halting the foamie cycle

I'm not sure if any of you have had this happen or if this is totally common and i've just glossed over everyone else's experience.

I'm doing pretty good, things are going well, but i'm confused... one day i feel great and i can eat some wild things and have no reaction, and then one day i eat something ive eaten a hundred times post-op and i get stuck in a barfing-up-foam loop. it has to be either eating too fast or not chewing enough, i know this, and i'm trying my very very best to stay conscious of it... but my question is this...

once i get into this throwing up loop, where it happens once and i get over full, i'll keep going for almost an hour... throwing up foam and water every ten minutes. is there a quick easy way to halt this cycle? my only answer so far that sorta-kinda works is sucking on sugar free peppermint, but sometimes my stomach will get so sensative, i'll throw up mint and water... i wish i could just say to my body, "oh, my bad. i won't do that again. you can stop now." but it just won't listen :( sigh.

any ideas?

I personally have only had the foamies twice and it was horrible. I know that once I started I kept on. I think the thought of doing it made me sick again. I try not to eat fast or too much. I get fussed at for not eating enough but I want to avoid the foamies at all costs. They are some nasty nasty things. I wish I could help you but I made the mistake of laying down once when I had them...nnnnnooooooooo not good. I look forward to seeing if anyone has any ideas.

Melissa

I'm 14 mo post op and I STILL sometimes get the foamies!  If I get too hungry, I eat too fast or don't chew enough, or try to drink something 'frozen'.  I've never had it go on for an hour.  Usually I spit a few times and I'm done.  I try to stick with warm liquids for the next 24 hours.  I guess you just have to foam your pouch is no longer so full.   Once I did try  sucking on a SF hard candy.  WRONG.  I think that just puts more saliva on top of an already overloaded pouch.  All that did was make everything actually come up, not just foam.  I won't try that again.  When I eat too much and it gets beyond foam, I never "throw up", but I bend over and open my mouth and it just rolls out (sorry to be so graphic).  THAT hasn't happened in a long time.

Sounds like you know what went wrong.  And it's easy to say 'don't do it again'.  But none of us is perfect. Remember  bringing stuff up puts stress on everything and can cause swelling.  It is not good for your band.   

the "it just rolls out" is exactly what im talking about here... so gross, isn't it?

Hi Karla,

In my experience, the bad news is that you have to wait it out. The good news is that it gets better with time and I don't have to deal with that at all any more.

Hang in there,

Hey there!   My foamies usually aren't nearly as bad as that, but I still get them from time to time.  It's always when I have eaten too big a bite and it's gotten stuck.  My solution has become "Don't try to wa**** down!!!!  Instead, go to the bathroom and let whatever is 'go'."  The sooner I let it go to it's just reward, the faster I feel better.  Once it's gone, I drink sips of warm drinks and it all settles down.  Hang in there!

Two things I have heard that work.  One, you can try some Papaya Enzyme, found at Walmart, in the vitamin aisle.  This can help break down whatever it is you've eaten that maybe you didn't chew well enough.  Some people swear by this stuff.  I have only had the foamies once and didn't use it, so I cannot verify whether it works or not.

Secondly, and don't flame me for this, but what worked for me was sticking my finger down my throat and throwing it back up.  If the problem is something that is stuck, then the only options are up or down.  I have had better success with bring it back up than trying to force it down.

Either way, this too shall pass, eventually, one way or the other.  The best thing to do is make sure you're chewing thoroughly. 

Take care.
Ellen

oh trust me, i've been doing that too :)

follow up from yesterday. 

i talked to the nurse at my surgeons office and I think we figured out what was going on. After I initially barf from eating something that’s too fatty or too sweet, I’ve been trying to eat or drink too soon afterwards and my esophagus and the stitches and such at the top of my new stomach are too swollen and it rejects anything I try to put past it. So I have to now be more vigilant about what I’m eating and it I throw it up I need to wait at least an hour before I try to swallow anything else.   But she reassures me this won’t be forever. Thank god.

Thansk for all you guys' support and suggestions. I'm trying again today... sigh! wish me luck!

I am 14 months post op and what you just described is me all the way. I eat to fast and its my own fault I can eat almost anything and sometimes stuff that should make me sick doesnt and healthy stuff makes me feel ill.. hang in there! I know how you feel!!