rant: tired and angry!

sorry guys bu ti need to rant for a moment! I am soooooo tired of getting obstructed every single week! this is not normal! I hate it hate it hate it I had this surgery done to improve my quality of life not make me soooo miserable! I got obstructed on a turkey meatball that i made yesterday. it was ground turkey, crushed up cracker, egg and spices. i had a small slice of it on crackers and cheese. I became obstructed at 1 pm and took my Creon ( pancreatic enzymes- they relieve the obstruction) the creon did not help in fact it made up spit up more. couple of hours later i took another Creon. again no results. I then went to pick up my toddler from the floor and call my Dr. but when i bent over i had more pain then forceful vomiting. I had to call my husband for help because i could not move and had the baby on the changing table. I truley hate this! Am i the only one getting obstructed this much? The other issue i have is low blood sugars- when they get in the mid 60's I get black spots in front of my eyes. I drink Chocolate milk during the day to keep my blood sugar regulated and for the protein in the milk. I also am very anemic. my lips are white and my gums are white. when i do my finger stick i bleed for a long time. They are not going to check my labs until i am 6 months post-op. Help me guys I am so miserable i want to cry! I wanted to add I live on 2 low fat crackers and cheese for each meal . for 2 cracker sandwiches for lunch and dinner. its the only thing i know will not obstruct me Jamie

Do you have pain like cramps ? I had scar tissue that strangled my bowel and they had to do surgery to snip the band of scar tissue. Nothing was going down it backed up into my old stomach and was puking because nothing could go down. I would make my doc see me. Or go to your primary doc. Good Luck. Laura

Sorry you are having so much trouble. Have you talked to your surgeon about this? Maybe there is something they could look into. In the meantime, you may want to try going back to your protein drinks just to keep yourself going. I cannot imagine eating a couple of crackers and cheese for a meal. What about soft food or even pureed foods? I would think that would be better than getting sick every time. Maybe if you call your surgeon he/she can have labs drawn now instead of waiting out the six months. I always understood the 6 months to be if I was having NO problems. Good luck to you.

Jamie, You should call your surgeon. Since your are having problems he will do bloodwork now. As far as your eating, start with cutting out the crackers. Even crispy they still can get doughy. keep your foods moist to help them go down easier. Go back to cottage cheese, ricotta, yogurt, beans and if you can protein shakes. Feel better. Jen

If your surgueon is not hepful in this situation I would go to your primary care dr and ask for bloodwork and maybe a referral to a Gastro Intestinal dr. Sounds like you may have a stricture or something else going on. Definitely get in and see someone that is willing to help you!!! Big Hugs!

Jamie(((((((((((((((Hugs to you)))))))))))))) I am very sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time!! Like all the others said you really need to call the dr. and if he doesn't help then go to your primary dr. and DEFINATELY GET SOME HELP!!!!!!!!! Keep us informed!

Jamie, by this far out, you should definitely be eating more than just a couple of crackers and cheese every day. No wonder your blood sugar is low, you're starving! Are you sure you're chewing things up well enough? And taking small bites? I still have problems if I don't consciously remember to chew well and take small bites. Usually, a stricture isn't the case unless you can't keep down liquids either, but in any case, you should talk to your surgeon and let him know what's going on. I just had my 3 month follow up, and he didn't do any bloodwork either. He did, however, make sure I'm eating well and still drinking protein drinks if I need them, and taking my vitamins, etc. He made sure I had no problems or concerns before I left, and I'm sure your surgeon would want to know about any problems you're having. You are his patient for at least the next year, if not for life, and he should be able to help you. Please call him and let us know how it goes, ok? (hugs) Donna

I hear ya...I have been feeling pretty crappy myself not to mention depressed. I wish I had some uplifting words right now for you.*hug* All I know is according to my DR it WILL get better. But for sure get labs and call a DR and they should be able to do something for you. I had a stricture and it was a pretty painless procedure to fix(help) it. Can you keep fluids down? I still have trouble with fluids, they come back up all the time and YES I am SIP SIP SIPPING. But I'll keep you in my prayers.

Oh Jamie....I'm so sorry to hear you have been going through this. You need to make an appointment to see you doctor. If your surgeon won't do bloodwork, but I'm sure he will do it before 6 months with the issues of anemia you are having, go to your PCP for a complete blood workup. I'm wondering if perhaps you aren't chewing well enough the tougher foods, it can take some getting use to. If I don't chew enough or eat too fast I have problems too. With little ones around, it may be easy to get distracted and eat too fast, etc. Take care of yourself Jamie and let us know what the doc says. Pam