being bulimic most of my life, now i have no choice?

[*lolo* 2]

Hi,

Im a new poster, new member to this group.
I have been bulimic most of my life , so throwing up takes zero effort. I had gastric sleeve surgery and a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time (11/15/2017)

I am unable to eat Jello, yogurt , broth, lets just say the only thing I can keep down without it sitting in my throat is sugar-free Powerade drink.

I had a large hiatal hernia but it was repaired , I had my follow up with my bariatric surgeon/ doctor 2 weeks post surgery and asked him if its possible that the hernia surgery was repaired too tight? He said no. He had no explanation on why I cant actually swallow these things and my reflux is worse .

I guess those who develop reflux post surgery include those who already have it so its horrible. I take 40mg omeprazole as needed .... not as prescribed (1 pill a day).

ALSO, to make matters worse, it seems like I developed a full body yeast infection? (except its not where they usually are thank god). I have red welts, my wounds itch beyond words, then it spread to my lower stomach , then under my breasts, now its on my neck. I suppose if it travels down below then i will be furious.

Ive tried otc calamine lotion, fungal itch creams nothing is even helping with the itch.

ONE LAST THING I was doing ok as far as pain but the other night after I walked into a grocery store, I almost collapsed. I had what felt like a hot knife stabbing me in the large wound above my belly button. I was kind of stuck, not being able to walk in or out just stuck. I realized the pain was more of a ripping of my insides so I struggled and tried my hardest to hold up the bottom of my stomach so it wasnt putting pressure on that wound area. I can only assume its an adhesion .

Now what? anyone experience these things? My surgeon wasnt concerned about me spewing throw up from most anything i try to swallow, wasnt concerned that my whole body is a huge rash and welts that itch beyond control. I havent even had a chance to tell him about the adhesion ... fearing his "thats what you signed up for" attitude. He is a great surgeon, I have no doubt and he has the best personality dont get me wrong. But dont know what to do about all of this . thanks for any advice

[JavaKnut 104]

I had that stabbing pain too - would hit me if I turned or bent wrong. There was always a dull lingering pain around that incision. I was assured there was not a hernia. I had it spike again yesterday putting up xmas decorations (3 weeks post op). Today - woke up and is the first time I don't have that pain at all. I am in shock.

Reflux - do you sleep at an incline? Have you tried? That helped me the first couple weeks. Now I am able to sleep laying down. As long as I don't have food (just keep to Protein shakes) before bed, I don't wake up with reflux.

Also - I am sure you have tried - but have you been doing tiny sips? Like taking 15 mins to drink 1-2oz over that 15 mins? Took me awhile to get my sipping down to not being gulps. That helped a ton. I am now about to take 1oz sips and it is not a problem unless I do 2-3 in a row.

Your surgeon sounds like a prick, good or not, he should at least show some empathy for your concerns and discomfort. I definitely would see your normal doc about the rash.

[*lolo* 2]

1 minute ago, JavaKnut said:

I had that stabbing pain too - would hit me if I turned or bent wrong. There was always a dull lingering pain around that incision. I was assured there was not a hernia. I had it spike again yesterday putting up xmas decorations (3 weeks post op). Today - woke up and is the first time I don't have that pain at all. I am in shock.

Reflux - do you sleep at an incline? Have you tried? That helped me the first couple weeks. Now I am able to sleep laying down. As long as I don't have food (just keep to Protein shakes) before bed, I don't wake up with reflux.

Also - I am sure you have tried - but have you been doing tiny sips? Like taking 15 mins to drink 1-2oz over that 15 mins? Took me awhile to get my sipping down to not being gulps. That helped a ton. I am now about to take 1oz sips and it is not a problem unless I do 2-3 in a row.

Your surgeon sounds like a prick, good or not, he should at least show some empathy for your concerns and discomfort. I definitely would see your normal doc about the rash.

HI javaknut,

thank you for responding

im almost positive that the stabbing pain i had is because of an adhesion. Right now, i dont have that pain but it has come and gone since the first time i felt it (friday night). Im told that this is common with most surgeries and if surgically removed, another one might form. great. But ya, im thinking we both should keep an eye on it .

as far as reflux goes, i do sleep elevated not only because of the heartburn but i have chronic asthma. too many times if i ended up sleeping flat and i woke up with stomach acid pouring out my nose! i have tried tiny spoonfuls of Jello, yogurt and broth and it just sits in my throat. but sugar free Powerade goes down better and even pureed chicken stays down. if i take too big of sips or spoonfuls then forget it , it will shoot out my mouth if i talk or whatever . gross.

if your pain returns, are you planning on contacting your surgeon or anyone about it?

i almost called 911 fri night , but i was more embarrassed being inside a store trying to lift up my stomach just to walk an inch. i didnt want to lay down and wait for the paramedics to find me on aisle 11 LOL.

i see your progress and i am impressed. you have done very well ! your surgery was only 5 days before mine.

i lost 12lbs. and it has stayed at 12lbs. im thinking its my inactivity , cant be from the foods im vomiting every few minutes after eating

[JavaKnut 104]

2 minutes ago, *lolo* said:

if your pain returns, are you planning on contacting your surgeon or anyone about it?

i almost called 911 fri night , but i was more embarrassed being inside a store trying to lift up my stomach just to walk an inch. i didnt want to lay down and wait for the paramedics to find me on aisle 11 LOL.

i see your progress and i am impressed. you have done very well ! your surgery was only 5 days before mine.

i lost 12lbs. and it has stayed at 12lbs. im thinking its my inactivity , cant be from the foods im vomiting every few minutes after eating

Yes, my surgeon has a 24/7 line we can call to talk to the on-call. No matter how far post op we are. I was already yelled at for sending a message through their website on the weekend, instead of calling the on-call a couple weeks ago.

I didn't think it was anything bad, but they said I should call for pretty much anything just to be safe.

Wow, that sucks about the reflux and I have no way to relate. I never had reflux before now, and only had it a few times, so I cannot complain.

Some drinks I have found helpful: Other friends suggested Vitamin Water Zero, and the only one I like was the Pomegranate one. The others were not sitting well with me. I recently picked up the costco knockoff version of them - Kirkland branded VitaRain Zero - and they are all awesome. All the flavors sit well for me so far. I have at least one a day, and try to keep the rest just water or Jello. I also drink 2-4 Premiere Proteins a day (depending on how many other things I have now that I am on mushy foods).

I am not sure what the overall difference is on my getting the sleeve with the switch, vs you just getting the sleeve.

I see plenty of other sleevers posting how relaxed their pre and post diets are and how easy they are progressing.

Week 1 was rough for me, as I had an added infection. Week 2 got better, then had some pain late in the week that went away a few days later. Week 3 was just kind of a stall in terms of pain going away and having energy - didn't really feel like I progressed, but then the end of week 3 was like BLAM, big improvements.

Just taking it day by day and trying not to be discouraged. I make sure to keep my water/protein regiment, and get my walks in when I can (need to do better). I see friends that have been through this and results they post on FB, and it keeps me going.

One friend had the PNY 2 years ago and just posted his before and after photos - 210lbs!! WOW. Truly amazing and can't wait to post like that!

Chin up! You have a ton of people here on these forums who are in the same spot you are - before and after. Keep posting and I hope you get better soon!!

[*lolo* 2]

7 minutes ago, JavaKnut said:

Yes, my surgeon has a 24/7 line we can call to talk to the on-call. No matter how far post op we are. I was already yelled at for sending a message through their website on the weekend, instead of calling the on-call a couple weeks ago.

I didn't think it was anything bad, but they said I should call for pretty much anything just to be safe.

Wow, that sucks about the reflux and I have no way to relate. I never had reflux before now, and only had it a few times, so I cannot complain.

Some drinks I have found helpful: Other friends suggested Vitamin Water Zero, and the only one I like was the Pomegranate one. The others were not sitting well with me. I recently picked up the costco knockoff version of them - Kirkland branded VitaRain Zero - and they are all awesome. All the flavors sit well for me so far. I have at least one a day, and try to keep the rest just Water or Jello. I also drink 2-4 Premiere Proteins a day (depending on how many other things I have now that I am on mushy foods).

I am not sure what the overall difference is on my getting the sleeve with the switch, vs you just getting the sleeve.

I see plenty of other sleevers posting how relaxed their pre and post diets are and how easy they are progressing.

Week 1 was rough for me, as I had an added infection. Week 2 got better, then had some pain late in the week that went away a few days later. Week 3 was just kind of a stall in terms of pain going away and having energy - didn't really feel like I progressed, but then the end of week 3 was like BLAM, big improvements.

Just taking it day by day and trying not to be discouraged. I make sure to keep my water/protein regiment, and get my walks in when I can (need to do better). I see friends that have been through this and results they post on FB, and it keeps me going.

One friend had the PNY 2 years ago and just posted his before and after photos - 210lbs!! WOW. Truly amazing and can't wait to post like that!

Chin up! You have a ton of people here on these forums who are in the same spot you are - before and after. Keep posting and I hope you get better soon!!

thats great you can call a help line for your surgeon.

can i ask if you buy the Protein Shakes at costco? if so how much are they?

ive been drinking slimfast 20grams Protein, 1g sugar. wont try any powdered drinks i need to prepare.

also what is the switch?

i have one friend who is one year out, was a complete drug addict before and he quit drugs a cpl months before surgery and i just recently got in touch with him and wow... i think he lost 2 full sized adults lol. looks fantastic. so ya, i kind of feel if he did it then anyone can (not in a mean way either) . but i also met 2 women who are also one yr out, they are friends of a close family friend of mine. they were giving me advice and lecturing me ...this as they came to vegas for a vacation and ate at a different 75$ buffet each night. and as they were telling me all the restrictions they put on themselves , my family friend told me that they ate her out of house and home. full loaf of bread , full block of cheese and so on. i was told they lost weight from what they were but i dont think they can say they are a success story, they no doubt stretched out their stomachs. i didnt want to be rude but i asked how they can eat at a buffet and they of course lied , said they only had a small plate of sushi or some nonsense . (family friend told me they brought home Desserts and other food in their purses from those buffets) lol!

[JavaKnut 104]

20 hours ago, *lolo* said:

can i ask if you buy the Protein Shakes at costco? if so how much are they?

ive been drinking slimfast 20grams Protein, 1g sugar. wont try any powdered drinks i need to prepare.

also what is the switch?

Yes, we buy them at costco - about $28 for an 18 pack. They typically only have 2-3 flavors there. We found Wal-mart has decent prices too, tons of flavors, but they only sell them in 4 packs. BJ's has them in a case as well for around $20, but i is only a 12-pack. Premier Protein is the brand. My surgeon and nutritionist recommended them. Truly they are the easiest Protein Drinks to consume I have ever had. No gritty texture, no bad aftertaste. I have been drinking them for 3-4 months. I started drinking them to "get used" to them when I knew I was going to have surgery coming up. My barber did the exact same surgery I did, with the same surgeon, and he is the one that gave me one of the shakes to try early on. BTW - he's just about 14 months and well over 100lbs down. He was giddy to drink beer again at his 1 year mark and couldn't believe he would get buzzed off of one beer that would take him 30 mins or more to drink. Good for him lol. Not my priority.