HHR and VSG on January 28th 2015

[rustynail 10]

Hey everyone. I have been reading these posts for a while. Honestly since I decided to get sleeved. A friend turned me on to it. I am going to approach this like an open theraputic and info forum. What I had done is not unheard of but it is also not done all the time. So here I go.

I was and am overweight. SW289, CW (not sure because I threw out my scale), GW 205. At between 5'11" and 6'0" I have battled all my life with weight. I chose to get the sleeve and my journey began. Did all the clearances which were easy. And the pre op diet which was an eye opener. That brings me to the surgery on January 28th 2015.

I went in like everyone else a bit nervous. Saw the nurses. Got my iv and saw the dr and anesthesia before hand. Then they gave me something to relax me. Wow. Then nothing till I woke up. A nurse was jiggling my shoulder saying its all done. I was like hey I was waiting to go in and that whole counting backwards thing didn't happen. It was like I nodded off and just snapped awake to realize it all happend and I missed it. It is kind of funny. Well anyway the dr popped in to say hi and he says we had to fix the hiatal hernia you had and then we did your sleeve. We have you on pain meds and we will have a pca pump in your room so just hit the button if your feeling anything. He also said no eating or drinking till we do the x ray. Which was a day later. Oh my god.

Let me tell all of you, I did not feel hungry at all. There was no hunger or thirst. I did have fluids going into me via iv but the was no desire to eat or drink. And man oh man there was discomfort and some pain. First the pain when inhaling from this combined procedure hit me in the center of my chest and felt like it went straight thru to my back also at the top of my lungs. I know now that it can be from the hernia repair and the co2 they use during surgery. Best advice... walk! Walk!!! It helps. Use the incentive spirometer. Btw they give you one at the hospital. Ok so first day of surgery post op I spent walking around the unit I was in and watching tv oh and pressing that button. It helped.

The next day was the x ray with the contrast which is in a plastic 1fluid oz cup. Like a shot. I stand in front of a x ray machine and waited for a dr to watch and low and behold I took my first shot. It felt fine for about 10 seconds then there was a lot of pressure in the center of my chest. I stood there waiting for it to go thru. 2 minutes. 5 minutes. Then they asked me to take another shot or the contrast. More pressure instantly. Waited another 5 minutes. Ok so they had me wait in the waiting room for 20-30 minutes. Again in front of the x ray and they say you are a bit swollen. We will have to give it another day. So back to my room I go with all this pressure. It felt like I had been to white castle and had 20 sliders and a large drink to wash it down. It was so much pressure! So into the bathroom I went and I vomited the 2 Fluid oz up. Back to bed. And no drinking or food. So I spent that day walking and watching tv. Again hitting the pca pump button and no hunger or thirst.

Day 3 post op back to x ray in the morning and I did 1 fluid ox of contrast. It took longer to feel pressure but it went down in 10 to 15 minutes completely in my new stomach. Ok great. So back to my room I go and the drs partner came in and says ok so it went down. Want you to try 1 fluid oz an hour and chew ice. So I did that and they did bring a tray for lunch which had broth Jello and hot Water for Decaf tea and some orange sorbet. I did stick with water and the sorbet and ice. The broth was not to my liking. Jello was too thick. Again with walking and tv and hitting the pca button. I was supposed to only spend 2 nights in the hospital but the dr wanted me to be able to do 4 fluid oz an hour before I left. So I stayed.

Day 4 post op. Walking. Hitting the button on the pca pump and those trays for Breakfast, lunch and dinner.< /p>

Day 5 removed from pca pump and was up to 4 fluid oz water an hour barely. It was superbowl sunday and I was hurting. The pills for pain are not the same. And take a while to work. I saw the dr and he said its time to go home. See me in a week. And I was signed out. My brother took me home and just that made me feel better. I went home and slept. Then back to my brothers for the superbowl. I was up and moving around like the dr said. Being active. Drinking my water.

On a side note they give you these sponges on a lollipop stick to help you take fluid down. I checked a few times. If you use that sponge 9 times you get 1 fluid oz of fluid. So that sponge thing became my friend. I used it way mor than the cups but the cups do help when you can do 1/2 fluid oz down at a time. Otherwise just get the fluid oz down using the sponge. It makes life easier. You will have to do it at a rhythm. It helps. Please understand it may be easier with just the sleeve but I did have the hernia repair too and I was swollen a lot longer than even the dr expected. Also again I have no hunger and no thirst.

I did try coconut water. My brother got me some for football. I love the stuff and pre op I would suck down a whole container in a few seconds. Now I still like the taste but it did not want to be in my stomach. Lots of pressure. And I got sick and vomited. Which is also not that bad in terms of feeling. It relieves the pressure fast and feel ok pretty fast after.

Day 6 post op at home and I admit I wanted to try jello and tapioca. I did. They both felt heavy in my chest and made me vomit a few times. I did still have that pain when I breathe or when I take a deeper breath. So back to trying broth. I did and tried seasoning it. It worked. Real chicken broth seasoned like you would a chicken and boiled. Important to let it cool. I burnt my tongue and lip on broth which was too hot in my excitement to try it. Please let it cool.

