Mews

It happens to me under those same circumstances as well. Not sure why it occurs though.

Just make sure you bring your CPAP machine with you to the surgery. While you're under anesthesia, the anesthesiologist will control your breathing. When you're in recovery, though, you'll need your CPAP as there is a risk of not waking up when you stop breathing. It's rare but it's better to be safe than sorry.

I'm almost eight weeks out and I can eat spicy food without any problems. I did tried fried food but that didn't sit too well in my stomach.

I was eating tomato soup when I was on full liquids without much of a problem.

I had some time to kill today between doctors' appointments so I decided to treat myself to some Starbucks coffee. I'm seven weeks out and haven't had coffee since surgery. Now pre-op I LOVED Starbucks. Today though I literally could not stomach it. I think I drank about 1/2 of a tall and that was over the period of about 90 minutes. My stomach just did not like it. Anybody else have issues with coffee post-op? I'm hoping this will pass as I love my coffee.

Try sticking with clear fluids for a day or two. I found that warm water, tea, and the like were easier to keep down than cold. If you're really in a lot of pain, give your doc a call.

You know, I don't think my doctor mentioned a time period when I could have alcohol. He just said start off small and try doing it at home first because the way your body will react to it will be different than pre-op. I'm not a big drinker so this isn't an issue for me. However, this time of year for me is very stressful (end of semester grading) and it's usually the time when I do pull out the vodka. I'm a bit hesitant as my stomach is having a few issues with certain foods and I'm not sure if I really want to test it just yet. LOL

I'm very outspoken about the surgery so if people ask I just tell them I had it and therefore only eat small portions. Sometimes a friend, coworker, or waiter will be a bit surprised when they see how little I eat but I just laugh. I say "yep that's it" and leave it at that. For choices, I try to stick to soups, chili, or an appetizer (if I can find a healthy one...you'd be amazed how UNhealthy most of them are). If those aren't an option I just order an entree and take the leftovers home with me if I can. For traveling, I almost always have cheese sticks or Protein bars/shakes with me. If I get caught in a pinch I get Wendy's chili or a hamburger without the bun.

Have you had a sleep study done? Sleep apnea is considered a co-morbidity. I know that helped to push me to get insurance coverage even though I have a much higher BMI.

Ironically I was just talking about this with a friend of mine who is a therapist. Yes, it's technically considered an eating disorder. I think Jimmy has got it right though: if you continue to do it and it becomes an unconscious habit then that is a problem.

I sort of chug now. I used to be able to down 20oz in a minute. Now I can down about 4-6oz pretty quickly if necessary. I do try to sip more than anything else but old habits are hard to break.

I'm seven weeks out and I noticed that my depression has acted up for most of this post-op period. Do you have depression or just anxiety? Mine is tied to depression so I get the double whammy. From what I've been reading it seems to be a common problem after surgery.

I agree. Make sure you get your pain meds. Don't suffer needlessly. With the gas, get up and walk if you can as that supposedly helps to get rid of the gas in your body. The gurgling noises? I'm 7 weeks out and still have them. My husband says that my belly sounds like a bucolic symphony at night. LOL

I fourth the idea of bloodwork. Also, maybe add some healthy carbs to your diet to give you a bit of a boost in the meantime. I know that once I added them to my diet I haven't been dragging along as badly. I just though about this too: you said that you're under a lot of stress. Maybe you have symptoms of depression? I've had chronic depression for a while now and I know it sometimes manifests itself by making me very tired, groggy, and cranky. If the bloodwork comes out clear, this may be something to look into.

My doctor never said anything about detaching the spleen. That's interesting...so interesting that I looked it up. There is indeed a ligament that attaches the spleen to the greater curvature of the stomach and it does contain blood vessels. I haven't heard anybody have internal bleeding issues from this. I would suspect that they cauterize the ligament when they detach it. If you're still concerned about it talk to your doc some more.

It's definitely ketosis. Mine faded after I started on mushies. I was so thankful 'cause that taste was nasty!

Ya, the first month was hell for me (2 weeks clear liquids, then 2 weeks full liquids). It shall pass though.

I had my surgery on March 15 and for a good while afterwards I seriously regretted the surgery. Then again, I developed some complications (blood clot, infected incision, etc.). Now, I wouldn't use the word regret. Just frustrated. I just wish I had gone into it more informed. While I had done a LOT of research on the surgery, there were plenty of things I didn't find out until afterwards. I'm incredibly mad at my doctor for not warning me about these things like an increase in depression in some patients, low energy levels, stalls, draining wounds, problems associated with no/low carb diets, etc. I understand that they don't want to scare off patients but I get really pissed off when they act like this sort of stuff never happens. You read enough of these forums and see what problems people go through and you would think that the medical professionals would at least be honest when you ask about post-surgery issues. Please don't get me wrong. I'm NOT trying to scare you off. I just think that everybody should be as informed as possible going into major surgery. You'll probably be like most and have no issues whatsoever. At the same time you need to know just in case you are in the minority.

My students said I looked like "death washed over" until about a month after surgery (around the time I started mushies). I think it's normal due to the low amount of calories we intake immediately after surgery.

There are different forms of carbs. Mr. Worm has a point but there are plenty of ways to get good carbs: fruits, veggies, multigrain breads, etc. I think it all depends on what your NUT tells you. Mine doesn't push the low carb diet and instead wants me to eat a balanced one with the above foods in it. For the first month post-op I was miserable because I had no energy. Let's just say that ketosis was not nice to me. My NUT said that I was too focused on protein and that each meal should be a balance of 2:1 ratio of protein to carbs. I switched it up and I'm feeling so much better. Mind you, I'm probably losing weight at a much slower pace than others but I'm no longer dragging along, feeling like poop. I'll take the former over the latter any day.

Tell them to give you more pain meds. You shouldn't be in this much pain. As for regret, that shall pass. You are miserable right now but things will get better.

I wouldn't try traveling that soon after surgery. I was wiped out for about two weeks afterwards. Just reschedule the surgery for after trip.

I get the hunger too and it's definitely not head hunger. I'm on prescription Prilosec too but that doesn't help. I asked my doc about it and he said it was plain old physical hunger. I will just have a small healthy snack to stave it off but because of it I eat about six times a day.

1) is it preferred to sleep in a recliner or the bed post op? I slept in bed with no problems but I didn't really have any discomfort I know some people prefer sleeping in recliners because they cannot get comfortable in bed. 2) did anyone have improved bladder issues? I definitely don't pee nearly as much, maybe two or three times a day. What is nice is that I no longer have any accidents from things like sneezing or heavy coughing any more.

I enjoy the premade Lean Shakes that have, I think 21g of protein in it but is also low carbs. It's one of the very few protein drinks I can tolerate. And yes, they do have a good return policy.