Today. At work, eating lunch (ricotta gnocchi in tomato sauce - leftovers, frozen, eating for third time without problem previously) when I got a quick-onset tummy ache. Sharp pain, bloated - gas, I thought. Probably from cabbage Pad Thai the night before - my first try at cabbage and maybe my last for a while!

Went home and it was more and more uncomfortable. Couldn’t burp (is that a US word? Belch? Eructate?) or fart (I KNOW you all know what that is!)

Eventually, tried the old baking soda/lemon juice/water trick, and gone like magic.

But as I stood, double over willing myself to pass gas from anywhere at all, and I pondered whether to do de-gas pills or baking soda water, I got to wondering, and here is the question - if I took de-gas pills they make the intestine bubbles all join together to make a big bubble which then can travel up to your stomach so you burp it out - well, what is to stop that big bubble going into my OLD dead-end stomach and just sitting there being irritatingly painful because it is trapped in the dead end?

Interesting philosophical question!

I don't think it would be in the dead end, as I am not sure there is an open loop for it to get that way. One thing I just ran into where i thought my food/diet was adding the gas to my diet - it turned out to be from my CPAP at night. I never had my pressure adjusted, and in doing so - it was pumping air into my stomach and intestines. Every morning I would wake up due to gas pain and would evacuate gas from both ends like crazy. Sometimes the pain would be right away, others, it would be later in the day.

Are you on CPAP? If so, have you adjusted your pressures since losing any weight? My technician told me that some people see their numbers change just after losing 5lbs. I have lost over 65 in less than 3 months...and no one had told me of this hazard!

Just an unlikely source in my mind, but thought I would present it to you since it sounds like you went through something similar. I ate something familiar and was doubled over in pain from gas. I kept going back and thinking it was the food's fault, or I ate it too fast, or I didn't chew enough - but did not feel that was really the source.

No, not on CPAP. But thanks for the idea.

I do drink lightly carbonated water/cranberry juice mix (hate it flat) - surgeon approved! I fizz it myself, so the bubbles ar very mild, but the night before at dinner out, I had a few sips of store sparkling water - I struggle to think it was that, but will certainly not do it again for a while...

There is an open loop for the gas to theoretically get in to the dead-end tummy - they leave this stomach inside because it gives is important gastric juices etc, so there will be an opening - maybe it is small...

56 minutes ago, Biddynz said:

No, not on CPAP. But thanks for the idea.

I do drink lightly carbonated water/cranberry juice mix (hate it flat) - surgeon approved! I fizz it myself, so the bubbles ar very mild, but the night before at dinner out, I had a few sips of store sparkling Water - I struggle to think it was that, but will certainly not do it again for a while...

There is an open loop for the gas to theoretically get in to the dead-end tummy - they leave this stomach inside because it gives is important gastric juices etc, so there will be an opening - maybe it is small...

Ok, that is the difference with the procedures we had. They pulled my parts out - no going back. I had the sleeve with a duodenal switch. They took out 80% of what i had from the way I understand it.

At the risk of sounding stupid—-how much baking soda, water & lemon juice do you use? Just in case I will need it.

Will be having bypass on 2/21/18. I am on the preop diet right now and am getting really bad leg/foot cramps every night. Anyone have the same problems and if so, what helped. Normally I would use Gatorade but isn’t allowed.

Edited January 29, 20188 yr by Redhatgal

16 minutes ago, Redhatgal said:

At the risk of sounding stupid—-how much baking soda, Water & lemon juice do you use? Just in case I will need it?

Not stupid at all - there are many recipes! I use 1/2 cup cold water, juice 1/2 lemon and 1/2 heaped teaspoon of baking sofa (NOT baking powder!). It fizzes when you add the soda - just keep stirring until fizzing stops and all the soda is dissolved. I drank it in two batches cos my tummy is still small - first half made me think I was going to be sick but instead did big deep burps. Instant relief but it built up again 2 hours later and woke me - second half, and 5 mins later the pain just evaporated!

I get the leg cramps too (even without a bypass) and magnesium - Epsom salts - with 2 tblspoons dissolved in a footbath (or 1/2 cup in a bath) helps hugely...

Thank yo so much for your prompt reply. Will try tonight. I could use a good night sleep.