Pain & Discomfort Remains After 7 Weeks Post Op

[Emma_mac 1]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Emma, I'm new to the forums and I'm hoping to find some answers.

I'm 7 weeks post op and have never had a pain free day since my surgery. Any time I eat anything at all I have debilitating abdominal pain after around 5 minutes, and often times I vomit all of what I consume. When I say consume, I'm not talking a vast amount of food, I mean around 2-3 spoonfuls of mashed food. I do manage to drink Water (I don't drink much else, I never really have) and that stays down, but 9 times out of 10 I get a very painful and bloated abdomen once I have drank. Again, I'm not drinking in large quantities or rushing what I do consume, so I just don't understand why I'm having such issues post op.

I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience to what I am having or if there's someone out there who could shed some light on what's going on with me. I'm honestly getting to the point where I'm regretting the decision to go ahead with the surgery; its making my life a complete misery!

Thanks to anyone who's read this far, I hope you can offer me some advice.

Emma

[catwoman7 11,210]

that sounds really unusual for seven weeks out. I'd contact your clinic. It could be something like a stricture - if so, they need to get that "fixed".

Edited September 17, 2021 by catwoman7

[Tony B - NJ 642]

It sounds like you are either taking too big of a spoonful or you are putting them too close together, also known as "stacking". I had this happen to me a couple times. I find that smaller bites, putting down the fork, chewing aggressively and waiting a minute or two between bites is best for me. The food must be moist

[GreenTealael 25,277]

Agreed, sounds like stricture, esophageal dysphagia or even reflux.
Are you still on PPI’s? Either way let your team know immediately
Good Luck ❤️

11 hours ago, Emma_mac said:

Hi Everyone,

My name is Emma, I'm new to the forums and I'm hoping to find some answers.

I'm 7 weeks post op and have never had a pain free day since my surgery. Any time I eat anything at all I have debilitating abdominal pain after around 5 minutes, and often times I vomit all of what I consume. When I say consume, I'm not talking a vast amount of food, I mean around 2-3 spoonfuls of mashed food. I do manage to drink Water (I don't drink much else, I never really have) and that stays down, but 9 times out of 10 I get a very painful and bloated abdomen once I have drank. Again, I'm not drinking in large quantities or rushing what I do consume, so I just don't understand why I'm having such issues post op.

I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience to what I am having or if there's someone out there who could shed some light on what's going on with me. I'm honestly getting to the point where I'm regretting the decision to go ahead with the surgery; its making my life a complete misery!

Thanks to anyone who's read this far, I hope you can offer me some advice.

Emma

[brockit 4]

Hi Emma,

Your post reminds me of exactly what I went through too. I am now 4 months post opp. I wanted to tell you something that helped me understand and relax about what was happening. My Doctor explained it to me this way. If you and I were both to cut our thumb on the same day, at the same time in the same way we would heal at different rates. You may heal faster or slower than me. This is the same concept. My stomach took a very long time to heal. EVERYTHING you describe I also went through and even ended up in the ER. Please be kind to your new little tummy. Lots of Water, stick with things like Jello, broth, Protein Drinks, etc. I know its counterintuitive and it can feel like your going to starve to death because you cant eat right now. I assure you that you are not and that you will be okay. Do what you can and keep your mind occupied elsewhere (trust me I understand your thinking about this alot I get it too). Pace yourself, be patient and kind to your body. Take warm showers, read, rest, sip and relax. Try tea, or try frozen Protein drinks. Small amounts. Your simply not healing as quickly as you thought you might or as quickly as others. I am 4 months post opp and I still cant handle ALOT of foods, so for right now Im concentrating on the foods I can handle and the things I can control while my body heals. I completely understand what is happening to you and just want you to know its going to be okay.

[NeenersNW 19]

Hi Emma, I hope you are feeling better by now. I am also experiencing some of the things you described like pain after eating I sip my Protein drinks and Water slowly just enough to wet my tongue and swallow and even wait a minute between sips but it just kills my left side, its like a horrible stabbing burning sensation that stops me in my tracks, my back has hurt since the day of surgery and I am almost 3 weeks post op. Have you been to see a doctor and if so did they find anything wrong?