Re: Almost 3 weeks postop

[Guest guest]

Hi Lorna,

I had severe, gut-wrenching nausea in my immediate discharge period and

had to take Reglan, but I think you are having something different.

Mine was from Nexium, as it turned out.

What I suggest is avoid the protein shakes, if that is what is making

you nauseated. Get your protein from natural sources, it can be done.

Jo and I did it that way. I never drank any shake, yuck! To this day

I have trouble stomaching them, but I use them for meal replacement

sometimes when I am too busy to eat. Well, usually I eat Balance Bars,

but I have some Muscle Milk I bought several months ago...oops.

Anyway, fluids are more important at this point. Try string cheese,

scrambled eggs, refried beans, stuff that is easy on the stomach.

Marta

[Guest guest]

Lorna,

I was nauseated and throwing up after my surgery for a month but it was diabetes

related stuff. Hang in there, it will go away. You are doing great. If it

gets where you can't tolerate it, maybe Dr. K can give you something. He tried

several meds with me but my problem was very severe with the ketoacidosis so I

doubt any med would have helped me at that time. Keep us posted on your

progress. You are in for an amazing ride.

--

Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.

Proverbs 13:14

-------------- Original message --------------

Hi all,

I'm Lorna Donahue from Minnesota. Dr. K. did my DS on June 13.

Weight loss has been great so far...over 20 pounds. I still can't

believe it. Anyway, I just had a question, and am hoping some of

you may have some words of wisdom for me. I'm not having any pain

anymore...yeah for that. My biggest issue right now is Nausea!!! I

don't vomit, but it's pretty much all day, everyday. I sip, sip,

sip, and am walking. I can eat pretty much any soft protien and

tolerate it. Just cant seem to get the protein shakes in. Just the

thought of them makes me more queasy...so my question is, how long

should I expect this nausea to last??? What am I doing wrong,if

anything? Any suggestions to relieve it? I just want to feel

somewhat normal again, ya know? I take my prilosec and gas-x. I've

gotten all my other vitamins/calcium in too.

My dear husband, Randy, says, " give it time, it gets better. " I

know it will. He had his DS done 3 years ago and is doing great.

He's been great, but I'm just a little impatient right now I guess.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or info...

Lorna

[Guest guest]

Lorna

Whew! 20 pounds already...good going.

Feeling nauseated everyday for weeks sure does wear down your

spirit. Randy is right, it does get better with time. How much

time is just different for each person. Until your further out, two

culprits of nausea sometimes are dehydration and/or lack of

protein. This is one reason " time " helps, because with " time " your

usually able to eat and drink more and that helps the nausea.

Soooooo, even though it may feel like an impossible task, try to

sip, sip, sip MORE (even through the night) And try to get in more

protein. I couldn't choke down the protein drinks, I just

couldn't. If I had a day that I didn't get in enough protein, I

paid for it the Next day. What I learned...I would take a chicken

thigh and nibble on it all day, sip, nibble, sip, nibble...When I'd

get that one ate, I'd fix another. Getting in a decent amount of

Real, solid, MEAT protein would make a world of difference. Chicken

thighs, because the meat was moist and sat on my tummy better.

If the nausea is too bad and prevents you from eating or drinking

then get Dr. K to prescribe Meds.

Just to let you know...your right on schedule...most people are just

sick and tired of being sick and tired at this stage of the game....

((((((big hug))))))) It isn't easy to be in this phase, it feels

like it has been FOREVER and it will never end...but it will.

Jo

[Guest guest]

Oh Lorna I forgot to add...Ginger helped me with nausea also. Ginger

tea, or Ginger Chews.

http://www.gingerpeople.com/order_chews.html

The link provided is just to show you what the Ginger Chews I used

looked like. I bought the Green wrapper chews at Trader Joes.

Ginger Tea:

Just freshly ground ginger root (fair amount, don't be stingy) into

hot water, let steep like tea and sieve the grated pieces out with a

spoon or cover the hot water with a piece of cheesecloth or gauze for

easy removal following the steeping process. Drink while hot and may

put in a tablespoon of honey for flavor but remember that honey has

sedative effects.

Jo

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

My name is le. My DS Surgery is scheduled for 7/10 w/ Dr. K. I

am looking forward to the productive changes that this surgery will

jumpstart for me. I notice you already have a Dani in the group so I

will stick to using le... unless you would prefer to use the

formal title which I have been trying to get my husband and kids to

use for about 10 years... That would be " Queen of Everything " ! Well,

I can hear your LOL's even as I type. That's pretty much the response

I get from my family, too. So, okay... Just call me le. I have

been reading along with all of you for a few days and am finally

ready to make a contribution. The nutritionist I consulted during my

" decision-making " process recommended a protein supplement that has

worked for many of her clients. It is called " Juice Boost " or " Breeze

Boost " . She said that is not thick or milky like other protein

supplements. Perhaps that will help Lorna... Anyway... Might be worth

a try. le

> Hi all,

>

> I'm Lorna Donahue from Minnesota. Dr. K. did my DS on June 13.

> Weight loss has been great so far...over 20 pounds. I still can't

> believe it. Anyway, I just had a question, and am hoping some of

> you may have some words of wisdom for me. I'm not having any pain

> anymore...yeah for that. My biggest issue right now is Nausea!!! I

> don't vomit, but it's pretty much all day, everyday. I sip, sip,

> sip, and am walking. I can eat pretty much any soft protien and

> tolerate it. Just cant seem to get the protein shakes in. Just the

> thought of them makes me more queasy...so my question is, how long

> should I expect this nausea to last??? What am I doing wrong,if

> anything? Any suggestions to relieve it? I just want to feel

> somewhat normal again, ya know? I take my prilosec and gas-x. I've

> gotten all my other vitamins/calcium in too.

>

> My dear husband, Randy, says, " give it time, it gets better. " I

> know it will. He had his DS done 3 years ago and is doing great.

> He's been great, but I'm just a little impatient right now I guess.

>

> Thanks in advance for any suggestions or info...

>

> Lorna

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Lorna, my name is Lynette and I had my DS on November 14th. I had nine

weeks of what I called pure hell. I spent those nine weeks in and out of the

hospital with nausea and vomiting, not being able to keep anything down. There

was one thing I could take though that helped me when the nausea wasn't

accompanied with throwing up. I would take ginger ale and let it go flat and

freeze

it. I would eat it like a slushy. It took me about twelve weeks before I

could take any protein shakes. I concentrated on fluids primarily and then took

very small bites of chicken and I found I could eat eggs and cheese. I

survived though and now am so grateful that I had the surgery and even though I

had

such a hard time I would definitely do it all over again. I remember going

into the office to get IV's and sit there for hours. I would cuss at Dr. K and

cry a lot but he just kept telling me that I would be okay and one day I

would wake up and it would be gone(the nausea), and sure enough I layed down one

day and took a nap and when I got up it was gone and I ate some chicken. It

has been 7 months and I have lost 115 lbs. Keep your chin up, it does get

better and everyone goes through the nausea, some have it worse than others.

good luck and welcome to the beginning of a wonderful new life.

Lynette

[Guest guest]

It has been almost 4 years but I will never forget those horrible weeks of

nausea and vomiting! I remember holding my incision with tears running down my

face while I heaved yet again! The nausea was awful for me as well. I

vomited every time I ate or drank and If I wasn't vomiting I had dry heaves!

This

went on constantly for 4 solid weeks post-op - it wasn't until one month after

my DS that I got the Rx for Phenergan - and I sure wish I had gotten it

sooner! I can't count the hours I spent sitting on the toilet with a bucket on

my lap - I swore I was leaking from both ends!

I still get cold chills thinking of how even a small sip of a protein drink

would set off yet another bout of vomiting and to this day I can't even smell

a protein shake without gagging! The frozen Ginger Ale trick was one that I

used often and I think it was probably what kept me from becoming dangerously

dehydrated many times! There were days that the Ginger Ale slush was all I

could tolerate but it did work wonderfully!

I had a problem with the any soft foods early post-op. Everything soft or

creamy made me so nauseated that just couldn't hold it down. I found it much

easier to eat regular foods and like Jo said - nibble, nibble, nibble!

