Question:
What if you swallow gum post op?

I know this sounds like a trivial question, but I accidentally on occasion swallow my gum.....what effects does this have on a pouch??    — Sarah S. (posted on March 18, 2003)

March 18, 2003
My surgeon told me to say goodbye to gum because if it's swallowed, it can get stuck and cause major problems. If I were you, I'd stop chewing gum. :) I'm not a gum swallower, but I quit chewing it anyway.
   — Diana L.

March 18, 2003
I can attest to what the previos poster wrote. I accidentally swallowed a peice of gum last week and it was horrible. I started hurting almost right away and I was in what felt like severe "dumping mode" for atleast an hour. I had to lie down and try to ride it out, but I had serious doubts it would ever end. Thank goodness I got over it, but boy it was a painful lesson to learn. No more gum for me!!
   — Mary W.

March 18, 2003
Ditto!!! My Drs. and those of other post ops I know say the same thing. No gum is just one of the sacrifices you should make. I even was told about several people that had to be opened up to have the gum removed. Yikes! Not worth it in my opinion.
   — Fixnmyself

March 18, 2003
I've heard about having to be opened up too. I don't know if it's true or not..but it scared me enough. It will not dissolve if it gets stuck in the pouch opening.
   — sheltie

March 18, 2003
I don't mean to scare you, but my surgeon is ADAMENT about not chewing gum. He tells a story of when he was an intern and a WLS patient refused to follow the surgeon directive to NOT chew gum and he actually brought it to the hospital. He was too big, that when he fell to the floor choking, they couldn't get him help fast enough and he died. My surgeon swears this is a true story and insists we give up gum.
   — Kathy S.

March 18, 2003
I was always a gum swallower pre-op. I know the dangers of swallowing gum, so I have never had one piece of gum since my surgery. I figured that is a small sacrifice to make. I use mints or the listerine strips that dissolve in your mouth all the time...open rny 5-2-02 -130.5 lbs
   — candymom64

March 18, 2003
I've accidently swallowed a couple of pieces in the last couple of months. No problems at all.
   — jen41766