mylighthouse

My pain is bad, right in the upper-middle of the abdomen, going through to the back. Had some pain between my shoulder blades with it that was so bad it sent me to the ER. They think it is gallbladder, even though my ultrasound only showed a slightly distended gallbladder with either 2 polyps or 2 small gallstones. They scheduled me for a HIDA scan on the 15th. Then hopefully we can find out. Everyone is a little different when it comes to pain locations, etc... yours could be gallbladder. I would let your doctor know and make an appointment. Hope you feel better soon.

Good morning, Weighing in at 196 lbs. Thank you!

Thank you for sharing! I can identify with you, I just hit 199 as well after 13 months. I too am sagging and wrinkling. At first it bothered me a little, but not at all anymore. At 46 years old now and was over 300 lbs for so many years, things are going to sag. So great to hear that you are feeling better and it sounds like you are enjoying life, which is wonderful! Congratulations on losing the weight.

Wow, you look great...so pretty! Congratulations!

Hello friends, I am just over a year post sleeve. I have been having a lot of pain issues since my colon resection in 2015 and other abdominal surgeries on top of that over the past 2 years have only added to the pain. I already know from my surgeon whom I see on a regular basis that my lower abdominal pain is caused by lots of scar tissue and adhesions. Over the past few months, I have been to the ER a few times, with severe abdominal pain that comes and goes. It is usually in the mid section. Nothing is found with scans or x rays. However, about a month ago, I started having severe pain higher up in the abdomen in the middle part above the belly button and running up under my left ribs. I called my surgeon's office and they said they were concerned about my gallbladder, even though the pain was on the left side and not the right side. So on Nov 22, they sent me to the ER. CT scan, x rays, bloodwork and ultrasound of gallbladder and pancreas. The ER doctor told me that all looked ok and he thought I might have a duodenal ulcer. Followed up with my surgeon and he said that he wanted me to go see my gastro and get an endoscopy scheduled. Saw my gastro doc yesterday and she said she really doesn't think it's an ulcer and didn't want to do the endoscopy (had one done in March this year). I have been on antacid since sleeve surgery. Gastro doc had the h. pylori blood test done yesterday, that came back negative. So she told me that ultrasounds are not always conclusive enough on their own to determine gallbladder issues. She went over the ER results and did see that notes were made that there was some shadowed spots that they noted as possible polyps, but she said they could even be small gallstones. She said that she wanted me to go for a HIDA scan. I had never even heard of one before. She explains things thoroughly, and I really thought it was a good idea. I need to get to the bottom of this "new" upper pain that comes and goes. I feel like the ER people think I'm crazy, I've been there so many times. Can anyone relate in some way to my story? Or, have any of you had a "normal" ultrasound, but then had this HIDA scan come back and determine that you did have gallbladder issues? Feel free to chime in and thank you in advance. I apologize for such a long post, just wanted to give some background, etc.

Thank you for sharing this. You're doing awesome and you look great!

Good morning, Today's weight 12/6: 200 lbs. Thank you Kel.

For me, the grocery bill is about $20 less a week since surgery. My surgery was just over a year ago. I still drink 1/2 to 1of a premier protein shake a day, and a pack of 12 of those costs $17 at Sam's, so I spend an average of $25 a month on those. So, really not saving anything on groceries. Plus, I spend $30 a month on my vitamins and I didn't have that expense prior to surgery. We rarely go out to eat, pre-surgery maybe 6 times a year. Since my surgery a year ago, we've only gone out a couple of times. I love saving money too, but I am actually spending a little more on the things I need now.

Good morning, My weigh in this morning 11/29: 199 lbs. Thank you!

Was here several hours ago and the same thing was going on. I believe the issue was fixed temporarily, but obviously it's a problem again.

Agree. Not uncommon to go the other way at all. High blood pressure for years, but, since 6 months post op, low BP and have been experiencing dizzy spells for the past 6 months. I am making an effort to add salt to my food, but I don't always do it. Perhaps if I could remember to increase my sodium intake, it would help with the dizzy spells.

