Question:
When you havent chewed well enough and you vomit, how much warning do you have?

I am starting my puree diet in one more day, and I am wondering if any thing does not agree with me and I feel the need to vomit, how much of a warning will I get? Enough to get to the restroom if I'm at work? I am worried about being around other people when I try something new.    — Jeanne G. (posted on July 21, 2002)

July 21, 2002
The first time I threw up after WLS I didnt know that was the strange feeling I was having. My throat got thick feeling and I got a little quesy. After about 30 minutes of feeling this way I went to the bathroom and threw up and felt ALOT better. Any time I eat something I cannt handle or didnt chew well enough it takes atleast 20 minutes for it to come back up. Oh and my "first time" was with tuna fish!! GOOD LUCK I hope this helps.
   — Shannon L.

July 21, 2002
I always get uncomfortable right away. I liken the feeling to having something stuck right at the opening to my stomach. Sort of an ache and the constant need to swallow because it feels like it wants to come back up. Sometimes this feeling goes away after 15 to 20 minutes and other times I have to go to the bathroom and throw-up. I am learning what causes the dumping espisodes and am getting much better at avoiding the foods that cause them. I have an awful time with meats and no matter how well I chew them I just don't handle them well. My stomache produces a very thick mucus, only when I eat meats, and I always have to get rid of it by throwing-up. I do not have any problems with any other food. I avoid foods high in sugar and fat. The only meat I have found that I can eat without any discomfort is ground turkey. I am 8 month post-op, open RNY.
   — Susan M.

July 21, 2002
I have been very lucky, and only thrown up once since my LAP RNY 7 weeks ago. I did not chew my chicken very well and was not paying attention. Almost immediately after i was finished with my meal, I felt very nauseaus and went to the bathroom. I After about 10 minutes, i started spitting up. I can tell you that throwing up post-op is nothing like it was pre-op. Your stomach doesn't convulge and it comes out in small spurts, atleast that is what it did for me. SOrry to be so graphic. It was such a relief though, I felt fine right after I was done! And i knew i just had to pay attention to when i ate! P.S. I was at work, too!!
   — Lezlie Y.

July 21, 2002
With me, there is an option involved....I can either feel horrible and hurt or I can throw up and feel relief. It isn't like a spewing throw up. It is like another poster said like little pieces. It does hurt some to bring up something. This happened to me just last night. I am 9 mos post op so you would think I would know better. Sometimes you just forget. I had a piece of homemade bread. A very small piece and I ate it too fast. I felt uncomfortable at the first minute after I ate it. Then it got worse and worse. I knew I had to move that bread OUT! It begins as a kind of foam when something is stuck and just bringing up that foam does feel better but eventually you have to bring up the stuck food. Instant relief is felt. But today my pouch is tighter than a drum and feels kind of sore. I ate very little today. I just didn't have any appetite and felt like my pouch was mad at me! Lol!
   — Marilyn C.

July 21, 2002
I get warning... I get this mucusy stuff, then oddly enough I hiccup, usually twice then there it goes.... luckily it has only happened three times since surgery. Now I know... If I get the hiccups I go to the bathroom. good luck
   — gloria M.

July 21, 2002
Try not to try new things in the beginning in front of others.stick with things you know save the new stuff for when you are at home or with a friend who understands...you should have plenty of time to get somewhere. good luck
   — Sharon F.

July 21, 2002
With me I feel gas and pressure first. I have enough time to go to the bathroom. Vomiting is a relief and since there is not all that acid, it isn't as bad as it sounds. One person said it was like a cat coughing up a hair ball (LOL). The key is to learn to stop eating BEFORE that pressure builds. Most of my vomiting has been with pressure and the feeling that things are stuck, I simply lean over and out it comes. I have not had it come up at an unexpected time but have had a lot of gas that made me hiccup and I felt the food going up and down. Then I was able to get to the bathroom and get rid of it. Good luck. Tom
   — Thomas M.

July 21, 2002
Not at alot at all... I go from swallowing to 'where's a bucket'. When out with my friends, I always make sure I sit near the toilets, just in case.
   — Gremlin Q.

July 22, 2002
I must be weird. I've only thrown up once and that was about 3 weeks post-op. I was sick for about 5 hours afterwords. Even now if I eat too much I can't even FORCE myself to throw up. It just won't come up. All I get is mucousy spit (sorry for the graphics). I sometimes wish I could throw up after I've ate something that doesn't agree with me, but my body just wont give it up. Therefore, I just sit, suffer and wait it out.
   — Patty H.

July 22, 2002
It really doesn't seem like "vomiting" to me. I was with my sister recently when she was sick & vomiting & it really made clear to me the difference between what I "do" & what she was doing. When I "vomit," which I do from time to time, it doesn't smell & isn't digested, looks pretty much like it did going in. It just sort of comes up & then it's over. It's really painless to me 95% of the time & not much of a bother. I have only had one time, early on, when I had a hard time getting to the bathroom in time. Usually, I can feel it building up, then I decide to go deal with it, then I go back to whatever I was doing.
   — Kathy W.

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