I found out early that forcing myself to eat the foods that I " thought " I

should just wouldn't work for me. If I didn't like it or didn't want it, I

couldn't keep it down. Instead of forcing down that soft diet just to have it

come back up I started eating the foods I was craving. I ate them in small

amounts but I didn't restrict myself from anything I wanted. I remember some of

the foods that settled my tummy the best we foods that I never thought I

could/should eat that early post-op.

KFC chicken, Chef Boyardee Mini -raviolis, anything from Taco Bell, and

Pizza Huts chicken and bacon pizza with white garlic sauce were staples of my

diet for the first several months. I snacked on Handi-Snaks Cheese and

breadsticks and cheese and pretzels. None of these made me nauseated - and once

I

started eating the foods I wanted and craved I started feeling much better! I

thought Dr Z would have a fit at my food choices but he said that he would

rather see me eat these foods in small amounts and hold them down than to see

me

eat all the right foods and vomit them up again.

LOL, Dr Z used to laugh and say that I did everything the exact opposite of

what they recommended, but for me it was the only way and it did work. I

wasn't being contrary or non-complaint deliberately, in fact I tried to follow

the post-op recommendations to the letter, and I only got sicker with each

passing day. It wasn't until I started allowing myself to eat the foods I was

hungry for that I was able to get it down and keep it down!

I think I hated the vomiting and the nausea even more than the post-op pain!

Gives me chills remembering it!

Hang in there Lorna! Just make sure the Dr is aware of your discomfort and

ask him if what he recommends that you do or try. If you think something

might help, give it a try! You may be surprised at what you will find to ease

it!

The advice I got here from others was always helpful. LOL, I have to admit,

not everything that helped others helped me and not everything that helped me

helped others, but having so many different people sharing their experiences

ALWAYS helped me to know that no matter what I was not alone!

HUGS!

Cindee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Lorna, my name is Lynette and I had my DS on November 14th. I had nine

weeks of what I called pure hell. I spent those nine weeks in and out of the

hospital with nausea and vomiting, not being able to keep anything down.

There

was one thing I could take though that helped me when the nausea wasn't

accompanied with throwing up. I would take ginger ale and let it go flat and

freeze

it. I would eat it like a slushy. It took me about twelve weeks before I

could take any protein shakes. I concentrated on fluids primarily and then

took

very small bites of chicken and I found I could eat eggs and cheese. I

survived though and now am so grateful that I had the surgery and even

though I had

such a hard time I would definitely do it all over again. I remember going

into the office to get IV's and sit there for hours. I would cuss at Dr. K

and

cry a lot but he just kept telling me that I would be okay and one day I

would wake up and it would be gone(the nausea), and sure enough I layed down

one

day and took a nap and when I got up it was gone and I ate some chicken. It

has been 7 months and I have lost 115 lbs. Keep your chin up, it does get

better and everyone goes through the nausea, some have it worse than others.

good luck and welcome to the beginning of a wonderful new life.

Lynette

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

Thanks to everyone for the tremendous support and great ideas. I

went out and bought some ginger today to try the tea, Jo. My nausea

is a little better today, and I'm hoping it continues to improve.

Still sip, sip, sipping. One day at a time...

Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

Lorna

>

> Hi all,

>

> I'm Lorna Donahue from Minnesota. Dr. K. did my DS on June 13.

> Weight loss has been great so far...over 20 pounds. I still can't

> believe it. Anyway, I just had a question, and am hoping some of

> you may have some words of wisdom for me. I'm not having any pain

> anymore...yeah for that. My biggest issue right now is Nausea!!!

I

> don't vomit, but it's pretty much all day, everyday. I sip, sip,

> sip, and am walking. I can eat pretty much any soft protien and

> tolerate it. Just cant seem to get the protein shakes in. Just

the

> thought of them makes me more queasy...so my question is, how long

> should I expect this nausea to last??? What am I doing wrong,if

> anything? Any suggestions to relieve it? I just want to feel

> somewhat normal again, ya know? I take my prilosec and gas-x.

I've

> gotten all my other vitamins/calcium in too.

>

> My dear husband, Randy, says, " give it time, it gets better. " I

> know it will. He had his DS done 3 years ago and is doing great.

> He's been great, but I'm just a little impatient right now I

guess.

>

> Thanks in advance for any suggestions or info...

>

> Lorna

>