Post RNY 10 weeks out plus "bump" in the road
Hi All.
I wanted to report that since having my RNY on 11/9/2009 I have lost 40 pounds and feel wonderful. I went from a size 20 jeans (uh, you know, those stretch jeans) that were very snug (so I was really a 22) to size 16 jeans, as in "regular" jeans. (Though, I still wear the 18s but my husband complains they are "too loose"....I think I'm dealing with some body dysmorphia issues.)
I did have a "bump" in the road, so to speak, and wanted to share with you the signs and symptoms. Two weeks ago, I had emergency surgery to fix a bowel obstruction. Evidently, I had developed an adhesion at the new junction where my small intestines were reconnected and the pressure was causing a blockage. Fortunately, it was cleared laparoscopically though the surgeon was quite positive at the time that he would have to "open me up." No bowel had died and needed to be resectioned, which would have been a major surgery. He also repaired an internal hernia while he was in there. I was very lucky that it was not more severe.
Here is what happened. I woke up feeling great on Friday, breakfast, gym, work but around noon, I started to feel nauseaus. I progressively became worse, adding vomitting and severe abdominal pain to the equation until by 2:30 I was in such distress, my son called 911 and I was taken to the hospital. The vomitting was constant, first the contents of my pouch, then a continual stream of dark green liquid. I knew something was wrong when I continued to vomit but the pain was intense and debilitating. I had emergency surgery that evening, once they quelled vomitting and got the pain under control.
Sorry I am so graphic but this complication could happen to anyone who has had abdominal surgery. If you are feeling great one minute, then the next begin to feel sick, have belly pain that gets worse AND (especially if you are RNY) start vomitting CONTINUOUSLY (remember, your pouch can only hold about a cup of food) a dark green or even brown liquid, call your doctor and get to the ER IMMEDIATELY!
Time is of the essence. Most of my severe pain was from the fact that not only was liquid backing up through my pouch but it was also backing up into my remnant stomach, causing great pain. Had I not had that pain, I might have "waited" thinking I had a bug or something...and the result would have been dead bowel tissue, the need to resection the intestines and just a longer recovery period from an open surgery. If you are lapband, you should still be suspicious of continuos vomitting of greenish, brown fluid and any type of pain, whether vague or severe.
Anyway, I didn't mean to be so overly graphic but I think this is important information. :) Suzette
I wanted to report that since having my RNY on 11/9/2009 I have lost 40 pounds and feel wonderful. I went from a size 20 jeans (uh, you know, those stretch jeans) that were very snug (so I was really a 22) to size 16 jeans, as in "regular" jeans. (Though, I still wear the 18s but my husband complains they are "too loose"....I think I'm dealing with some body dysmorphia issues.)
I did have a "bump" in the road, so to speak, and wanted to share with you the signs and symptoms. Two weeks ago, I had emergency surgery to fix a bowel obstruction. Evidently, I had developed an adhesion at the new junction where my small intestines were reconnected and the pressure was causing a blockage. Fortunately, it was cleared laparoscopically though the surgeon was quite positive at the time that he would have to "open me up." No bowel had died and needed to be resectioned, which would have been a major surgery. He also repaired an internal hernia while he was in there. I was very lucky that it was not more severe.
Here is what happened. I woke up feeling great on Friday, breakfast, gym, work but around noon, I started to feel nauseaus. I progressively became worse, adding vomitting and severe abdominal pain to the equation until by 2:30 I was in such distress, my son called 911 and I was taken to the hospital. The vomitting was constant, first the contents of my pouch, then a continual stream of dark green liquid. I knew something was wrong when I continued to vomit but the pain was intense and debilitating. I had emergency surgery that evening, once they quelled vomitting and got the pain under control.
Sorry I am so graphic but this complication could happen to anyone who has had abdominal surgery. If you are feeling great one minute, then the next begin to feel sick, have belly pain that gets worse AND (especially if you are RNY) start vomitting CONTINUOUSLY (remember, your pouch can only hold about a cup of food) a dark green or even brown liquid, call your doctor and get to the ER IMMEDIATELY!
Time is of the essence. Most of my severe pain was from the fact that not only was liquid backing up through my pouch but it was also backing up into my remnant stomach, causing great pain. Had I not had that pain, I might have "waited" thinking I had a bug or something...and the result would have been dead bowel tissue, the need to resection the intestines and just a longer recovery period from an open surgery. If you are lapband, you should still be suspicious of continuos vomitting of greenish, brown fluid and any type of pain, whether vague or severe.
Anyway, I didn't mean to be so overly graphic but I think this is important information. :) Suzette
Hi Suzette,
I don't think that anyone can get too graphic when it comes to educating those of us who have not had the experiences that others have had. Your description could save someone's life someday. I think it is very important to tell people about these things, so they know what to do if it ever happens to them. Good job to your son for recognizing that you needed to get help. And finally great job to you too. Hope you are feeling better, and are well on your way to recovery.
I don't think that anyone can get too graphic when it comes to educating those of us who have not had the experiences that others have had. Your description could save someone's life someday. I think it is very important to tell people about these things, so they know what to do if it ever happens to them. Good job to your son for recognizing that you needed to get help. And finally great job to you too. Hope you are feeling better, and are well on your way to recovery.
Woo****hanks Suzette for letting us know your experience. I've been away from the board too long and reading your post reminds me why OH is important for me. I'm so glad you got it resolved in time to avoid a greater complication. I haven't heard of banders having this, but I did have a touch of the bug last week with vomitting. First time for me since surgery and vomiting doesn't really work well when you have a band. Hopefully I won't have to go through that again for a long time.
And congrats on your weight loss! That's fantastic!
Diane
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