Has anybody experienced a stricture? I am wondering if I have one.

Has anybody experienced a stricture? I am wondering if I have one after attending nutrition education class today.

I am 4 weeks post-op, and previously tolerated foods are no longer staying down and others I have tried are making my intolerance list longer than my posts!

I get a burning in my chest like I am having a heart attack despite small bites of food, chewing the mush 20 times, using baby spoons, putting spoon down inbetween and sitting up straight, not eating while distracted - in other words following correct eating style.

I get an overproduction(at least 1/2 cup to 1 cup) of thick egg-white like saliva which I throw up. Only then, finally up comes the little pieces of mushed up food.

About 1/2 hour later the pain recedes and after about an hour later I can start drinking again (If I start before that, I throw that up too).

I am getting down and dehydrated after these episodes and worried that I have a stricture.

I know I can live on jello, shakes and water and some of you have done this for months but if previously tolerated foods are not being tolerated I am afraid that shakes may be next.

My surgeon is away, I have left a message, I am assuming there will be coverage in his absence. It is not an emergency situation so I do not want to turn up at the hospital. Any suggestions?

If it were me, I would stick to shakes until I heard back from my surgeon. It could be anything, or nothing.

Four weeks is really early, and different foods can be really hard.

One person can tolerate something like a scrambled egg (for instance) at 4 weeks. Someone else can feel like dying having an egg at 4 months.

Talk to your doc, but I wouldn't get too worried. This takes a while to get back to semi normal.

I had two strictures - one at four weeks out and another at eight weeks out (they almost always occur during the first three months post-op - they're pretty rare after that)

I started feeling something similar to acid reflux after I ate anything. then, I started throwing things up once in awhile - maybe once or twice a day. Then it got to the point that I couldn't keep any food down at all. I called my clinic, and they had me to go the hospital for an upper endoscopy. Sure enough...stricture.

the second time I knew what was going on. I remember I couldn't get in right away, and the nurse said as long as I could keep fluids down, I'd be OK for a couple of days - but that if it ever got to the point where I couldn't keep fluids down, either, then I needed to come to the ER right away (it never got to that point, though)

so that's a long way of saying, you might be. I'm glad you called your surgeon. I hope someone gets back to you soon. But do go to the hospital if it gets so bad you can't even keep fluids down..

Hi Simplyb, what is the update? Did you have a stricture? How many pounds are you down so far? How are you feeling? Hope you're better!

Sorry, for the delay dropped off here for a while, was disillusioned by some of the negativity.

Send me a pm if you want my personal email to keep in touch.

I am down approx 54 lbs, was treated for an ulcer then had increased inflammation and could not swallow water after straining too hard to lift a patient at work.

Unfortunately, I have quickly found out illness means a stall or gain and the scale tests me by moving back and forth by 4 lbs.

I walk a lot between work and outside and treadmill, and feel great, my clothes swim but I am not buying any until I am down at least another 25lb, it is my personal goal.

I am back at work, struggling with protein and only really consuming protein shakes and baby foods. I am so looking forward to salads or an apple!