oesophageal gagging

[Ollies12345]

hi everyone six years after my dads Ivor Lewis surgery he’s still got this gagging problem. We have been building him up with good suggestions on here and he’s managed to put on a few pounds. His latest endoscopy was ok but he’s still got this problem when all of a sudden he will start gagging feels very sick and bloated all of a sudden he doesn’t bring up food just a lot of clear spital it’s really getting him down as it’s happening more regular his team don’t know why. Any advice would be really appreciated love Ali xx

[Molly14]

Hi - I’m 9yrs post Ivor Lewis and still get a lot of dry retching and nausea - sudden episodes of rushing to the sink and having dry sickness - for me I think it’s just part and parcel of the new system but it can get you down so I understand how your dad feels - I also still have a lot of abdominal pains - all the best

[Cosmobabe]

Hi there!I am 6 years post op - I get bloated but don't have an issue with gagging but over the last 6 months I have had an increased issue with acid. Whether it is a full or empty stomach.

Sometimes, I wake up and feel sick and bring up clear phlem so I just chew gaviscon tablets. It might just be acid.

Just try to keep him positive

Take care,

Cosmobabe

[PopandMo]

Hi there-I had similar problems post op. With me it was good getting stuck and I would retch and gag but only brought up saliva. They insisted I didn’t need a stretch as the endoscope went down ok. It improved in time and now , though I cough a lot when eating, I don’t have the same gagging feeling. I suggest it’s probably just part of the process and hopefully will settle again. The new plumbing is alien to our bodies so I think just causes problems. Good luck to your dad. X

[liz_crisp]

Hi 14 years on I sometimes get this, normally if I've eaten a lot. In the beginning it would happen on and off and it is everything settling down. Remember the gut is learning everything again and it is learning to function with a lot missing. Be kind to it and eat slightly smaller meals and drink less in one go let ir settle and find a balance again. it's evolving and sometimes you get hiccups )even after 14 years. I understand you dad getting fed up but he sounds like he is doing fine Cheers Lizzy

[Spikey]

I am 17 years post surgery and generally doing fine. But I still occasionally get what seems like an allergic reaction to something I've eaten. I start to feel nauseous and start coughing up large quantities of phlegm. I haven't been able to identify exactly what triggers this. However, as others have suggested, avoid overeating or mixing solids and liquids. It may also be worth talking to his GP and getting a blood test to see if your dad has an elevated level of eosinophils, which can cause irritation of the oesophagus.

[murial in reply to Spikey]

Hi spikes I am 17 years post op to where was your tumour mine was down near my stomach I had to have part of it removed . Have got lots of things wrong with me but for nearly 70 not done to bad .

[Spikey in reply to murial]

Hi Muriel, mine was what's called a junctional tumour, on the junction between the oesophagus and the stomach. It was staged as T3N1M0. They removed approximately half my oesophagus and half my stomach. I'm nearly 72 now and grateful for every day.

[Ollies12345]

thank you all for your very helpful advice for dad best wishes to you all xx

[Cavalier3]

I rarely get this anymore… I’m 3yrs 8 months post open Ivor Lewis.. in the early days I kept a diary of what I had eaten and when I was sick. I went gluten free about 12 months after surgery and it made a massive difference for me. I can’t tolerate oats, the seem to sit and swell in my stomach. Nothing with skin especially tomatoes, they make me sick. I blanch them and remove the skins. In the past year I have been sick twice. Also always little and often. It’s an awful feeling being sick. Wishing your Dad well xx

[grandylynda]

7 yes on I still get this sometimes. During a particularly bad bout a lovely paramedic sat with me, got me to do deep breathing as for an anxiety attack. It was hard but it stopped the gagging. Now at the first hint of it starting I take time to consciously work on breathing, it works! I think it is caused by our systems not always coping and can be made worse by anxiety about it. In my case treating it as anxiety seems to work.

[mgloughran1]

Early on, when I had problems with bloating, my surgeon used botox on the valve at the bottom of what remained of my stomach. That seemed to loosen things up and gave me the opportunity to eat more. I still have issues and go in for a balloon stretch at least once a year, and he still occasionally uses the botox (but not every time). Hope that helps, I'm in the USA so not sure if it is an acceptable procedure there.

[Janashlin]

Hi

I am 5.5 years post surgery.

Read up on dumping syndrome.

I get this daily and sometimes also the increased saliva.

Grazing and eating small amounts throughout the day is the only way I can get enough calories in. I do have a dumping episode at least once a day but need to balance this with enough calories.

I lost about 70 pounds after surgery and have never out it back on but I work hard to maintain my current weight.

The new system is hard to get used to for sure.

I find the surgeons and doctors don’t know as much about it as those of us who have and are going through it.

All the best.

[Tanktank]

Sadly I suffer the same. Our new pipework is laid out in strange places so we get strange things happening. I am just about to have another endoscopy as my reflex has hit new heights.

Best wishes

[FloraFaith]

I had this post chemo and radiotherapy for inoperable stage 2 oesophageal cancer, but I had a stricture due the radiotherapy. I assume this was ruled out by his latest endoscopy. I would wake up and just start bringing up clear fluid and saliva which could continue for upto 2-3 hours sometimes and was exhausting. At other times it started a bit later. Once I’d had about x10 endoscopies and dilations it seemed to resolve as the stricture resolved to a reasonable level. Also my Consultant prescribed Metachlopramide tds which certainly works now to help me feel less bloated when I have eaten (a soft moist diet).

It doesn’t sound like this was the cause of your dad’s problem although similar symptoms with sickness.