kiss-my-kitty

I have the same reaction to Tylenol 3 and Tylenol 4 - my bariatric surgeon chalks it up to an increased sensitivity to Tylenol. What about straight hydrocodone or oxycodone, or even dilaudid or morphine? I'm not sure what the culprit in Tramadol is, as I take it PRN for herniated discs and a shoulder injury and have had no issues with it. Does it help to "sandwich" pills in some cheese or yogurt? Take a bite of the food and swallow, take the pill, then take another bite. I did that in the past while taking anti-depressants, since they can cause minor stomach irritation and I have had problems with ulcers (TWO emergency perforations; and two ulcers in between - I have bi-annual EGDs to keep track of them, and am on lifetime prescriptions of Protonix and Carafate).

I hope my story provides you with some reassurance: I met my husband in 2000, when I was 16 years old and around 250 pounds, and he was 18 and probably 170ish. We worked together, talked and flirted for a couple of weeks, he asked me out on August 16th, 2000, and that was the official beginning of our relationship. He proposed a year later, we married in 2004, and when I gave birth to our first child that same month, a girl, I weighed 300 pounds. Two years later, in 2006, I gave birth to our second child, a boy, and left the hospital weighing 320 pounds. In 2009 I was at my heaviest -- 335 pounds. I had roux en y (gastric bypass) that November, and hit my goal weight of 165ish pounds two years after that. I'm now 5.5 years out and am steady in the 165-175 pound range (changing around antidepressants has been messing with my weight). My husband fell in love with me at 250, continued to love and lust after me at my heaviest of 335 pounds, and has continued to love me and be attracted to me as I lost weight and gained loose skin, and underwent several more surgeries (five) to fix RNY-related problems with my intestines, as well as a hysterectomy, and most recently a strangulated intestinal hernia. My opinion on relationships "surviving" after one person has drastic weight loss is simple: is the relationship strong to begin with? It takes a strong, healthy, happy relationship to be able to survive any type of dramatic or traumatic change. If your relationship falls apart after you or your partner undergoes weight loss surgery and continues on to lose a significant amount of weight, then the relationship wasn't strong and healthy to begin with.

I live in Lancaster, and Dr. Rogers at Hershey Medial Center did my RNY in November of 2009.

Hi @@LinKo! This post popped up when I was searching the forum for my surgeon - Dr. Rogers at Hershey. She did my gastric bypass in 2009; she has also taken out my gallbladder, fixed twisting intestines/scar tissue twists twice, jumped in for emergency surgery for a perforated ulcer, and most recently (May 11th) repaired a strangulated hernia in my small intestine. Anyway, just wanted to say that Dr. Rogers is AMAZING, and you're in very capable, qualified, caring hands. Her LNP, Lisa, is awesome quite awesome! And Bonnie Wilson, too - you'll probably meet her in the hospital if you haven't yet had surgery.

I'm five and a half years out from RNY, but I just wanted to chime in to say that the pre-op and weight loss surgery journey jitters and anxieties are not at all uncommon! There is so much to consider, think about, research, and ask about. Keep a journal of your progress - both in terms of medical appointments as well as your own dietary changes. And, write down questions and concerns as you have them, as it's all too easy to have a list prepared in your mind, but then forgot half (or even all) of it once you're in the doctor's office. Good luck!

I was in your shoes! I wound up having two EGDs (endoscopies) three months apart - each time they found a minor stricture (narrowing of the opening to the stomach pouch), and I was also diagnosed with "motility disorder". But that's just a fancy, quick way to say that my brain and new stomach weren't properly communicating with each other, so sometimes food would go down, and other times it would come back up. There was no rhyme or reason. During my first six to eight months post-op I spent a LOT of time throwing up my meals. A friend even joked I should have started plotting my "vomit spots" on a map - restaurant bathrooms, grocery store parking lots, the bathrooms of friends' houses, etc. One time I even threw up in a bubble-wrap-lined shipping envelope that was in my car, because it's all I had at the time! All I can say is: it gets better. If you have a day where solids come up, switch to shakes or pure liquids for the remainder of that day, and the day after just to play it safe, and to rest your temperamental pouch.

You're welcome. Laxatives certainly have their use, but for post-op the cramping they induce is especially cruel, lol. I prefer Miralax or Colase since they work differently and thus don't force any cramping or contractions. But when things are really blocked up, hitting the body from all angles - double dose of Colase chased with a laxative, and if need be a suppository -- will certainly help to clear things out!

How are you doing? Perhaps try adding a stool softener (Colase) to your daily vitamin regimen? I did that for the first year to ensure I was going on a regular basis.

I hope everything went well and that you're resting comfortably!

What you're experiencing -- and may continue to experience for months or even years -- is head hunger. You didn't stretch your pouch with one incident of eating more than you should, but doing so repeatedly could indeed cause stretching.

Lack of a bowel movement is VERY common after any surgery that requires anesthesia, and especially so with a bariatric surgery, since you're typically going without food for several days before and after your surgery date. I would recommend starting a daily regiment of Miralax or Colase (stool softeners). I'd skip the laxative unless you start to feel discomfort and need a "boost" - the cramping that laxatives cause can be quite unpleasant! Miralax and Colase, on the other hand, do not induce intestinal cramping - instead they bring extra water into the intestines, which produces larger, softer, smoother bowel movements that are easier to have.

5.5 years out, and I still have to make myself eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner; much like one has to remind/force oneself through the task of taking vitamins, flossing, taking out the trash, etc. I completely loss my sense of hunger, and I get no physical pangs.

I never had issues with reflux other than during both of my pregnancies, but during my gastric bypass surgery my surgeon found a hiatal hernia - and apparently that can be a common cause of reflux and the like. My mom also had one.

I unfortunately have had several complications that have required surgery, so using my experience, here's what I can tell you about abdominal pain: - upper center/right: gallbladder - upper center/left: ulcer - upper center/middle: ulcer/intestines (twisting/herniating) If your scan comes back as "normal", push for additional testing. Both myself and my husband (he did not have bariatric surgery) had "normal" HIDA scans, but continual upper right quadrant abdominal pain that often worsened after eating (and was also accompanied by bloating, indigestion, and constipation) - surgery for both of us found horribly scarred up, oversized gallbladders that were in desperate need of removal.

For anyone who's curious: I had pneumonia when I was a little over two months post-op, and again three years later (I'm now 5.5 years out). Pneumonia often starts out with a continual cough and a feeling of wetness in your chest/throat that you can't "clear". A high fever (100+) is common, as well as a bit of a sore throat, and body aches. Pneumonia is a no joke - even if you have to go to Urgent Care, make sure to get yourself checked out!