Starfish23 24 Posted June 16, 2018 I am 3 weeks post op. Whatever I eat, which is Soup, baby Cereal, pudding, etc. feels blocked at about 2 or 3 teaspoons. Then I get the foamies, then I throw up. I can’t get any liquid to stay down bcus it’s feels blocked. It comes back up. Protein Drinks are a catalyst for throwing up. I just can’t. So I feel like I’m dehydrated and starving. It’s a challenge to take my antacid pill. Sometimes it feels like it slides down. Other times it feels like it’s stuck sideways and then the day is done. I get the foamies and whatever I try to eat or drink comes back up. Then I think maybe the opening is too small. The scale isn’t moving much either. I am leaving on a trip to Europe at end of July for 2 weeks and I would love to be able to actually eat something and not have to vomit. Im looking to see if anyone else experienced this and is there light at then end of this tunnel soon? 2 Frustr8 and Ppdunn22192 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KimTriesRNY 1,853 Posted June 16, 2018 You should contact your surgeon. It is possible to develop strictures after surgery that make swallowing food very difficult. Better to get checked out and have it be nothing than need to be hospitalized for dehydration or worse. 3 Laughing Bird, Orchids&Dragons and Starfish23 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starfish23 24 Posted June 16, 2018 Called them Monday and hey said take another antacid pill. So twice a day. Wait a week and see what happens. I’m calling first thing Monday. How do they repair a stricture? Another surgery? I hope not 1 Frustr8 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orchids&Dragons 9,047 Posted June 16, 2018 To look for the stricture, they sedate you and put an endoscope down your throat into your stomach. If they find one, they use a balloon to expand/stretch it, similar to how they open blocked arteries. 2 Frustr8 and Starfish23 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starfish23 24 Posted June 16, 2018 Oh what a relief. No more surgery. It sounds like what I may have. I’m going to make my appointment Monday morning. Thank you so much! You have given me hope that this is not permanent. 2 Orchids&Dragons and Frustr8 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orchids&Dragons 9,047 Posted June 16, 2018 4 minutes ago, Starfish23 said: Oh what a relief. No more surgery. It sounds like what I may have. I’m going to make my appointment Monday morning. Thank you so much! You have given me hope that this is not permanent. Well, we're not doctors, but it sounds like a stricture is the likely culprit! 2 Frustr8 and Starfish23 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starfish23 24 Posted June 21, 2018 Not a stricture. Went to dr. He says they typically don’t see that until 6 weeks out so chanced my antacid to protonix and still get that stuck and foaming feeling. He says bcus the opening is only about the size of a dime. I can’t get a pill down. How will anything else ever go down. I’m in tears and feel so defeated. I have such huge regrets. 1 Frustr8 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orchids&Dragons 9,047 Posted June 21, 2018 2 hours ago, Starfish23 said: Not a stricture. Went to dr. He says they typically don’t see that until 6 weeks out so chanced my antacid to protonix and still get that stuck and foaming feeling. He says bcus the opening is only about the size of a dime. I can’t get a pill down. How will anything else ever go down. I’m in tears and feel so defeated. I have such huge regrets. So sorry to hear this. Could you swallow a pill that size before? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starfish23 24 Posted June 22, 2018 Yes. No problem before Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orchids&Dragons 9,047 Posted June 22, 2018 10 minutes ago, Starfish23 said: Yes. No problem before Wow, that's terrible. I hope they figure out the problem soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarinaGirl 609 Posted June 22, 2018 Another thought is you may be advancing your diet too quickly and/or consuming too much at one time. Go back a phase and eat & drink tiny amounts very slowly. You are still very early out from surgery and need to be gentle with your tender digestive system. Just make sure to get in at least 64 oz of fluids/water per day. This is more important than food. You do not want to get dehydrated. Good luck. 1 Orchids&Dragons reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarinaGirl 609 Posted June 22, 2018 Also some people do better with different temperatures, meaning hot, cold or tepid. Experiment to see which one(s) you tolerate best. E.g. I had a hard time with ice cold beverages and smoothies right after surgery whereas my friend could only stand things that temperature. YMMV Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Starfish23 24 Posted June 22, 2018 Went to gastro today. I have a stricture. He feels I only have what amounts to a little larger than a pinhole to process liquid. Obviously no food for me. Back on Clear Liquids. Going Monday for the first of a series of endoscopies to insert a balloon to make an opening. My doctors didn’t listen to me for the last 2 weeks and we’re brushing it off as “sometimes this happens”. “Probably just a little swollen”. “ you have acid”. Until last night I called them that I as going to the ER. A different doctor called me that was on call and thank God for her because she told me to get to the hospital immediately and she would contact the Gastro and she got the ball rolling. Obviously the other Doctor Who I was seeing wasn’t taking me seriously. 1 MarinaGirl reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orchids&Dragons 9,047 Posted June 22, 2018 3 minutes ago, Starfish23 said: Went to gastro today. I have a stricture. He feels I only have what amounts to a little larger than a pinhole to process liquid. Obviously no food for me. Back on Clear Liquids. Going Monday for the first of a series of endoscopies to insert a balloon to make an opening. My doctors didn’t listen to me for the last 2 weeks and we’re brushing it off as “sometimes this happens”. “Probably just a little swollen”. “ you have acid”. Until last night I called them that I as going to the ER. A different doctor called me that was on call and thank God for her because she told me to get to the hospital immediately and she would contact the Gastro and she got the ball rolling. Obviously the other Doctor Who I was seeing wasn’t taking me seriously. I'm so glad that you finally got someone who'd listen! Sometimes doctors forget that they tend to treat the "average", but nearly all of us fall on one side or the other of "average". So just because strictures don't "normally" occur until 6 weeks, he didn't even consider the possibility. UGH! You're just a super-fast stricture developer. Yeah, you! NOT! 1 Starfish23 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites