Food coming back up immediately or after about two hours

[bonnetgirl]

My husband is 5 months in hospital after cardiac surgery followed by a laparotomy to correct a twisted bowel. The last obstacle before he can be discharged is an inability to keep food down. His swallow is fine ,he eats a soft diet but either straight away or later (hours) he starts coughing, retching and up comes the lot .Water, can be a trigger also Sometimes he chews gum before eating and it seems to help. Any suggestions what might be causing this ?  Any possible solutions would be appreciated. Many thanks.

[bonnetgirl]

Endoscopy, scope and a video fluoroscopy all found everything normal.He is being PEG fed at present am wondering if that was reduced (now at 75) would it have any effect?

[bonnetgirl]

Thank you so much for such a detailed reply. Have meeting with his team this week, will propose your suggestions and keep you informed.

[Flycaster305]

I've had both surgeries that your husband has experienced, but not in the same sequence.  I had heart issues prior to the bowel obstruction, but the bowel obstruction created a great deal of stress on my heart.  My bowel didn't twist, scar tissue from either football or boxing caused a bowel blockage and needed a laparotomy.  I was warned that my organs were starting to shut down and to expect secondary problems, and a cardiac surgeon was present during the procedure, but I had no serious heart issues, just a bleeding problem from the drug Plavix I was taking prior to the surgery.  A bowel obstruction is extremely serious, as you know, and can cause serious problems to all the organs.

However, I did some violent vomiting with the bowel obstruction.  Intestinal matter has no place to go but back up when the bowel is obstructed/twisted, enough said about that, but in my case it destroyed the LES valve that is supposed to keep stomach/intestinal matter where it belongs.  I had to have a surgery called a Nissen Fundoplication that successfully kept acid from backing back into my throat and caused me to vomit.   If that valve is damaged in your husband's situation, it could be a reason for his situation.  Also, it's possible with the cardiac/intestinal surgeries that the vegal nerve can be cut.  

My guess is that your husband's doctors have investigated these matters, but since you asked, I'd suggest you talk to them about the possibilities.  Best wishes, I hope you keep us informed.