Chewing Gum

[afdonn 1]

I chew gum a lot. I have never swallowed gum in my life so I'm not worried, it really helps with the bad breath and the need to chew. I started at about 1week out. Sugarless of course.

[Linda121010 0]

I still don't understand why they tell us you're not allowed to have chewing gum post-op. I am 5 days post-op and would REALLY love a piece but I'm not sure what it will do. I mean obviously I won't swallow it or anything. I just want to chew it. Anyone post-op that chews gum??

My doctor never said I cannot chew gum; so I never realy stopped. I find it does help me to chew when I have head hunger; or when I am stressed. I never swallow gum, so that never occured to me as one of the issues! I can see worry about additional air getting in, but I haven't had that problem, either. Like others said, try it- your body will let you know if it isn't good for you - everyone is different.

[k8bwalsh 1]

I chewed gum a couple weeks afterwards. I found it helped me to burp, which I felt I needed to do a lot! I also drink a cup of coffee a couple times a week. At least it's not daily anymore...but I have a hard time believing it causes ulcers - just about everyone drinks it - but I don't know that many people with ulcers. I still take it easy, though, as I do want my stomach to heal properly. I also have not had any problems with straws. Not sure why the doctor said no gum or straws. Neither irritated my stomach one bit... I suggest go with your gut. If you really feel like you could handle it, just try it once to see how it feels. If it irritates you, don't do it again. Good Luck!!

[ThatDudesMom 13]

I have never heard of not being able to chew gum post op until now. I think I chewed gum the day after surgery. I have always swallowed my gym when I am finished with it, but have since started spitting it out. I do remember swallowing a piece accidently a few days after surgery and freaking out for about a minute. But...thankfully it went through!

[melodymouse 196]

Complications of swallowing the gum and more air are only a couple of the reasons they don't want you to chew gum. The other main reason is because it causes the production of digestive juices, stomach acid. It can make you feel more hungry and with nothing in your new small stomach for that acid to break down, it can cause irritation and potentially ulcers. I do chew gum, but only to help digest after I've eaten meat, 30 minutes and then out it goes!

[amys 41]

My name is amy, and im a gum swallower:) hahaha but no really I never realized I did it til I was chewing some pre op and all the sudden it was gone, whoops..guess no gum for me

[zoezest1 0]

I started chewing Nicorette Gum about 6 months after my gastric bypass due to a lot of stress going on w/my teenager… Up until recently, the last 3-4 weeks, everything seemed fine; I even swallowed my gum once accidentally not thinking cuz I was getting a ketamine treatment for depression and chewing gum right when the ketamine started kicking in; but that didn’t cause any issues, thank God!!! Then I all of a sudden started really feeling sick when I chew gum after meals w/bloating and gas, nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. I had increased the amount I was chewing; which probably really kicked in my sick feeling.

I know most of my fellow responders are referring to non nicotine gum; but if any of you chew Nicorette or take nicotine lozenges I’d love to hear if anyone has had negative side effects after bariatric surgery. I know chewing any gum, and definitely using any sort of nicotine, is most likely frowned upon by our surgeons; but has anyone heard anything specific about why using nicotine gum or lozenges after surgery is particularly a bad idea?

[BlondePatriotInCDA 213]

On 2/22/2011 at 10:37 AM, ozzy22 said:

I still don't understand why they tell us you're not allowed to have chewing gum post-op. I am 5 days post-op and would REALLY love a piece but I'm not sure what it will do. I mean obviously I won't swallow it or anything. I just want to chew it. Anyone post-op that chews gum??

It causes gas bubbles, you chew..you produce saliva, you swallow saliva with air - you get air bubbles in your new smaller stomach taking up valuable room for nutrients. Plus, you're healing - air in your stomach can when you add liquid and food cause pressure on your sutures when you're trying to heal! Add to this that when you produce saliva you start to produce stomach acids for digestion, this acid and enzymes can cause heart burn and ever ulcers.

Edited April 5 by BlondePatriotInCDA

[NovelTee 12]

I wasn’t warned about chewing gum through my health provider. The guidelines we were given allow it. I’m 8 days out and chewed gum yesterday without any issues.

[ShoppGirl 3,340]

I am three years out and I chewed gum and i forgot and swallowed it. I called the surgeons office and they were like did you swallow it on purpose. I said of course not. She just told me what to watch for and when to go to er. It passed thank god bit I’ve never been so scared in my life. It’s not worth it to me. I haven’t swallowed gum since I was a kid but sure enough I did??