Three days post op and needing advice

[juliecatherine 9]

Hello everyone! Well...I'm officially banded. I had my surgery at 9 Friday morning and stayed in the hospital one night. I was not too excited about that, but now I'm really glad that I did. You know...you read everyone's stories and experiences and you feel somewhat prepared, but it's a whole different thing when it is happening to you. The worst part of everything has been the nausea. Saturday after I got home I felt pretty damn good. Even walked around the block in my neighborhood to help dissipate the CO2, etc. Yesterday (Sunday) was much, much rougher. First of all, I was glued to the toilet all day. People talk about Constipation, but I had the complete opposite problem. It would not stop. Sorry for the TMI. As the day progressed, I kept feeling more and more nauseous. Around 8 last night I took another slow walk around the block. It didn't help. Around 9:15, I laid down in bed and immediately began feeling like I was about to throw up which terrified me. My husband helped me sit up very quickly, but by then it was too late. He handed me a cup and I began throwing up foamy Water. Less than a 1/3 of a cup total. Of course as soon as I could I contacted my doctor and my doctor's nurse. Both assured me that my band was still secure. That it is repetitive vomiting over time that is the enemy. I felt somewhat reassured, but still cannot shake the feeling that I've messed something up. What is strange though, is that after I vomited, I immediately felt better and haven't had any major nausea since. I was able to sleep through the night with no problems. I can even sleep on my side comfortably which I didn't expect to do this soon. While my doctor was talking to me, he asked me if I had been forcing fluids. He said to not be too worried if you cannot get in the 48 - 60 ounces that the literature recommends. I wish someone had told me this sooner. Yesterday I had 8 ounces of chicken broth, 8 ounces of diet cranberry juice, and probably 12 ounces of water. And getting all that in was a struggle. I didn't want any of it. He also told me not to be too concerned with dehydration because for every pound of fat the body breaks down, it produces a quart of water. Right now I'm using my urine color as a guide. It is still very, very light yellow although I am not going very often. I have to say...last night during all of this, I was experiencing a big "what the hell have I done to myself" moment. Is this normal? Did any of you feel this way at any point? Did any of you experience the nausea and retching that soon after surgery? Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

[sp70 193]

Sorry you are feeling so crummy. I think the first week is the worst. It gets better from there! I luckily didn't have any problems with nausea once I got home. But I can tell you I did indeed have the "what in the world have I done" thoughts. That is perfectly normal and will get better too. Now that all my clothes are getting baggy and the scale is starting to move, I am totally happy with my decision! I would never have made it to where I am without my band. Hang in there!

[Sharpie 3,306]

the nausea is probably from anesthetic... I experienced that in the hospital.. they finally gave me a suppository for that.. it also sometimes happens if you are on pain meds.. some of them make people sick.. I got off of the pain med as soon as I could went to Tylenol liquid... I felt the same the first week like "what was I thinking?" but now I know it was the right decision for me... good luck sweetie.. you will feel a lot different when you start dropping pounds and sizes...

[Mrs.Bales 31]

Yes, I had a similar experience - the nausea I attributed to the anesthetic, and the runs to the all liquid diet.

Everyone is different – listen to your body and take it easy. I had a couple of days of feeling way worse than I expected but got through it and now 17 days out feeling great. I had forgotten (or pushed it to the back of my mind) the nausea, pain and discomfort until now.

It can’t hurt that I had a hernia fixed in the process that was a whole other issue for me for years.

We are all so excited to start the journey that we forget it isn’t a sprint to the finish. One day and one sip of Water at a time.

Good luck!

[juliecatherine 9]

Thanks so much everyone. My doctor had prescribed some transdermal cream for nausea, but apparently it was not strong enough for me. I got some phenergan this morning and today has been much, much better. I am still on somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster, but I know that is pretty normal.