Questions??

February 4, 2001

NG Tube??? What is it?

An NG tube is not a breathing tube, it is a naso-gastric tube.. it is

used to remove fluids from the stomach after surgery or some illnesses

to prevent pressure from building up in the stomache. The reason you may

have one is this: Whenever your intestines are moved around or touched,

the musclular contractions that move stomache contents around stops or

slows down a lot. When this happens, everything put into the stomach, by

either eating/drinking or normal secretions has to stay there, causing a

buildup of pressure. This buildup causes nausea and vomiting. Your NG

tube will remain in place until your intestines wake up sufficiently

that you won't be nauseated. They are, from what I have read of most WLS

surgeons, placed after you are anesthetised. This is probably more comfy

than while you are awake. They are not usually uncomfortable unless they

have been in a long time- your nose gets sore.

Epidural? I keep seeing people say that...is that something you have to

have???

An epidural is simply the type of anesthesia used by some surgeons. It

is the most commonly used pain control method used in childbirth because

it is very effective, but the anesthesia does not affect the musclesof

the uterus (which would slow labor) or affect the baby- remember that

anything in mom's bloodstream enters baby's bloodstream. I would suppose

that it is used by some WLS surgeons because it doesn't depress

breathing rates and does not further slow down the intestinal movement I

talked about when discussing NG tubes. It is a small flexible tube

placed in the spinal canal (not in the spinal cord) that puts the nerves

to sleep below the area of placement. You are still awake if an epidural

is all you get- this is why new moms are awake when their babies are

born. Its a good thing if you have sleep apnea or other respiratory

problems.

Drain tubes???

These are placed at the bottom area of your wound to collect the fluids

that drain out as a natural part of healing. Remember the lady who wrote

asking about the fluids that gushed out of the very end of her incision

when she pressed on it? That fluid is a natural part of the healing

process, and the drain is placed to prevent it from staying in your

incision and possibly causing infection. Most people have more drainage

the first 2-3 days after surgery, so that's when they have drains. Most

drains used for surgical wounds look like a small clear plastic tube

that comes out of the wound and ends at the collection bulb. This is

usually either a bulb-shaped thing like the end of a turkey baster or an

infant nasal bulb, only its squashed in to create a very mild suction

effect. That is a J-P drain. Another collector is much bigger, and sort

of looks like one of those round ice-cream sandwiches, about 3-4 inches

across, but all white, & if you squeeze it, you can tell that there is a

big sping inside that tries to force the collection area open- it

creates slightly more suction than the JP drain. This type is called a

hemovac. They don't hurt, its just distracting to feel them swing when

you walk.. and the bulb part is usually safety-pinned to your gown so it

doesn't pull on the incision as you walk.

Leak Test....How is that done???

2 leak tests are done on your stomache when you have weight loss

surgery.. the FIRST one is done after the doctor finishes all his

suturing of the stomache & intestines. The stomach is filled with a

bright blue dye and then they apply light pressure to the stomache and

watch for leaks. If they find them at that point, they fix them. The

second test is the barium swallow described by another lister. You

drink a large amount of radiopaque contrast (the baruim) that coats your

digestive system and, if there are leaks, oozes through them. Then they

do x-rays of your stomach to check for signs of a leak. After a barium

swallow, unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it helps to drink lots

of water & fluids to help " push " the barium through your system. Your

stools will be a funny whitish- clay-y color until all the barium is out

of your digestive tract.

Enema??

The purpose of the enema is to empty as much stool out of your

intestines as possible before surgery. One reason for this is to reduce

the risk of infections. The other reason is that, if your bowels stay

" asleep " for very long, the old stool gets hard and you get constipated,

which isn't good. If you want to help yourself avoid problems, drink

only clear liquid for 12 to 24 hours before your surgery date. This

gives your body a chance to empty out, & then there's less to remove

with the enema. It will be done at the hospital, & if you are able, the

nurse will allow you to give it to yourself. If you need help, don't be

ashamed, hun- EVERYONE having surgery gets one.. not just WLS patients!

After your enema (and to work best, lay on your LEFT side and hold it as

long as possible), they may or may not give you some special soap to

shower with- this is usually Hibiclens, & it kills even the natural

flora on your skin to further reduce any chances of infection from the

surgery. Make sure you wash everywhere thoroughly.

