Chickadee reminded me [and i'm sooo sorry that this happened to her].
here it goes
right after WLS - especially for gastric bypass and lapband folks - we're told to peel fruits and veggies because the skin can be hard to handle and can get stuck. it's TRUE, unfortunately, so listen up.
the summer after my bypass [6 months or so later], i was enjoying the first peaches and nectarines of the season. and there's nothing better. I figured that since they were small, and i was taking small bites and chewing well, i didn't need to peel them.
HOWEVER, within a couple of hours, i was drooling and throwing up and not keeping anything down NOT EVEN WATER OR SALIVA.
This went on for 36 hours. yes - you read that right.
I called the surgeon, and he told me to go directly to the hospital. I was admitted, and the gastroenterologist paid me a visit, and said that he'd scope me in the morning. I was very dehydrated by this point, so there really wasn't anything they could do until the IV fluids got in me.
So, early in the morning, they rolled me into the gastro suite, where they knocked me out. They brought me out of it in time for me to hear the gastro guy say 'I gotta tell everyone about this - a vegetable bezoar!! i've never seen one!' and he added that i was fine - he'd just popped it on through.
and he ran out the door.
bottom line - think about the peach peel. it's thin. it's sticky. it balled up in my tiny tummy, as did the nectarine peel. and then as i tried to eat, everything else got stuck in it, until it completely blocked the outlet.
So PEEL YOUR FRUIT AND VEGGIES. SCOOP OUT THE CUCUMBER SEEDS. and cut it up before you eat it [we have a tendency to take larger bites if we just bite into a piece of fruit than if we cut it up].
Especially if you're an early postop. and if you're a later postop, it can STILL trip you up, but at least you've learned the signs of 'stuck-ness.' At least, i hope so.