Day 7 post op. Back to the basics. Water and ice. I had enough of trying things. I do want an icee thinking the ice content and the very cold fluid which is clear would be good. I am doing my plastic cups today. 1 fluid oz at a time drinking a third at a time. It is working. My fridge decided to stop freezing so no ice unless I run to 7eleven which is where I got the idea of the icee. Still no hunger and no pain meds either. I did get a script for percocet but I dont like the way they make me feel. I am feeling everything from the surgery now. The sites they made for the laproscopic procedure are all sore. And the sleeve is sore when I drink and that pressure in the center of my chest which was bad when I drank too much is so much more pronounced. I have pain when I breathe in. Deeper breaths and it still goes all the way thru into my back and I also feel pain at the tops of my lungs.

Do not be discouraged by any of these things I have said. My experience was not just from a sleeve, I also had a hiatal hernia repair. A sleeve seems to feel a lot better to deal with alone from the post I have read and I am sure the ones you have read. If I had a choice to do it again over knkwing what I would go thru, I would definately still do it.

I know the difference between what used to go into my stomach vs what goes in there now. On any particular day I would make a meal or eat out and meals were always oversized because a normal meal left me hungry. Very hungry even if I took a half hour to eat it. I did gorge and have eaten those contests to see if I could get a shirt and always did. I would eat more than half a crave case of whitecastle cheeseburgers at a time or a whole pizza for myself. I have polished off a package or more of hotdogs on many occasions... I love to bbq. And when I cook it was always a second or third helping of my own cooking.

Now I just have my little 1 fluid oz cup. I am just drinking until this swelling goes down. It must be swelling still. I have no hunger and no thirst. I do stand under the shower at room temperature to soak in water too. Hoping it will help. I am at this moment thinking about a run to 7eleven for a cup of ice or an icee. I believe the ice will help with swelling. Also it is something to chew.

Hey almost forgot. Gum. Listen, gum seems like a good idea. Please dont. Take it from me. It makes your saliva like a gel and thicker. Guess what doesnt go down so easy? Jello and anything that has a gel like consistency! Dont put yourself thru that. Vomited quite a few times before I realized what was happening. Do not do the gum. Ice is ok. Water. Cold water is ok. Do not push youself.

You can expect to have no hunger or thirst so just do the basics because they work the best. Cold water and ice. The sorbet was good too which is like the icee. So try it for yourself. See what happens. Get the smallest they have.

I wish you all the best and do not give up. Just fall back to the basics. Cold water. Ice. And anything like that. Walk. Walk! Walk!! And dont push your sleeve. Let it guide you. If you feel any pressure or discomfort stop drinking immediately and let it go thru you. If you have to vomit because there is too much pressure, lean forward, make yourself burp and cough and it empties and comes out. The pressure goes away.

This is a new journey with new rules and a whole new lifestyle. What works for one doesnt always work for the next person but I do believe if you hear from many people who had their own experiences it will help you go thru yours. And there wasnt much about the combo hernia repair and sleeve. So here is a good long one all of you. God bless.

[Chuckie 9]

Excellent!

[sunandsand 1]

Just had my sleeve January 13 and also had hiatal hernia repair...it's almost 4 weeks and honestly didn't start feeling better until 3 days ago; my hernia was repaired with mesh, I don't know, but I think having both surgeries at one time was what made my recovery so much more difficult. It's been trial and error with soft foods; some ok and some NOT. I can only tolerate about 3 teaspoons at a time. Overwhelmed at times, but just taking it day by day!!

[rustynail 10]

I dont know if I had the mesh used in the hernia repair. You are a couple weeks ahead of me as far as healing. The only thing that helps is loads of ice in the food processor and squeeze an orange or lemon on it. Eat it by the spoon standing or sitting strait up and down. Btw 3 table spoons seems to equal about 1 Fluid oz. I want to try egg drop Soup. I dont like to vomit or any of that pressure so I am holding off. Whats worked for you?

[sunandsand 1]

Well, it's been trial and error. Before the surgery I was doing really well eating healthy, lots of veggies& Protein (chicken, tuna, tofu, eggs) and tons of water.... I'm just getting used to sipping slowly with Water every few minutes, but still only able to get about 64 oz / day in. I loved eggs but now they nauseate me! I find I like Protein Shakes better with water or half water, half skim milk rather than all milk. Yogurt has been ok. I've just baked a chicken breast & puréed that with a bit of veggie stock, looked gross but really wasn't too bad. These forums have been very helpful for ideas. Also, I learned my lesson to eat very SLOWLY; got terrible pain in belly & chest when I don't! Gas-x is very helpful with bloating; walk as much as you can. I can't wait to eat salads/veggies/proteins like before, but it will take time. Hard to be patient, though!!!

[sunandsand 1]

P.s. Loved the blended ice w/ fresh squeezed juice, I'm trying that! Also I agree, sit straight up or stand! Homemade broth worked well for me rather than just canned!

[rustynail 10]

I will be trying the blended chicken in stock when the time comes but still only on the Water ice blend. It works for now until I can get more in me. Your right about the eggs. I thought egg drop Soup. Very lite. Barely egg in it but it didnt agree with me. Came back with a vengence. Will not try that one again for a long time.

