 4 days. I had an endoscopy, colonoscopy, ct scan with dye, you name it, I had it. Every time I eat, it hurts like hell. It comes and goes though. It cannot be found. Surgeon doesn't want to mess with mine either, he says that an exploratory usually leaves his patients in more pain afterward and they don't find anything anyway. The gastroenterologist and my surgeon want me to live on Phenergan every 4 hours for nausuea and liquid Vicodin every 4 hours for pain. And live with it, just like that. By the way, I did make my goal, I gained some of it back but in my last hospitalization I lost about 12 pounds and look awesome, so that's one good thing. :) But I'm as lost as you are. Write me at [email protected] if you get any answers, please. It hurts.
   — Laura H.

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