Help! What's wrong with me? Any suggestions?

I had Lap RNY on June 25, 2008, everything went well with surgery, my problems did not begin until about a month post op, but they have yet to end and seem to be getting worse.

I had a stricture which dehydrated me so badly that I was back in the hospital for the first week of August. I came home with a case of pneumonia! That cleared up just in time for me to have a second stricture. They dilated it outpatient, and then I thought I was golden. I did fairly well for two or three weeks, and then all of this began.

I thought it was another stricture, but they went it to dilate and they said it really wasn't bad. They dilated me to 15mm, but now I'm good. All this cannot be a stricture any more.

I woke up after my stricture still very nauseous. It's been a few weeks and a lot of blood work later, and I'm still constantly nauseous. They thought I had picked up a viral infection, but it doesn't seem to be clearing up. Also, just for the record, they did do a pregnancy test, and it's negative.

"Unexplained Nausea" That's what my surgeon is calling it--- here's the symptoms

-I constantly feel like I'm going to vomit, the nausea comes and goes in waves, but never completely goes away (none of the 5 medicines- patches, liquids, pills, IVs- have touched it)

-I do "throw up" on average once a day, but I say throw up lightly because nothing ever comes up, even if I've just eaten, it's like convulsive dry heaving, burping, and a lot of saliva

-I have NO energy, I can sleep 12 hours a night, nap during the day, and still feel exhausted

-At one point I had three nausea medications through my IV and was ready to throw up, but they couldn't give me anything else for it, I was maxed out. I'm off all the medications, and have noticed no change at all throughout

-At its worst I'm also dizzy and beginning to have numbness across the right side of my face, abdominal muscle cramps, and I'm cold

-When I get up to do things around the house, or walk around it gets worse. I'm most comfortable when I am lying down, but I can't spend my life on the couch and I am still sick to my stomach lying down.

-I have SO much gas, burps and hiccups constantly

-At its worst, I almost feel like what they describe as "dumping syndrome" but nothing sets it off, it can occur 1st thing in the morning before I eat, or any time during the day. 

-I have to drink hot tea every morning to settle my stomach, and I've begun to eat only yogurt for breakfast and 1/2 a bowl of soup for lunch & dinner because these things don't seem to "flare up" the nausea. Some foods that I'm fine with one day, I can't eat, or even tolerate the next day.

-Anything and everything can set off the nausea, smells of food, thoughts (pictures) of food, seriously I feel as sick, if not more, as I was when I was pregnant (which was horrible!)

-If I go even an hour without anything to eat or drink and then I sip, it sets it off, I'm almost guaranteed to start dry heaving, even after a sip small enough to wet my whistle

-My mouth is constantly dry and cracked, my lips are so chapped, my mouth has the feeling you get when you drink something way too hot. It also has a sour taste. (I'm not sure that this is connected because I had this problem before the nausea even started)

I have complained and complained about this to my doctors, no one has any suggestions for me. My surgeon has told me that sometime nausea happens with this surgery, and they don't know what causes it but it goes away on its own. He did not have much to say when I pointed out to him that this nausea didn't even START until almost 3 months Post Op!!

I don't have a gallbladder, so that's not it. I do not have any other health issues that I'm aware of. I am only 27, I have a 3 year old daughter, and my quality of life has absolutely gone down the toilet since I had this surgery. I am DESPERATE for any ideas or opinions!

I am sorry you are in so much discomfort. 
My friend had nausea for first 4 months. Now I believe she is better and even started eating.  Not sure what happened.  The docs could not figure out why she got so sick all the time.  Another one, got sick all the time until she discovered that she cannot tolerate whey protein.   She will have them one day, was fine  - the next – she will throw up everything. 

At 3 months post op I started having nausea. Not sure why.  it was bad.  And some days no matter what I ate or smell - I was nauseated. I was joking to my friends that I cannot cook since the smell of cooking makes me want to throw up.   Now, 5 months post op - I still have nausea.  Not as bad, it is getting better.  Mornings are a challenge and I even went to my nut to ask her what I can do.  Every morning, if I try to eat something - I get nausea.  Sometimes it is bad, sometimes it is not so bad.  It is it bad - then it stays with me for the whole day or 2.  The mild case - goes away after lunch.  It is getting better.  By trial and errors I found out that I can have yogurt in the morning, and as long as I eat it very, very slow, and look for any signs that i may be getting full - I am OK. If I think I may be getting full (some days it is just after 1 oz, or even less than that) they I need to wait at least 15 min and try again.  Most mornings it takes me 1 hr to eat 2-3 oz of yogurt.  But finally (after 2 months) I found out what can I eat.   I drink warm tea (white or green and ginger) in the morning, and then slowly wait 1 hr before I eat.  I probably drink 16-24 oz of different teas every morning.  I want to make sure I wake up my pouch (my nut advise)
For over 1 month I have not cooked anything in the house.  I have a lot of frozen food (that I made before that and put away) and my dear friend gives me some food and the only thing I have to do is to warm things up. She saw me getting white and green after I stopped in her house while she was cooking and felt so sorry that she now puts away some food she is cooking for me in small containers (that I provided)    At 4 oz - how much food I can eat anyway.   I also have a nice Chinese place and have been ordering food from them (they make it fresh for me - no oils, no rice, etc). Then there is the Thai place I can order food from... whatever it takes...as long as I do not have to smell the food being cooked, or the house do not smell like food… You may not have that option.

