3 wks post- food getting stuck

[Starfish23 24]

I am 3 weeks post op. Whatever I eat, which is Soup, baby Cereal, pudding, etc. feels blocked at about 2 or 3 teaspoons. Then I get the foamies, then I throw up. I can’t get any liquid to stay down bcus it’s feels blocked. It comes back up. Protein Drinks are a catalyst for throwing up. I just can’t. So I feel like I’m dehydrated and starving. It’s a challenge to take my antacid pill. Sometimes it feels like it slides down. Other times it feels like it’s stuck sideways and then the day is done. I get the foamies and whatever I try to eat or drink comes back up. Then I think maybe the opening is too small. The scale isn’t moving much either. I am leaving on a trip to Europe at end of July for 2 weeks and I would love to be able to actually eat something and not have to vomit. Im looking to see if anyone else experienced this and is there light at then end of this tunnel soon?

[KimTriesRNY 1,853]

You should contact your surgeon.

It is possible to develop strictures after surgery that make swallowing food very difficult. Better to get checked out and have it be nothing than need to be hospitalized for dehydration or worse.

[Starfish23 24]

Called them Monday and hey said take another antacid pill. So twice a day. Wait a week and see what happens. I’m calling first thing Monday. How do they repair a stricture? Another surgery? I hope not

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

To look for the stricture, they sedate you and put an endoscope down your throat into your stomach. If they find one, they use a balloon to expand/stretch it, similar to how they open blocked arteries.

[Starfish23 24]

Oh what a relief. No more surgery. It sounds like what I may have. I’m going to make my appointment Monday morning. Thank you so much! You have given me hope that this is not permanent.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

4 minutes ago, Starfish23 said:

Oh what a relief. No more surgery. It sounds like what I may have. I’m going to make my appointment Monday morning. Thank you so much! You have given me hope that this is not permanent.

Well, we're not doctors, but it sounds like a stricture is the likely culprit!

[Starfish23 24]

Not a stricture. Went to dr. He says they typically don’t see that until 6 weeks out so chanced my antacid to protonix and still get that stuck and foaming feeling. He says bcus the opening is only about the size of a dime. I can’t get a pill down. How will anything else ever go down. I’m in tears and feel so defeated. I have such huge regrets.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

2 hours ago, Starfish23 said:

Not a stricture. Went to dr. He says they typically don’t see that until 6 weeks out so chanced my antacid to protonix and still get that stuck and foaming feeling. He says bcus the opening is only about the size of a dime. I can’t get a pill down. How will anything else ever go down. I’m in tears and feel so defeated. I have such huge regrets.

So sorry to hear this. Could you swallow a pill that size before?

[Starfish23 24]

Yes. No problem before

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

10 minutes ago, Starfish23 said:

Yes. No problem before

Wow, that's terrible. I hope they figure out the problem soon.

[MarinaGirl 608]

Another thought is you may be advancing your diet too quickly and/or consuming too much at one time. Go back a phase and eat & drink tiny amounts very slowly. You are still very early out from surgery and need to be gentle with your tender digestive system.

Just make sure to get in at least 64 oz of fluids/water per day. This is more important than food. You do not want to get dehydrated. Good luck.

[MarinaGirl 608]

Also some people do better with different temperatures, meaning hot, cold or tepid. Experiment to see which one(s) you tolerate best. E.g. I had a hard time with ice cold beverages and smoothies right after surgery whereas my friend could only stand things that temperature. YMMV

[Starfish23 24]

Went to gastro today. I have a stricture. He feels I only have what amounts to a little larger than a pinhole to process liquid. Obviously no food for me. Back on Clear Liquids. Going Monday for the first of a series of endoscopies to insert a balloon to make an opening. My doctors didn’t listen to me for the last 2 weeks and we’re brushing it off as “sometimes this happens”. “Probably just a little swollen”. “ you have acid”. Until last night I called them that I as going to the ER. A different doctor called me that was on call and thank God for her because she told me to get to the hospital immediately and she would contact the Gastro and she got the ball rolling. Obviously the other Doctor Who I was seeing wasn’t taking me seriously.

[Orchids&Dragons 9,047]

3 minutes ago, Starfish23 said:

Went to gastro today. I have a stricture. He feels I only have what amounts to a little larger than a pinhole to process liquid. Obviously no food for me. Back on Clear Liquids. Going Monday for the first of a series of endoscopies to insert a balloon to make an opening. My doctors didn’t listen to me for the last 2 weeks and we’re brushing it off as “sometimes this happens”. “Probably just a little swollen”. “ you have acid”. Until last night I called them that I as going to the ER. A different doctor called me that was on call and thank God for her because she told me to get to the hospital immediately and she would contact the Gastro and she got the ball rolling. Obviously the other Doctor Who I was seeing wasn’t taking me seriously.

I'm so glad that you finally got someone who'd listen! Sometimes doctors forget that they tend to treat the "average", but nearly all of us fall on one side or the other of "average". So just because strictures don't "normally" occur until 6 weeks, he didn't even consider the possibility. UGH! You're just a super-fast stricture developer. Yeah, you! NOT!