UPDATE - My complication NIGHTMARE is OVER!
THIS IS HOPEFULLY THE LAST ENTRY INTO MY COMPLICATION SAGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know this is going to be semi-confusing for a lot of people, but I just had to post this here because I know several of you followed my complication nightmare. It is a long story to explain how I got to this point, suffice it to say last May I started having really bad abdominal pain and it too****il August to even get a hint of what was wrong, and that was after an exploratory surgery, during which my surgeon placed a g-tube in my excluded stomach (the leftover chunk of stomach, after a pouch is created for RNY). It turned out that I have something called SMA Syndrome (for full details see my blog - I even made a diagram). Finally, on November 21st I had a surgery to correct my SMA - but I had to keep the tube as a precaution (and the tube SUCKS in a lot of ways). Which brings us to today.... For the first time since August I woke up this morning, put my hand to my left side, and there was nothing there but skin...beautiful, loose, skin. *sigh* and it feels great.
Posted yesterday night(12/18)
I went in to see my surgeon today because the muscles around my tube were really aggitated and I kept having painful spasms. I was up to see him 3 weeks ago for tests to determine if my surgery on 11/21 was successful, and the tests confirmed that it was - so my tube, that had been serving as a drain, was clamped to force my plumbing to start doing all the work, and to see if my plumbing WOULD do all the work - and it did on both counts. Dr. Baker came in today and asked how long I had my tube clamped. I told him 3 weeks. He asked if I had any trouble from keeping it clamped. I told him I hadn't had any problems. He asked me if I wanted to have it taken out and I said.....
HECK YES!
So he took it out! As soon as I stood up clear liquid gushed out, soaking through several gauze pads and paper towels before quitting. Dr. Baker said that was pretty normal, and told me to expect it to ooze for a few days.
Well, I'm home and it is oozing, but not just oozing - BURNING and the fluid is brown and bloody. I look like I've been shot in the belly. The pain gets unbearable when liquid comes out - basically because the acid from my stomach is burning my belly skin, which is now dark red and puffy for about 2 inches all around the former-tube site. Ugh. I am currently on hold with the on call nurse, will let you know how it comes out....
Posted this morning (12/19)
Okay, it has stopped gushing stomach acid! Last night was awful, but towards daylight things got better. When I called the nurse hotline at the hospital where my surgeon works last night, they told me to make a barrier of vasaline or antibiotic ointment to cover the skin, so when the acid oozed out the skin wouldn't have acid burn. They also told me to lay on my back as much as possible to keep the fluid inside the stomach (which makes sense - it got a lot worse when I stood or sat) so I just went to bed after I got off the phone.
I had to readjust the packing around the wound several times last night, and when I got up this morning I had splotches of dried stomach juice all over my PJ shirt - but at least it feels better!
I was just panicked because no one told me it would be like that. My surgeon told me it would ooze but he said nothing about acid burn. It hurt like the dickens, and the skin is pretty red and has actual blisters this morning - but at least it doesn't burn anymore. The stomach wall is supposed to have closed by now, so all the goop that oozes out is just normal goop from any open wound.
So - I AM TUBE-LESS! Did I mention that to anyone? This is significant for a few reasons - the first being I will stop getting caught on doors, the second, now I won't have muscle spasms from my stomach muscles trying to push my tube out (which means I can wean myself off of the pain pills) and finally -
THAT MEANS I AM ALL BETTER!
Yeah. That ROCKS. God is good, and so are OH friends who have supported me through all of this. Bye bye complication country, hello happy post-op bariatric life!
The wound is sore, as any gaping open abdominal wound should be. However it will heal, it is healing. I am healing. This will soon be a distant memory that I draw strength from. I survived.
I know this is going to be semi-confusing for a lot of people, but I just had to post this here because I know several of you followed my complication nightmare. It is a long story to explain how I got to this point, suffice it to say last May I started having really bad abdominal pain and it too****il August to even get a hint of what was wrong, and that was after an exploratory surgery, during which my surgeon placed a g-tube in my excluded stomach (the leftover chunk of stomach, after a pouch is created for RNY). It turned out that I have something called SMA Syndrome (for full details see my blog - I even made a diagram). Finally, on November 21st I had a surgery to correct my SMA - but I had to keep the tube as a precaution (and the tube SUCKS in a lot of ways). Which brings us to today.... For the first time since August I woke up this morning, put my hand to my left side, and there was nothing there but skin...beautiful, loose, skin. *sigh* and it feels great.
Posted yesterday night(12/18)
I went in to see my surgeon today because the muscles around my tube were really aggitated and I kept having painful spasms. I was up to see him 3 weeks ago for tests to determine if my surgery on 11/21 was successful, and the tests confirmed that it was - so my tube, that had been serving as a drain, was clamped to force my plumbing to start doing all the work, and to see if my plumbing WOULD do all the work - and it did on both counts. Dr. Baker came in today and asked how long I had my tube clamped. I told him 3 weeks. He asked if I had any trouble from keeping it clamped. I told him I hadn't had any problems. He asked me if I wanted to have it taken out and I said.....
HECK YES! So he took it out! As soon as I stood up clear liquid gushed out, soaking through several gauze pads and paper towels before quitting. Dr. Baker said that was pretty normal, and told me to expect it to ooze for a few days.
Well, I'm home and it is oozing, but not just oozing - BURNING and the fluid is brown and bloody. I look like I've been shot in the belly. The pain gets unbearable when liquid comes out - basically because the acid from my stomach is burning my belly skin, which is now dark red and puffy for about 2 inches all around the former-tube site. Ugh. I am currently on hold with the on call nurse, will let you know how it comes out....
Posted this morning (12/19)
Okay, it has stopped gushing stomach acid! Last night was awful, but towards daylight things got better. When I called the nurse hotline at the hospital where my surgeon works last night, they told me to make a barrier of vasaline or antibiotic ointment to cover the skin, so when the acid oozed out the skin wouldn't have acid burn. They also told me to lay on my back as much as possible to keep the fluid inside the stomach (which makes sense - it got a lot worse when I stood or sat) so I just went to bed after I got off the phone.
I had to readjust the packing around the wound several times last night, and when I got up this morning I had splotches of dried stomach juice all over my PJ shirt - but at least it feels better!
I was just panicked because no one told me it would be like that. My surgeon told me it would ooze but he said nothing about acid burn. It hurt like the dickens, and the skin is pretty red and has actual blisters this morning - but at least it doesn't burn anymore. The stomach wall is supposed to have closed by now, so all the goop that oozes out is just normal goop from any open wound.
So - I AM TUBE-LESS! Did I mention that to anyone? This is significant for a few reasons - the first being I will stop getting caught on doors, the second, now I won't have muscle spasms from my stomach muscles trying to push my tube out (which means I can wean myself off of the pain pills) and finally -
THAT MEANS I AM ALL BETTER!
Yeah. That ROCKS. God is good, and so are OH friends who have supported me through all of this. Bye bye complication country, hello happy post-op bariatric life!
The wound is sore, as any gaping open abdominal wound should be. However it will heal, it is healing. I am healing. This will soon be a distant memory that I draw strength from. I survived.
Amy 293/140 - AT GOAL! 
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