Question:
I am 18 days post-op and have a headache every morning.....

Every morning that I wake up I have a headache and indegestion(sp). Has anyone else experienced this? It drives me crazy.......Thanks    — Gwen F. (posted on July 7, 2003)

July 7, 2003
Hi Gwen, I am almost 2 months out and I had a horrible sinus headache every morning for a week until I found some children's chewable sinus tabs. I had been taking allergy meds for years before surgery and just went cold turkey after surgery because I was afraid of taking pills. I also found some liquid Tylenol that tastes yucky but helps a lot with headache pain. The indigestion may be the gas from surgery still escaping. I chew Tums EX for calcium but I think it also helps with the gas too. If nothing else works and the pain continues, call your surgeon. They have probably heard it before and have a few suggestions too.
   — Carole V.

July 7, 2003
You present an interesting case...what causes headaches and indigestion together, 18 days post op??? Hmmm. I would speculate that your body is readjusting to the lowered levels of blood sugar, getting rid of the toxins that have built up over the years and getting rid of the anesthesia from your system. Are you still on pain meds? This can also be a source of 're-bound' headache. Do you eat anything before you go to bed? I find a cup of really loose oats, made with milk helps me to sleep, has me wake up refreshed and less hungry than if I don't eat anything. Of course, milk is also a mucus producer and if you have sinus drainage, that could be a problem. So, given all of the above, my suggestion to you is this: if it persists, get back to your doctor who can help!!
   — merri B.

July 7, 2003
I had the same problem with headaches when I woke up as a new post-op. My surgeon suggested upping my water intake - which worked.
   — Karla K.

July 7, 2003
Did you stop caffeine after surgery? I know that when I was in college I moved off campus for the summer and 2 weeks later I thought I was dying! No energy, horrible headaches, nausea, etc. Turns out it was because I had been drinking about a 12-pack of diet coke on campus and to save money I had switched to Kool-aid. Once I went back to drinking caffeine I felt MUCH better. No sodas for us now, of course. This soon postop, you can either talk to your dr about drinking a little caffeine or tough it out. Eventually you will get past it.<p>If caffeine is not the problem, perhaps not enough water (as suggested by a previous poster) or low iron? I also get headaches when I don't take iron. Make sure you are taking a multivit with iron EVERY DAY. Low iron can make you feel really lousy, too. While yer at it, make sure you are getting sublingual B12 and calcium citrate, too! LOL
   — ctyst

July 9, 2003
I had bad bad headaches postop...they caused the nausea more than anything. I agree that it was probably mostly due to dehydration...it was the thirstiest I had EVER been...I hadn't had anything since Mon night at midnight, then surgery was late day Tuesday, and my leak test was late morning on WEd, so I went nearly 2 days with nothing to drink and It was the most thirsty I had ever been. One other thing, is that i have had several lap surgeries before, and they usually use "gas" to fill the abdominal cavity to seperate things from its neighbor. Not all of it gets out, and works its way---think of the bubbles comeing to the top of a soda-----and it causes pressure on shoulders that can also lead to headache. In hospital phenegran helped
   — Lori B.