Hi Neil (@Neil62) , Oh, so much to be said, sorry if I have already said it elsewhere... Operation My Surgeon said that I needed a total gastrectomy. I asked him about partial gastrectomy, and so that is what he said that was what he going to do. But then I pointed out to him that he is the specialist and I want what will give me the best outcome. So then he reverted to the full gastrectomy option. This did not fill me with any significant level of confidence in him. I then asked him why partial gastrectomy was not advised. So then he started to flip back to the partial option again - ARGH!!! I said that I was not requesting partial - I just wanted to know why that was not as good an option. He then said that some of the cancerous cells were found on the lesser curvature of my stomach and that cancer cells could be hiding nearer the pyloric sphincter. This wasn't convincing for me but in the pressure of the moment I chose not to question further an risk the chance of him flipping options again. It wasn't until the pre-op consultation that I got any sort of meaningful explanation. A 4th year med student intending to specialise in anaesthesia explained that if they removed the lower end of my oesophagus and only the upper part of my stomach, then I would have a partial stomach that functions somewhat normally, but there would be no lower oesophageal sphincter to stop food from being pushed back up my oesophagus. I would suffer from acid reflux almost all of the time. My response was "OK, I now fully endorse the total gastrectomy option!". New Diet From memory, it only took about 9 months before I was eating fairly normal meals. Mind you, they were about half the size of before the op and i was eating it in stages. The main difference is that I now can't tolerate onion unless it has been cooked until it is nearly black. It appears that I might have a similar (but less severe) response to chilli. Nearly seven years later, I eat reasonable-sized meals (250g or so) at a sitting with no real problem. And now I have a "Seafood-Like" diet - if I see it and like it, then I eat it. Consequences One other strange effect of not having a stomach is that I never get hungry. These days I have to remind myself to drink and eat. I do try to remember to chew my food until it is almost liquid before swallowing, but it's not really a big deal if I don't. Now, overeating is a real problem. All it takes is one or two too many bites and my gut makes severe protests. A very uncomfortable condition for an hour or so. Because of this, I have leant to drink before eating and never the other way around. The fluid will pass down far more quickly than food and so there is less chance of it all "backing up". I try to separate drink from food by at least 30 minutes and don't drink again for another hour and a half or more. One consequence of not having any stomach is that I need VitB12 injection (1 ml intramuscular) every 3 months - I do it myself at home. And (saving the worst until last) I do occasionally wake up in the middle of the night having unconsciously regurgitated bile and then having breathed it in (aspiration). Not particularly pleasant at all. A burning sensation from it coming up my oesophagus, a worse burning as it goes down my trachea and then an ever worse burning again as I try to cough it up from my lungs. I can usually get back to sleep after about 90 minutes. Summary So all in all, life is absolutely fine without a stomach - mostly. I am not a grumpy old man - there are just an awful lot of things that I simply can't stomach anymore. I'm sure that this will have raised many more questions for you than answers provided. Feel free to throw them at me. Big hugs and best wishes to you for a successful treatment. Rick
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