Question:
Please help

I ate something I was not supposed to eat.... I had about 4 teaspoons of mashed green plantain (it is a caribbean dish) and a few small pieces of steak and I have not stopped throwing up. This was since about 4pm. and it is now 10pm. I feel it is still stuck in my pouch. I have tried to drink fluids but the fluid keeps coming back up. This is the first time since my surgery 5 weeks ago that I have felt so bad. It feels very uncomfortable. If this has happened to anyone please let me know if you have any suggestions. I will call the doctor's office tomorrow morning as well. Thank you.    — mavila07 (posted on April 30, 2006)

April 30, 2006
I hope you have called your surgeon and at least left a message. It was probably the steak. You may have to wait a few more months before you tackle that one. You don't want to have to return to surgery because of a blockage. My partner had the surgery and it was quiet a few months before she tackled any solid food like that.
   — the7thdean

April 30, 2006
Martha- Because our pouches can be slow to empty, and with the limited gastric juices in them food is not terribly well-broken down before trying to enter the intestine, it is possible that something is stuck that you might have eaten 12-24 hours prior to getting sick. Some people will try drinking meat tenderizer dissolved in warm water as that will help to break down any meat that might be stuck. I always had good luck sipping warm beverages which helped moved food through. Although you are going through a tough time, try to use the experience as a learning one-- see if you can evaluate why you chose to push your pouch's limits so soon after surgery and what you can do differently in the future. We all experience a rather steep learning curve soon after surgery. Good luck (and, of course, make sure you check in with your surgeon about your concerns).
   — SteveColarossi

April 30, 2006
from what you are explaining, to me it seems like you could have a stricture. I have gone through this 5 times, and I thoroughly understand what you are going through. Don't wait to call the doctor, I would head for the ER asap. You should not play doctor on this. Steve C
   — Steve Cohen

April 30, 2006
Martha ,I went through the exact same thing except it was a rice cake/ then chicken that I ate and I was throwing up blood all night. Make sure you get a hold of your surgeon ASAP. I was admitted back into the hospital for x rays where you have to drink some yuckee stuff and for IV fluids I couldn't keep anything down, I was so dehydrated luckily the chicken worked it's way out. Are you in alot of pain? Anyway I had a blockage in my bowel but it fixed it self. Like Steve said it is definately a learning experience. I could'nt eat chicken for a while . Still can't if it is dry. Good luck try not to worry you will be o.k. Let us know how it goes. Pam
   — sunnie

May 1, 2006
Oh yes, sounds to me like you arent ready for any red meat yet. Ive done this. My first experience with it was also steak. Try papaya enzyme as well as what the others suggested. If you arent better by today, then do the ER visit. Good luck and hope you are feeling better!
   — Courtney B.

May 1, 2006
Steak is definately one of the hardest things for your pouch to handle. I had surgery in 2001, and i still, to this day, have problems with some things. Chicken, especially leftovers or dry, is a trouble spot for me. I did have a blockage it took me 2 days one time to get it to go through. I puked and puked, its not pleasant. While i would definately tell you to call your surgeon, i would always take small tiny sips of water at a time, until it unblocked, either puked up, or went through. Must chew, chew, chew, right after surgery, or anything will make ya miserable like that. good luck, Kim
   — Kimberly Felan

May 1, 2006
You are a fairly new post-op.... Sounds like dumping. Suggestion: Call your Doctor and keep to the WLS post-op menu. The foods you tried are hard to digest, and the plantain has a quanity of sugar, and they are usually fried. Latino foods can be spicey to. I would wait until I was completely healed before trying the complicated foods.
   — sor09

May 1, 2006
Thank you all for your help. It was horrible last night and I never want to go through that again. At around 1030 pm my friend told me to take 1 tbs of olive oil and thank God that thing went through. I think it was the mashed plantain that did it. I did speak to the nurse. Of course, I was not obedient by trying that stuff that I was not supposed to eat. I had not had problems with steak before so it was the combination. I had done so well I feel terrible about messing up and living the consequences. I have learned my lesson. Today has been a very sensitive day and my pouch is trying to recuperate from it. Thank you all for your words of wisdom. I was very scared. I thought for sure I had permanently damaged something inside.
   — mavila07