ssourgirl

My 20 y/o daughter had GI issues before she had the sleeve, including nausea, some unexplained vomiting and abdominal pain. She'd already had her gallbladder removed and GI docs were at a loss to explain her symptoms. GI doc said, "who knows the sleeve may even help heal those issues." Well it didn't. In fact, she's now worse than ever. Her sleeve was in March 2015 and she's down 210 lbs but it's been a hefty price to pay. She went from unexplained vomiting a few times a week to now every day up to 5 times a day. Her GI doc has thrown up his hands, the new GI doc (same practice) says there's nothing she can do and her Bariatric Surgeon has done scopes and insists it's not the sleeve causing it. So, I do believe she had gastroparesis prior to the surgery despite her gastric emptying study showing as normal and the surgery has increased it tenfold. She's lost weight yes but what a price to pay. She is completely debilitated now and cannot work or go to school or leave the house except for worthless doctors appointments. I wouldn't jump to conclusions that the neuropathy people may be talking about were due to their not taking their B12. In my daughter's case, she's had to get injections because she can't keep food down.

My daughter just had surgery on Thursday 3/26 and is having severe nausea to the point where she doesn't want to drink anything. She is also having alot of pain where her stomach is and says it feels like something is stuck in her esophagus like how a large pill feels when stuck. The pain and nausea are unbearable. Is this normal? Any advice?

Yes, she had her gallbladder removed a year before the surgery.

Well I'm sad to report this is the 5 month mark and she continues to have days where nausea takes over. She's had some days nausea free but the vast majority is spent homebound with nausea. She's thankfully able to stay hydrated so no more trips to the hospital and no recent kidney stones. The nausea gets so bad at times that she starts to have a vasovagal response and starts losing consciousness. I don't think the nausea is related to the sleeve but contrary to what the GI doctor said, it does seem to have made it worse. Nausea was present before the sleeve to a lesser degree. The GI said having the sleeve would probably actually reduce the nausea. He was wrong. She's lost 85 lbs to date with another equal amount to go. It's hard to enjoy the weight loss though when she can barely leave the house. Hopefully she'll start having better days.

I'd recommend you call your surgeons. Did they give you a PPI like Prilosec? They can also prescribe anti-nausea meds that might help.

@@cmhueto thank you! I'll check out the premier Protein.

@@BLERDgirl thanks for the suggestions. She is getting pretty creative with the Protein and we're using greek yogurt too. Now I like it even better than sour cream. We tried Isopure in mango or something like that, it was horrible. Maybe we should check out other flavors. She did come out of her stall a bit and lost 5 more lbs since last week so I guess it's getting better. @@LSF, thank you!

So sorry guys! I haven't gotten any emails that there were posts on here. I wonder why? I apologize for not checking back in sooner! My daughter is not doing much better. The nausea is totally gone and she's able to eat and drink just fine. She's lost a total of 50 lbs since surgery. I think she was hoping for more by now but I think her body's metabolism is recovering. During her 3 weeks in the hospital on IV fluids only, she didn't lose any weight at all. Then as she was on TPN at home (nutrients through a PICC line to her heart, similar to an IV) she slowly started losing again. She was on TPN for about 10 days then on solid foods gradually. She's pretty much tolerating everything now except Protein. She's had a stall in weight loss the past couple of weeks though. She can't stomach any of the shakes, powders etc. we've tried. Thanks again to all of you who've helped me through this and for all of you who are still commenting.

Some of you may have seen a post I made about my daughter having severe nausea Day 2. She is now on day 14 and the nausea has not gone away. This is not a slight queasy feeling, this is horrible nausea to the point of carrying around a vomit bag. It gets worse when she drinks and she has not been able to tolerate much liquid and definitely not any full liquids. Yesterday, she started vomiting and again at 4am today. It is mostly dry heaving since she is only drinking Clear Liquids. She is taking Prilosec, Zofran and Phenergan for this and nothing seems to work. I've called the doctor numerous times and she's going in for her post op today. She's seriously depressed thinking this is how she is going to feel the rest of her life.

