Belly ache

[Leon1978]

Hi all

Its been a while since my last post, I'm now 6 months post ivor Lewis for OJ cancer. I had a bumpy start with several dilatations and severe weight lost which all seems to be the norm. However recently I have been getting pain in my belly after eating and suffering with terrible wind. Is this also due to the natural of the ivor Lewis procedure?

[haward]

Hi Leon. How long do the pains last? After my operation 3 years ago I sometimes got quite severe stomach pain which lasted 20-30 minutes but was very nasty. Over time it has settled down and it only happens if I overeat or eat too fast. Haward

[Spikey]

Are you sure it's belly ache? If you've had an Ivor Lewis and gastric pull-up, your stomach is now in your chest. If the pains are in the abdomen, then they are more likely to be in your upper or lower intestines. This could be due to trapped wind. (I still get this after 9 years, often due to having warm drinks too soon after eating). Or it could be due to food intolerances caused by the surgery, possibly fibre intolerance. You could try avoiding high fibre foods for a while to see if that helps. The simple answer to your question is yes, periodic abdominal pains after eating are a normal consequence of the IL procedure.

[Hidden]

I do not think it is the direct result of the surgery as such, but, assuming that you are not overdoing the quantity you eat, or eating too quickly (a temptation for all of us), it might well be colic / trapped wind. Some people find that gripe water helps. It might be associated with how much air you swallow when you eat, and might also be associated with changes in bacteria in your intestines creating excess gas / wind. Does it smell really vile?

I think it is worth returning to the specialist nurse and asking for an appointment to check this out.

[Aussiepete]

Hi,

I'm 18 months post IV as well. From my experience the weight loss is typical - the impact of many days nil-by-mouth post-op, chemo, etc all seem to be the cause of this. I've lost an incredible amount of weight (was overweight to start with). The weight loss has slowed down but on "good" weeks I keep my weight or put a little on. On "bad" weeks I can lose 0.5 kgs. I'm having fewer and fewer bad weeks - depends on food and alcohol intake.

I don't suffer from wind - not more than usual anyways

I do get something like the pain you mention. I have not managed to work out definitively what causes it. It's worse in the morning and normally happens 10-15 minutes after I have eaten what constitutes breakfast these days (typically a small bowl of fruit). I tend to put it down to things starting to move.

I do suffer from incredible pain in my right shoulder and have written/responded to these questions before. I put these down to food intake and think that it's linked to the other pain - lower intestine.

[kiddy]

Hi I suffer from this too I am 5 months post op. I put it down to dumping syndrome. Eating something too much fat or sugar. I can't eat yogurt full fat milk ,cakes and some sweets. I also have to restrict the amount eaten at one time. If I overeat I get pain too.