Day at the ER

Oh Reenie please be careful! Hang in there... I had them and had a very bad experience. I was in the ER for over 8 hours bleeding thinking I was having a miscarriage the pain was sooo bad. Here my body was going into toxic shock and they had me hooked up to antibiotic iv for 3 days before they had to surgically go in and remove them because they were stuck and infected. Nasty stuff. The doc was a real jerk about wls. He was complaining and lecturing me about how wls patients get them because of the surgery. You could DEFINITELY tell he was against wls. I was like surgery or not, I don't appreciate being stuck in the ER for over 8 hours and constantly ignored despite me tripled over in ungodly pain until I' m bleeding and go into toxic shock!!!!!  He sorta changed his tone after that.

I always stress to anyone that even touches me in the hospital about not giving me nsaids or a tube in my throat etc.... I can be annoying about it but hey...better safe than sorry. luckily for me my hospital is very educated about wls since they have performed hundres there. 

Way to go on the compliment! Very cool! :)   

Wow - yes, I think I remember you posting about this when you were pregnant with your daughter; what are nsaids? And the tube down your throat... I hadn't thought about that! What if we are brought to the hospital unconscious and can't talk, can't communicate abou the WLS? What if we have to be intubated? I just think there needs to be a national directive on informing doctors in an immediate way about treatment of WLS patients when they otherwise have absolutely no experience or point of reference on what to do. The sublingual they gave me (for naseua) was Reglan - anyone know anything about it? I just don't know if I damaged my pouch, I can't tell how bad the pain was, waves and waves of it for almost three hours. I very nearly passed out. As for the complement, what I'm most happy with is that he said, "You look like you're doing very well!" Not, "It looks like the surgery worked!"  What he said sounded more like he appreciated the hard work it takes to keep the weight off - we really need those reminders of where we've come from, guys! Hugs, Maureen

Oh my Reenie. Your weight loss surgery doctor has been neglectful!!!  and this is for anyone else that has not been told this. All WLS patients are supposed to be wearing a medical id bracelet that states no NG tubes and no NSAIDS. the nsaids being non steroidal anti inflamatories. Like Advil, Alleve, Motrin, Ibuprofene and the likes. It will give us a bleeding ulcer in our old stomachs. The NG Tube of course they can't use that because normally the tube is too long and if they thrust it down there they can tear a hole in our little pouches and kill us. Hence the need for the medical ID bracelet. Which I absolutely should be wearing but I'm not as I never go one. BAD ME!  So I can't preach. They have really cute designer ones now with cute beads and things like that out there.

I have a list of meds at home that we cannot take. I'll have to find it and post it for you. hmm... i was gonna say something but it just popped right out of my head. Ah thats right... Reglan. I've had that med and had no problems with it. Hmm.... They also have a little tiny patch that they put on your skin for nausea right behind your ear. Next time (hopefully there wont be a next time) but just in case...ask for that little nausea patch instead. Can't remember the name of it but they should know. I don't know if Reglan is bad for the pouch or not,, I didn't have any trouble with it and don't think it was on the list as not to take for the pouch. Maybe you are allergic to it?

 

 

ID bracelets...very important...get one...wear it... http://www.americanmedical-id.com/marketplace/category.php?scrollcat=brac_classic....mine says...

on front:
line 1: my name
line2:emergency contacts
line3: husbands name
line4: husbands phonenumber
line5:mil name & number

on back:
line1: ROUX-EN-Y GASTRIC BYPASS
line2:NO BLIND NG,USE ENDOSCOPY!!!
line3:ALLERGIC LATEX,ASTHMA
line4:NO NSAIDS...and my surgeons name and number

this could be very important in an emergency, specially if you are unconcous...only cost about $30.00 (alittle less), that included shipping, engraving and little attached charm....might be wise to get one for the future..I wear mine, my daughter calls it my old lady bracelet....

PS..Reenie...hope you pass it soon...my sister gets them on occasion, says its no fun at all, and she has a very high threshold for pain...I feel for you, be well soon!

Yes ma'am, I'm on it! Oh, so good to hear from you, darlin' - Maureen

Yes Im back somewhat....seems like its pleasant around here again...Whew..LOL....and besides, who else am I going to talk to...Im tired of answering myself here at home  

I remember them telling us at the support meetings when I was first thinking about going for the surgery to get ID braclets. I never did get one but I'm going to I need to add that I'm highly allergic to penicillian along with the other stuff.
when I had to take an abulance ride the last time I kept saying I've had the surgery. of course I was awake but its scarey to think if I wasn't.
I also have on my fridge a magnet pouch that has my medical info in it. I had gotten at the fire department. they give them out so that if the ambulance has to come they check your fridge in case your out they know what you can and can't have.

Welcome to the world of the low oxalate diet.  It's a rough road. 

Pouch on fire and morphine shot and kidney stones and sub-lingual nausea meds don't add up to me.  I've had them all and the nausea meds,  morphine and even kidney stones don't cause pouch pain.  I'm on morphine 24 hours a day and it doesn't cause pouch pain.  Pain itself causes me nausea, but it still doesn't cause Pouch-on-Fire-Itis.  I'll tell you what my wls surgeon did say will cause Pouch-On-Fire-Itis...  When the intestines and Roux-N-Y limb get themselves twisted.  She told us a few months ago that she has been called to the ER several times when her patients have presented with God awful pain in the pouch and X-rays and CT scans have shown that the Y junction sort of turns in on itself.  She said that it almost always straightens out as food passes through.

Be glad for the Morphine that they gave you in the hospital because kidney stones without it are their own special brand of hell.  The ones that I've passed before have had me projectile vomiting right before I pass out.  The stones that I have now aren't causing me much distress for some reason.  Personally, I'm hoping to get more stones to go with the 5 that I have and have them set into an Eternity ring.  I never did pass these stones and they aren't causing me any more pain than what I already mitigate with my morphine diet so they are along for the ride. 

Big Hugs,
C.

Now how in God's name can I take my symptoms seriously when you throw a line in like the eternity ring... I howled out loud with laughter; my kid thinks I'm losing my mind (which is ironic because he never thought I had one to begin with). Thanks for this info. I'll share it with my surgeon at my FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY appointment - just made it today. Good to hear from you, I feel a real emptiness when you're gone too long! Love ya, Maureen