Desperately need to vent and advice!

Have you let your surgeon's office know you are having this issue? You could have developed a stricture... However, slow the pace of eating, make sure your food (meat) is moist. If the meat is dry it tends to unsettle the stomach or feel stuck-then nausea & vomiting can occur. You have to remember that the main thing your stomach did was breakdown the food before it is sent on to the next part of digestion. your stomach is no longer able to do that for you therefore it is important to chew your food well.

Just spoke with my surgeons office, she said that it doesn't sound like a Stricture because I'm able to keep some fluids down.. She wants me to eat some yogurt, wait and then drink and then to call her back to see how I did with it. She also said that not taking my protonix could be a big reason why I feel nauseous all the time. Which I haven't been taking my protonix because swallowing pills has me throwing up and very sick hours after I've taken them.

I still just feel like things getting stuck in my throat the way it has been isn't normal. Like something must be wrong. I don't know.

I would call my surgical team right now and go to the ER .

I had a bowel obstruction due to dehydration and because I got to the emergency in time they just gave me an IV and I did not have to get open .... go go go ....

Alyssa, I'm sorry you are going thru all of this. It is not uncommon and you will get past it. The first year out is about you learning. What your body can and can't handle, what you should and should not eat, correct portion size, how to chew your food, how to navigate family functions, and most importantly, how to listen to your body. I found that I can eat until my body lets out a sigh. That is the signal that your body has been satisfied. You are done eating. Push your plate away or you will start to feel uncomfortable. Read every single nutritional label. Include your family on the skills you learn, especially the nutritional labels. The information you learn this year will set you up for a lifetime of good eating habits. Take advantage of the tool you have been given. If you do not use this tool the correct way this year then you will run the risk of returning to your old habits. Keep in mind the first year is the most difficult. There are only two days a year I regret my decision. Thanksgiving and Christmas. Those are only two days and I can survive that.

I'm surprised that you are on solid foods so quickly. I remember, two months after my surgery, taking my first bite of the best mashed potatoes I have every had. It took another three months to eat a raw carrot. Some foods are going to be harsh on your system for a while. That will clear up. I did have a stricture. The scar tissue prevented food from passing. Once that was cleared up I only got sick when I over ate. You can over drink as well.

Alyssa, you made a difficult choice to have the surgery. Now you have a difficult road ahead of you. You CAN do it. You WILL do it. And finally you will be GLAD that you did it when you reach the end of this chapter.

Hi. I felt the same way in the beginning. Just keep it simple and small. I couldn't drink water for months. I just would take a sip a few times and would start feeling sick. So I stopped but I kept with the sips until I could tolerate a bottle a day. Tuna no matter what it was mixed with or plain, I would get sick each time. I still really don't eat tuna and nit missing it. Just keep it simple and start learning how to change your thoughts about food. I would do it all again no regrets. Take a deep breath and start enjoying the little things that are changing your life forever the better. Hang in there

AlyssaBiddle, I had my only gastric surgery on October 31st.96..by an experienced teaching surgeon..n Memphis Tn.

...Yes i ate thanksgiving lunch.. I had a tablespoon(15 cc.) of moist turkey breast, a teaspoon(5cc) of my MIL's turkey dressing, a half teaspoon of cranberry sauce., a single bite of sweetpotato(tasting spoon bite),combined cran/sweetpotato= less than 4cc.

total meal less than 25cc. ... at 6 weeks i could eat ..45cc. I could not eat more than 60 c****il 16 weeks? post op... MY Volume went from 60oz to 1.5 oz./6 weeks.

I had an early open surgery that included a bypass, gastric banding, esophagus banding a hiatial hernia repair, a duodenal ulcer repair,a small bowel resection, a cholecystectomy(gall bladder was bad)and a large bowel resection...( removed all but 2 ft of colon.)+ 3 other female related surgeries..

The problems you are having is why my Surgeon did the banding..of esophagus and at base of pouch. He explained that experience taught him people often will under-judge the size of a bolus they are swallowing.He said if something got stuck it could be retireved with standard ER/OR equipment and no internal surgery..The first 6 weeks you will have more edema/swelling inside.. as it goes down your tolerance will increase .

Here is how you correct it. Here was his instructions.

Be careful not to gulp air when swallowing.People who are chronic air swallowers will have more difficulty with lquids and reflux/backfeeding.

Eat with a baskin robbins tasting spoon

....chew every bite 20 times... this will slow you down.

.. before you eat hold all liquids a minimum of 30 min, and do not drink anything until at least 30 min after you eat.

Other tips.

Get prescribed amount of water minimum..

. I was allowed to count all liquids-and used sugar free hot cocoa mix with a special protein supplement that was very low in carbs..to get protein in.and it counted as both protein and fluids.

Nothing carbonated.filtered water.

Make sure you get enough calories.. I lost 50 lbs in the first 4 weeks. i was weak and occassionally dizzy, and really tired. I was getting my rx'd protein of 90 grams(using the supplement) and the prescrbed water. but my calorie count was too low .

Nutritionist in office did an eval on my diet diary-and increased my carb intake by adding a half-serving of carbs to every meal.(One serv. of carbs is 15 grams.. my carbs were still under 25..).within 2 days my energy level came up.and i stopped being dizzy...

Be patient with yourself and your body as it adjusts to the massive changes. The hardest thing for me was learning to eat foods i had always consumed hot-cold. e..by the time i would eat 2 bites it was cold.

If something you try does not sit well- go back to basic diet.. liquid proteins for a day or so. and find on food to try and master foods one at a time.

.. if a meat is very dry , I can still have trouble with them mash with a fork and add a few drops of the cooking liquid will help things like a dry chicken or turkey breast...the mashing with a fork will help you break it ins smaller bites as well.

I had the sleeve last year but somethings are don't the same way. Our doctor had us start using baby spoons and forks to help us by not taking such big bites. Do you chew your food 20-30 times applesauce consistent? Don't drink a half hour after you eat.

Don't feel bad my husband has been getting very nauseous and doesn't want to eat and he had the bypass too.

Good luck

Debbie Cutlip