Chewing gum

Neaucora
on 4/17/12 1:39 pm - AZ

RNY on 04/23/12

Right now I chew alot of sugar free gum to keep my mind of being hungry. (on preop diet). What happens if you accidentaly swallow a peice of gum after surgery. I dont mean like right after but like after you are healed and stuff. Would it pass out of the stomach? Or???

Cicerogirl, The PhD
Version
on 4/17/12 1:52 pm - OH

RNY on 08/27/07

It will pass just as it did before surgery.

Lora

14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

poet_kelly
on 4/17/12 2:15 pm - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

I have heard that we should be very careful not to swallow gum because it could block the stoma, which I guess would require an endoscopy to remove. However, I've never heard of anyone actually having that happen to them, although a number of people have posted on OH about how they accidentally swallowed gum and were worried about it. So I'm thinking it is actually very rare that a problem actually occurs as a result of swallowing gum.

I always wonder how many people are accidentally swallowing gum anyway. I have never (as an adult) accidentally swallowed gum.

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

lesserman
on 4/17/12 3:10 pm - Chicago, IL

That's why I no longer chew gum...haven't for years...I can't chew it without swallowing it at some point...the same thing with smokeless tobacco, snuff...

Weight at Heaviest: 320 lbs.
Weight at Surgery: 283.6 lbs.

Everyone is entitled to my opinion...

Christine G.
on 4/17/12 10:03 pm - MA

According to my NUT and Dr gum is NOT ALLOWED...1st because you tend to swallow too much air (same with the NO STRAWS rule) and 2nd because it can cause problems if swallowed. I now use sugar free mints....

chokofeva
on 4/18/12 1:21 am

i chewed gum all the time before my surgery to keep my mind off being hungry.....i still chew gum all the time, i have always chewed gum.

just dont swallow it ;)

wendydettmer
on 4/18/12 3:53 am - Rochester, NY

RNY on 12/22/11

i was told (not recently, but a few years ago), that chewing gum makes your body think that you are getting ready to eat (because of the chewing) and will produce digestive enzymes, etc, and actually make you more hungry.

Follow my vegan transition at www.bariatricvegan.com
HW:288 CW:146.4 GW: 140 RNY: 12/22/11