I was just throwing up in the bathroom when I thought, "Quick!  Get online and tell the Marchers about this!"  And you all thought I'd forgotten about you.

A few months ago, a gastroenerologist went spelunking and found that my stoma is wide open.  My PCP thought this was a good thing.  In my head I'm saying "You Boob!  Where did you get that medical degree?" That was just in my head.  Coming out of my mouth is the explanation that in the weight loss world, this is the kiss of death. All your food passes through with little nutrients being absorbed. 

I throw up a lot. It's what I do when I'm in pain.  How many times have I asked God why I don't weigh 98 pounds.  Here's why...  I normally dry heave.  There's normally nothing in my tummy to come up.  There have been times that I have sat on the edge of my bed and heaved and heaved and heaved without ever attempting to run to the bathroom and worship at the altar of porcelain gods because I know nothing is coming up.  Sometimes I'll swallow my pills, drink water and not even they come up when I start to heave just a minute later.  Why you ask.  It's because I have that great big ol' Holland Tunnel of a stoma.  Everything goes swooshing through. 

This morning my girldfriend came over early and we had some coffee and chit chatted for hours. I didn't have anything other than coffee (yes, I know.  CAFFEINNE!  And I LIKED it!)  Anyway, she left and I figured since I hadn't eaten all day, I should eat something.  Yes, I know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  I wasn't hungry, but I should eat.  For that matter, I hurt a bunch, but I kept forgetting to go over and take my meds.  I am a really lousy drug addict. Nausea starts up... it's 1:00 and I haven't taken anything for pain since 6:00am  so I quickly swallow some pills.   I warmed up about 2 ounces of left over steak, cut it in very small bites and started to chew slowly.  I probably ate 4 or 5 small bites, all chewed well, but gave the rest to the dog when nausea hit.  Breathe.... let it pass....  deep, slow breath....   breathe again....  I fought the nausea for about 10 minutes and finally gave up.  Luckily, this time I actually went to the bathroom because I THREW UP.  The protein stayed in my pouch long enough to actually throw it up instead of heading through the tunnel door.  The pills didn't follow the food out so I can only guess that they flew through my stoma and were lounging in my small intestine. 

I play out this scenario several times a week and I almost never do anything other than dry heave.  Looking at what was left of a sirloin steak reminded me that since denser proteins like chicken and steak don't feel that good in my tummy, I usually don't eat more than a bite or two and usually eat ground meat, fish or eggs. if not a shake. 

So what have I learned from today's experience?  Dense proteins stay in the pouch much longer.  Yeah, yeah we all knew this, but even with an open stoma, they stay longer.  Those pills never stay in my stomach so I suppose the same is true for every M&M, or other snack I've thrown in my pie hole.  When I had the flu a month ago and was really throwing up everything I swallowed, I could wash down the pills with water or tea and immediately start throwing up.  The pills never came back up, but the liquids did.  And get this...  I have no stomach acid.   

This was probably way too much detail, but I thought I'd share my "discovery".  So anyone have any recipes to share for the more dense versions of protein?  Chicken and beef beed some sort of sauce for me to be able to get it down.  Almost 6 years later and I still can't keep down dry chicken.  Actually, it's not a matter of keeping it down; rather, dry protein like chicken and steak irritate my pouch to death.  Thinking of food that might stay in the pouch longer... Beef stroganoff, Swiss Steak...

Connie
Connie