Serve Pain following eating after total Gastrectomy for Stomach Cancer

My husband's father had a total gastrectomy in Ocober 2009 for gastric cancer.

Since then he has been experiencing extreme pain after eating solid food. The pain seems to emanate from the Oesophagus and is described as 'akin to severe heart burn' which leaves him rolling on the floor in agony.

He has had to be fitted with a tube feeding device, due to weight loss.

The pain only occurs with solid food, soups are well tolerated. Even when food is chewed over and over again the pain still occurs.

There is an almost 100% certainty that pain will ensue after eating meat, fish and vegetables

It does however occur after eating other foods such as cereals but with much less predictability

[Enoch Choi, MD]

Pain with eating after gastrectomy is common since the food needs to pass from the esophagus into the duodenum.  Ask your gastroenterologist to consider looking into esophageal dysmotility as a reason for the pain.

Enoch Choi, MD

[chryce]

Google Living with a gastrectomy: one researchers experience

It will help you a lot.  If you can't find it then please email me   ***@****

[DR_RTewari]

Please give infortmation about type of repair after total gastrectomy (Was it Roux en Y esophagojejunostomy or some other repair? and was was the reason for total gastrectomy?) Probably cause of pain is either reflux of bile in esophagus (After total gastrectomy there is no acid production so no question of acid reflux and this complication is rare after Roux en Y but common after other tyes of reconstruction) or pain could be due to improper drainage of food through esophagus (either due to motility disorder where a manometery can help in diagnosis or more likely due to post of stricture between esophagus and jejunum; in this condition a barium swallow will confirm the diagnosis). I think you should consult your doctor again.
Best wishes  

[micha540]

A related discussion, total gastrectomy was started.