Once more I'm hoping that someone in our community can give me some help.
I had the Ivor Lewis Op coming up for 6 years ago and, generally speaking I'm living a normal life except for my stomach reacting to my first attempt at eating (however small the quantity and no matter what time in the morning I try) without experiencing bloating, burning and nausea. I have tried small portions of a variety of foods but cannot avoid these reactions. The obvious choice I have is to decide between feeling starving or suffering the consequences.
Strangely enough, once I have suffered these discomforts for an hour or so I am then able to eat small quantities of almost anything!! It would be just nice to enjoy a little breakfast with everyone else.
I wonder if any of you have experienced these reactions and have found a satisfactory solution. If so I would be grateful to receive your comments.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your responses to my previous requests.
Written by
Johrene
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I am just over ten years post op and I too have always experienced a nauseous feeling after my first meal of the day. Like you once this has passed I’m fine for the rest of the day. This was once explained to me by my consultant as our bodies laying and relaxing all night and then our new plumbing takes time to adjust to being up and about. I’ve found ginger is great for combating the nausea. Every morning before I eat I have a cup of ginger green tea and although it doesn’t stop it altogether it certainly helps.
Thanks James. I’ll give the ginger green tea a try! Once more it’s reassuring to know that what I suffer is the payment for having an otherwise good life. Hope you stay safe and well
Hello. Sixteen years post operation here. Nausea is such an overwhelming feeling and I think it is worse than pain.
I also live a normal life and have a full time job. But I find eating anything risks making me feel terrible. Sometimes it is nausea and sometimes it is just a “yuck” feeling. I can also have the odd episode of dumping that wipes me out for the rest of the day. Over time I learned that if I sit still after eating it helps minimise the consequences. Totally unworkable in a normal life. So, I now don’t eat anything until tea time (after work). I can then take my time and relax after the meal and snack afterwards. This gives me a symptom free day and I can feel pretty normal all day.
It sounds rubbish but I would rather feel great all day than eat. My partner has joined me in this rhythm and doesn’t have breakfast. If I do have to snack during the day (this is rare) I have found I can eat the cereal replacement bars (such as Eat Natural) and they have little impact or I can much through a bag of dried apricots but I need to take them slowly and as long as I keep to the one bar and I don’t drink at the same time I tend to be fine.
I also find I can get all the calories into a single meal so my weight is stable. Fruit and veg intake is rubbish as they provide too much bulk with little calorie and I find fruit can hang around my chest for far too long. Otherwise all is good.
Hello SurreyGuy, thanks for taking the time to reply. I try your approach, but constantly get bombarded by my wife and doctor telling me to eat! They don’t fully realise the consequences, do they? Now that I have a fellow sufferer, stating in writing that that process does work, they may now understand that a small portion of food is not worth the suffering . I am sure that the lovely people in my local hospital’s dietician department will have a fit, but hey-ho it’s my new eating regime! Hope you continue to stay well and enjoy life.
I,m so glad to read your reply. I also feel yuk after eating for half an hour to an hour and tend to eat at the end of the day when I can relax. It’s hard to explain to people that you have to think if you can eat depending on what you’re doing. Even small amounts of food affect me so I tend to eat very little during the day .
thank you for replying. As I’ve said before, all of us seem to suffer the same symptoms (although I realize it’s no consolation!)
What I would like to add is that, since my original post I have had a consultation with my GP. She has prescribed Alverine which I have started taking today and today is the first day for ages that I have had some relief. I hope this info might be of some use to my fellow sufferers.
Hello. It took me about 2 years to learn this. But on the whole this is how I have managed it for 14 years or so. If I want to spend a day in the garden I have nothing as I find the physical work and the bending down is a recipe for disaster so If I eat I end up feeling awful and it all coming back up at me. With careful thought I can get all the nutrition I need after I have finished. If I get hungry I just finish a bit early (although I found the feeling of hunger got massively reduced after surgery, a rare feeling now). All my friends and family are used to it now but the professionals don’t like it. But without this process I wouldn’t live a normal life as I would have to take time out every time I ate.
I know exactly what you mean I.m the same even bits of housework affects me. If I don't eat I.m fine but that obviously isn't the answer. I even feel sick if I get up straight after having a tea or coffee.
I agree, I can walk after eating so if I need to go shopping I only eat a banana to keep me going. Doesn’t help with weight but it means I can do more normal things. X
hi I’m 2 years post op. I feel queasy first thing for some reason when I wake up, after awhile I’ve come to the conclusion it’s hunger. I never get the sensation of hunger since the op. So I stay in bed and my husband brings me a tea and I eat half a banana and take my tablets and the nausea goes off. I get some breakfast then. Yes you must eat regularly. Get some glucose tablets from the chemist and take 2 of them if you are queasy and see if it makes a difference. I too have to rest for half an hour after eating. Good luck.
all of us seem to experience the same problems. I am willing to try anything, so thank you very much for responding to my post and I’m glad you have found a solution which helps you and I wish you all the best for the future.
Yes I had Ivor Lewis 5 Yr 6 m ago. Mornings and that 1st meal are still a problem. I have lemon and ginger tea in bed then at least 30 mins later either porridge or egg on toast then leave at least 30 mins before another drink. Often get that yukkie after breakfast feeling. Sometimes have just a slice of toast. I find it hard to get out before 10am and even then I often leave with my after breakfast cup of tea with me. Other meals I am OK these days
it’s reassuring that other people are having the same problems as oneself otherwise I think I’d go mad! As was an early riser and now too can’t get up till 9.30 too.x
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