Question:
I'm pre-op and was very sick with the 24hr flu.....

I must have thrown up forever...does it feel the same as when you throw up when your post-op? I'm not sure I could handle that?? Thanks    — luckyflowers (posted on January 26, 2003)

January 26, 2003
If you are having the RNY, you will no longer have stomach acids...so your throw-up will be different...not to mention the very small amounts of stuff you will have to throw up. I am a little more than a monthe post-op...haven't thrown up once... I've read many times on here where people say that throwing up is not even close to the same.
   — thekatinthehat

January 26, 2003
I have never thrown up and I am over 6 months post-op. The main thing is to eat very slowly (chew it well and also pause to see if the food is making you feel yicky)and stop eating when you feel like you are getting full. Don't take "one last bite." I think you can avoid vomiting if you are smart about things. However, some people have other medical problems post-op that might make them throw up, but I think if all goes well, it can be avoided.
   — missmollyk

January 26, 2003
It's definitely different. I've thrown up occasionally, and still do 17 months post-op if I get careless, but it's no big deal. Nothing like the flu... not nearly as yucky!
   — mom2jtx3

January 26, 2003
I'd first like to dispute that you can avoid throwing up just by being careful. I'm 5 weeks post op and I throw up about every other day. Usually, but not always, when trying to introduce new foods. I chew very slowly, take three minutes between bites and I can get sick. Some folks do, some folks dont. If you do throw up, don't view it as a failure or you necessarily did something wrong as a new preop. It's just part of the process for some. As for the actual deal - it's so totally different for me. It's not a from your toenails oh my god I'm hanging onto the side of the commode please take me away from this type experience. It's a harsh cough and about 1/4 cup of usually fluid(remember, you chew so much there is no solid), comes back up. No real bad taste since there's no acid. And when it's over, it's over. You don't feel bad, you usually feel better! Once the material is out of the your pouch it's pretty much business as usual. Good luck!
   — Susan F.

January 26, 2003
I know what you mean. boy do I hate to throw up!!! I am 8 months out with a DS,and havent thrown up once. I almost did early on when I ate Rice and it started to swell in my stomach. Most people who have the Ds never throw up .We eat to satiation and our stomach is initially reduced to the size of 4 oz.bigger than the thumb size of the RNY.our tummys are banana size.and shape.Eventually the stomach stretches to hold aas much food as the size of a coke can. The doctor removes the rounded portion of the stomach but leaves intact the entrance to and the exit from the stomach. We dont have stomas or artificial holes coming out of our stomachs to get plugged. it still works like it always has. One other efffect of removing the rounded part of the stomach has recently been discovered. There is a hormone called Ghrelin that causes you to feel hungry and almost forces you to eat when you are on a low calorie diet. this hormone is probably the main reason many of us are fat.the hormone is made mostly by the rounded part of your stomach so by removing that ,we find we are less hungry, satiated sooner , and full longer. Pretty neat ,huh? aside from the not throwing up benefit of the DS the malabsorption of mainly Fats helps prevent us from ever regaining the weight we loose. Weight regain among Dsers is virtually unheard of.Please before you have a RNy check out duodenalswitch.com for more information about this more effective and higher quality surgery , you will be glad you did.
   — Laura W.

January 26, 2003
I'm 6.5 weeks post, and I haven't thrown up once. Not everyone throws up after a RNY. As for the stomach flu, that sucks no matter what! I'm an emetophobe (vomitting phobia) so I'll do whatever I have to do, to not throw up. I've only felt ill once since surgery, and that's because I ate too fast. In fact, I haven't thrown up since December 1998! LOL! Don't worry about the puking part of this surgery. It might not even happen. If it does, people say it's nothing like it was.
   — Diana L.