Having trouble swallowing pills post-op...suggestions?

Here's an irony for you - today, I'm feeling a little nauseous, so I decide to take one of my nausea pills.  It gets stuck in the back of my throat.  I immediately gag, then quickly dump some water in my mouth and swallow it down.  I then feel like I'm gonna lose it all for the next hour, although I don't.

So, send my ex out to Walmart for some supplies and have him pick up a pill crusher.  I used that to crush up the ginormous thrush-killin' pill, and sprinkle it in some greek yogurt.  I manage to get that down, but the taste is amazingly awful.  What can I do to make this better?  I haven't even tried to take any of my vitamins yet, mainly becausce I am really scared of gagging and vomitting, although I know I need to get on board with all that real soon.  I've never had problems taking pills in my life.  Any suggestions on how to make it easier, or to make the crushed stuff more tolerable?

call your doc...ask for Zofran ODT (orally dissolving tablets), pop one under your tongue and let it absorb, you should be good to go.  crush the pills and try apply sauce with a little cinnamon to mask some of the acidity and bad taste of the vites.

He gave me two types of nausea meds, and one is an under-the-tongue, and that's the one I will only use for now. 

See if you can't get your anti-nausea med in ODT (orally dissolving tablet--under the tongue). I know you can get generic Zofran that way, saves a lot of trouble.

Can you try the thrush med in applesauce? Or something else with a strong, maybe sweet taste? Even a little juice. I mean, yeah it's a carb, but that's not your top concern right now, as such a new post-op. Beating back the thrush will help you drink and eat better, so it's definitely worth the carbs.

Relax about the vites. Get past the nausea/gagging/maybe vomit phase. Your top priority is getting fluids in and keeping them in, yanno? Start working slowly on your vites in a few weeks, when things have settled down some. You have reserves that will tide you over til then.

Thanks, Jenn!!  I think I maybe need to just chill out a bit.  I was positive I was going to be the model DSer after having so long to research and read, read, read - and things are *NOT* going according to plan!  LOL   I think I will quit being so hard on myself and just worry about getting through each day as it comes.

Easy - saltine crackers. I had this same problem. My pain pills were getting stuck, and that was after breaking them in half. No way in hell I was going to crush them & stir into ANYTHING. But I nibbled a saltine, and for whatever reason, it just "pushes" the pill down. Also, they help with the nausea. I found 1 or 2 worked wonders, and the lil bit of white flour in them didn't seem to bother me in such a small amount.

Good luck!

Thanks, Wilde!  How's everything going for you?  I hope you're feeling well.  :)

Hehe, things are going good, I just seem to be testing all my own theories & concerns without meaning to.  I'm feeling good pain-wise, and I have found that indeed, white flour tends to make my tummy upset.  I have gotten down speed of eating (can't get more than half an egg in when I eat too fast) and correct foods.  Today I learned quantity.  Shrimp scampi went down soooo well, no pains, no feeling too full - well, until that last shrimp.  I was busy reading the news and munching away, and i wasn't being mindful of how much I was eating.  Spent the afternoon wishing to God I could throw up.  So lesson learned... it's all a learning curve!

Other than that I'm doing good.  You will too - just take it baby steps!  And have a saltine with your next pill, trust me!

I think the sublingual and/or rectal anti-nausea meds are a good idea. When you're ready to try pills/vitamins again, here's what worked for me early out.

Put the pill on the tip of your tongue. I'd been putting it as far back in my mouth as I could, but that actually made the choking worse. If you put it on the tip of your tongue, it can "wash back" more easily with the fluid. Take a sip of your fluid, toss your head back and swallow. After doing that for a few weeks, I was able to swallow again normally. Hope that helps.

Thanks, Jenna - I will try that.