Stomach trouble

[areader4life 26]

Today is day 12 post op and my biggest issue is stomach irritability, I guess is the best way to describe it. It never stops and is quite uncomfortable and embarrassing. When empty it is calmer but with any food whatsoever it's obnoxious. I know it has to be gas but I rarely pass any, more likely I will have diarrhea. It's loud, rumbly, and at times painful, but always uncomfortable.

Of all the things to be concerned with, I know this seems trivial but if someone could give me some guidance, I'd sincerely appreciate it. I'm to the point that I'm abstaining from food too much. I know that's not right and need to fix this.

So far, my soft foods are eggs, Soups, and yogurt. My shakes are Premier Protein. I'm always able to make my Water intake.

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[KristenLe 5,979]

Are you taking anything like Nexium or Zantac? An acid reducer may help. If it doesn't get better - call your surgeon and see what they think. Hope you feel better soon.

[Thecloude1 342]

Maybe you would benefit from a probiotic. Reintroduce good bacteria back into your gut. It helped me [emoji3]

[areader4life 26]

I take Protonix (a pill) and Carafeet (liquid).

I have decided that I do need to call. I can't just stop eating all together. That's not the answer either. But I was kind of hoping you all would say, "oh, that's normal until week 4" or somesuch. No such luck I guess. Lol

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Edited May 17, 2016 by areader4life

[areader4life 26]

Probiotic?! I'll keep that in mind! I have a friend (no WLS) who was having issues of a different sort, but a probiotic helped her, so maybe .... Thanks!

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[Daisee68 2,493]

Some noise is completely the norm after the surgery. (I am 11 1/2 months post-op and was just sitting here listening to the noises after I just ate dinner.) It is not always this loud and sometimes it has more to do with thirst than hunger and find that drinking some Fluid will quite it. I will say this though - at about 2 months or so out, I felt like the noises changed and were really obnoxious. Actually woke me from a dead sleep more than once! Turned out I had a stricture (scar tissue had grown making the opening in my stomach small) which they easily fixed with a balloon dilation through an endoscopy. I do not know for sure the particularly loud noises were associated with the stricture, but I think they were - it was the slow draining of the stomach - and while I still have noises, they are not the same. I say all that to say, if you feel like it has changed quite a bit, you might give your dr a call. One thing that seemed to help though was lying on my left side. (Not really sure why that helped but it would be quieter than when lying on my back.)

[Kindle 8,667]

We can often develop food intolerances immediately postop with lactose being one of the most common. That could be the cause of the pain and diarrhea. For me, lactose, artificial sweeteners and plain Water caused severe pain, but fortunately the intolerances went away after about 4 months. Maybe try not drinking the Protein shakes or yogurt for a few days and see if it gets better. You can use almond or coconut milk or even Lactaid milk and an egg, soy or hemp Protein powder to get in your Protein during that time. Even an ultra filtered 100% whey powder might work since it is much lower in lactose than the premier Protein drinks.

And I definitely second the Probiotics suggestion. Look for a product with 20-30 different strains and at least 50 billion CFU found in the refrigerated section of most whole/health food stores.

[areader4life 26]

Thanks everyone! And Kindle, thanks for the details on a good probiotic!! Priceless info that I didn't even have a clue about ... especially the refrigerated option.

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