A few questions

If you had stinging, burning, and ITCHING at your incisions sites, do you remember how long that lasted?  This week, since the staples have been taken out and the steri-strips have been put on, the itching has been driving me bonkers!  I'm watching for increased redness, discharge, heat, etc. and thankfully everything looks fine.  How much longer for the itching?  I had to take Benedryl to get to sleep last night.

Is there ever a day after RNY that you can drink normally to satiate thirst?  This was one of my huge concerns pre-op...that I am always "dry."  I'm not a person who's body retains moisture (dry ears with no wax, constipation due to lack of moisture in bowels, cotton-mouth who had drink like a fish with her meals...I especially couldn't start eating food and swallow until I'd drank first).  This dryness is now making me feel like I desperately need to guzzle down a huge glass of ice cold water to satiate it, but I can't.  Just sip, sip, sip!  Is there hope?

Then, the hypoglycemia.  Oh boy.  I've actually cried both yesterday and today because I'm worried about what I've done to myself.  This was another thing I knew I was risking making worse with SWL and bam...I think I've done it.  Hubby says I should call the clinic Monday and talk to someone.  Is there any hope that this is going to get better or am I doomed?  Can anyone give me details on exactly how they are managing this?  I'm to the point that I will eat meat if I have to, just as long as it's necessary for me to feel better.  I bought a bunch of seafood last night so I'll start eating on some of that this weekend and see what happens.

Thanks for any words of wisdom you have to offer!

I itched too. I think it might have been the glue in the steri strips. Once they fell off and the glue was completely gone it went away. I had to use ice packs to help control the itch ( I guess I never considered benedryl)

The drinking thing is still a little weird for me. I was always a gulper or guzzler. Sipping didn't do it for me- at first. You know how you've read alot about head hunger on the boards - maybe there's such a thing as head thirst? I mean I knew I was taking in enough liquids but because I was still thirsty I felt like it wasn't enough. Just keep a water bottle handy and sip every 10 to 15 minutes whether you feel like it or not.

Not sure what to say about the hypoglycemic incidents except - I agree with your husband call your doctor and keep calling until you get to really talk about the issue. I'm sure that they've dealt with it before.

Good Luck on everything - it still seems surreal doesn't it?
- Iris

I had an alergic reaction to the adhesive for the steri strip..can't remember the name of it...but the sooner it came off my scin the better I was. It hurt and burned and itched.I have noticed i can drink more than sips now..but have to be careful not to gulp.Thats allt he advice I can give, best of wishes to you Shauna!!!!

Yeah, I'm alergic to most adhesives in bandaids and such -- they don't make me itch, but they litterally rip the skin off me.  You wouldn't believe the marks left by my IV when I had Daniel -- and it was compounded by him being in NICU and me having to wash my arms with surgical soap every 2 hours.  Not pretty.

As for thirst -- yes, I can satiate my thirst.  It's just something that takes time, but your pouch *will* get larger, enough so that you can take larger "gulps" of liquid.

As for hypoglycemia, get a journal.  I'm assuming you don't have a glucometer.  In the morning, write how you feel, write what time you eat, and if you have any symptoms, write down time then, as well as the actual symptoms, what you eat, and how soon the symptoms go away.

A journal is a PITA to do, but is infinitely helpful in your learning curve.  The sooner you learn that, say GrapeNuts (one of my worst culprits) makes your sugar drop all freaking day, the sooner you cut it out of your diet and it's one less thing that can mess with your sugar.  Plus, it will help your diagnostician determine if you have regular old hypoglycemia, or reactive hypoglycemia.

As for how I handle it -- I just eat *alot* of protein.  About 90-110g per day (it helps that I have an 8oz stomach).  Protein takes a long while to break down into sugars, so it will help keep your numbers steady.

And if I do want something sweet that would normally set me off -- like yesterday, I had a cup of Swedish rice pudding (sugar, white rice, cream, milk, dollop of strawberry preserves)  -- I buffer it with protein (had a hot dog with my rice pudding).  It's just something you get used to.  Doesn't suck much less, but you learn to live with it.

Shauna
I too had the terrible stinging, burning, and itching you're referring to.  I think it's like a lil reaction to the adhesive.  I ended up removing mine after 3 days.

I drink completely normal now.  I can even gulp and guzzle water, but I try not to.

Wish I could help with the hypoglycemia, but I can't. 

Stay positive Shauna, it will all work out!!!