Food stuck?

I started soft foods last Monday. For the most part it's gone well, but I noticed in the last couple days that when I eat I have pain and pressure right under the middle of my rib cage. Tonight I ate two bites of stewed all day pork and a well cooked daikon radi****hought I chewed well but within minutes I had this excruciating pain in my chest like heartburn and thought I was going to throw up. After about 30 minutes it passed but I'm afraid to eat anything. This problem seems to be getting worse not better. Do I call my doctor? Has anyone else experienced this? It was awful!

You either ate a bite that was too big, ate it too fast, or did not chew it enough.  With me it was usually eating a bite that was too big.  My surgeon said that, early out from surgery, bites should be no bigger than your thumb nail.  I used a tiny spoon after I suffered through the stuck feeling a few times.

Yup, this happens to me if I eat too big a bite or don't chew enough. 

First thought:  you might be forming something common called a stricture worth seeing a doctor to rule-in or rule-out.  Second thought:  you might have an intolerance to pork yet find other meats more tolerable.  Third thought: you might consider having on hand chewable papaya enzyme tablets to ease any future food-stuck-sensations.  

Sounds like how I feel when my acid is out of control. So they have you on anything? A PPI like omeprezole/prilosec? I also keep chewable papaya enzymes on hand, Bought them at GNC online. Rarely take them, but have them if needed.

I'm taking Prilosec at night because I had such out of control reflux pre surgery. I wonder if I need to go back to twice a day. I didn't eat again until lunch today and chewed and chewed my scrambled eggs and everything went down nicely.

Pork is tough. I still have a hard time. I threw up twice very early out. Both times, the piece that got stuck was the size of a pea. Very very small. It doesn't take much.

Chew chew chew!

It is touch-and-go in the beginning. One day you can tolerate a food, the next it causes pain or discomfort. Don't lose hope and barrell through, it will get better! I'm a life-long vegetarian, so I can't speak to pork. But even 4 years out, eggs are sort of hit or miss for me. Most times, no problem. Some times, they really make me feel ill. No idea. 

Two things: (1) Papaya enzyme. It is awesome and carry it with you everywhere. Maybe it's placebo, but who cares! :) I've turned plenty of non-GB friends onto it. Buy a couple big bottles of it from your local vitamin store. It is fantastic and works fantastic! I chew on them when I'm feeling sick, upset pouch, heartburn, etc. I learned about Papaya Enzyme from OH right after I had the surgery and it's been awesome! Don't be afraid to eat like 4-5 of them, but also don't eat like 10 of them at once. They were great in the very beginning when food would get stuck and I might start foaming. I really love the Papaya Enzyme tabs. 

(2) Call your doctor with any concern you have, especially right in the beginning. Don't be afraid to call, just call and talk to them. Certain foods are difficult in the beginning. I'm veg, but I remember reading many a post from people with difficulty with pork early on. If it doesn't work now, just wait a few weeks and try again. This is a life-long effort on eating. But you can do it!

After 4 years, some foods will still randomly not sit with me right. Eggs the most. There is no saying when, where, or why it will happen. Every once in a while my pouch decides to be angry with me and not tolerate something, haha. I promise it is temporary. But in the very beginning go slowly. Don't pu**** and if it makes you foam, take at least a week off. 

Foaming is crappy and that feeling of stuck is worse. Try the papaya enzyme but also talk to your doctor about nexium at the early stages. It was awesome right before my GB and I use it occasionally here and there (really it needs to build up in your system, so it isn't a one-off thing). Finally, if you're still having a lot of nausea, ask your doctor about Zofran. It is a miracle drug which gets rid of nausea, but not something you want to take often. We are at a very high risk for gallbladder issues and nausea is the main signal for it. You don't want to just mask symptoms of something else. But if it's just nausea, zofran is a god-send! 

You can do this! I promise, it's only up from here! Keep a positive attitude and work it as best you can! 

Thanks for the encouragement! Our pouches are strange given what they will tolerate on a given day. I have the papaya enzyme on my shopping list.