Vampyrvet

Hi everyone. I'm not sure if anyone is still monitoring this discussion (forgot about it myself for a while), but just in case anyone else has issues with bezoars I would like to report that I successfully dissolved mine by sipping Coca Cola, all day & all night, for about 10 days. Dissolved my bezoar and made me so sick of Coca Cola that I'll probably never drink it again. So, double success! About a year later, I thought I would try eating a smaller amount of coconut just because when I had my original bezoar, I felt like I had a rock in my stomach and was not hungry for a week. I thought if I just ate a smaller amount of coconut maybe I could kill part of my appetite without getting obstructed. Sadly, the attempt was a failure. I successfully re-formed my bezoar but also successfully re-obstructed myself. I was too embarrassed to go back to my doctor, so I started back on the Coca Cola and was normal again a week later. So my advice is... don't eat coconut. But if you do, keep a case of Coca Cola handy. Cheers! Natalie

Hi Jane, Nice thought, but I am not taking PPI's nor any other kind of acid-blocker. I guess just having so much of my stomach removed is enough to reduce the acid production. I wonder why these things don't form in people who take antacids chronically but have not had stomach surgery?? Natalie

OH, and I also found this little snippet of information: "Chewing on or eating hair or fuzzy materials (or indigestible materials such as plastic bags) can lead to the formation of a bezoar. The rate is very low and the risk is greater among mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed children." I guess the 2nd sentence is an accurate statement, in reference to me! Natalie

Thanks for your support everyone! I did a little more reading on bezoars, and found out that they are associated with people who have had gastric surgery because of decreased acidity and decreased motility (ability of the stomach muscles to contract) of the gastric pouch. I guess the Coca Cola makes a lot of sense! The jury is still out on whether or not this works for me... the studies I read said the subjects needed in excess of 3 liters of Coke before the bezoars broke up, and since my stomach only holds 4-6 ounces at a time, that could take quite a while! There is another option if this doesn't work: enzymatic dissolution. There is an enzyme called Cellulase that dissolves the plant fiber (wonder why my doc didn't mention this yesterday???). Anyway, I'm still a work in progress but thank you for all your help & support! love, Natalie

I've been researching on PubMed, and they actually report successfully dissolving these things with Coca-Cola! Why not? They clean car engines with the stuff!

HI everyone! After 6 months trouble-free since being sleeved, maybe I was getting a little too cocky? 5 days ago, feeling fine, I ate half of a fresh coconut. I ate slowly, chewed well, and stopped long before I had any discomfort & went about my business. I have not been able to hold anything down since then! For the first 2 days, I was in agonizing stomach pain & vomiting everything I tried to eat or drink. I felt like I had a rock in my stomach. The following day I felt better but kept to liquids just to be safe & everything was fine other than still feeling like there was a lump in my stomach. The day after that (yesterday) I tried to have some chili & got about 3 spoons into my stomach before I felt nauseous again. The vomiting resumed with a vengeance. So last night I elected to do a barium study on myself (lucky to have access to radiology at work!) and after 5 hours there was still a perfectly round mass in my stomach that the barium was stuck to. Showed this to my doctor this AM & he sent me for endoscopy. He said I had a bezoar, which is a concretion of undigestible material in my stomach, basically from the cellulose Fiber of the coconut. The endoscopist is telling me that this is a common finding in people who have had gastric surgery. This is the first time I've heard anything about it!!! Has anyone else had this experience? Can anyone provide me with a list of foods I should avoid, so I don't have to go through this again? I asked my doc, but he basically just said coconut, pumpkin seeds, and celery. There has got to be more to it than that! Any advice or input is appreciated! Thanks, y'all! Natalie :001_wub:

Hi, Lan2K I'm glad you found this forum and I'm especially glad if I had some small part in helping you decide AGAINST the Band! You will not regret the sleeve! Not only is it low-maintenance and extremely effective, in the long run you will actually lose more weight with the sleeve than you would have with the band (according to statistical averages). I am so glad that you are taking the time & trouble to educate yourself beyond just the literature provided by the various band companies! Good luck to you on your WLS journey! Natalie

It's really amazing the things we had to do to cope, and accepted it as a normal part of our lifestyles! Thank God for the Sleeve!:juggle: