Question:
Does everyone get violently sick the first few months?
I dont want to upset anyone, but it seems to me from differant profiles I've read that yes, indeed you do lose alot of weight the first few months, but it's because nothing stays down. Most people say how weak and nauseas they are and that cant be healthy not to mention harder to get in the required protein and water. Am I wrong? Please tell me I am. — justaboutkrazy (posted on September 12, 2003)
September 11, 2003
Well I lost my cookies:( less than 6 times in the first year. You have to
relearn to eat. Some get the message faster than others. Most of us are not
ill from surgery but some can have problems early on.<P> For those
who noticed I havent been around much. My business is booming, my computer
has troubles, I have been keeping up helping with the mod stuff but havent
had time to post much. Things should return to normal soon. If my business
were always this busy I would be rich!
— bob-haller
September 11, 2003
I can and do eat everything I did pre op, but limit foods that can cause
weight regain. ONE oreo OK, handfull bad bad bad..... I remember crying
right before my bowell prep eating my last ever chocolate chip cookie. What
a waste I had one 2 days ago. I buy singles, if the bags here well it
doesnt last long:( I HAVE to avoid that
— bob-haller
September 11, 2003
I can count on one hand the number of times I have yarfed...
— ZaZa F.
September 11, 2003
Mary,
I am 15 months PO and yes I was a puker for the first 3 months. MY pouch
hated everything and it didnt matter if i chewed or it was a soft food
sometimes it hated the protein drinks, I never knew what was gonna set it
off. then all of a sudden it was gone.....now I can eat just about
everything i avoid those evil carbs and watch my fat as fat will make me
sick. You learn what works for you and you follow it. During the first 3
months I was not nauseated nor was I weak, I exercised daily, ate the best
I could and took my vitamins. Going from 251 to 157 and a size 24 to a 10
but most importantly a cholesterol of 280 to 145 and 136 units of insulin
to 30 made it all worthwhile.
— Lesley T.
September 11, 2003
I was definately not violently sick the firsrt few months. I have thrown up
maybe 3-4 times in the 11 1/2 months since I had surgery and All of them
were related to me not chewing thoroughly enough/or pushing to eat a
chicken breast when I should have still been on purees. My own fault there.
and there was nothing violent about the throwing up, more like a baby
spitting up. I feel fabulous now too. Remember in the initial post op stage
you have had MAJOR abdominal surgery. You will be tired, you will be sore.
You will wish you didn't do this to your self. then you will recover, heal,
get your energy back and wonder why you waited so long.
— **willow**
September 11, 2003
Mary- In evaluating the concern you have, you have to parse out two
distinct issues. The first is discerning the normal amount of upset that
happens given the nature of the surgery and the time your digestive systems
takes to return to some semblance of normal functioning. The second issue
is the extent to which so many of us who became morbidly obese continued to
cheat and make bad food choices after surgery (which is the more likely
cause of people getting sick).
Unfortunately, as your new pouch and roux limb are getting used to
processing food again, your mind is also trying to adjust to smaller
portions, longer time between bites and chewing till the food becomes mush;
getting your mind and body to work together takes time and the result of
this work-in-progress is a combination of chucking and feeling nauseous.
Also, as your body goes into ketosis (which is, after all, the goal), the
ketones will cause stomach upset and loss of appetite. Lastly, for many of
us, there is a psychological barrier that shoots up after surgery--- for
some, it is such a fear of returning to old habits that eating is
troubling, for others it is a concern of returning to the foods that may
have been eaten right before the last stomach upset. For these reasons,
being engaged with a support group and/or a counsellor and nutritionist are
critical.
In the end, however, post-ops do settle into a comfortable rhythm and enjoy
a sustainable weight loss. I know for me, after the stomach upset issues
ended (at around the 4th month), I was motivated to make good food choices,
follow my surgeon's program and maintain my weight loss (so much so that I
dropped over 250 pounds and reached my goal after 11 months). Good luck.
— SteveColarossi
September 11, 2003
i am 3 weeks postop and have never felt of been sick. open RNY
— franbvan
September 12, 2003
I had surgery on 7/23/03. I have been sick often so far. When I eat meat
(which is what I am suppose to be eating) I feel like it is stuck in my
throat, like I have to burp and can't, then I vomit. NO FUN!! I have
given up meat and EVERYTHING else I eat stays down. Anyone have
suggestions?? besides Chew better, eat slower? I do that.
— Holly W.
September 12, 2003
I haven't had any nausea to speak of and I'm almost 8 months post op. The
only time I have ever felt nauseous was actually in the hospital, 2nd day
post op, but only because the student nurse sat me up too fast. Lasted all
of 3 seconds. I've thrown up twice but it was because I didn't follow the
rules and I ate too fast/drank while eating. Both times, there was no
nausea, but pain in my chest from food that wouldn't move down into the
pouch (least that is what it felt like). So, no! Not everyone gets
violently ill during the immediate post op months.