Hello, I am just over a year post op. I remember using Unjury unflavored protein powder right from the very beginning, just as you were thinking of doing. I added it to chicken broth starting on day 3. It worked great. I continued to use it when I needed to get my protein, especially during my 2 week liquid phase and the 2 week pureed phase before moving on to dense protein. I like to keep my protein grams at 100-110 a day. It has worked well for me. My nutritionist suggested using the unflavored protein powder and gave us some good ideas of how to use it, so glad for that.

So glad to hear you are getting fluids in the hospital and that you talked with your surgeon. And yes, the left shoulder pain could be gas. When you are drinking water, try drinking it at different temperatures, for me and many others, ice cold water was/is the only way to keep it down after surgery. I literally have to load my cup with ice and drink water like that, and I am a year out of surgery. Getting liquids is so important, and it's really strange how different drinks and foods (when you get to eating foods) will taste differently to many of us after surgery. When you get back home, try different things and see what you like so you can get those liquids in. Some that I did well with: Powerade Zero, Lemonade Crystal Light and my favorite, iced decaf regular tea. Also liked iced peppermint tea. But for me, everything has to be ice cold, or that nausea feeling will hit me. That said, I am fine with really hot drinks like herbal tea and coffee. I hope some of these ideas are helpful and I hope that you have a speedy recovery!

Nothing by mouth doesn't sound right at all. That could lead to dehydration, and you are probably already on your way there since you have been throwing up. You need fluids, I just can't believe they would advise you otherwise. I strongly urge you to put in a call to your surgeon's after hours answering service and let them know that you just had surgery and give them a few details, including that your situation is an emergency and that you would like to hear back from your surgeon asap. I know that I have had to leave a message for my doctor(s) a couple of times in my life, and I was glad they had the live answering service during after working hours. My doctor has always called me back within a couple of hours.

That is so cool, your daughter does sound awesome. Congratulations on choosing to get healthier and I wish you the best on your upcoming surgery.

Wow! What a transformation, you look fantastic! Congratulations!

Yes, congratulations! You look great and you look happy!

Morning weight 11/22/17: 200lbs. Thank you!

So glad to hear that you are doing better.

Congratulations! You look great!

Saw a thread on here a few months ago on this same topic. Most people said they did fine with spicy foods after surgery. I was the exception. I used to love jalepenos, sriracha and many spicy things. Never had a problem until after surgery. Now spicy burns my tongue and mouth and just doesn't taste good anymore. Heartburn isn't an issue with me. My suggestion is start slowly and see how you do with it. Most likely you will be fine.

Completely agree with Kathy (proudgrammy).

As a person who has chronic constipation that has been an ongoing problem since a year ago when I had the sleeve: yes, you can safely do an enema, it should help. My surgeon also told me that I could safely take Milk of Magnesia. I started taking it about 8 days after my surgery and it really worked great for me at the time.

Good advice here from everyone. Go to the doctor or ER today! Don't wait, please. You can actually have a UTI with little or no pain and with blood in the urine. Has happened to me on a few different occasions. Also, it can be difficult to get enough water in those beginning weeks after surgery. Like many others, I got dehydrated, but didn't really realize it until I went to the ER for the blood in urine. Once there, stayed all day and they fixed me up on several IV bags of fluid. If you have a UTI, it's an easy fix with a week or more of antibiotics, just amp up that water to help avoid future troubles. I hope you get better soon.

Bless your heart. I know how difficult it can be in regards to living with someone who is not treating their mental illness. My son is 26, lives with me and my husband, he is schizophrenic and refuses to take his meds. So stressful, to say the least. Big hugs your way. So sorry that you don't have support, that must be difficult. Twenty-four days of liquids is no picnic. You are doing great by following your plan, keep up the hard work in the midst of a situation that is far from easy. Keep your chin up, you can do it!