Coping With Gastrectomy

Hi My name is Sue . At the age of 40 I had all my stomach removed after high grade lymphoma caused by years of dealing with gastric ulcers Although I
found my consultant very supportive very little information could be given on how to cope / live with this. 10 years on I have managed to maintain a steady 8 stone in weight (size 8)however this has been extremely difficult .

I take medication 4 times per day , a small tablet called codeine phosphate , this may not suit every individual however this actually is prescibed to stop a meal eaten running straight through me (diarrhea) and it works for me. I eat little often and can practically eat any kind of food . (I have never been a fan of spicy food so this is not included in my eating plan ).

At times I do suffer from terrible bowel cramps however have learned to cope with these. A hot water bottle and best rest is taken immediately plus a strong pain killer prescibed by my GP,these pains can last from half an hour to 2 hours. Jacket Potatoes and any kind of cream (fresh, double, tinned) I avoid as over the years I have recognised, do cause cramps and upset for me.

Still 10 years on , if I over eat I feel full to my throat (literally ) and find myself hanging over the basin being sick , this is generally a white bile. It does not sound very nice but its part of living with no stomach.

Alcohol - I take very little . A couple of halfs of lager and Im very tipsy !!

My social life has been affected , I generally decline a request to visit a restaurant however if I do I may order 2 starters rather than a starter and a main course , its a lot less food.
I have to live on a daily basis with intermittent wind but again cope with this .
I can only say , it does get easier as the days / years go by. Initially I was cautious about my diet however you should find you can take most foods if you eat little often (5 small meals a day)

When buying a size 8 in the store I often receive compliments from the assistants about how they would desire to be my size , if only they knew what I live and cope with .

Overall I remain very upbeat , I am very lucky as I have an extremely supportive husband . I work full time as a Telesales Supervisor and have a very understanding and loving family who support me and understand a times I may not always feel 100% .

I am now 50 years of ago and count myself lucky that I am alive, theres a lot of folk much worse off than me.