Over the last 20 yrs I have gone through much of what you describe... but NOT to your extent ... the Deviated septum and nose fix was the easy part.. with a really great ENT surgeon.. later I was having a lot of Reflux problems I had a Nissen fundoplication that was a dismal failure... as I lost 50 pounds.. ( a male weighing I95 at 5'-10") ..eating (which I enjoyed soooo much) became nearly impossible... so after 2 months of the local central Iowa docs tried to figure out what was wrong I went to Mayo MN and the GI dept found out in a day the condition was post-operative Gastroparesis.. This affliction can be quite different in each of us... but the slowing of the emptying of the stomach in my case was caused by damage to the hairnet like system of nerves that make the stomach empty .. in essence we have to depend a lot on gravity to do the work... and your Chew, chew, small bites, puddings, stews, etc is the means of coping.. we have to eat to sustain life ...but when eating causes pain and associated problems, the focus of life shifts...Mayo GI doc said that 1 in 6 Nissens fail... so there are a lot of us out there... Have you had a diagnosis of Gastroparesis? ... seeing the Mayo Nutritionist help me ... I can eat nuts, avocados, and most things except rough or gummy things like Broccoli, cabbage, soft bread, lettuce/green leaves .. crisp stalks are ok .. .. You won't get a lot of understanding from others who can just shovel the food in... we have to eat slowly and not too much at one time... so Mayo prescribed Mirtazapine.. a mild anti-depressant... to help me "cope with eating".... I have gained back 25 pounds... and enjoy desserts ..ice cream... and smoothies... I am 82.. I have been reading the fairly new biography of Thomas Edison.. he had gastroparesis too.. and he would subsist on milk and an occasional something else.. Good Luck.. Get good advice..