crud! I swallowed my gum!

dkasten
on 8/28/12 2:59 pm - SD

Sunday, I swallowed my gum accidentally. I was having a good time with the girls at the apple orchard, thought I'd taste a new kind of apple and swallowed the gum along with the bite of apple. Yikes!! I guess I've heard terrible stories about doing that. This morning I sent a message to my Surgeon's office and this is the reply I got -- If you have been able to keep foods and fluids down with out any heartburn, chest pressure, reflux, or vomiting after accidentally swallowing your gum, then I wouldn't be worried as you will eventually pass this through your bowel. However, in our bariatric diet manuel it states that one of the things that you should not use is gum or straws as this causes build up of excessive air in your small gastric pouch therefore causing a dilation and stretching of that pouch. I would recommend not chewing gum or using straws in order to prevent this from occurring.
REALLY??? gum chewing can stretch your pouch???? OMG! I've been chewing gum for months! If I get hungry I pop in a piece of sugar free gum. ERRGH! How did I miss this? At least the swallowed gum will be passed at some time but I'm scared to death I've stretched my pouch inadvertantly! Has anyone else heard this? or done this?

Mama477
on 8/28/12 3:24 pm

VSG on 04/28/11

My center says no gum, too! I'm too afraid to try it so I'll pop a mint every now and again. I'm guilty of straws and need to stop. I feel the extra air!!! Hope it comes thru soon!!!

Meg

**********************************************
HW 236 / SW 224 / CW 164/ GW 135

Price S.
on 8/28/12 5:36 pm - Mills River, NC

RNY on 09/09/10

I'm not a gum chewer but I do think I remember that we were not to chew it. Never knew exactly why. I'm sure you will be fine since it happened a while ago and you aren't sick.

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Susiekay
on 8/28/12 5:37 pm

RNY on 04/24/12

OMG!!! I Chew gum almost after every meal...and use straws to drink my protien shakes. I have never heard this.....Should I stop????

dkasten
on 8/28/12 5:41 pm - SD

I guess I'm going to cut back on the gum chewing. I have chewed it and enjoyed it all these months, too. I don't use the straws but heck, I've lost 90 lbs. It can't be all bad, can it? or am I being flippant about this? I was scared to death earlier when I got her ( the nurse) reply but after thinking this through, I know deep down I have not stretched my pouch or I wouldn't be eating such small amounts and be full when I eat.

rbb825
on 8/29/12 10:53 pm - Suffern, NY

RNY on 10/27/08

Straws aren't good during the first atleast 6 months to a year because it puts too much pressure as the liquids go down and can also force extra air and gas into your pouch. I cant see how in anyway how it could stretch anything. your pouch naturally stretches as you eat and shrinks when the food goes through. It will never stretch back to the way it was before. Most of the time when they talk about stretching, it is actually stretching the stoma - the connection between the pouch and the esophagus or the pouch and the intestines - there is no way using straws will stretch this.

On the other hand - gum could stretch this if it gets stuch in the stoma. People that chew large pieces of bubble gum and swallow them can do damage or even at the beginning swallowing a tiny piece of gum can get stuck - the stoma is the size of an M&M.

I was told no gum for a year and that is how long I waited for straws too.

Jody ***
on 8/28/12 6:53 pm - Brighton, MI

RNY on 10/21/08 with

We were told NOT to chew gum in case you swallowed it - it could cause a blockage in your intestines.

I haven't heard the theory before about the air-gum-straws. No, I wouldn't be concerned you've stretched your pouch due to air. If I get too much air in my pouch I burp.

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Huneypie
on 8/29/12 2:51 am - London, United Kingdom

DS on 07/24/12

I personally don't think that the gum would do that much, but that's just MY opinion and your surgeon's instructions should take precedence if you have any doubts.

I used to chew gum before I became intolerant to sweetener and it did help me eat less.

The straw debate is an age old one. When I was in hospital recovering from being sleeved I was given a straw to drink through!! Now I know you have a pouch not a sleeve, but the same debate goes on in sleeve forums. Surgeons seem to be strongly for or against them. I've barely used straws since I left the hospital and personally I don't think it makes much difference.

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Jody ***
on 8/29/12 6:57 am - Brighton, MI

RNY on 10/21/08 with

To be honest, immediately after surgery straws helped me to sip slowly - and not gulp my drink. I didn't use them often, but found I could sip and get more fluids than gulp and be in pain and not drink them.

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MacMadame
on 8/29/12 6:05 pm - Northern, CA

VSG on 09/24/08

Chewing gum cannot stretch your pouch. I hate it when programs spread old wives tales.

First of all, you can't build up air inside your pouch. It has openings on top and on the bottom and any time air does gather in there you .... blech. And that's the end of that.

Secondly, most people don't get extra air in their tummies from either chewing gum or using straws. A small minority do swallow more air while drinking from a straw but most people swallow the same or less air.

Finally, our tummies aren't nearly as stretchy as people would like you to believe. It's pretty much impossible to stretch them "inadvertantly". You have to do things like eat to overflowing on a regular basis. And to do that you'd have to ignore a boatload of uncomfortableness.

As an example, I am 4 years out and still occasionally get the foamies from eating too much, generally a couple of times a year. But the Cottage Cheese test shows my sleeve is no bigger than it was at 7 months out.

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crud! I swallowed my gum!

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crud! I swallowed my gum!