drinking water

Hi lobstahguy Just read your note and it made me remember from talking with a Speech Pathologist. She used 'Thick It' for her dysphagia clients. It's a thickening powder made from starch. So this tells me that other people have trouble swallowing plain liquid too. Just a thought. Hang in there friend as I know you will find an answer. Want you to get better. Regards.

Yep. And the worst part is, I drink a lot of water. I drink mostly seltzer because the carbonation helps the water go down. I find plain water harder to drink, though I do it. Definitely causes the "cramp" in my esophagus more and feels much more difficult to swallow. It also seems to upset my stomach more. The seltzer let's me burp up the extra bubbles that helped it go down easier. Gotta choose your poison, so to speak. I choose burping to drink water.

Sookie

Lobstaguy,

This has been an issue for me as well. Prior to surgery I would drink a half gallon of water every morning before work. Now 3 days post op, I am drinking 40 oz per day. Like you, water seems to cause me more difficulty than shakes (boost, ensure, etc). To help curb the pain, I try and take very small sips and am having some success but it is annoying because it takes me about 45 minutes to drink a cup of water.

This is interesting, for sure. I couldn't get enough water soon after I was awake enough after my surgery. The colder the water, the better. I've never had any problems eating or drinking anything except peanut butter. While I'm certain we all get the same welcome relief, it's a curious adventure to see how different (yet the same in some ways) our bodies have handled this procedure.

-TonyG-