Morning Everyone,

Well...it's been a very long process for me. Surgery was October 3rd with complications. I ended up back in Surgery October 5th, 2 more times to fix what they think was a misfired Staple, 2 blood transfusions and almost 6 days in ICU drugged up and hooked up to the resp irater to keep me breathing. Tied down so that I wouldn't pull out the breathing tube. However, I don't remember much at the ICU, except giving my sister the finger when she told me that they booked their Winter Trip. After this I end up getting an abscess and getting transferred to St. Boniface to have a CT Scan and tube inserted into the abscess.

I have been at home now 1 week, staying at my Mom's in Gretna. She's been looking after me.
I have had an extreme amount of anxiety and couldn't actually sleep for the first 3 nights or even during the day, so I ended up going to my doc and getting some anxiety and sleeping pills. I have managed to stay  away from the anxiety pills (Narcotics) and only take half a sleeping pill before going to bed. In the morning I wake up with lots of stomach pain.

I had to go home with 1 drain tube that was draining my abscess that I have, I got the tube out on Wednesday this week when I saw Dr. Vergis at St. B. for an appointment, but I still have about 3 to 4 weeks of terrible antibiotics, that I have to take and make my stomach very sick.

My stomach is very sore today, I seem to be taking more Tylenol then I did when I got home here.

Things that I have been eating:

Yogurt, fried or hard boiled egg whites, homemade veggie soup, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, veggies, chicken and protein shakes. I chew everything until it is very mushy.

I can actually say that I have regretted doing this and wish I was back to normal. I know that is not possible though.

So how long did it take before your stomach stopped hurting so much?
What kind of foods did you start eating?

I am hoping to go home on Monday, my daughter has the week off and said that she would take care of me so we'll see. 

I really wish the pain would subside and that I could stop taking the Antibiotic!!!

I'm glad you are home but so sorry that you have had such a rough time. I hope you are back home soon.

Take care, Karen

hi Kim,

glad you're slowly but surely on the mend. i haven't has my surgery yet , but it's good to read both sides. i'm sorry you're having a horrible time.  hopefully it's all good stuff from here.

wishing you a speedy recovery

I cannot beleive it has been 4 weeks already.  I wish that you could say that you were glad to have had the surgery.(which did you get?  RnY or VSG?

Is the pain all the time? I would give a call back to the clinic if it is.

Hope you will be at home in your own bed soon, take care.

Michelle

hi, a lil off topic but what is the difference between RnY and VSG? 

 I had the RNY and they know, it's just the healing process I guess.

hi kim,
i'm sooooo sorry you had complications.i have been thinking about you since your surgery and tried to visit you but happily you went home.
for me i ate soups and chili,i still cant do eggs
i eat alot of shrimp and jellos
hope to see you soon

I'm so glad you were able to leave the hospital but terribly sorry you had to go through everything you've had to so far. Hopefully very soon you will be able to go home. You are in my thoughts and prayers that the remainder of your healing process goes by smoothly and uneventful. You have had a terrible, painful setback so I can understand that you would certainly be regretting having the surgery. You have gone through so much pain and are still quite ill. I really hope that things turn around for you and that this time next year that you have changed your mind. Right now you just need to focus on only you. You have a long healing process ahead of you. You need to take it very slow and rest as often as your body tells you. I was so tired while healing that I was sleeping 14 hours a day or more. If you need painkillers then take them, that is what they were made for. Never let yourself suffer by not taking them. If you need them take them. One day when you are healed you will no longer need them, you yourself will know when that day comes. 

I am 7 1/2 weeks out and I am pretty much eating most foods. I have tried chicken, turkey, ham and steak for meats and have had no problem with them. I also chew until mushy. I eat yogurt and cottage cheese often. I have had cucumbers, raw mushrroms, a bit of lettuce, wraps, potatoes. I have not had many problems with anything I have tried so far. I was eating greek yogurt at 2 weeks out but can no longer eat it. At about 3 weeks out I started getting nauseous all the time and greek yogurt sits too heavy.

What kind of stomach pain are you having? Right after surgery my pain was really bad. With the right dose of painkillers it was manageable. When I came home I remained on painkillers for a couple of weeks. When the gas finally started moving out and I had my first bm the pain lessened. If I overdid it I would need painkillers after 2 weeks. Around 3 weeks I became very nauseous and I still am. I think this is mostly because I am not drinking enough and probably some days not eating enough. I am trying to journal everything and preplan the say before. Being back at work will hopefully help me to increase my fluid intake. Running around the school and reading and talking make me thirsty. 

I'm soooo sorry you are going through this! I know how you feel about wishing it wasn't so...but I am fairly positive you will LOVE your RNY once you are healed up. I had a complication too, and didn't feel great until about 5-6 weeks post op. I think you had it rougher than me, so be easy on you. Take the time to chill, rest as much as you can, eat and drink. I had a toddler to look after and that was rough for the first 2 weeks.

I remember I progressed through my diet quickly. I was eating chicken and ground meats by 3 weeks out. Granted it was only a tablespoon of meat..LOL IF that.

Sounds like you are doing all you should. Just keep on the meds and muddle through! I'm praying for your swift recovery!!!

*hugs*
Koko

So sorry to hear you had such a rough time Kim, take it easy and get lots of rest,
Take care