— Rhoni333
September 12, 2003
Totally not true! While it is true that everyone is different and some due
encounter problems, a good surgeon and excellent aftercare program often
make for a successful surgical outcome. My husband and I are living proof.
We had distal RNY in mid-March and have had NONE of those problems! My
husband had a stricture one month out of surgery, but the second he noticed
he had the problem, he called our surgeon. The next day after a 15 min
procedure, he was immediately back to normal. We are consistent in taking
all our vitamins, protein, and eating 3-4 meals per day. I have not thrown
up once! And, with all the vits, protein, water, and food I eat...I feel
like I am putting something in my mouth all the time! It is definitely
weird to feel so satisfied all the time and be losing weight, but hey, it
is working for me and I am adjusting! LOL Best of luck!
— [Deactivated Member]
September 12, 2003
I as many other's do very well and do not experience nausea. We are all
different. I'm 7 months post op as of yesterday and only thrown up 3 times,
all being in the 1st 1-3 months and due to (#1)Flintstone vits tasting too
sweet and (#2/#3) eating too fast! Keeping in mind you can't get that full
amount of protein/water 1st month, and I plateaued my 5th month....I've
loss 95 pounds and 70 inches.
I wish you the best luck and great success!
— Hazel S.
September 12, 2003
I'm 15 months out, and have never hurled once. I also have never dumped
(in terms of sweating, heart palpatations, needing to lie down, etc.).
During those 15 months, I've been nauseous 3 times (translation: excessive
saliva, and sense of potential hurling that never came), and eaten to the
point of being uncomfortable 2-3 times. (Geez, this is feeling like being
in a confessional ;-P). <P>I think it's great that people credit
their surgeons and after-care programs when they don't get ill, but from
what I've observed, it seems to me that a lot of this stuff is individual.
I'd love to take credit for not hurling, or give it to my surgeon, but I
think sometimes we have no way of knowing how our bodies will react to this
surgery until after we've had it. You and your doc could do everything
right, and still, you may be one of the unlucky ones who gets sick from
time to time, especially in the beginning. The key thing it to be aware
that you may go through a period where certain things make you ill,
regardless how good your surgeon was or how careful you are. It's a risk,
but for most people, that period of time passes. For many of us luckier
ones, it never happens, and we lose weight too, anyway. Good luck!
— Suzy C.
September 12, 2003
I'm sure some people are sincerely ill, even following the rules, but I
don't think that's common. I have never been weak, and have thrown up only
a few times. Most of the time that I threw up it was because of something
I did that I shouldn't have (didn't chew stringy meat well, ate fried
chicken(even though I did remove the skin), ate too much). On only one
food that I recall did I throw up just because the food didn't agree with
me. Apparently pork is just too dense, and I can't keep that down. What
you describe has not been a problem for me at all. My pouch is doing what
it's supposed to by rejecting my mistakes, so I don't make them again.
— Vespa R.
September 12, 2003
2 1/2 years post op and do not vomit. On the other hand, I was never a
"vomiter" pre op either. I have never thrown up as an adult. I've
had 4 pregnancies (one with twins!) and never ever had a bit of morning
sickness. I suppose I have an iron stomach. I just don't throw up. (Boy,
sometimes I wish I COULD!!) Shelley
— Shelley.
September 12, 2003
My husband never got nauseated or threw up until he was about 8 months out,
and then because he ate something too fast!! I tried to eat too fast or
drink too much, eat too soon after drinking, etc., and so I got nauseated
and vomited until I learned how to eat again. Two of my friends who had
the surgery after I did, learned from watching me suffer and didn't try to
eat too fast, drink too fast, etc., and they never had any problems with
nausea or vomiting. It just depends on how good you are about reteaching
yourself to eat! LOL!! There are complications that can happen, too... but
the most common complication is not learning how to eat slow, drink slow,
and chew a LOT! LOL! :~)
— Sharon m. B.
September 12, 2003
Hi Mary,
<p>
I think you need to read a few more profiles! (Not mine, cuz I don't have
any info posted!) Not everyone gets sick after surgery. I would venture to
say that not even the majority do. Also, for the ones that do say they get
sick, you have to look at the reasons for it. Some people react to the
lingering effects of the aenesthesia and have nausea. This would have
happened to them regardless of the type of surgery they had. Some have
"mechanical" sickness, meaning they ate too much, ate too fast,
maybe didn't chew some dense meat too well. These are for the most part
entirely avoidable. And actually, just like the previous poster said, the
pouch is supposed to react that way if you do one of these things.
