food in stomach during surgery

Hi all! Just had my Ds and the doc said i had a stomach full of food !! He took a pic and sure enough it was gumbo I had 4 days B4 surgery. You could actually see the okra and onions clear as a bell!.

My doc was very mad at me cause he thought i ate during my 24 hour liquid diet. I told him i did not eat during that 24 hr time but he still dont believe me. Kinda rude he was. Any way he said that never happend B4 for him during surgery and i worry cause when he removed the pouch after stapling....thats when he noticed the food in there .I am concerned if this could to a problem with the staples going right thru the food area while he performed this. He will not shed any light on this if this could be a problem. I do trust him as a great DS surgeon ....he has no bed side manners and he dont talk much at all. but he is noted to be the best DS surgeon out there....sort of left me hangin which leaves me very concerned. Has this ever happened to anyone else ?

Gary

I didn't have any food restrictions except for 12 hours prior to my surgery.  I had Montreal smoke meat sandwich on rye with a side of poutine the night before and there were no ill effects from that.  I wouldn't worry about it and besides, what is done is done.

How odd that there would be food in there from 4 days ago! Wow!  I guess if you have a really slow metabolism it's possible?  Maybe if you are concerned about infection from the food being present in your stomach at the time of stapling, maybe you can get some advice or answers from another doctor, maybe your own personal doctor?  Sorry the surgeon isn't giving you much help in the way of answers. That's a bummer.

Even though your surgeon cussed in the OR... thinks you are a lying, cheatin secret eater... that you made that surgery 5 times harder than it had to be.... and he probably wishes you get taught a lesson... he would have prescribed antibiotics if the food was going to interfere with your staples or healing process in any way. 

If he didn't react to the issue, and someone else found out that complications came about because he didn't prescribe drugs to deal with a potential serious medical issue - he could be sued for mal-practice. 

He hates you, no doubt.  But not enough to let your surgery tank because of some food in your stomach.

But you will be talked about for a while.  Are your ears burning?

Relax.  You are going to be just fine.

Lol to this post!  Nicely said!  I'm a perioperative RN, and I was thinking the same thing.  I suspect if this had happened at my hospital everyone would be abuzz about it.  Pretty wild!  

I agree...no need to worry about the food.  Even an empty stomach has bacteria.  Lots of people go in for emergency surgery after having eaten...think car accident, etc, when there is no time to wait.  The main reason for having nothing in your stomach before surgery is to prevent reflux and vomiting while under anesthesia.  That can cause aspiration pneumonia.  The food in your stomach slowed them down, was probably pretty gross, and could have caused complications, but as someone else said, what's done is done, and you came out ok.  They removed the contents of your stomach before they moved on with the surgery. 

I have to add, I have seen my kids vomit up stuff from a couple of days before when they are sick.  I always figured it was just really slow motility due to the illness.  I believe you that you didn't eat before surgery, if that helps at all!

Tonya

Thanx ladies Your so great !! I have been diagnosed today with 

Gastroparesis from my diabetis which means my food dont digest.I wonder how that is

going to effect me now ?

effect me now  How will i know theres food staying in my very small pouch. The gastro doc

 not give me an answer