[rustynail 10]

Btw which soft foods were the first that worked for you? I have only had success with apple sauce so far and it was only barely 2 spoons worth.

[sunandsand 1]

Applesauce for sure, yogurt, ( although the Greek was a bit too much at first-too thick), cottage cheese, and farina. Again, just a few teaspoons! Actually had a problem with nausea when I began the puréed/soft foods, and I had so many questions I made an extra appointment to see my surgeon. They suggested that I try to get in 2 bites every 2 hours which seems to be working so far. I'm being cautious about adding new stuff because of the nausea. Still doing 2 Protein Shakes a day to make sure I get enough; but the past 3 days have been about the best so far so hopefully I'll continue to make progress!

[rustynail 10]

Hello. This is just an update. Today I am 22 days post op. I feel ok right this moment but you need to know what has happened to get me here. After the initial stay for the procedure I went home and tried to get the fluids down. I failed. I tried the liquids and anything with ice. It wasnt my fault. I was vomiting quite a bit. At day 11 I was so dehydrated I wanted to go to the hospital but didnt have the energy to get there and was passing out at home. I went to the drs on the 12th day which is in the hospital. I found out I was 263lbs but on the day I had the sleeve I was 290lbs. Yes I lost 27lbs in 12 days. It was not a good 27lbs because I was super dehydrated he sent me to the er. Before the drs I had no idea I lost much weight at all except I gained a single belt hole on my belt. I was admitted and had another 4 day stay. I had a swallow eval done with the contrast and they saw fluids were not going down.(I watched the x ray as I did the swallow eval and have been doing research and it looked exactly like a stricture, google gastric sleeve stricture x ray) So dr decided it was swelling and decided to send me for a picc line and ordered tpn (total parentaral nutrition) which is a liquid which has Protein and all the Vitamins I need and it goes directly into my blood. Bypassing my stomach. I was encouraged to eat a little ice but that was it. I went home with the tpn and told to eat ice or ice pops if I can. I have been and doing the tpn I have very very little energy. I know my stomach is beginning to flow and the blockage or stricture is slowly resolving itself. Yesterday over the day in addition to the normal cup of ice I was able to get a very cold 16.9 Fluid oz bottle of Water down too. It did not dawn on me but the first week and even the second week, the stomach which was cut down by 80% will have swelling because it was cut down and injured. This is normal during any surgical procedure. The swelling is normal but when you want the stomach to flow a little, the swelling is countering the ability to flow. They gave me the choice to eat broth if i wanted post op which I am sure everyone got but the hot broth did nothing for the swelling. If I was told to just eat ice or liquid just a hair above frozen like an icee without sugar, sherbert, italian ice, or a snow cone... maybe it would have been easier. I would give anyone who had the sleeve or a gastric bypass done very simple advice. Please just go with the iced and super cooled liquids. It will get liquid in you and it will help soothe and reduce the swelling and inflammation. It took a lot to figure out because the dr and dietitian are focusing on making sure you get the protein and the vitamins and trying to give a variety for anyone to sample but if you look at it like a kid who just had their tonsils and adenoids out, they only get ice cream and any other iced dish like italian ice, sherbert and icees. Very very very cold liquids. Its soothing and helps reduce the swelling and inflammation in the throat. It works great for the sleeve and I am assuming the gastric bypass too because there is a lot of swelling in both.

Like I said it is day 22 post op and beyond the one time at the drs office when I stepped on the scale, I do not know what I weigh (I had a dissagreement with my old scale, I wanted to know my weight and it wouldnt tell me... like it was some sort of secret! So I had to relocate it to the recycle can). I have other markers which were more important. By day 10 I stopped snoring when I slept. I can lay on my back and sleep without snoring now. I gained 2 belt holes on my belt now. Without a belt my pants do fall down. I do not have real hunger at all, my head wants me to eat because I do wish I had some flavors and food but its not a physical hunger from my stomach like before, its only head hunger. (I do watch the cooking channel and it makes me feel better for some strange reason which I still do not really understand) I also dont feel thirsty. If I dont get enough liqid in me I do feel lethargic and tired and a bit dizzy so I have to think about it. With the tpn running I feel ok and it runs about 18 hours a day for one bag. But the 6 hours off it I can see without ice running thru me, that tiredness comes right back especially if I do anything. So exercising which is walking and dumbbells for now wipes out the little energy I do have. Its 4:30 am right now and its the last few hours of the tpn. I think I have another week and a half on this tpn before trying food.

On a side note I did go back to work and I work 12 hour shifts at night. I did the tpn right up to I had to work and I have to say I ran out of energy about 4 hours into work. I pushed myself thru the last 8 hours. Got right back onto the tpn when I got home. I did eat ice at work and did have a cup pretty close at hand. I did get as much as I could down. Which was a little over a small cup of ice. The tpn after work did help. I slept and woke with some energy.

My journey is a bit different from others because I dont know anyone personally who has gone thru the things I have. I do have to say the past few days I have felt a lot better then any other days post op. No vomiting, no dizziness and I do have a little energy. Definately steps in the right direction.