Home but not well

 I'm concerned that you would be throwing up bile.  After a DS, there should not be bile in vomit.  Stomach acid is what you probably mean.  Correct?  Your bile pathway has been re-routed.  Is it clear when you throw up? 

I am going to assume here that you are just nauseated, and stomach acid is what is coming up.  An anti nausea drug, plus, acid reducers are much needed!  Plus, it should be okay to chew on Tums as well.  I found the mint tums very soothing early out.  Yes, giner tea also!  

Be well!  You are in the rough period.  Keep us posted!

 Yes, Acid is what i should have written.  Definitely acid.  I'v spoken with the surgeon about it and he said he was glad I was at least not throwing up water so I'm staying hydrated.  Peeing often as well.  I took pepsid (acid reducer they gave me in the hospital) this morning and then again this afternoon. Husband bought prolosec tonight but I don't think I should take it yet since i already took the pepsid.  Wish I coudl reach the doctor but all I can talk to is the advice nurse if it's not an emergency and they seem to know very little.  

ginger tea is a good idea.

 Take the prilosec.  

Lots of burping tell me that you may be swallowing air when you are drinking. Try using a kids sippy cup.

What everyone said is spot on.. you are NOT a failure!!

Just FYI, I did the hot and cold thing too (night sweats). It was the general anethestic getting out of my system. I always react to it like that. Dunno why. This wasn't the only surgery I had that type of episode with; just one of those things.  I didn't have a registered fever, but... I had a lot of inflammation going on - my body was doing its best to adjust to all the new stuff and repair itself. Don't panic over it - keep taking your temp a couple times a day. My doc gave me a chart to write it down and when I changed my dressings.

You can take pepsid and prilosec at the same time.   Over the counter stuff is one quarter dose of what I take a day. Doc started me out at 30mg morning. We've had to add another 30mg in the evening. I just wanted to let you know that you won't OD. Of course, check with doc on dose.  Your poor poor tummy is so swollen. For me, the anti-nausea was better than any pain pill. Make sure you take it regularly and not here and there AFTER you get nauseous.

All Gas-X does is take all the little painful bubbles and gather them together to make a big bubble that passes better. Doesn't destroy gas, but makes it move along.

Hang in there girl! You can do this.

Hugs,
Ratkity

 Thanks Ratkitten--your words are wise.  I was lucky with the anesthesia.  There is a familal history of allergy to inhaled anesthesia so I got it intraveniously--this gave me an EXCELLENT chance of not getting nauseous after surgery.  Today I sort of stopped getting the chills.  It was a godsend that that passed so far but I wonder if it'll be back.  

I'll try the gas x if it gets bad enough.  The zofran for nausea is something i take every 4 hours--whether or not i'm feeling sick--just in case.  I plan to stick to that for some time.  Funny, for the past 1/2 hour I've felt ok.  I've felt ok enough to realize that i have some minor pain at the incision sites but otherwise I dont' feel any swelling. 

Wish me luck tonight. So far I'm sleeping in my bed (not a recliner) and feeling fine doing so. I slept well last night with pillows around me.  

Sheri

p.s. sorry for the mispellings and typos--I don't have the energy to go back and fix it.

I am really glad that you are feeling better for the last 1/2 hour.

Those 1/2 hours will gradually get more and more frequent, and then they will become the norm. You are going to be fine!!

~Lisa

Sher, nausea was  a problem for me while recovering, too.  My surgeon put me on Prilosec, twice a day.  Don't worry that the label says once a day.  It's OK.  Twice a day really made a big difference. 

And ginger tea helps.  You may need to experiment with different anti-nausea meds.  If one doesn't work after a couple of days ask you surgeon to let you try something else.  I took my probiotic before surgery and as soon as I got out of the hospital.  Gas X should help with the burping. Keep sipping, walking and eating the applesause.  Call your surgeon if anything gets worse.   Hugs, Jenny

I didn't want to eat anything for days after my DS.  This is normal.  You really just need to focus on staying hydrated.  I had a really hard time with water; I could do ice chips, bu****er hurt my stomach.  Believe it or not, I ended up trying some orange juice and that worked well for me.  The biggest thing right now for you is to stay hydrated however you have to do it. 

For the nausea:  have you tried sipping on some hot/warm peppermint tea?  That was suggested to me by some vets here, and it worked great. 

You have to remember that you are less than a week out from a MAJOR surgery.  Your body is saying, "WTF???" right now.  When I had my DS, I had absolutely nothing to compare it to - the only surgery I had had prior to that was a tonsilectomy when I was 7.  I was not prepared emotionally or physically for what recovery was going to be like, and it sucked.  It really does get better, it is just going to take some time.  Some of us recover faster than others.  I felt like absolute crap for about two weeks, but by week three, I was back at work. 

Some advice I have - try to get in some sort of protein shakes as soon as you can.  I didn't for a really long time, but by my three month labs, my protein numbers were tanking.  I started doing one shake a day, and my numbers were a little better at my six month labs, but definitely not great.  I've steadily increased my shakes so that now I am doing three or four a day, and my protein numbers are finally good.  Apparently I am a super protein malabsorber.  All of us are different - some people can eat all of their protein and have great protein labs, but some of us can't.  I really wish I would have started right out with protein supplements from the very beginning - it would have made my life a lot easier, and I probably wouldn't have lost as much muscle mass as I did.

I hope you start feeling a little better soon!  The recovery period sucks, but you will be so happy once you turn that corner and start seeing the results!  :)

It's good to hear from you girl and so far, your post-op experience sounds excellent! I know it probably doesn't feel like it, but from the sounds of it...you are in the top 10% of great recoveries because I have heard of some nightmares.

Right now, it just is what it is. RECOVERY. It is going to just be uncomfortable and you are managing very well.