MurphysLaw217

I'm thoroughly taking advantage of this board here, LOL! I've noticed a few of these things I wanted to know if anyone else has, some things I expected, some I didn't: sensitivity to cold-I have to sleep with a heating blanket or I wake up consistently cold, when I handle anything cold like a cold beverage, I have to literally put on gloves, feels like lightening is going through my hands and it aches-had this similar feeling with chemo. smells of food-whenever my family members are cooking-things that used to NOT bother me-do so now, makes me nauseated. tastes of food-I know this is HORRIBLE!! I taste some things and spit them out, but I don't swallow, stuff I used to like, like yogurt, I can't tolerate now, it tastes funny like it's gone bad and then I am second guessing myself, LOL. cravings-horrific cravings that I don't give into, like for Big Macs, I'd pay some one to eat a big mac in front of me right now!!!! I'm hungry, you can hear my stomach constantly growl, I feel empty. Thanks!

Hello All, I had a VSG w/hernia repair (mid-sternum area they said) done lap on 11/15, I was 197 then, today I am 161. I just got out of the hospital for massive dehydration. I've lost a total of 36 pounds in 35 days. I had colon cancer previously in 2006 with a total colectomy, which means all of my large intestine with 1/3 of my rectum has been removed, I also had a lap chole to remove my gallbladder and ERCP done on 10/08. My surgeon from Blue Point Surgical Group in NoVA knew this. I expected my surgery to have some issues with my history. However, since then, I've had a UTI, yeast infection X2, my BUN is less than 1, my other liver enzymes have doubled-ALT & AST, my pancreas enzyme has tripled. Last week they stated I had pancreatitis. I was admitted Wed of this week through yesterday. I have only seen my surgeon 4x, once at the initial consult, once the day before surgery, surgery and when he admitted me to the hospital that evening. I keep getting pushed to the PA, which I love PAs but this isn't working. I seen 3 different people from his practice while I was in the hospital, four dietians and still no answers. Two of the dietians thought I needed a scope or ERCP immediately, as did several of the nurses. I feel like I have phantom gallbladder symptom with this, still the same pain and I am wondering if you can have stones in your bile duct without a gallbladder. My UGI showed reflux back into the common bile duct and spincterectomy, which apparently I had when I had the gallbladder removed. I go to the bathroom anywhere from 30-40+ times a day depending on what I eat/drink, which isn't much. They don't want me to have any fat, sugar, caffeine, carbonated beverages, and I do practice good eating hygience, don't drink 30 minutes before or after, chew up to 25 times, small bites, no straws, no gum chewing. I eat and within minutes I have excurating pain, left arm/shoulder pain, burbing and spitting back up, pain in my chest mid way through below to my breast bone. Then after I go to the potty about 15 minutes after and am back and forth consistently. I think I have a bile issue because I am producing too much, all of my stool REAKS and is like mountain dew or orange in color, it's all liquid never solidified. My doc/PAs told me this is normal, my body needs to adjust to each specific food, however, everything I eat is pureed, and it's only applesauce and cottage cheese now. I drink sobe, propel fitness Water and water to stay hydrated. I cannot tolerate any Protein at all, I've tried 9 now, and I am not doing any Vitamins either due to nausea. They have not done a Vitamin panel on me since before my surgery, but were giving me potassium and magnesium in the hospital and I wasn't even low, when I asked the doc he literally just stared at me, and told me I was being "difficult". I am at a loss, I did my research these docs were supposed to be great, I've never been treated like this by a medical professional. I don't know which step to take next. Does anyone know of any docs in the DC/MD/VA area? I am going to call my primary today, but I fear, having been in the medical field, no doc will want to take over and will say go back to your surgeon. Sorry this is so long, I posted on another website forum, but I am not really getting much feedback.

Hello everyone! I am still HERE! LOL! Basically fast forward to now, I'm down to 150, and I am losing still. I don't want to anymore, but my eating habits have not changed and I went to my gastro doc of about 17 years, and he said that he sees a lot of complications from WLS that surgeons don't want to deal with, he thinks they made my tube too narrow. So I gotta have an UGI and a small bowel follow through done soon, he gave me some medicine to coat everything that I have to drink 3x a day, 2 tablespoons, it takes me about an hour to get that down, but I try. Found out that my runny nose, my shoulder pain/left arm pain, tension in my chest-the center, is supposedly from the Vagus nerve, once post op WLS patients have a lot of issues that are related to this nerve apparently. I do have a lot of the symptoms. Also, sometimes my blood pressure really drops or gets really high and then I get flushed in the face and really hot, I also and generally cold everywhere else. Thanks everyone!

Thank ALL of you for your response. I am going to do just what you guys recommended, I'll keep you all posted too. I didn't even think about the patient advocate such a good idea!!!!!! Christy

Sandy-I know how you feel, my doc is 2.5 hours away, I live in a small town and I usually have to go to the "city" area to find the experienced docs to deal with my med. hx. I am sorry to hear about your impending breast issue, good luck with that. Additionally, my parents were very ill throughout my early teen years into my 30's and my mom had a wet to dry packed wound before to heal, it was cumbersome, but she did heal well from it, and that was with chemo and radiation on board, but I know it can be frustrating, I can only imagine having not been there myself specifically. Good luck, and you're so RIGHT listen to your body-I'm in that situation now!!!