One of the best ways to beat stomach cancer is having surgery to remove your stomach. Being told you must have this surgery is pretty heavy and scary. I find it incredible that our bodies can function without a stomach. I had my total gastrectomy on January 22, 2025. I was nervous to have the surgery, but I was more focused on what I needed to do to have more time on this earth with my family than I was on the surgery itself. A gastrectomy seemed like a small price to pay in order to achieve this. I don't remember much about that day other than seeing my surgeon in the morning and waking up later in the day. My surgery took about 8 hours total including prep and going under anesthesia to waking up and coming to. During the surgery my stomach was removed through my belly button and the top of my small intestine was connected to the bottom of my esophagus. Thankfully, my surgery was performed laparoscopically, so all of my incisions were pretty small. When I first woke up I tried to raise my head off the hospital bed and I remember thinking I had never felt pain like that in my entire life. I regretted waking up. For me, the hardest thing about the surgery was physically trying to sit up and get out bed for the next 2 weeks. I know a lot of people don't have much trouble with this, but for me, the pain was excruciating. During the surgery they inserted a feeding tube through my belly into my small intestine and also inserted a drain tube. For the first few days, I was allowed nothing to eat or drink by mouth. I received fluids through an IV. The reason for this is to allow the new surgical connection point to heal without food or liquid passing through it. I had to pass a swallow test before I was allowed to eat or drink. During the swallow test, they take x-rays while you swallow a barium drink to make sure there are no leaks at the surgical connection. Once I passed this test, I was allowed my first clear liquid and holy moly did that chicken broth taste good after not eating for 5 days. Around day ten I was released to go home and I was cleared to progress to a pureed diet. Once home, I received most of my calories at night through my feeding tube. During the day, I tried to eat small portions of pureed foods. Without a stomach, your body has no where to store food. So, the goal is to eat more often and eat very small quantities. I had read stories where some people were full after having 2 tablespoons of food and couldn't eat another bite. It was so weird to think that I may never have a regular sized meal again. So, I pushed myself to take 1 extra bite of food every time I ate. With time, I slowly began eating more food during the day and began decreasing my tube feeding at night and I started eating more food at each sitting. I hated my tube feeding so much and worked so hard to be able to get it removed at my first post op appointment.
A common problem that occurs after a gastrectomy is called foamies. Foamies happen when the surgical site gets irritated as food passes through. In response, the esophagus makes a foam. So, as you are trying to swallow food and get it down, foam is formed and tries to come up at the same time. The first time this happened, I thought I was literally going to choke to death and the event was pretty scary. With time, I learned how to handle it so it became less scary and more of just an annoyance. The foamies happened almost every time I ate for the first 6 weeks, but it did eventually slow down and now I only get them every once in a while. Another common problem that happens after a gastrectomy is dumping syndrome. When someone with a stomach eats food, the food is stored in the stomach and it is broken down with stomach acid. Then, little by little, the food is released from the stomach into the small intestine. When you don't have a stomach, your food literally dumps into your small intestine. Because of this, carbs and sugar must be limited. When carbs or sugar dump directly into the small intestine it causes abdominal pain, cramping, and diarrhea. It also causes a quick spike in blood glucose which is usually followed by a pretty big glucose crash. As a result, I now where a blood glucose monitor to help me understand what is happening with my body and why I'm feeling the symptoms I fell. Most of my meals consist of mainly protein and veggies and I really have to watch how much carbohydrate and sugar I consume.
Having your stomach removed is life changing. I know there are lots of people out there who are years out from their surgery and are still having major struggles. It has decreased their quality of life so much. I am so thankful that my journey has been different and has been so successful. Living without a stomach is doable. In fact, once my feeding tube was removed 8 weeks post op, I started feeling mor like myself and even began working out again. My life was returning to normal. I weighed 123 pounds before my gastrectomy and settled at 107 after having my stomach removed. My family was so supportive through the process. My parents stayed with us to help for 2 months and it was so appreciated. My kids and husband kept me on my toes with witty jokes and helped me laugh my way through the recovery. We all definitely love a good joke about my eyes being larger than my stomach or not having the guts to deal with something lol. Life without a stomach is definitely a journey, but you can get through it and live a normal life. I promise! Interesting fact: Seahorses are the only animal without a stomach. Once someone has a gastrectomy, they are referred to as a seahorse.
