9 weeks out and painful to eat

I had RNY on 5-29-18 and am doing really well except for the past few days I've had pain when eating. It's almost like I've swallowed a lot of air and I need to burp but can't. It hurts and the last two nights I've become very nauseous. I'm eating slowly , chicken and turkey are not agreeing with me. I'm still drinking 3 protein shakes a day. Is this normal? Should I be worried?

That feeling for me usually means I have taken too big of a bite and it's "stuck." Rule of thumb at your early stage: bites should be the size of a pencil eraser.

Even when I thought I was taking small bites, they weren't small enough.

Thank you...I think I'm taking small bites but I will be diligent...hope it helps

Well, I never had that issue where I became nauseous, but I use to get the foamies quite often early out (where you feel a slimy foam in your mouth and you have to throw up to get rid of the extra bite or the not chewed enough bite). At 9 weeks out, people's tolerances can vary. Why don't you go back to some less dense protein for a few days and see if it persists. Try canned tuna moistened with mayonnaise, or try cottage cheese, or greek yogurt, or flaky fish with a sauce. I could not handle grilled white meat chicken or dry ground turkey or deli meat for some time after surgery and now they are a staple of my diet. Try soft scrambled eggs and things that are not as dense and that may help you get your protein in. Everyone is different - some people can tolerate steak 4 weeks out and some people couldn't handle an egg until six months out. See what works for you :)

And it gets better. Life gets normal and you will long for the days of 500 calories! I promise :)

Hello!

I know exactly how you feel, it happens to me occasionally too (less often now though). It happens when I eat too fast or too much at once. It feels exactly like you really need to burp, but you can't! It's the worst lol and I've sometimes had to actually throw up to get things to feel better (sometimes I'm lucky and I actually get myself to burp).

I would recommend eating smaller pieces of food and make sure you aren't trying to fit too much food into your pouch (which I still struggle with!)

If it persists, you can try talking to your doctor's office and see if they have any recommendations.

Hope everything works out and you find what works best for you so you don't feel this way anymore.

Best wishes

A friendly suggestion to type the word "stricture" in the search bar to see if anything sounds familiar enough for you to want to seek medical help. If not, then maybe try adding moisture to your chicken and turkey; examples would be au jus, gravy, lemon juice, mayo, or water. These hot, summer days warrant an increase in water intake. Lastly, phoning your medical team may offer you more insight and/or give you some peace of mind.

I was going to say what the previous poster said - could be a stricture. They aren't that uncommon and almost always happen within the first three months after surgery - so you're in the right range. If the above suggestions don't work, call your surgeon. They'll probably schedule an upper endoscopy, if if they see a stricture, they'll stretch it out. It's an easy fix and you'll feel 100% better afterward. I had two of them early out...

Sorry to hear that you've been so uncomfortable! I hope it resolves for you very soon. I wanted to suggest a couple of things which helped me, though everyone responds differently.

if you are eating deli meats, specify that this should be shaved, not just thinly sliced. The shaved meat is so thin it's lacy and the slices are almost translucent, and so thin that they tend to fall apart. This thin a slice is much easier to digest than regular sized slices. Even now, at 13 months, I find this to be true.

I was unable to handle fish without hours of pain for at least 10 or so months. This was true regardless of the type and consistency of the fish. Now I usually can handle even somewhat rich fish like salmon without a problem. If you are finding this to be the case, wait a few weeks or months before trying again.

Steak was impossible for me until at least 7 months, and I still only eat filet mignon or tenderloin when I have beef. It is the tenderest of beef cuts and the easiest to digest. I was able to eat deli roast beef earlier on, however, providing it was shaved. I still find ground beef to be uncomfortable to eat.

Many people have trouble with eggs, and with scrambled eggs in particular. This seems counter-intuitive, but is a common experience. I have been able to eat hard-boiled eggs, however, for quite a while, and find them especially easy to digest when doctored into deviled eggs.

Adding a little slider-type of condiment or food can help you to eat dense protein. For instance, a tiny bit of mayo, or some Greek yogurt can lubricate your bites as they go down.

Though I haven't eaten this for a long time, refried beans were another easy to digest food early on, as were yogurt and cottage cheese, etc.

Make sure every bite is tiny and that you chew it to smithereens.

I hope that things turn around for you very soon!