Trouble Keeping Food Down

Oh my gosh you are writing my story - I was exactly where you are at. I'm sure you are having "buyers remorse" also. How can you not, right? Just hang in there... it is a LONG road for some of us but you will get there. I threw up everything and I don't even know what came up because I couldn't even keep water down. I had to go to ER to be re-hydrated also. Dehydration does a number on you. Going through all of this also threw me into an anxiety state. I was so pissed that I did this to myself. I was pretty sick for 6 months though. I threw up each and every day, multiple times a day and was always nauteous (I had meds for this too).

I stayed persistent with my doctor. He ordered a CT and the radiologist did the test real time where he was in the room with me and had me sip on the contrast and looked right there. He said I had acquired "severe acid reflux" which I didn't have before. He compared my endoscopy before surgery to after.

My surgeon put me on a ppi and another med (I can't remember what that was) and I just took it day by day. My number one focus was to try to hydrate myself. I forgot about everything else (except vitamins). I froze snapples (they don't crack in the freezer they turn into slussies). I ate ice pops, ice chips became my best friend. This is critical to hydrate.

I started back with cottage cheese and baby pears (this took me over and hour to eat). I tried protein drink (1 1/2 hours) and I hated it. It made me gag.

I just wanted to return to my "normal" self again. Keep plugging away and slowly reintroducing foods and little by little you will get back to your "new normal". It doesn't seem like you will but you will.

I would definately have your doctor order you a CT to see what is going on. Don't suffer and remember it will get better. I took it day by day and tried to keep busy.

Thanks for the insight, Lisa!  On Wednesday, it will be one month that I've been out of work and I'm running out of benefits time.  I really need to get back to work but I'm having a hard time invisioning myself going through the eating/vomiting rituals there that seem to be my life now. 

I had acid reflux before surgery and am still on a ppi now.  I take prilosec twice a day...once when I wake up and once when I go to bed.  I've not been able to get any protein in other than through the Ensures and, oddly, about three slices of colby-jack cheese usually stays down.  I normally love cottage cheese, but that doesn't seem to agree with me at this point.  I have zofran for the nausea but really, I don't feel nauseas most of the time...the vomiting after eating is really more a function of me "making room" because I feel like I'm going to explode otherwise.

I just called my doc and requested an upper GI to see if we can at least get on the road to some prognosis.  I'm tired of feeling like, "Well, maybe tomorrow will be better" because that never seems to happen.  I'm waiting on a call back from the surgeon's office now...so we'll see if they take my lead ;) 

Lastly, thanks for the idea on the snapples.  I'm going to try this!

I went back to work after 3 weeks. I think the doctor wanted me to get back to my routine as quickly as possible. It was really tough. I threw up in work each and every day on top of running to the bathroom for the other issues.

My place of employement is wonderful. My bosses were great! I would just work as long as I could and then either take vacation or bring work home. I was so sick each and every morning driving to work. I was weak from not being able to eat and not hydrated well. It took all I could do to drive to work.

I thought I was extremely prepared also. I thought "yeah, big deal, I can eat smaller amounts" never realizing I would totally lose my appetite for a long time and have to force myself to eat and drink to get the nutrients and begin healing.

Just take it day by day and give your body time to heal and adjust. You have had a major surgery and your body is in shock trying to figure everything out. Just stay with it. You are not alone!

Paul,

First off I am sorry for what you are having to go through.. Secondly, I would call the DR's office tomorrow and demand to be seen. Don't suffer until your scheduled appt.. The Dr's are wonderful but they are not living your life..

Good Luck
Keep us posted
Kathy

I would like to add a note of caution.  Keep in mind I have years of experience on these boards, a LOT of medical knowledge because I am a scientist with a PhD from a medical school, but I am NOT an MD.

Your surgeon is NOT a vetted DS surgeon.  In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen another of his DS patients, in my 9 years on OH.  This is a HUGE red flag for me in terms of him knowing what he is doing with a DS patient having complications.

You need a endoscopic and UGI examination of your stomach and the first part of your small intestine ASAP - it is ridiculous that you are suffering and being told to wait for your checkup.

IF your surgeon is an EXPERIENCED VSG surgeon, AND it turns out you have a stricture or some other problem with your stomach, fine, I suppose - he should be able to deal with it, including to safely dilate it.

However, IF it is found that you have a stricture in your duodenal anastomosis, I personally would not allow your surgeon to touch me - I'd be heading for one of the vetted surgeons who has a LOT of experience with duodenal strictures.  Messing with the duodenum is the most difficult part of the DS, and it has been said that suturing it is like sewing wet tissue paper - I would NOT want to risk an inexperienced surgeon messing with my duodenum.

Up to you, but that's what *I* would be thinking about.

Diana:

Thanks for the feedack and for your passion! :)  You may not have heard of Dr. Marshall before as Peoria is not the nexus of bariatric procedures like you'd find in Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York, However, taking from his profile on the Peoria Surgical Center website,

"Board certified by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Marshall is a highly competent surgeon who performs a wide range of general surgery procedures. With a special interest in bariatric medicine, Dr. Marshall was instrumental in establishing a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence in Peoria. He is skilled in Gastric Bypass, the Lap-Band® System and Laparoscopic Duodenal Switch procedures.

In addition, Dr. Marshall is experienced in Trauma and Critical Care, and he has received a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgical Critical Care. He also holds membership in various surgical societies and is on active staff at all three Peoria hospitals. He recently served as President of the Illinois Surgical Society and is the Chief of Trauma Surgery at OSF St. Francis Medical Center."

I don't think any of that points to an inexperienced surgeon or one who isn't skilled in this particular procedure.  I am also not necessarily waiting on my check-up.  He has, at my request, ordered an upper GI for this Friday and is following up with me on Tuesday.  He wanted to wait to give my staple line further time to heal as an endoscopy can reak havoc on any stomach--much less one that has so freshly been operated on.

With all due respect, I would suggest you ask him how many DSs he has done, both in training while proctoring with a skilled DS surgeon (and who was it) and since then, independently.  Personally, while I know they have to get their experience SOMEWHERE, I would not have agreed to be anyone's first, 20th or even 50th independent DS.

Second, we are familiar with skilled and therefore vetted DS surgeons from all KINDS of podunk places.  Until recently, Dr. Keshishian did his surgeries in his one-man shop in Delano CA (I've lived in CA most of my life and had to look it up - it's 25 miles north of Bakersfield in a dusty wide spot on Rte. 99); Dr. Peters has a one-man shop in Scranton PA; even Husted (years ago) used to be respected when he operated out of some place in TN I never heard of.

So, frankly, I don't care where he does his surgeries, or if he can do the equivalent of brain surgery (which in it's way, the DS already is) on a colon or a knee, or if he was voted Queen of England.  If he doesn't have EXTENSIVE experience doing DSs and fixing ones that have not gone perfectly, then he may as well be a dermatologist - medically trained in something irrelevant to my needs.

An aside for Diana:

Once a plastic surgeon said to me "you know what a dermatology residency is?  It's this:  'if it's wet, make it dry.  If it's dry,  make it wet.' "

Sounds like that covers most of what they do - with an additional procedure: "If it's gross, cut it out."