12 weeks out and struggling

I haven't been here since pre-op but I had an uneventful surgery and was healing well at my 2 week follow up.

My stomach (well, just below the stomach and down, usually) has been sore/sour/uncomfortable for the whole time. I wake up nauseated every day. I can't get in a sip of water without feeling awful. Eating makes me feel sick but I have to take meds and on an empty stomach is even worse. I can finally calm things down at night with my anxiety meds and I slowly get down enough chicken breast to get 60-90g protein. I can usually get in 4 bottles of water and my acid reducer plus daily meds not DS related. I don't take my vitamins because they make me so sick. Sometimes I can eat a food with no problems but eat it again and camp in the bathroom. Protein drinks and powder have all been worse than choking down 12+ oz of chicken breast. That and green beans and zucchini are the only foods that have not caused problems.

Admittedly, I have given up on following the surgeon's instructions. I tried fatty cuts of meat, mayo and guacamole, etc. (TMI warning) I leak oil when I eat more than a tiny bit of fat. I tried everything that I could think of but I just can't put food on my stomach until afternoon at the earliest.

I get defeatist and eat whatever I can get down because it all has the same results. Whatever includes some bread, some rice, flour tortillas, beans, a little bit of cheese and the occasional salad. I tried junk food (chips) and had a horrible reaction. I accidentally sipped my daughter's tea (sweet, unlike mine) and the violent reaction was immediate. The only "sweet" that I've had in 3 months is the occasional altoid in hopes of the mint settling my stomach.

Doc's office said to cut fat, add fiber and try a probiotic but no help. Neither he nor my PCP will give me anything for nausea. Both told me to stop using imodium (because who needs to leave the house?) I tried fasting but it didn't help.

I'm mostly venting but I'd like to know that someone else has been through this and had it resolve and now lives a relatively normal life. I have lost weight but I think that is inevitable eating mostly chicken breast and low-carb veggies. Pre-op weight = 453, Current weight = 398. I lost 23 in the first two weeks though.

I'm doing labs at 3 mos because of the vitamins but this feels like far too much insanity for 55lbs.

I won't be much help since I didn't really have those kinds of problems and by 3 months while my stomach capacity was still small (4 or 5 oz at a meal) I didn't have problems with most food.

What about things like cottage cheese and yogurt. Something relatively bland and smooth?

Not sure if this will help but you might want to try just a single oz of something in the morning to see if that helps. Maybe a slice of cheese or part of a chicken thigh/leg. It took me a long time to get used to breast meat again (too dry) and I still prefer dark meat for chicken.

How long since you tried things like egg or tuna salad? Sometimes your reaction to different meals can change without notice....

Not sure if any of that helps maybe someone will have some better ideas.

For vitamins, 3 months is not that long post-op but you need to try and figure out how to get something in. For calcium, Upcal D is a powder you can maybe mix with something. Also, some of the capsules can probably be opened and mixed with yogurt or something else smooth. Chewables might help till you are over this too.

Keep after the Docs. Some people have more trouble than others but I would have expected things to be looking up at 3 months out.

Pete

Thanks for the response. I haven't done tuna in awhile, so I'll try that. I can't tolerate dairy at all. I was lactose intolerant pre-open but I can't really do yogurt or hard cheese anymore. I keep testing that one. This morning I had about 2-3oz of chicken breast and it seemedto help. I was able to get home before I absolutely had to go but even with imodium, I had to go. I'm hoping that pain meds and allergy meds will stop anything that could be impacting my gut. I see the surgeon in a couple of weeks. Going to get my game face on and do labs tomorrow. :/

Use the imodium and try more/different acid reducers.

dehydration causes wicked nausea. Chances are you are very dehydrated and drinking ,ales you sick so you can't drink and are getting more dehydrated.

I would ask my surgeon or PCP to send me for an IV to try and correct that dehydration so you can began to drink.

Try warm herbal teas etc as warm often works better than cold.

secondly,you might have contracted c-difficult,an intestine bug that causes diarrhea,while inthe hospital. I would ask that they check a stool sample for that.

Immodium does very little for me. I am a big fan of buscopan. You have to ask the pharmacist for it. I discovered it when I had Norwalk.

I really hope this resolves soon and I hope it isn't C difficile.

big hug!

I'm happy to have a direction to take to get something done. I would rather have an infection than this just be my new normal. I appreciate the guidance and I'm going to work on more than 4 bottles of water to see if that helps. I had IV fluids a few weeks ago and it did make me feel better but the nausea still didn't lift.

Here's hoping for a better tomorrow! I will be asking for the other meds from the pharmacist too.

I know how hard the first weeks and months can be. You have to hold onto "This is NOT the new me!" because what you are experiencing is just one of the many stages you will go thru.

How things are will change, and for the better. You just have to hang in there and take the baby steps and let your tiny new tummy heal. Some patients take longer than others.

Keep working on those fluids. It is astounding how bad being dehydrated can make you feel.

For food you might try the BRAT diet; Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. It's not a big weightloss program, but for a short time to let your tummy and your guts calm down it's great.

First let me say congratulations on losing more than 50 lbs so far. That's a great accomplishment.

Some people start the day with an upset stomachs until they get 25 grams or so of protein in their stomach. I'm sure it helps settle my stomach. Since protein powder makes me gag,I use protein pills (5=25g) called HumaPro that I get from the Vitamin store.

I would suggest soft gel vitamins for now, which I often take and it's a lot better than not taking any.

Good luck and keep posting.

It's been 6 days and I just wanted to update. I am having a flare-up from degenerative disc disease. The pain is through the roof. I've been taking pain medication (like pez) and finally have my allergies under control with singulair. The bathroom problems have been less of an issue. I went 7 times in 3 hours on Sunday but lasted Monday and Tuesday with just a couple of trips. I took 4 imodium Sunday, though.

I'm not sure if the pain is affecting the GI system or just making everything crazy. My surgeon said that I could have the back injection (stops the pain for me like magic) after the 10th (my official 3 month mark) and I scheduled for the 11th!

The morning nausea is gone. Maybe it was post nasal drip or maybe the pain masks it. Either way, happy to see it go! Water intake is up (pain meds make me thirsty) but protein is down (pain makes it hard to eat) overall, I'm in a much better place with my DS. Let's hopethat it just keeps getting better.

CW 390. 85lbs in 6 days.