What is this feeling in my chest??

Hello VSGer's,

I had my VSG on 8/30/12 and have started eating a few bites of food. (Some foods that I shouldn't have eaten)  Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has a lumplike feeling in the center of there chest. When I swallow it seems like everything gets stuck there and I have to belch in order to get any kind of relief. Also, I haven't been able to get very much liquid or food down. Is this normal or should I let my doctor know???

I have never had this feeling that you are describing.  I also had my surgery with Dr. Heider.  Get ahold of him as soon as you can tomorrow morning.  He does surgeries on Thursdays and likely will not be available right away.  Talk with Michelle in the office.  She had the surgery as well and is a great source of information.  She has had more issues than I have and may be better off coming up with an answer.

Please remember that the responses you get here are not likely to be coming from medical professionals.  If you are having trouble I would definitely get advice from Dr. Heider as soon as you can. Your health is nothing to play with.

Hi,
 I really appreciate your reply and it's very comforting knowing someone else on here went to Dr. Heider. He and his staff are the best. I have a follow-up appointment Friday but I'll contact Michelle tomorrow to ask about the issue because it is very uncomfortable and scares me.

It's always a good idea to check with your surgeon when you have concerns.  That being said, I had some of the same feelings early on.  It felt like tightness or things had stopped part way down & I would have to burp (several times) & wait for it to subside. 

I found that perhaps I was eating too fast.  I still have problems with eating s-l-o-w-l-y! 

Good luck & I think you'll do much better very soon!

Carolesel and  teahleah both also had Dr. Heider.  I really want you to relax as much as you can tonight. Don't get online and try to find out what is going on.  

I have been down that road.  I ended up with a bruise that looked really scary and big about two weeks post op.  When I started searching online for answers I found a site that suggested I get to the hospital immediately.  This got me all worked up.  I finally fell asleep as I had already made an appointment earlier in the day for the say after.  All I had to do is sleep and wake up to go to the doc's office.  It turned out to be a bruise from the heparin shot (the shot that prevents blood clots).  When I woke up I was still nervous and drank my protein shake in about 15 minutes.  That caused more issues.  My heart was pounding so hard and I felt like I was going to pass out.  I got to the doc's office somehow.  As soon as I got there I informed the check-in person that I couldn't wait ... I needed a doc immediately.  I thought I was having a heart attack.  Again, not knowing made me feel worse.  My anxiety made things way worse. All of this was due to a bruise.

The lesson is don't get too freaked out.  Call the doc's office and talk with Michelle first thing in the morning.

So - you had your VSG 2 weeks ago? That feeling you're having is more likely than not caused by eating too fast, too big of bites, not chewing well enough or eating foods your traumatized tummy isn't ready for. In all of those cases the food is sitting just above the entrance to your tiny tummy and that tummy is saying,"Heck no - I don't want that!"

What are you supposed to be consuming at this point? You should still be mostly focused on fluids. Anything more solid than a protein shake needs to be chewed to death and swallowed in tiny amounts in order to be able to fit easily into your tummy.

I have had a similar feeling to that very often and I'm sure it's because I'm eating too fast.  I feel like there is some food (or liquid) at the base of my throat and I have to wait for it to pass.  Sometimes (especially if its liquid) I feel it gurgling a bit (kind of like water going down a small drain) and I have small burps.  

Play it safe and call your doctor.  I've called mine several times about various things that turned out to be nothing.  Better safe than sorry.  

 I have the same feeling as you!!! I also had a hiatal hernia repaired at surgery.  No matter what I ate or drink, the same thing.  It got better when I started taking a little bit bigger drink as it helped pu**** down. Even with water.  I am only a couple of days ahead of you, it will get better each day! I had even called the Dr. office and he said it could just be trickling down, because the hiatal hernia.  good luck and it does get better each day.

I had the same feeling for a few weeks after surgery. It happened every single time I ate at first. I'd say around week 4 it started happening less and less. Now at almost 7 weeks out I hardly ever get it. I could be wrong, but I've always thought it was due to all that swelling- food can't pass right into the stomach, it gets backed up as it tries to pass through. Like a traffic jam, if you will. As long as it's just uncomfortable and not truly painful, I wouldn't worry too much. There's a lot of discomfort in the first few weeks after surgery, but any time there's actual pain call your doc immediately.

 You may be eating too fast. It took me about 5 times to feel like crap till I learned to slow down. I'm still learning.