I hope I answered some of your questions.. I know all this stuff because

I'm a transplant RN, & part of my job is explaining all these things to

preop patients. Hope it helped, hun-

Liane J. French

Preop

BMI: ~60

Attachment: vcard [not shown]

February 4, 2001

Just a few points.

Obstetrical anesthesia is very different than surgical anesthesia or

post op pain management with regard to epidurals.

Some web sites are http://www.virtual-anaesthesia-textbook.com/,

Gasnet.com and there is also an e-group that deals with anesthesia

issues, a yahoo one, run a search it will pop up for anyone that is

interested or would like to post a question, it is generally a

professional based discussion forum, but they do tolerate and

entertain individual questions.

One other thing, Not every surgical patient receives an enema, it is

highly individualized, dependent on the surgeon, the surgery being

done, etc.

ciar

February 4, 2001

Liane-

I apprecitate your taking the time to respond to the many questions

everyone has prior to surgery. I have been approved for surgery by

Dr. in April. None of these finer points have been discussed

yet so, I appreciate the time you took to prepare your answers. Maybe

that e-mail should get saved and posted once a month as new folks get

inquiring minds...LOL

Adrienne Price

Knoxville, TN

BMI 50

Sugery in April

Dr.

in Marrietta GA

February 6, 2002

Can anyone tell me if it is OK to drink a diet soda once in a while?

I know that the carbonation is suppose to expand the pouch but is it

OK once in awhile as long as it is not too often? I had RNY surgery

on 1/3/01 and have not had a soda since. Also, I need to increase my

protein intake so I have been mixing some Trader Joe's soy protein

with my coffee in the mornings. It is wonderful but I am wondering

if I am actually keeping the protein or is it distroyed with the hot

coffee? Where can I get a portable mixer so that I can mix a shake

at work? Last question is kind of gross but does anyone have

excessive gas? For the past two-three weeks I have gas all day

long. It doesn't hurt my stomach, I don't even feel that I have it

until it slips out. Which is often. I still have my gall bladder

and I am wondering if it might have something to do with that or I

have been taking 1000IU of vitamin E (oil capsules) twice a day. I

read just yesterday on this sight that we can not absorb this. So I

have stopped taking and will buy the dry. But maybe that could be

causing the gas? Thanks for being here I love this group!!

Karolyn

RNY 1/3/01, Dr. Zahn - Phoenix AZ

250/180/150

February 6, 2002

I understand that soy can cause bad gas in some people. I take lactaid every

day to help with that. I also use only whey protein.

Questions??

> Can anyone tell me if it is OK to drink a diet soda once in a while?

> I know that the carbonation is suppose to expand the pouch but is it

> OK once in awhile as long as it is not too often? I had RNY surgery

> on 1/3/01 and have not had a soda since. Also, I need to increase my

> protein intake so I have been mixing some Trader Joe's soy protein

> with my coffee in the mornings. It is wonderful but I am wondering

> if I am actually keeping the protein or is it distroyed with the hot

> coffee? Where can I get a portable mixer so that I can mix a shake

> at work? Last question is kind of gross but does anyone have

> excessive gas? For the past two-three weeks I have gas all day

> long. It doesn't hurt my stomach, I don't even feel that I have it

> until it slips out. Which is often. I still have my gall bladder

> and I am wondering if it might have something to do with that or I

> have been taking 1000IU of vitamin E (oil capsules) twice a day. I

> read just yesterday on this sight that we can not absorb this. So I

> have stopped taking and will buy the dry. But maybe that could be

> causing the gas? Thanks for being here I love this group!!

>

> Karolyn

> RNY 1/3/01, Dr. Zahn - Phoenix AZ

> 250/180/150

>

> Homepage: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG

>

> Unsubscribe: mailto:Graduate-OSSG-unsubscribe

>

February 6, 2002

There are no studies that indicate WLS success is in any way associated

with drinking or not drinking carbonated beverages. I drink 4-6 a day.

Ray Hooks

For WLS nutrition info, visit

http://www.bariatricsupplementsystem.com

karoleet wrote: