Stricture or ?

Hey everyone Can someone explain the symptoms of a stricture to me? I've read lots of posts about people having them and the process of getting them corrected, but not much about what it feels like. I ate an egg over medium this morning for breakfast, yogurt and cheese for lunch and felt just fine. After I took my calcium chew (citracel chocolate chews) I felt like something was stuck in my throat. My salivary glands started acting up and I eventually and the discomfort subsided. It is entirely possible that I may not have chewed the chew (haha) well enough as they are quite dense, but to be certain I put a call into my doc's office. I await a return call but want to hear from voices of experience. Thank you! Nicole

The saliva thing is frothing. I get that when I either eat to fast or do not chew my food well enough. I heard that with a stricture you can't keep anything down. I hope that helps. Doc http://www.myspace.com/az411

Frothing sucks! Thank you for your help Judging by Nicole's post below, I think I'm looking at another doctor's visit...

Nicole, Well, I know a thing or two... or three about strictures. I have had two strictures with them getting fixed a total of three times. My first one started at 3 weeks post-op. I was eating some chicken and about after 2 or 3 bites, I started getting the foamies and really bad tightness behing my sternum and brought it up. I thought maybe it was the chicken (rositerriere) and ate yogurt and had my protein shake and called it a night. The next day I had some yogurt for breakfast and egg salad for lunch and again... still had some tightness behind my sternum. I wasn't feeling so hot that day (I think I just pushed myself too much that day, I took a scrapbooking class that was a few hours too long) and felt dehydrated, so I just had my protein drink and went to bed. Sunday... I had my usual yogurt, protein drink and then chicken cutlets for dinner. no problems at all. So then I thought to myself, it's not a stricture, I must have had been eating wrong the last few days, because this chicken is staying down fine. Monday was a different story... I started getting that pressure when I ate yogurt and tuna fish for dinner. Tuesday, I woke up had some tea and that right back up right away. So I called the office and Randy told me that it was the starting signs of a stricture and ordered me to very small sips and keep myself hydrated as much as possible and he would schedule me for a endoscope. Unfortunately due to the Thanksgiving holiday they couldnt get me in until the following Monday, 6 six days away. So of course I freaked... because Thanksgiving was now ruined and I was worried about not keep water down. Small sips, I kept telling myself and he told me if water couldnt stay down to call ASAP. So by Friday morning, I couldnt keep water down and I was down to 3mm. I ended up on IV's and attempt #1 to fix the stricture failed because I have a very high tolerance to the drug they give you, Versed (the drug they gave you when they were wheeling you into the OR, the day of your surgery, well, I remember transferring to the table and all, positioning myself, etc... then I was in LaLa land after and woke up in recovery). So I had to go under general anesthesia to get my strictures fixed and it was 2 weeks later after the original signs had started (long story, it's in my blog area). With the 2nd sticture, I was 7 weeks post op and the same thing again, really bad pressure behind the sternum and you can feel the liquid or food building up like a funnel trying to get thru that stoma... either it would go thru and I would be uncomfortable or it came up. It was fixed a few days before Xmas. Give your pouch and stoma a day to relax if you have been throwing up a bit... drink so hot tea, cold water and stay on yogurt, cottage cheese... anything soft and smooth for 24hrs and see if it gets better. It is a real easy fix and you can tell the difference right away... Don't live with that discomfort, it really does suck and it is upsetting. I really got upset when I sat down to eat and did my mindful eating and followed the rules to only throw up because of the stricture. My friend Katie had a slight stricture and she was miserable for weeks before the office scheduled her for a endoscope, because she was able to keep water down without a problem, but had problems with yogurt and cottage cheese, she got that pressure in her chest each time and that is not normal. A few of us on here had strictures so far... its a pretty common complication with the surgery and from what Melissa told me when she was doing her rounds at the hospital when I had to spend the night, it is more common in young women because we are still producing collagen and that is what scartissue is made of and is developing around our stoma's. Well... I am rambling! I hope you feel better, please let me know if you need anything! ~Nicole

Hey Nicole. Thank you for sharing your experience - this was REALLY helpful. Here's what happened... This morning I ate an egg over medium for breakfast - I was able to eat half before feeling satisfied. For lunch I ate ¾ of a cup of yogurt and a half stick of string cheese. About an hour later, I chewed my multivitamin, took my Iron pill, pepcid, and chewed my calcium chew (citracel). I hear and feel gurgles whenever I drink, but today they seemed to be a bit worse. I began to feel like I had a lump in my throat and left work early. When I arrived home, I threw up - judging from the color and taste, I was throwing up the citracel calcium chew which is chocolate flavored and rather dense. I don't know if it came back up because I didn't chew it well enough or because I may have the beginnings of a stricture. I made some hot tea and took a nap. Since I've been awake I feel like there is a lump at the base of my throat and the gurgling noises continue when I drink. The lump feels higher than my sternum, but maybe my sense of positioning is off? Who knows. I'm gonna try and sleep. Thanks again for your help! (the other) Nicole

It sorta does sound like a stricture, give yourself a day to relax your system and just do soft foods... water, yogurt, hot tea, protein drink, etc and if tomorrow you start having problems again call the office. It does get better! ~Nicole

Hey Nicole Thanks for the tips. I spoke with Randy today and he recommended the same and to call if it doesn't improve by the weekend. I was happy to hear that he didn't think it was a stricture though - that it could just be a narrowing due to irritation instead of a "mechanical" type narrowing requiring a procedure. Whew! Thank gawd I have no appetite! Pre-op this would have driven me bonkers!

Nicole, hey there I've been absent from here for awhile. I had one got it fixed and still have a problem with things going down smoothly. I threw up today at lunch, but at cottage cheese, 3 bean salad, and 2 oz of turkey loaf for dinner no problem. I know what you are talking about the gurgling sounds. It's like you are pouring too much liquid into a funnel. So I am just living with it for now. I try to eat really slow small bites. That helps, it's easy to go into your old ways of wolfing things down, but for us it's a thing of the past. Does it feel like you get trapped air too? Then you burp and it's better. Happens to me all the time..Well good luck, if it is one it is a easy fix just need a couple of hours at the hospital and a driver to take you home..... Erin

Hey Erin, Luckily I don't think it was a stricture. I'd been taking the Citracel calcium citrate chocolate chews which are VERY dense. I think I didn't chew part of it well enough before swallowing and then came the trouble. I've been advised to seek out a different form of calcium and want to steer clear of the yucky liquid one. The gurgling is so funny. I'm just so thirsty all the time and feel totally dehydrated, especially now that it's getting warmer. I'm probably drinking too fast, but man! I'm thirsty!!! ;) I'm sorry you weren't well today. I threw up my lunch too if it makes you feel any better The shrimp went down fine last night, but not today! They weren't even leftoevers. Who knows, trial and error, right? Nicole