Hi Rlopez,
Yes, as Janice says...chewable Gas-X. I sent my husband for Gas-X and he came home with all kinds--gel caps, some strips that melt on your tongue...my favorite is the chewable, though. Have your wife look very carefully at the boxes, and not to give up. It DOES come in chewable!
My doctor sent me home on soft foods...I ate yogurt, egg custard, squash, applesauce, cream of wheat, mashed potatoes and low-fat turkey gravy (we have a good source in the area--some store-bought gravies are not too good). I made myself a bunch of chicken broth, but never used it all. I went back to my surgeon on Day 5, and he moved me to eating "anything that can be chewed to a liquid"--which is pretty much anything. I even bought Carnation Instant Breakfast, but never needed to use it. It's just important to take small bites and chew a lot.
Yes, your stomach capacity goes down tremendously--it doesn't take much to fill you up in the beginning. My surgeon said it's because there is swelling in the stomach, and that swelling is interpreted as fullness.
I've always heard that straws actually increase the amount of air you are getting in your stomach, because when you sip through a straw you get all the air in the straw as well. Are you sure you heard the directions correctly? That would run counter to everything that I've ever head. In fact, I'm 5 months post op, and I still pass up straws when I eat out.
Toasted bread is much easier to chew to liquid than untoasted. Crackers chew easily as well. Chicken chews to a liquid really easily. I also make a pot roast in the crock pot, along with potatoes and carrots. It cooked for hours, and even the beef was very easily chewed to a liquid. Even if you didn't want to try the beef, the carrots and potatoes would be tasty and soft. I intended to eat just the veggies, then tried the beef and found it fine.
I agree with Bill...don't jump the gun and go for an endoscopy/dilatation. Your doctor could actually do some harm if everything is going well. I read a post from someone who was doing just fine until the wrap was dilated, then she started getting reflux. As Bill said, it's normal for your wrap to become increasingly swollen over the next two weeks, so don't be surprised if your swallowing gets a bit more difficult before it gets easier again. Also, I remember Day 4 was a challenge for me...don't know if that's common, but don't worry...that too will pass.
Don't worry about
the little aches and pains, or even a bit of "reflux" feelings that might pop up from time to time. They're all a part of the healing process, and will resolve over time. Also, the smaller stomach capacity changes...by about
3-4 months, I was back to normal.
Good luck! Hang around this forum! Your posts chronicling your recovery will be very helpful to others who are trying to make the decision to go ahead with the surgery. We're here to support you and cheer you on!
Have a great night!
Denise