My daughter went through the exact same thing as have many people who have posted on here. I wish surgeons gave more of a warning of this. It's a very real emotional trauma that they should warn you about. I've read it could be the endocrine hormones but whatever it is, it's terrible. You'll come out of this and realize you made the right decision. You've just had major surgery. Hang in there!

She was on Zofran, Phenergan and other anti-emetic none of which worked. She suffered for almost 4 weeks before she was admitted to the hospital . IV Zofran and IV Phenergan around the clock did nothing.

@@LSF thanks so much for asking your surgeon!! They did check her sleeve and everything looked "normal" to them and the other bariatric surgeons he consulted. Honestly, I'm thinking more and more that this was the kidney stone all along. Or a combination of both going on at the same time. Or it's been an incredible coincidence that once they finally resolved the stone, the nausea started going away. Now, it's pretty much completely gone. The last 3 days she's been able to eat and drink pretty well. She's still not able to get full protein and liquids but it's a far cry from the constant nausea and vomiting she had been experiencing. She even went to the park yesterday with her friends yesterday and didn't need her constant accessory, the blue barf bag! Yay for miracles!

Google "Alcohol after Bariatric Sleeve" and you'll find plenty of information on it. 2 weeks out and over a bottle and a half of wine as well as other drinks, probably not smart. A couple of ounces a few months out, probably not a huge deal.

Yes, she's not taking pain meds anymore. And she can't keep any protein shake down. Ugh.

@@BLERDgirl she normally does take them on an empty stomach since her stomach has been pretty empty all the time. But we are going to try staggering them out a bit so she can take some with food instead. She was able to eat some food again today so I think we may just have to deal with bouts of it as we go along. One day at a time.

Arghhhhh! So out of the blue she wakes up this morning and vomits with no warning. This is an hour after taking morning meds including Prilosec and going back to sleep. Now the nausea is back. This is so frustrating!

@@ShellMilliner I was thinking that myself. Sounds logical. Good to know her body works in some ways! Good news! She's feeling even better today. We were able to even get out of the house for once and it wasn't to a doctor or hospital! She's eating a but more and the nausea has significantly decreased. Thanks everyone for your support and encouraging words. I hope I can return the favor some day or at least pay it forward!

@@phatfatgirl @@Riz2006 thank you!

@@ShellMilliner, thanks for checking. Yesterday the nausea we still bad but no vomiting. Today was a little bit better though and she was able to eat a bit. Fingers crossed this continues! @@LSF do let me know if you happen to talk to your surgeon. What I find also perplexing is that after the three weeks in the hospital with no nutrients for most of that time, she only lost 2 lbs. After all that suffering and starving you would think she could at least have the silver lining of losing more weight. Albeit, a lousy way to do it.

Unfortunately the nausea and vomiting continues. She had the stent removed this morning. I'm still holding out hope that she will be better tomorrow. @@LSF thank you. If you remember, I sure would like to see what he says.

@@LSF they did a scope in the hospital and there is nothing physically wrong with the sleeve. The bariatric surgeon says it's rare but it does happen where there is severe nausea and vomiting for an unknown period of time with no issues with the sleeve. He and the GI Specialist both say it happens and then it goes away. What they can't tell us is how long it may last and what the cause of it is.

She was in the hospital for 2.5 weeks before it got better. It only got better after the kidney stone was removed. This is what makes me think it has to do with the stent that is still in her ureter.

No, I don't think so. It was happening here and at the hospital too.

And we're back to full on nausea and vomiting. She didn't eat yesterday at all due to the nausea. The vomiting is bile. Yes, she's still taking anti-nausea and Prilosec.

Thanks all. We're sticking to bland, soft foods for now. Unfortunately, the nausea started creeping back yesterday and is worse again today. This setback is depressing. We were so happy and hopeful. She does still have a stent in which gets removed Tuesday so I'm holding out hope that once that is gone then the nausea will be gone too. The IV nutrition is keeping her hydrated and nourished so that's what we're concentrating on for now. Happy Mother's Day to all of you!