Pain

This week i've had something happening and I don't know what it is.......

I can eat what I can of egg, applesauce, steak, cottage cheese, etc and I get my full feeling.  So I stop.  Then about 20 minutes after I start feeling REALLY full.  Then even after anywhere from 30-60 minutes later when I try to drink I feel like everything is going to come back up.  However, this changed last night and tonight.....about 20 minutes after eating I started feeling like I was going to be sick, and even broke out in a sweat.  I also produced TONS of saliva.  And everytime my tummy seemed to highten with pain I would get short of breath.  When I would try to drink a little it would hurt worse and get worse. It was really scary.  Is it possible something is getting stuck?  None of this stuff has ever caused any issues prior to this week.  I think I am chewing sufficiently....but possibly not.  I just thought I'd see what you all think.  It is now an hour after all of this and I'm feeling fine and can keep liquids down.

I think I would call the doc tomorrow.  I had a close friend that had a stricture about 6 weeks out and had to have it dealt with.  Don't want to freak you out, but the call will help ease your mind.

I didn't throw up....just felt like I could.  I haven't gotten sick with it, but have come VERY close.  can you still have a stricture and be able to keep the food down?

It sounds like you're frothing or as some say have the foamies...this happens when you eat too fast or your foods are too dry.  I had it happen two night in a row about a month after surgery.  The first night it started about four bites into my dinner...I had extreme pain in the middle of my back (it was like someone was stabbing me over and over) and so much saliva I could have used a whole roll of paper towels...after about 20-30 minutes with a LOT of discomfort and nausea I had several large burps and relieved it...the second night it started about 30 minutes after eating...it got so bad I wa****ting my back against the wall thinking I could get a burp out...I finally bent over and some food along with a lot of saliva came up...I felt much better.  My nut explained that I was eating too fast or my food was too dry...now I take my time and all of my foods are moist either naturally or I add a gravy or sauce to it. 

I'm surprised to read that you're eating steak at this point.  A lot of RNYers have problems with beef the first six months.  I had four bites of steak for the first time on Saturday (four months out) and I had some problems Sunday morning.  All of the other foods you listed are things I was eating at that time.  The foods I had problems with were broiled crab cake (too dry) and carrots (not chewed enough and too hard).

Hope you're feeling better!
Brid 

I'm over two years out and still have a problem with steak.  It sucks.

My problems are pretty immediate, meaning when I eat something my body doesn't like, it tells me about it right then and there (no more than a few minutes after).

A couple of weeks after my surgery, I had started the full liquids part of my diet where I was allowed to eat full soups, puddings, etc.  At this point I was still experiencing a lot of very painful gaseous bloating, which I was sure should have ended by then.  But there I was, cringing on the throne day after day wondering why the hell did I do this to myself.  Then I read that the incidence of lactose intolerance among post op people was significant.  I had been eating pudding just before each episode.  So I stopped and there went the pain.  Turns out my gastric bypass turned me lactose intolerant, which I control now.  Sure, I have to give up heavy creams, ice cream and soft cheeses, but who needs those anyway.

Pain can be attributed to any of a number of things.  Check into all possibilities, but always consult your doctor.

Chris

Hey Rae -

Here's some tips:

1> You're really close to your surgery date, still.  I didn't even try for solids until 6 weeks out, and at that point I was still going for chopped meats or softer fare.  Try scaling back to softer food for a few days or even a week, you won't regret it.

2> Eat slower.  I was told I needed to make my 6 oz meal last a full hour.   I fail at this consistantly, but the longer it takes you to eat the less likely you'll have problems.  Think of it this way - it takes time for food to move from your mouth to your stomach.  If you eat all your food in a few minutes, its going to START reaching your stomach AFTER you've finished eating.  That means that if you've eaten too much, you haven't given your stomach a chance to tell you - you've already committed to a certain amount of food by swallowing it.

3> If you over eat, it can take more than an hour for your stomach to clear enough space for liquids.  Sounds like you may be eating a little too fast and are getting gummed up because of it.

That said, I'm NOT a doctor.  If you're having serious pain - GO!  No!  Quickly!  Call him/her!  That's what they're there for.  I was a total phone freak my first two months.  There's no shame in it.

Hope you feel better!

Not sure about the others, but the last few times it sounds like something was stuck.

I know for a fact you can eat with strictures. (I had two in 6 months) somethings just go down harder.

I would call the dr and see what he says.