Complications-back in hospital!

Hey I'm back home now! Got out of the hospital Friday 8/5 after 5 days in. Here's what happened: At the end of July, I started getting vague pains and discomfort in my solar plexis area and drainage site. Food wasn't setting right, even water. Belching increased. By Sunday morning (7/31), I had a gnawing pain in the solar plexis that would not let up, accompanied by gurgling in my abdomen. It felt like my entire abdominal cavity was filled with air---not gas---air. I could pu**** around like it was a living object. I could neither eat nor drink all day. Was supposed to go back to work on Monday, 8/1. Was up all night Sunday night with the pain and belching. Finally at 5:00 a.m. I tried to take 2 sips of water---it burned very badly and radiated throughout my abdomen. I stood up and my upper abdomen (midriff area) was very enlarged. I called the doctor; he told me to get to ER. I was admitted. After endoscopy and gallbladder ultrasound, I was diagnosed with gastric ulcer (right at the new connection) and gallstones. I was scheduled for gall bladder surgery Wednesday; at the last minute, the doctor decided the gallstones were probably not the cause of my symptoms and he thought it would be too risky to remove it because of the ulcer. I'll have to have it out at some point later. Oh boy. Anyway, the ulcer is, in his words, "significant." I'm on Carafate 4x a day and Prevacid 2x a day. It was IV in the hospital but now oral. I'm off work 2 additional weeks; he wants it to heal in a stress-free environment (which my office definitely is NOT). When I asked him how I got this, he said it might be the Soma I was taking for muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders. It was only 1 or 2 a day for a week---cut up into 6 pieces. He's not sure if the Soma is the cause (it is not an anti-inflammatory), because he said these ulcers can just happen as a result of irritation. He said if I had been able to ignore the symptoms (when you can't even drink water you can't ignore the symptoms!), the connection could have completely broken down and it would have been life-threatening! If I had not had the severe burning when swallowing water, I MIGHT have let it go one more day---thank God I didn't! If any of you have pain like that, especially gnawing or burning, please don't let it go. My doctor said that because of this surgery, every complication is magnified and more severe. And please, don't be like me--CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING ANY MEDICATION, EVEN IF YOU THINK IT'S SAFE! (Actually I had checked with him, but he thought I was only taking it that one day. I thought when he said it would be okay that it was okay in general.) Glad to be home and on the road to recovery. Like Debra, I'm back on liquids again. As my father says, whatever obstacles we encounter on the road to our new bodies, we need to always keep the end result foremost in our minds! That kept my spirits up in the hospital, especially when I thought I was going to have more surgery so soon. Good news: On discharge, I saw that I had lost 7 more pounds since being in the hospital---31 total in 6 weeks). Not a surprise, I didn't eat or drink from 7/31 to 8/4! QUESTION: Has anyone else developed this complication after surgery?

Sharon, Thank God you are alright. So far I have not developed complications; knock on wood. Hope your recovery is fast and with little discomfort. Laural 313/262/130

I'm with Laural, Thank God you listened to your body. We all know there is some risk when we go into this, but we also know it is some miniscule number that we expect to not affect us or anyone we know. I think it is safe to say that everyone who uses this message board feels some kind of connection to all of the others. We really are a small community... and all in the same boat. Be sure to keep us updated on your progress, and Good Luck! P.S. Are you sure you weren't looking for an "easy" way to beat that plateau? It really doesn't sound like you've found it! Kristie

Thank you both for your well wishes. You're right, Kristie, we ARE connected to one another. I am a relatively new member. I find I am more and more attached to this website. I find myself logging on every morning just to get in touch with everyone and their questions. I have a pack of friends at work who are well-meaning, but they have no idea what I'm going through or how hard this can be. Sometimes it seems like my day consists of nothing but schedules----of water, food, and protein. I even have a daily log of when I take my various supplements and how much protein I've had. Only my friends on this website can truly understand what post-WLS is about. Thanks for writing! Sharon