<p>
I am 14 months post op and the only time I vomitted was when I developed a
stricture at 3 months post op. I recognized the signs, had the stoma
stretched and I'm doing great. On the other hand I lived for 7 years with a
VBG and had mechanical vomitting several times a week for all that time. I
love the RNY, no ring for food to get stuck on.
<p>
There is really no way to predict how you will react to the surgery. It is
such an individual thing. Good Luck.
— Ali M
September 12, 2003
I agree with the last poster....keep reading! I am almost 3 months out and
haven't barfed ONCE! I havne't even felt the urge or the need. I feel
fantastic and have since I was about 2 days post op.
— Sarah S.
September 12, 2003
I did get violently sick 3 times in the first 2 weeks postop. First time
was in the hospital, day 4 postop, it was a big wash bowl full of
reddish-brown fluid. Must have been 4 liters of the stuff! The nurse said
it was left over dried blood and bile mixed with the water I had been
having for 2 days. I was heaving and heaving this stuff up like it was
never going to end. It didn't hurt at all which was the only good thing
about it. After I got home on day 6 postop, it happened again. Then again
on day 7 during the big eastern power outage in August. That was it for
major hurling. However, what Vespa said about the pouch rejecting my
mistakes is so true! That is truly a good way to put it. If you hurl, you
have to think about what and how fast you just drank or ate. You will more
than likely have your answer. I have hurled my mistakes hours after eating
too. Food was not eaten too fast, just the wrong food for this point in the
process. I am sometimes afraid to eat too. Clear fluids are fine but if I
add a puree or soft bit of food, I am taking my chances. 80% of the time it
digests just fine. The other 20% results in a hurl. I have been told many
times that it does get better as time goes by as long as we stick to our
surgeon's plan, measure small amounts and eat slowly. Good luck and God
Bless.
— mary ann T.
September 12, 2003
Not me. I have thrown up probably four times total, and I'm 7 weeks
postop. Usually it is because I ate too fast, or chose something that my
tummy wasn't ready for - like bologna! I have been a little tired at
times, but only get weak if I forget my B12.
— bethybb
September 12, 2003
I have been sick a lot and very weak. But I am only 7 wks. post-op, so I
am hoping it will get better.
— Wendy T.
September 12, 2003
No everyone is not sick the first three months. I went into surgery
expecting to be ill a lot those first few months. I have only thrown up a
few time when chicken does not agree with me. As soon as I did I was
completely better. I had pain in my back for two days which medication took
care of. I have had no complications and healed real fast. For a couple of
days about two weeks out I had a little stomach ache when I started soft
foods. That soon passed. I can eat anything that I am supposed to with out
trouble.I feel wonderful. I am down almost 60 # and am 66 years old but
feel twenty years younger now.
— Carol H.
September 12, 2003
I agree with the poster who said it's a very individual thing. I threw up
5-6 times in the first six months. I don't consider that excessive. I
didn't suffer from nausea at all other than those times. In fact, I'm not
sure they qualified as nausea - it was more a feeling that the food I'd
eaten was stuck in my gut and had to come back up. The weight loss in the
beginning isn't dependent on throwing up; even people who never throw up
will lose signifigant amounts of weight. But I have noticed that those
people with really huge weight losses were often quite sick in the
beginning and I wouldn't trade my slower pace for that at all!
— sandsonik
September 13, 2003
I wasn't weak.. or violently ill.. or nauseated... I was fine.. if I got
sick...I knew why, for the most part and I didn't get too often
— Lisa C.
September 13, 2003
Never have gotten sick, vomitted, nor have I had a problem eating any one
particular food except for some dry chicken and I have avoided that since
then. Of course I have never really pushed the envelope so to speak, I
stick to my diet as the nutritionist has prescribed. Good luck. 4+ months
out down 50+ pounds.
— ChristineB
September 13, 2003
Yes, I was very nauseated the first 3 months after surgery. To be honest,
I still have it at times, depending upon what I eat (however, I can eat
something one day, keep it down, and then the next day it wont stay down so
I'm not sure what causes that!) I have now lost 113 pounds and I'm seven
months out. I feel so much better and my life is on a new road. I just
wish I would have had the surgery 5 years ago. I keep Pepto Bismol on hand
for the time, I get sick at my stomach and it seems to help. I have found
that the best thing I can do upon rising, is drink a glass of water.
Otherwise, I have phlegm and it causes me to get sick if I eat something
first thing in the morning instead of drinking some water. The first few
months after surgery, my dr prescribed Nexium which greatly relieved the
nausea and now the generic pepto-bismol does great. Don't get discouraged!
It does get better....
— Kathy H.
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