First Bad Day

Okay...my turn to complain. This is the first bad day I have had since surgery. Yesterday I started to hurt inside. Today i'm not hungry or thirsty and i"ve usually been hungry like clockwork every 3 - 4 hours. I haven't even had breakfast yet and I usually do that at about 5 a.m. My stomach feels swollen on the left hand side and it's uncomfortable to even sit. My husband told me to call the nurse, but she says there's nothing she can tell me and my follow-up isn't until April the 3rd. I'm worn out and tired too and I've been a vitamin feind and followed the reccomendations like clockwork. Not sure what's going on, but it has me in a definite funk. Thanks for the vent moment.... Cheryl

Cheryl, It just seems to happen. Go back to liquids for the day and make sure you get your protein in. Skip the vitamins--they may be irritating something. Once you feel ok, gradually add back to where you were. I think it just happens. Sorry you are having a bad day. Been there done that! Joy -23 lbs / 24 days

Hi Cheryl, I had problems with pulling a muscle on my left hand side. I saw my surgeon yesterday and he said everyone has some vague pain on the left side (apart from my injury). The left is where the old stomach now sits and there are a lot of stitches/staples in there. I had a really searing pain there which told me it was muscular. Remember, they have to cut through a wall of muscle to get to the organs, so it's feasible that you may have irritated something. I called the hospital when I was really hurting with this and was told to take ibuprofen. I told the doctor that I thought I wasn't supposed to take that anymore and they said (instructions for me only here) that those instructions were just for before surgery. I took the ibuprofen which helped with the inflammation and all was well. It got better day by day and now the pain is gone. Please give your surgeon a call because this is really considered an emergency for you. Most of all you need peace of mind here. It may be that he'll have you take an anti-inflammatory and it may help, as it did for me. Good luck, and keep us posted. -Eve

Eve, I'd check on that ibuprofen advice. My bariatric coordinator told us that ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory meds were pretty much a lifetime no-no because of irritation to the stomach. Myself, I am buying stock in Tylenol.

You've got it, Lynn...I've been banned FOR LIFE from NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxysn, etc) and aspirin. It scares me to see people post that they take it, but that's their choice. I realize that just with diet regime, every surgeon varies. This is one area, however, that almost all surgeons here seem concur on...no NSAIDs or aspirin. After reading how many have been 'banned' from it, even if my Doc didn't care, I'd have to err on the side of safety. Anyone who's ever had GI problems knows the havoc NSAIDs play on their stomachs...been there, done that, have the medical bills from years of problems... Kimmer Queen of the Niners, Instigator to All Marchers, High Priestess of Giggles

Maybe it is because I have always taken it, and it always agreed with me, and that makes a difference? I cut down the dosage and I take it swirled in lots of water so she said it is small enough to go right through....I trust my surgeon explicitly and so there must be reasons. For me and my type of arthritic and bunion pains plus tylenol does NOTHING for me, it was heaven to be able to take it again.

Of course, I had a Mexican doctor, but he said no aspirin or NSAIDs yet prescribed me an NSAID Supradol (here in the US it's Taladol which is not available in prescription/only in hospitals). However, he did say for me to take it sublingually. I did for shoulder pain on my way home from Mexico and although it was gross, I was able to dissolve it that way and wa**** down with water. I'm thinking that having the tablets sit on the stomach can cause an ulcer - they can before the surgery, and the docs don't want to take the chance it will after since there is an incision line that can cause more problems. So I wonder if liquifiying it makes it less of a problem since it doesn't just sit there. Hard to say. I know many doctors also require their patients take Prevacid or similar ulcer medications to help the healing process, so it stands to reason this would be the concern. All I know is I'm being careful about medications. I don't want to compromise my pouch if I can keep from it! Oh - also one other thing, I wonder if lap band patients have the same restrictions or if they are allowed NSAID's since there is no cutting going on with them... Dina -16 until I weigh today...

Hi Lynn and Kimmer, Thanks for your concern. I was surprised when the surgeon recommended the ibuprofen because I thought it was forever off limits as well. I asked the question a couple of different ways, but was assured that it was safe for me to take, and that I actually needed to take it for anti-inflammatory purposes. I was 11 days post-op when I was given that advice and took it, and the swelling definitely went down within 24 hours and the pain minimized and then left about a week later. Like we're always saying, it's ridiculous how some surgeons' hard and fast laws are almost completely dismissed by other surgeons. It's hard to know what to believe, but I trust the surgeons in whose hands I was, and it paid off for me, so who knows? But thanks! -Eve

Cheryl, I'm starting to feel better just from reading your post. I've had a pain in my left side for the last 4 or 5 days. I've called the surgeon's office twice and two different LNPs told me this was normal, put a heating pad on it and take a pain killer or Tylenol. I argued that I'm over two weeks out and why should this be happening now. I was assured that all of the anesthesia is finally leaving the incision site, the deep muscles are starting to heal and I'm starting to move around more. The nurses didn't make me feel any better, but you did. Sounds like several of us are going through it so I guess it's not that abnormal. Connie

Cheryl, Reading your post is like looking inside my head...I've had the same exact thing with the vague pain on my left side, extremely tired and just in a funk. I was feeling so good on Monday, the day I came back to work. I'm going to take a half day off and go home at noon. Hope you're doing better soon. Karen L