It has to get better...right?

Congrats on the TTuck referral. I wish you all the best. I had another joyous stay for a week at the wonderful resort BJACH....fifth floor this time. Apparently I had a UTI that went into my kidneys......I felt yucky, then I couldn't eat.........it was just pitiful. Dr. Shapiro had me do the swallow test again, after a CT scan the week before (another ER trip where they said I had the flu but was probably the undiagnosed UTI). Anyway, that's why the water thing is bugging me so much. I'm trying so hard to drink but it seems that I can't get more than 40 ounces or so a day............gag! Anyway, I'm still kicking..........just ready to feel better. All my help has returned home and my husband has his normal schedule..........so, being a mom is so hard when you feel sick all the time. I'm ready to feel good again. Take Care, Kendra

Kendra: When I was a month or so out of surgery, it didn't seem like there were enough hours in the day to get in all my fluids and protein. I was barely getting 700 calories a day. It did get better though. However, I still sometimes think there aren't enough hours to get in all my water. I still can't drink too soon after eating or my pouch lets me know it's not happy with me. It's like should I eat or should I drink? Like this evening for example. We had a bbq at our house for one of the guys my husband works with *****tired yesterday. About 40 people, tons of food. I had my husband grill me some shrimp, and I ate just small amounts of a few things. However, just sitting around talking, I started drinking some iced tea to quench my thirst. Big mistake. It wasn't the food that made me uncomfortable but the tea. I had to get rid of it, so it was like I hadn't eaten at all. I should go make myself a protein drink to make up for what I lost, but it's late, so I probably won't. Do they think the UTI is from not getting enough fluids? What stage of the diet are you on now? I think that about this point I was on pureed stuff. I didn't know they put patients on the 5th floor. The only time I've ever been there is when I would go with my daughter to her OB appointments. Didn't think there was anything else up there. I know how hard it is to try and take care of family when you're not feeling well yourself. You just have to take one day at a time. Take care and concentrate on feeling well again. Cathy

Hey Cathy, I'm on the pureed stuff now, but it seems to take forever to empty out of my pouch....like hours. Which is making it even harder to drink. I feel soooooooo, stuffed. If I drink anything, it just makes me sick. So, I'm really sort of sticking with the full liquids for breakfast and lunch, then having something pureed for dinner.......it lasts longer into the night and the full liquids allow me to drink more water in the day. I have my next appt with Dr. S on April 4. If it's not better by then, I'll ask him what's up. I expect the more solid foods to take longer to process...........but geez, even pudding sticks around in my stomach for 4-5 hours........uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Yeah, OB is on the 5th floor east side, but the west side has a several recovery type rooms. OHHHHHHHHH, I had to share with a girl for a couple of nights. I'm sooooo sick phobic that I could barely sleep! I just don't think you rest and recover as well with a moaning person inches from you on the other side of the curtain!!! But she was sweet....thank goodness. I'm also still on this nasty antibiotic........which has to be taken on an empty stomach. LOL, by the time food processes, the antibiotic has it's 'empty' stomach time, and sleep is factored in..........there's just not that many hours in the day to "sip, sip, sip". OHHHHH, I can't wait until it gets better. Better jet, time to fix more water..........uhhhhhhhhh! Thanks Cathy, Kendra

Kendra: I had the same experience when I was on pureed stuff. It seemed like it stayed in my stomach forever. One morning, I woke up and for some reason had to vomit and what came up what the previous night's dinner. I thought that should have been out of there hours ago. Hang in there it does get better. Unfortunately, now, I hardly ever feel full until an hour after I've eaten, so I have to stop myself and say just this and no more or I'll be paying for it later. And if I drink too soon after eating, my pouch lets me know it is not happy with me. But that is really the only problem I have. Well, that and chicken. I used to love chicken and my husband complained because we had it about 3-4 nights a week. Now, I rarely fix it and he's just so darned happy when I do. Now, I'd rather eat steak or hamburger, whereas before, I didn't eat red meat except maybe once or twice a week. Go figure. Some people have a problem with steak and hamburger after surgery, but for me, it goes down a lot easier than chicken. But red meat was about one of the last things I was allowed to add back in. My favorite pureed meal was the little jars of turkey and gravy baby food. I would heat it up and add some salt (okay, maybe a lot of salt, because it has none and tastes yucky without it). It tasted like turkey gravy, which is my all time favorite gravy. I would do tuna and ma**** up really fine, but it would take me several sittings to go through a small can of the stuff. I also did the canned chicken, too. It went down a little easier than regular chicken when I started back on that. Cathy

Thanks Ash.........lol, I have been feeling quite freakish! It's good to know about the dry mouth thing too. Gag, it just totally grosses me out. I can't wait for my POOF, all better morning! Heck, I'll settle for a "HEY, this isn't so bad" morning at this point! Thanks for the response! Kendra

Kendra, I am sorry you have been feeling bad. Having open RNY will take a little longer to heal. You are not a freak, hang in there girl. Take care, Jodi