Question:
Sometimes when I eat it feels like it is stuck and hurts in back and chest.
I am 5 weeks and 6 days post op and need help from post-ops farther along than I. When I eat, (and this seems to happen more frequently) I get a deep pain in my back through to the front, like my food is caught, or I need to burp and I can't. This is excruciating. I eventually have to throw up for relief. Here is the perplexing thing to me... When I throw up it is ALWAYS a thick, pasty mucus that comes up. It is almost gluey. (sorry so graphic) Did anyone else have this problem??? Terribly concerned. — chelle_0608 (posted on October 11, 2004)
October 11, 2004
Lisa: make certain you chew your food to the mushy consistency. I had the
same problem and I wasn't chewing my food enough.
— juju524
October 11, 2004
How does water taste? What has your doc's office said about this?
— vitalady
October 11, 2004
When it became time to eat soft/solid foods, it was hard for me as well. I
always felt like I had to burp. One thing that is very important is to chew
your food well (30 times). When you throw up, it is thick because you
cannot drink with your food. If you don't chew well and swallow big pieces,
you will throw up. So, chew, chew, chew!
— Michelle M.
October 11, 2004
Lisa...this happened to me at about 8 weeks post op and I had a stricture
in my stoma. I guess you can call it sort of like scar tissue around the
outlet of the stomach and it makes it smaller. They went in with a scope
and looked at my stomach and the outlet and found the stricture. They
popped it open with a balloon and the whole procedure took about 10-15
minutes tops. Everything has been fine since then. The frothy stuff you
vomit is really saliva that is building up. Call your surgeon and they can
check you out and have you feeling better quickly if it is a stricture and
if it's not, they'll find out what it is. Good luck and God bless.
— Katherine F.
October 11, 2004
Hi Lisa. I am 2 days short of 3 months out and at about the same time as
you I started getting symptoms just like yours. The pain got so bad one
night I ended up in the hospital overnight. They gave me what they called
a "cocktail" of donatol, lidocain and maalox.....took the pain
right away. Was just about 1/2 of a small medicine cup full, but it took
all the pain away. Then they did an upper GI and found I had some
inflammation and swelling along the staple line, a form of gastritis that
they called "pouchitis". I am taking one Nexium each morning and
have had NO problems since.
— pearlaux
October 11, 2004
I get this pain when I eat too fast. If this happens, I walk around and
breathe deeply. After 5-10 minutes, it seems to pass.
— Patricia S.
October 13, 2004
Hi Lisa, I am postop 1998 243/130. The pain is from not chewing your food
to a mushy consistancy. You will have to chew your food to a mushy
consistancy for the rest of your life. I still get the pain 6 years later
when I do not chew enough. What I do and I only do this when the pain
occurs is: I make my self throw up because it relieves the pain instantly
and I can go finish eating. If you come up with any other questions I would
be glad to chat through email [email protected]. Good luck, Shana
— shana1569
October 13, 2004
eat slowwwww and chew each bite 20 to 30 times.
— Randy W.
October 14, 2004
i am 6 weeks post op and the same thing happens to me my dr suggest eating
more slowley and make sure you chew your food thoughly, it seemed to help
me so you just have to remember to take your time i know in our busy lives
sometimes it just seems not to permit you deseve it youve come a long way
so keep up the good work and i hope this helps
— Deanna O.
October 14, 2004
I'm a year post-op but still find that I have that problem if I eat too
fast or don't chew thoroughly. I have always been a fast eater so I bought
a little device called a PowerSeed (saw an article in the last Obesity Help
magazine) and it is amazing how much that has helped. It can be set to
blink or beep every thirty seconds to give you feedback on how you are
eating. It is great! I set it to beep when I'm at home or eating in
private and to blink when I am eating out. I have slowed down tremendously
and have not had any painful episodes since I started using it. I am
beginning to feel a bit like Pavlov's dogs though! It was a little pricy
so if you would like to try that, you could probably find one of the little
hour glass timers that have the sand in them. That should work just as
well. I could never manage to throw up to get relief, just had to tough it
out so I was thrilled to find something to help me manage the speed of my
eating. Good luck to you.....I know it HURTS.
— scbabe
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