Help with eating

I am 5.5 weeks out and am supposed to be in the soft foods stage till Sunday and then I can go to regular foods. I was so happy when I figured it all out and realized I would be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner. My mom and I went thru the surgery on the same date and my sisters are both willing to make anything we request, so that we can eat it. So most all of our recipes came from the recipe book in my binder I received from my clinic. My dilema is that even on soft foods, the only thing that is agreeing with OSCAR (my pouch) is sf popsicles or Yougurt & frozen strawberry smootie. I do try to eat other stuff and it always gets "stuck". Then I either have to or lay in the recliner forever and a day (about 45-60 minutes actually) to get rid of the feeling. Today I have tried to eat egg salad, it tastes yummy but it has taken me 1.5 hours to eat 1oz of it, because of the "stuck" feeling. I am at work, so I just have to sit and wait it out. Any suggestions on how to get past this dang STUCK business? It actually brought me to tears today (luckily no one else was in the office). The good news is that I have lost 33.5lbs as of this morning!! TIA, Anne-Marie

Anne-Marie, I am very sorry to hear that you are having these problems. You may want to contact your doctor about that stuck feeling. I know you don't want to hear this but you may have a stricture that needs stretching. I am having my own troubles with food if it makes you feel any better. I have no problems getting things down but I dump on almost everything. The only foods I don't dump on so far are eggs and sliced chicken lunch meat. I am so afraid of eating now that I hardly eat anything. Hopefully yours will be an easy fix. Keep posting and let us know. Jacinda

Anna Your so luckey to have someone cook for you. My daughters are doing my thanksgiving. I will help them. I had that stuck feeling about 4-5 times. I know it is terrible. If it does not pass you will need to see your doctor. They can fix you right up.. Hopefully it will pass... Take Care Hugs to you Barb

Ok i get the stuck feeling alot too. I have to be really careful about chewing. Try making things a little more runny. If its oatmeal and such add a little milk after you make it. When i pureed meat i add fat free gravy to make softer and helps go down. I really have to chew chew chew things like crazy. Chicken is the worst sometimes. I actually eat beef better than chicken. Hope it gets better. I know sometimes i even get the stuck feeling on water. I have good days and bad but just go with the flow. Tammy O

Same happens to me, typically I do better with beef than chicken. I notice that at work I am much more careful about eating and CHEWING because I am terrified of -ing at work. On the other hand, at home when I am eating alone, I get that stuck feeling more often, just goes to show I'm not being careful. amy

I had the same thing and it was a stricture. It's common and not a big deal, you just go to the hospital and its an outpatient procedure that takes like 30 min to scope and stretch the stoma. I've been getting that feeling again and am worried that I may be getting another.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR REPLIES AND SUPPORT!! YOU ALL ARE AWESOME! I go to the Dr. on Wednesday morning for my 6 week checkup and will be having him check me for a stricture. I will keep you updated. Anne-Marie

Hi there! I went to the Dr. today and am down 37lbs... I have no stricture, they just say tht I need to eat smaller bites and slower and chew more. How much more can you chew mush??? LOL!!! I can't eat much slower - it took me 1.5 hours to eat 1oz of egg salad. Well, tomorrow is my husband & I's 15yr anniv and we are supposed to go out to dinner... We shall see what I can eat... Thanks everyone for your input, prayers and concern. Anne-Marie