Question:
Do I have a blockage??

Thursday night, I tried an eggroll (7 weeks post op), I had about 3 bites and then knew I'd done a bad bad thing. My husband had to pull over to the side of the road so I could throw up. I felt fine after that, but about 1:00 in the morning I woke up with serious cramps and abdominal pain. Friday morning I felt good and I wrote the pain off to all the throwing up I did the night before. To add to this, Friday night I started getting a sinus infection, so I have lots of mucus draining. Since Friday I haven't had any pain or uncomfortable feeling, except that I always feel full. I'm not eating near the amount I was prior to Thursday. I'm concerned that I may have a blockage, however it could just be the sinus infection making me feel icky. I'm having no problem taking my medications or drinking or eating in general. I'm just not able to get as much in. Am I over-reacting??    — Sara N. (posted on March 17, 2003)

March 17, 2003
If your able to eat and drink and keep things down, you don't have a blockage. When you do, you will not be able to do keep ANYTHING down, not even saliva! I know, I've had 2 blockages and at a year post op! The amounts your able to eat fluctuate. Even now, I sometimes can eat alot and other times it only a few bites. It also depends on WHAT your eating. Denser foods fill you up faster than a soup or softer foods and you'll be able to eat more of those.
   — Kris T.

March 17, 2003
Sara~The cabbage in the eggroll may have led to the cramping. I still have a hard time with cabbage products. As far as feeling full (I'm not a doctor), the mucus drainage could be making you feel full. It also depends on how dense the food is that you eat. I could eat over easy eggs really good, but I could only eat like 3 bites of a pork chop and nothing else for dinner at that stage post-op. Hope that helped a bit. Best wishes to you.
   — Cinna G.

March 17, 2003
I think you have stumbled on the answer: Your sinus drainage is probably keeping your pouch partially full. That can make you feel less like eating, able to eat less and slightly nauseated all the time. (I am speaking from experience!) Try some sinus medication to see if that helps. I often take the children's fastmelts that I buy for my daughter cuz I know they'll be easy on my pouch. It only makes sense that you would be nauseated with your poor li'l pouch full of boogers! LOL As far as the egg roll, it may have been the cabbage or the grease. I couldn't tolerate fried foods for a LOOOOONG time: it was the last thing to be tolerated--even after sugars! Just chalk it up to experience and don't do that again for a while! Good luck and hope the sinus meds help!
   — ctyst

March 18, 2003
I had a similar situation about 7 weeks post-op too. Sickest day of my life. When I called my surgeon the next morning he told me to take my stomach medicine they sent me home with-Carasate and to take an antihistamine. When you are sick your nose starts running. Your pouch collects mucus and you continue to be sick. After I took the Carasate and the antihistamine I was over being sick. He also recommended I do the liquid diet for 2 days and take it slow and easy adding foods.
   — Wanda R.