Dumping vs. Food Getting Stuck

This is something you all may already know but since I see a lot of posts about this, I thought I’d say something.

 

Dumping and having food become “stuck" are two different phenomena. Two different manifestations (most of the time), symptoms, and courses of treatment.

 

Dumping is caused when you eat something with a lot of sugar or fat. The food empties out of your pouch and into your intestines rapidly (cuz your pouch cannot break it down) and causes a chain reaction. Dumping can make you feel dizzy, light-headed, give you an intense need to lie down. You may have sweats, a rapid heartbeat, stomach cramps and diarrhea until said food passes. Not everyone dumps. In fact, most RNY patients don’t according to studies. Some people have milder forms and some have more severe forms.

 

Getting food stuck means that you’ve eaten something that simply cannot pass through your stoma (the opening of your pouch). Sometimes this is because food is too dry (especially with meat), or not cut small enough, or has been microwaved. Sometimes we don’t know why it happens at all. Sometimes it will happen with a food one day and not the next. It really is erratic. Food stuck is characterized by feelings of tightness in the chest, a thick, foamy, slimy glaze in the mouth, nausea, aversion to smells, an intense urge to vomit. Stuck food may come up immediately, it may take its time to come up, it may not come up at all, but eventually pass.

When you are dumping there is not much you or anyone else can do about it. If you can lie down, do so and ride it out. If you feel like you need to call your surgeon’s office do so, but most likely they’ll give you that same advice. It will pass. For some it passes quickly, for others it is a slow recovery but it will pass.

 

For food getting stuck there are a variety of remedies I’ve seen people use. Some like papaya enzyme to get food unstuck. Personally I expose myself to strong smells which eventually makes me vomit. With stuck food you will almost instantly feel a lot better once the food comes up. If something remains stuck for a prolonged period of time, becomes intensely painful or worries you in any other way, call your surgeon.

Very Good explanations and awesome point. I think that all post oper's should know the difference and how the feelings vary as well as some remedies to their situation...

Once again Thanks Nik 

Great post Nikki! 

A couple things I'll add about food getting stuck (since I have so much experience with this nasty experience):

** often it gets stuck because we don't chew well enough.  Each tiny bite needs to be chewed 25 times... then before you swallow, evaluate if it's been chewed enough, if so, then swallow, if not, then chew some more.  Eating too fast and not paying attention to chewing got me in big trouble with stuck food between my 6 week and 3 month timeframe. Eventually I learned me lesson.

** drinking water, tea or any type of liquid when you have food stuck is a big mistake.  Remember that when food is stuck your pouch is blocked, so adding more stuff on top of it is only going to make life worse.  Think projectile vomiting, increased pain and a not-very-happy pouch.

** Papaya enzymes saved my butt a bunch of times.  Buy them at Walmart (or wherever) - they are tiny little chewable tablets - keep a supply in your purse in a pillbox.  They really only work for protein-based foods like meat.  Chew one and swallow.  Wait a minute or two and chew another one.  Usually it takes about 3-4 pills and I'm feeling better.  If you get some plant-based stuff stuck, papaya enzymes don't really work.
 

AMEN on the drinking when food is stuck like you might have Pre Op...GEEZ, just had this episode a couple of days ago...eating too fast and BAM...Needless to say I was eating Tuna Salad, Pudding and soft food for the next 24 hours...Poor Pouchie :(

 

Sometimes the stuck/vomit stuff happens for no apparent reason like after 3 bites of Greek yogurt

Sometimes there's a delay before it starts.  I've had meals come back to haunt me an hour after I ate (felt ok at the time, most certainly didn't later on).

Sometimes it seems like it will last forever, although my longest stint so far was 8.5 hrs after one meal.

I got food stuck not once but TWICE yesterday!  The first time was strickly my fault.  I didn't chew my chicken well enough.  It was lodged in there for over an hour!  I wanted to vomit bu tcouldn't and then the hiccups came.  It was the worst pain on top of the worst chest pain I have imagined. 

The second time I was eating tilapia.  It was very soft and flaky.  And I chewed it well.  I can only contribute it getting stuck to maybe some irritation and swelling from the morning. 

I guess my point is if you get something stuck, you may want to take it easy and eat only soft foods the rest of the day. 

I had this happen even with jus****er. I drank too much, too fast and it felt like I had been punched in the chest. I threw up and it was only water. Lesson: I really can't ever let my guard down. It's constant awareness of size and volume.

I was a lap-band to sleeve and may go for the RNY as my last chance. I finally have my head right.

But I have a question-with the lap band everything got stuck. I was miserable for 7 years. Even a slow small sip of water caused chest pains and sliming. Is that similar to the "stuck" episodes of RNY? I ask because I just can't do that again. It as an acid reflux, vomiting, never sleeping nightmare!

Thanks for posting this... I am 3 wks post op and had some blockages yesterday and today... I thought the foods I ate were soft enough, but I think I need to chew better and eat slower.... But I was drinking water trying to get it through... Now I will not do that anymore... Hope I dont go through this again.. It was very painful...