Posted 12/17/2014 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there soliver.
So sorry you are in pain, but at only 2 weeks that's to be expected. I couldn't eat anything but liquids for weeks, soft foods for a couple of months.
Yes, you have to eat slowly, just a few swallows at a time. Just eat often. I think I ate every hour all day and evening for a month or so. I didn't lose any weight.
My food processor got a workout. I couldn't swallow chunks in soup for a long time. I crushed pills - yuuuck! Pain meds are really bitter but better than pain. I still chew mine 5 years later because uncoated tablets still get stuck - but they did before surgery, so no big deal.
My esophagus was pretty slow too. That should get better with time. I went in with a "wimpy" swallow and it's still slow. Just be careful and don't push it! Have you seen the surgeon for followup? Did you have a "wimpy" swallow before? If you did and even if you didn't, don't let them stretch the wrap! At least not for many months or if you can't even swallow water. One of my surgeon's residents wanted to scope me, but he said he was going to stretch my wrap even though I told him not to. I didn't get the scope!