jenniesue

At my 8 week follow-up appointment, I reiterated to the doctor that I have a pain in my chest when I eat. It feels like all food and drinks get stuck for awhile. This has been going on since the surgery. I've been complaining about it since my one week follow-up. But, my other issues (severe nausea & lack of any nutrients for the first 6 weeks) sort of overshadowed it, I guess. So, he did a Barium test and we saw that a portion of it got stuck in a little pocket, of sorts. He then gave me Water, and it washed out eventually. The doctor wasn't too worried saying he thinks it will workout on its own. He said it could have been an undetected hiatal hernia or something that needs to be stretched out (I say "something", but he used a word I don't remember). He said let him know if it gets worse. Anyone else have irregular results from the Barium test? Should I be worried and push my doctor to take the next step? It's not excruciating pain, but it does stop me from eating enough food or drink enough water. ~Jenn

I haven't tried the magnesium pills yet. But I've heard some studies indicate people with migraine have low magnesium levels. So, I've been meaning to try them. ~Jenn

I get massive migraines, too. Mine are pinpointed to 4 things: hormonal right before TOM, stress, when I don't eat, and when I eliminate caffeine intake. I stopped caffeine a week before the preop diet so I didn't have to deal with it all at the same time. I'm not going to lie, the single worst migraine of my life lasted the third & fourth day of my preop diet. It was a triple doozy because of PMS, the lack of food, and a stressful event at home. Do you know your triggers? Are you on magnesium pills? My only advice would be to eliminate any known triggers before the preop diet so you don't get hit all at once. Migraines suck and I wish there was a sure-fire cure for all. But, it seems everyone has different things that help. Good luck!! ~Jenn

Cannot believe it has taken me this long, but I think I'm finally getting over the nausea hump. It's still there and I still have a hard time stomaching my own saliva. Either have to swallow it with Water or spit it out. My sleeve is a little wuss right now. LOL. However, the nausea is only there half the time... Woohoo!! I feel that I can finally Celebrate my weight-loss.. 45 lbs in 6 weeks! I stayed the same for about a week, but that's likely because I was in starvation mode. Literally no food or Protein drinks since about 5 days post-op will do that to a person. That's 5 straight weeks no nutrients. I kept asking asking the doctors how I was alive. The 3 ER visits for IV fluids were basically keeping me afloat plus I got more fluids when they did another endoscope. (BTW, the official prognosis was that I'm fine, just a slow healer & my stomach is more swollen than most.) Now to the exciting part!! I ate actual food yesterday! On a whim I bought 3-olive hummus, and no nausea after eating! I was able to eat about a tablespoon. I basically just licked it off the wheat thin mostly. But, did get about 3 wheat thins in, too. I'm so energized! This is the push I needed. Here's to my new life finally beginning! ~Jenn

When was everyone able to comfortably eat nuts and granola? My nut will allow it in a week, but I'm still concerned about it. ~Jenn

I've actually been concerned about this myself! Except our Communion (Methodist) is real bread: thick & doughy. I've heard many people cannot stomach breads, at least for awhile. I'm 6 weeks out and just started being able to eat, so I have been avoiding Communion Sundays so I'm not the oddball missing Communion. I don't want to miss Communion forever! I've thought about discussing with my pastor an alternate "bread" for me to discretely use. ~Jenn

It tastes like deliciousness! I cannot really relate it to anything because it tastes like hummus. It tastes nothing like peas. It has a refried Beans consistency.. But tastes nothing like them, either. There are many different favors to fits your tastes buds. My personal favorite is 3-olive, but there is also: classic, garlic, red pepper, spinach artichoke, to name a few. Seriously give it a try! ~Jenn

I have such severe nausea that even Water, ice, or G2 makes me sick to my stomach. It's horrible because I get about 4-8 oz of liquids a day and zero Protein. I just cannot stomach any Protein shakes. I've been to the ER twice for dehydration/nausea, and will surely go again soon. I am 23 days post-op. I could give a rats patootie about the weight loss at this point. Of course I'm losing weight because I'm literally starving myself! The doctors say that the nausea could last up to 2 months post-op and are almost flippant about the fact that I just may need to go to the ER for my fluids. That's a $100 copay each visit when I've already paid up the wazoo for this surgery (self-pay). To say I regret the procedure is an understatement. My NUT keeps trying to give me different ideas, like carnation instant Breakfast, or any liquid that taste good just to get liquids. But, all make me want to up-chuck. Even if I go to the ER again for IV fluids, how can a person survive without protein?? I'm taking my Prilosec twice a day and 8mg of Zofran for nausea every 8 hours. Doctor told me to hold off on Vitamins since they make me sick & fill me up too much. Which is another point, the doctor said my stomach is more swollen than most that have this surgery. So, that doesn't help, either. Did anyone have this severe of nausea and how long did it last? Any liquid or protein that worked? I've tried unjury & nectar... I cannot have milk-based because they make me feel worse. Like the carnation instant breakfast, which tasted like an ash tray. I even did a Lactoid prior to drinking it, to no avail. Everyone keeps saying it will get better. But, I'm having trouble picturing it. I need some BTDT (been there done that) folks. I know I should feel lucky of all the complications to have, nausea doesn't seem bad to most. But it feels like I'm living in a Medieval torture chamber designed to starve me more and more each day. No amount of weight loss seems worth this! (. Suggestions are much appreciated! ~Jenn

I had another EGD because they thought I might have had a stricture. Nope. When the doctor told me after the procedure that they didn't find nothing wrong, I broke down in tears. I wanted answers, but I was back to square one. . So, they started me on yet another med: Carafate. It supposed to coat my stomach to help with the nausea. I was able to get one Protein shake in, but the relief didn't last through the whole shake. Even the second dose didn't ease my stomach enough for another shake. But, they said it could take a week to really feel the effects. Not sure why the first dose worked.... Maybe more of a placebo effect, I guess. ~Jenn

The doctor just prescribed me Phenergan on top of Zofran to help with the nausea. Anyone use that? I also got in for an appointment tomorrow. Wish me luck that I get some answers, and better yet some relief! ~Jenn

I am interested in your story. Hoehn sleeved me on 1/10/13. ~Jenn

I hate that others are going through this misery, too. But, it is comforting to know I'm not alone. I don't have any green tea in the house, but I am currently sipping peppermint caffeine-free hot tea (it's all I had). I hope this will help. I do have saltine crackers, but haven't gotten the courage to try them yet. Through all this, every night I dream I'm eating. From chips and dip to steak tips. I usually get jolted awake when I realize that I can't eat in real life so I must be dreaming! Hmmm... Freud would have a field day! :-) ~Jenn

I haven't tried any broth yet because honestly everything sounds revolting. I will get the knor brand a try, though. I tried a poached egg last night and it did not go down well. One bite, and I wanted to puke. Sounds like others are just suffering through the nausea like me until it's over. That's pretty unnerving. Surely there is something doctors could do when we aren't getting any nutrients in? IV fluids aren't enough. ~Jenn