Discomfort When Eating

[rachelr28 3]

Hi all. I just got my sleeve surgery 5 weeks ago and I'm in a mental rut at the moment. I have a question and all honest answers are appreciated. I'm a little depressed because everytime I eat the food gets stuck in my esophagus and takes forever to go down. I try to take small bites and chew throughly but it always happens regardless. My boyfriend, who is trying to be supportive, says that that's my new reality for the rest of my life. Tell me that can't be true. Tell me that I can eat without discomfort again.

[mokt 58]

I am 8 weeks out and the same thing happens to me. I also have left side pain as well that hasn't left.

I eat very slowly and very little. I also haven't eaten any foods that are not on my plan, so I am not sure what is happening....

I would love to know if others have experienced this and if so when it went away?

[sshawk69 17]

Yes same here!! 4 months out happens still sometimes. Are you taken a acids?

[mokt 58]

I am on Nexium fir acid reflux, however I don't have any of the symptoms I had prior to surgery and actually my surgeon said that I could try not taking the medication at 10 weeks as he doesn't think I need it anymore.

[rachelr28 3]

@@sshawk69 I take the antacid everyday and it does nothing

[SweetPotato 142]

sometimes i think I'm chewing thoroughly, but when i count, I'm not getting to the recommended 30 times. when I'm more careful about doing it, i find that I'm less likely to get that feeling. have you been counting?

[rachelr28 3]

@@SweetPotato I have been trying to count. I know there are times that I don't chew 30 times. But I even have discomfort with foods such as yogurt and eggs. Doesn't matter what it is.

[WorkinOnMe 596]

Try making sure what you are eating is well moistened ... drier foods made it harder for me. At 8 mos post-op I can eat whatever I choose to and rarely have the "stuck" feeling I did at the beginning.

[rmgmomma 30]

I'm 8 weeks out & still get the 'stuck' feeling at times too. If I concentrate on chewing more & really moist foods I do better. Doesn't happen with yogurt or cottage cheese, but does with anything heavier. Not drinking with meals is also hard when you get the stuck feeling!

[rachelr28 3]

I literally just had Soup and it was uncomfortable going down. It's so weird. I have my one month follow up tomorrow and I'll bring it up. But I feel like a lot of the time when you bring an issue to the doctor, it's something you're doing wrong right away. I just wanted to know if I was the only one still feeling discomfort.

[LetItGo 73]

I get the 'stuck' feeling at every meal. Very frustrating....like last night, after 4 bites of chicken, I just went to bed. I am sad if this is what my 'eating life' will be like forever. I told my husband over the weekend that I just want to be able to bite, chew and swallow and feel NORMAL. Even if it's only 4 bites. I actually dread mealtime.

[lealor 127]

@rachelr28....it gets better.....but unfortunately I have to be on a medication called Dexilant which has helped me. I had to be on soups/pureed longer than normal because of this same thing. My Protein drinks saved my life. It does get better, just eat slowly and actually I feel if I move around a bit after eating it really helps still

[2ndchance48 7]

I have the same issue although some days it doesn't seem as bad as others, not sure why. I asked my doctor about it and he said they do make a fairly narrow small opening from the esophagus and they can open/stretch it a little with a scope if necessary but that is something they don't even consider until 8 months out. It is designed to prevent us eating too fast/too much especially in the beginning. I just didn't expect to have the "stuck" feeling up so high. I honestly like my Protein Shakes more then eating because liquid goes down without that feeling. I am 6 weeks out.

[Daisee68 2,493]

It does get better and is different on different days or even same day different meal. I find I get it with the first few bites and then if I wait about 5 minutes, the rest goes down easier.

[mokt 58]

Thanks for all the great advice. Nice to know I am not alone with this