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I am not usually a wimp but I am feeling really badly after GB surgery on Monday. I am sucking down Oxycodone like it is water and feeling terrible. I am actually watching the clock to make sure I get the pain meds on time. The gas pains are incredible and sorry for this TMI but when do you go to the bathroom again? Should I take Miralax or something to get that party started, or what? This is almost as painful as the bypass and I am not seeing any real improvement. While they were in me, they also searched around (exploratory) and found adhesions and removed them and am wondering if that is why I am feeling so much pain.
Anyway, thanks for any insight you can offer.
: )
Lisa
238/230/155/141/137
Pre-op/Day of Surgery/Dr's Goal/Current/My Goal
I did it! I made my Dr's Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just want to start off by saying that a reversal is the LAST thing I wanted, and through all of this it is the only regret that I have, I don't regret doing it to make myself well, I just regret having to do it because then you fall into a place where you sometimes feel like you don't belong to either group...not that we always need to belong, but anyone who has been through this can understand. Since my reversal 11/3/08 at University of Chicago (under the care of a wonderful doctor, Dr. Alverdy...both of my surgeons have been great, really), I was still suffering with these intermittent small bowel obstructions, and I do mean suffering because they were coming out of nowhere, at any time, and I work in the ER and it happened to me at work a few times and it's hard to just say, oh I need to go pace for a while and throw up, but I have the best co-workers around so they made it possible somehow. I struggled to get through the holidays, in the ER over Thanksgiving, made it through the family visits over Christmas, and ended up back in the ER 12/28/08. The elusive small bowel obstruction showed itself on film, which is a feat in itself as anyone with this problem knows they are usually camera shy for us. I didn't have any bowel sounds at all, and that is a bad thing. They helped me out with nausea/pain, and I thought I would be seeing my original surgeon the next morning, but who knew he was on vacation
Once I realized that he would not be able to care for me, I asked my husband to send my surgeon at U of C an email, and I called his office myself from my hospital room. While I was waiting for his call back, I did see the covering surgeon, both of them, and they were convinced that it was just my gallbladder (they had rustled up an old ultrasound that was done in Feb 2008, which did show stones), and that even though I had no bowel sounds, there was nothing wrong with my intestine, and one of them even called me before I was transferred to U of C by ambulance to tell me not to let the other surgeon touch my small intestine. I know I am making this a long story, but if you are going through something medical, you do need to listen to the experts, but you have to listen to your own body, your own intuition to tell you which experts you need to listen to. I think there was someone else on here that said it best, to remember that they say that people "practice" medicine, it is always evolving and no one knows everything all the time. On 01/02/09 I had my gallbladder removed (laparoscopically), and adhesions removed that were interfering with a piece of small bowel. If I had stayed at the other hospital, I would have left with the same problems I started with, and another surgery. I have only been home a few days, and I have the usual post-op pain/nausea, but we are watching the nausea...I think the next game plan, if it continues, involves investigating if I have Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction, let's hope we can just get past this and be done.
I never took it lightly to have my surgery reversed, quite the opposite. Anytime we have surgery, just the effects of anesthesia wreak havoc on your system, the depression, fatigue, nausea, hair loss, the list goes on. Take care, and I hope all of you that are struggling find a resolution in this new year!
Jules RNY 10/30/2007
Jules RNY 10/30/2007
In my case, it is from RNY. It started at 2 years out and continually got worse. My pancreas was secreting 5 times it's baseline of insulin when it was stimulated. I had 60% of my pancreas removed and while it's helped, it hasn't "cured' me. I still drop as low as 46. While that's not as low as I was dropping pre-surgery, it's still pretty low. Right now, I'm having issues with it being in the low 70's. I don't function well in the 70's. To feel okay, I need to be in the mid 80's. So it's been a balancing act to get the right combination of food without gaining wt, which I've done.
My local doc has been no help. My surgeon at Mayo basically kicked me out the door after 7 days in the hospital with no follow-up care at all. My WLS doc doesn't know what to do either. So I keep trying different combinations to keep my sugar up but to try to lose wt. It's very frustrating.
This is almost exactly what happened to me. Back in '93 there was precious little support post-op and I was basically sent home with a little pamphlet and that's it. My post-op appointments were not with my original surgeon but the one who saved my life following the leak. I never saw my original surgeon again. I hate to say it, but I think he really screwed up as I lost my spleen as well.
No, I didn't sue. Elective surgery and I felt completely beaten physically and emotionally. Add to the mix that my marriage was basically over (for other reasons).
Now I want to put things in order. Either go with the surgery and start again with the gastric surgery eating plan or go for a reversal, which scares me to death.
I can go for the pureed and soft foods (baby foods, cereals) and take supplements. I just don't know where to start. Are there food guides for immediate post op people?
Thanks!
I'm new to the group. Although I'm 15 years post op. I still weigh 234 pounds. Lost only 40. I hope things have changed as I had NO post op support. I almost died of a leak and subsequent infection. I went to a nutritionist once for after care. She told me to avoid oranges as they were high calorie. That was it. I fell into a very bleak depression. I learned that all the really bad stuff still goes down pretty easily. I have trouble with the healthy food--whole grain breads, cereals and lean meats, vegetables.
Perhaps I should begin at the beginning and eat pureed food again, take vitamins. The problem is, my calorie count has to be very low to move weight off.
I know my surgery was elective, and I accept responsibility for my near miss. I've blocked much of it as I was 2 months in hospital with nothing by mouth. Only lost 20 pounds! My GP said I was built to survive a famine. I don't remember my surgeon's name although I think it was Swift. (Kingston Ontario) I also accept responsibility for not following the proper healthy diet when I recovered. My only defense is that I was angry and (I thought) alone.. I suffer from very bad mood swings and hopelessness a lot of the time. I'm also worried about the long term consequences of stapling. I'd love to have it reversed but the thought of surgery again, even after all these years, frightens the daylights out of me.
Sorry, about all the questions, but as you can see I am desperate! LOL!
Thank you for listening,
Patience
