2 questions. Foamy/Slimmy Spit and Labs

Hi Guys

Its been 2months and half and I have been doing well.  I went to my follow visit today with Dr Roslin today and its time to my labs.  He gave me a list of blood work I need done and sent to him.  When I went over the list it seemed very short compare to list I've sen other people post.  I'm wondering should I go with is list or should I down load the DS vets version?  My second question is the spitting issue I'm having.  Ever since the surgery I have been having some really bad foamy/slimy spit.  I did some research and it seems like this is normal but I'm wondering if their is anything I can take to prevent this.  This happens when I eat and even when I dont eat.  It literally happens all day and it becoming annoying.  Will this ever go away?  I ask Dr Roslin and he told me it could be because I eat too fast but if that is the case why does it happen when I dont eat as well?  He also mention its probably the effects of the Lapband.  Help?

the list that dr Roslin gave you for your PO (3 month draw) is all you need, later on you will need to add other labs depending on your individual risk factors, clinical symptoms etc.  you are really early out PO, the body does have some reserves.  while everyone is different, and no absolutes in medicine, with a CC longer than the average 100 cm, your potential for deficiencies at 3 months are slim to none, at 1 year, well that is different depending on your intake and how well your body is coping with intestinal adaptation.

the spitting/slimming is probably due to your lap band and may take some time.  try to eat slower, warmer, smaller amounts of well chewed food till your esophogus has normalized.  This will take longer if you didn't have your lap band removed prior to surgery.  It will get better.

A lot of times this can be due to normal postop healing.  The sleeve procedure irritates your vagus nerve significantly.  This is why a lot of people sniffle and sneeze when they start getting full.  Sometimes early out I would eat until I was pleasantly full and stop.  Then I would realize I still had a couple of bites still in my esophagus working their way down.  By the time they settled I had over-eaten and it wasn't a pleasant situation.  I had to train myself to put plenty of time between bites to prevent this from happening but, unfortunately, I was a slow learner.  

Another common side effect is increased postnasal drainage.  This was a big problem for me and I caught myself swallowing more postnasal drainage than I could deal with and it would ultimately come back up.  I made a conscious effort to spit it out when it was like a continual stream to prevent the untoward side effects.  That worked great for me.  It definitely improves quickly the further out from surgery you are.

I still have problems with two foods:  processed hot dog wieners and store-bought rotisserie chicken.  I'm convinced it has to do with preservatives they put in the meat.  They foam me incessantly and I have a difficult if not impossible time keeping them down even 2 years out.  But I can eat summer sausage, kielbasa, and other sausages without problems.  Weird, but again I'm convinced it has everything to do with added preservatives.   

So slow down, chew well, give the bite time to reach your stomach before you put another one in your mouth.  Also, keep track of whether certain foods cause more problems than others and alter your diet accordingly.  If none of this helps, then it's most likely the angry 20% of stomach that's left after your VSG conscienciously objecting.  It gets better.  

Steve,

Thank you for posting this. I am experiencing much of the same and I was wondering about it.  The additional sneezing is uncomfortable because I am still healing up and I couldn't quite understand why I was suffering through this all of a sudden as my allergies have miraculously been suppressed (this is usually my bad time of the year here in Florida.) Yes, I am sneezing frequently but it isn't the same as when I'm sneezing because of allergies. Hard to explain but reading what you wrote now makes me understand it better.

I get that with french fries sometimes - nothing I can put my finger on as to why.  I just enjoy them really slow.  Are you on any acid reducers like Nexium or Prilosec?  If not, it may be time to do so.

Hey girl, I get the spit/foamies all the time too.  I get it after I have eaten something.  I am eating slowly and chewing well, but sometimes I get nauseous as well.  I had that after I had my RNY in 2004.  It does passes give it time, yes its very annoying but it does pass.

How are you otherwise?

Frankie

The foamies, sliming and excessive spitting started for me about 3 weeks post-op... right at the time I tried to start on mushy/soft foods. I had to temporarily go back to liquids and eliminate dairy. Slowly I've been able to add small amounts of cheese and other dairy items back to my diet.

I was told the same things you were told... don't eat so fast, you're eating too much, etc. Well, if taking two bites of a soft food was too much... then I guess I was guilty. Like you sometimes it happened even when I wasn't eating (for ex. when drinking water or protein shakes).

The excessive spitting/salivating has mostly gone away in the past few weeks (thank god!), but I still get random bouts of sliming even when eating small amounts of foods that I've been able to eat previously. The good news is that it seems to be improving over time, albeit slowly. Hope this is the case with you as well. Hang in there.