On a regular diet now at 6 weeks post op and up to this point avoided getting sick. Today that changed. I had leftover grilled steak and a bit of baked sweet potato, plain. I stopped when I felt the restriction. Waited 30 minutes to sip water and the pain. Uhhh! Immediately threw up. Thought great.. got rid of it. Sipped again.. pain. Threw up. That's been going on for the past 6 hrs. It's almost like my pouch's stoma was blocked and the water just kept backing up so I continued to try drinking, hoping to bring up the obstruction.

Finally water is going down so have to play catch up. Don't want to dehydrate.

So is it possible to block the stoma with steak or potato skin or food in general? Will the food eventually just pass or has anyone here ever had to have food fished out before? I did eat slowly, took small bites and thoroughly chewed. Lesson learned though... just because I can eat it doesn't mean I should. I'm swearing off heavy meats for a long while... cuz that really sucked and was a bit scary. ?

Food that is too dry, too coarse, too dense or if you eat too quickly or too big a bite can cause problems like blockages or irritation resulting in you bringing up what you ate as your body tries to clear the blockage or digest the food. So yes it could have been the steak (it does cause issues for some) or the skin or both.

Out of curiosity did you spit up thick, sticky saliva as well? This is what we call the foamies which is the body attempting to clear the blockage & sooth the oesophagus.

Check your allowed foods list as vegetable & fruit skins are often on the avoid list for a while. Keep your meats tender & moist (use gravies & sauces) & avoid fibrous vegetables. Your tummy & digestion will be sensitive & fussy for a while so go slowly when introducing new foods and textures. Regular foods doesn’t necessarily mean all foods for everyone. Lots of trial & error on the way especially in the beginning.

Thanks for your reply, Arabesque. Funny thing is, I had the same exact meal yesterday with no ill effect.

32 minutes ago, Arabesque said:

Out of curiosity did you spit up thick, sticky saliva as well?

Started out as thick food sludge. Foamies happened towards the end, then I was fine. It just scared me how long it took to clear and be able to drink water again. Hours.

And yes, I was cleared to eat fresh fruit and veggies including skins at 5-week follow-up with nutritionist but I'm going back to soft foods for a while after this fiasco. No reason to rush it. Thanks again.

I couldn't have eaten steak at six weeks out - it would have been too hard on my stomach. I'd stick with softer foods for awhile longer. Maybe things like canned tuna, flaky fish or ground meats.

Hi Catwoman. Agree. I had absolutely no issues at soft food stage. Live and learn I always say. But what a lesson...

21 hours ago, BabySpoons said:

Thanks for your reply, Arabesque. Funny thing is, I had the same exact meal yesterday with no ill effect.

Started out as thick food sludge. Foamies happened towards the end, then I was fine. It just scared me how long it took to clear and be able to drink Water again. Hours.

And yes, I was cleared to eat fresh fruit and veggies including skins at 5-week follow-up with nutritionist but I'm going back to soft foods for a while after this fiasco. No reason to rush it.

Being able to eat something one day but not the next does happen. It’s your fussy tummy. I used to describe mine as a petulant, temper throwing two year old. ?

Even now, sometimes something is a little to coarse or fibrous (usually vegetables) & my tummy goes nope. And yes it can take a few visits to the bathroom to clear it.

My program at Kaiser let me know thay vomiting is not normal & it should not happen. If this persists, definitely contact someone at your program!

1 hour ago, qtdoll said:

vomiting is not normal & it should not happen.

When I went to sip my water 30 minutes after the steak meal, I knew something was wrong. It hurt when it hit my stomach then came back up. I waited and tried again. Same for the next few hours.

I guess I could have laid down and tried to let it pass but read steak can sit in your stomach for a long while? Plus, I reasoned if it's blocked, why not get rid of it naturally instead of paying a doctor to go in and fish it out. Hopefully vomiting didn't do any damage 6 weeks post-op and I knew I needed my water, so I kept drinking every 30 minutes, till it went down.

Water would always initially cause a small pain after a solids meal for me, so sometimes I'd wait an hour before drinking anything. But it was usually only that first sip, then things would pass through.

I'm ok now and back to eating softer foods for the time being. I'm in no hurry to go through that again. And yes, I agree. If not being able to sip water without it coming back up had continued, I would have called my doctor or headed for the ER.

My program at Kaiser let me know thay vomiting is not normal & it should not happen. If this persists, definitely contact someone at your program!

The foamies are real. Kaiser need to tell their patients the truth. It is scary when you do not know what to expect

30 minutes ago, summerseeker said:

The foamies are real.

So is it best to leave it alone and let it pass or goad it with water like I did?

On 5/18/2023 at 5:07 AM, BabySpoons said:

So is it best to leave it alone and let it pass or goad it with Water like I did?

It’s going to do what it needs to do. A sip or two may help or it may not but I usually find it doesn’t. I had a lump of fatty gristle stuck for a few hours last year (darkened room & didn’t realise that was what it was until it was too late). Felt awful, coughing, spitting up saliva but the offending lump wouldn’t come up at all. Tried sipping green tea hoping it would sooth it’s passage but nope. Just had to wait it out for it to make its own way down.

On 5/18/2023 at 4:34 AM, summerseeker said:

The foamies are real. Kaiser need to tell their patients the truth. It is scary when you do not know what to expect.

I was surprised by that as well @summerseeker. Prolonged vomiting or vomiting for 2 or more days yes, you should seek medical help but vomiting after a meal or with the foamies is pretty common especially in the first couple of months. I still randomly experience them & bring up what was stuck or too coarse. But I don’t consider that true vomiting (certainly not like I used to experience before surgery) more a regurgitation as it doesn’t come from the whole tummy spasming. Certainly don’t end up with sore or tender muscles after.

So is it best to leave it alone and let it pass or goad it with water like I did?

It depends with me, if I am at home I will wait it out. It once lasted 6 hours. Sometimes it passes and other times it doesn't. If it happens when I am out then I will make myself vomit. I can do it quietly, then I can join in the fun again with my family or friends. My worst time was after some mussels that were too greasy. Can not face them again yet.
Just this week I was lounging on my holiday sunbed after lunch and I was a little uncomfortable, I burped and projectile vomited a strawberry milkshake, not nice. Obviously too sugary for me. I am still learning what does and doesn't start me off. It would help if it was the same foods every time but one day it's ok for say chicken then not the day after.
I am not able to drink when I have it and if it lasts a while then I get very thirsty. I think you will sort it out in a way that's best for you to shift it.

The foamies have scarred me emotionally. lol I'm so scared for it to happen again, I am super careful now. I asked my doc when I had my first episode (I'm guessing it was at about 3.5mo postop) if I could take pineapple enzyme, which is a protease. He said that is fine and now I take one any time I have beef. I don't know if it does anything except make me feel less nervous. ?

7 minutes ago, summerseeker said:

projectile vomited

Gahhhh, that's too bad but hope you felt better afterwards. I'm starting to venture outside my house more and feeling a bit paranoid about being too far away from home and a toilet. I'm still turning down invites for things using my surgery as an excuse. I guess I'm waiting to learn more about what's do able for me before I go out somewhere and get sick or have an accident. So I bought some disposable nausea bags like they gave me in the hospital and keeping a couple in my purse.... just in case. LOL

12 minutes ago, Lisa XO said:

I'm so scared for it to happen again,

Ditto... I want to know if it gets better down the road for us or are we all destined for vomit bags and Depends. LOL