After 1 month being nauseated every day - I found a solution.  This is my solution - you need to find out what works for you. 
I found that the best food my pouch tolerates when I am nauseated is warm--spicy, good quality.  Curry, or something like that  (but not in the morning).  Not sure why, just figured out what works.   

I am not a doc, but maybe the second time they stretched you - they somehow irritated your vague nerve? (not sure spelling)   Or maybe they stretched you too much and everything is going directly to your small intestines?  That is why you just have dry heaves? Since all the food left the pouch already?  So you may be dumping on anything and everything you eat and drink? Just a thought. 

How about drinking warm clear liquids for a few days?  I drink digestive/ginger teas at least 2 times a day (ginger helps nausea) 

I am taking probiotics every day and since the nausea - I am taking more of them.   

If you are nauseated every day -you may not know what the triggers are.  I know I can not drink black tea.  And the green has to be weak, so the white... or I get nausea.  We are so sensitive after the surgery.  I was also doing well first 2.5 months....

Good luck.  I hope you feel better soon.   

Have they considered a CT Scan?

Do you have any abdominal pain with eating?

 

I also had some trouble with nausea. Found that it was related to dehydration. As your body begins to burn the fat, it turns it to water. The amount of water you need to drink to counteract this can be phenomenal. I was able to get a liter of IV fluid put in a couple of times when it was really bad. (I am a nurse and work at a hospital). It just is a vicious cycle....dehydration causes nausea which makes you unable to drink which causes more dehydration and more nausea and on and on.
My suggestion is to try to push fluids as much as possible or request a liter or two of IV fluids from your doc to see if hydrating you helps the nausea. I was quite surprised at the difference it made for me but the docs confirmed that dehydration can cause nausea.

I finally have answers... sort of.

The diagnosis is still unknown, but they found some "contributing factors." I saw my nutritionist on Oct 14th, and she was stumped. She spoke with my surgeon, dietitian, and several other doctors in her office. My bloods weren't back yet because of Columbus Day so she said she was going to keep me posted. At that point I was feeling so sick, exhausted, and dehydrated that I had a feeling they'd stick me back in the hospital, again!

The doctor got my 3 month post-op bloods the next morning and called me at 9am. She said that I needed to go directly to the hospital and that one of her partners would be expecting me. My vitamin levels were extremely severe. My thiamine (B1) was the worst- to the point where it was causing nerve problems and numbness in my face.

They hooked me up to IV fluids and stuck thiamine and folic acid in the first bag, and the infusion began. The next morning they took out my IV and put in a pick line. They began TPN (Total parenteral nutrition- basically feeding me through IV). I was in the hospital for 6 days until they were satisfied with my vitamin levels. I was sent home on TPN, for how long, is currently unknown, I am going into day 12.

I was able to go off clear liquids by day 6 in the hospital. I'm able to do mushies now. I do still have mild nausea, but it's tolerable enough that I don't have to take anything for it. The smells are still bothering me, but I have to just go with what appeals to me each day. The doctors are still not sure what caused me to get so sick. I was taking a multivitamin up until the day I went into the hospital it just didn't seem to be absorbing I guess? They let me go home, but wanted me to have a full GI and Cat Scan as an outpatient, but I'm a little hesitant to start drinking things and fooling around more while the nausea seems to have subsided.

So, for now, I have a home health nurse come once a week for dressings and bloodwork, I hook myself up to TPN for 12 hours a night, and I'm able to live more normally during the day. I am able to eat and drink but only about an ounce or two at a time. My stomach is still churning and rumbling like crazy, but one of the GI doctors suggested that giving my stomach the break that it got (while in the hospital) may have been just what it needed.

you daughter only told you to take 1 measly vitamin! (slappin your doc) i'm so sorry your haveing problems. God i hope that you are now on your way to recovering. Did he say he's puttin you on some B12 shots/ sublinguals and more vitamins? God bless you honey