SuperGuuurl

On 6/15/2023 at 7:59 PM, ChreeMiriah said:

After being back in the ICU for 5 days we finally discovered what the issue was. The 3 surgeries had caused my cortisol to drop severely low and I had been in remission of adrenal insufficiency for 2 years. They pumped me full of steroids and now I’m on 100 mg a day feeling better. They discovered my stomach was twisted and they need to widen the sleeve mouth so I will be undergoing 4 dilations so I can keep down my food. I want to point out that I have read some medical journals that say adrenal insufficiency is a very rare side effect of Bariatric surgery so if you have had a history of your cortisol dropping please be cautious. On to some good news, My doc says I am 2 points away from a heathy bmi of 25 so maybe in the end it was all worth it. I want to thank all of you who read my story and offered your solutions and support when I felt like their was no hope. I will come back and post what happens after each dilation. If you are continuing to struggle don’t give up and be your own advocate by doing your own research. Hang in there everyone.

Thank you so much for sharing your story!

Damn… thank you so much Arabesque… your honesty is very much appreciated. Malabsorption is definitely not sth to play with. Today I started the day hopeful and tried to stay positive. Thanks to this forum and all of your posts. I know the journey is long … if there was a magic wand to instantly feel better, wouldn’t we all use it? I took the buscopan last night and religiously ate 30 min after drinking, then waited again and had tea. I’m starting to think it’s all linked to the fact that I didn’t keep a strict schedule. It’s too early to say of course. But the cramping and nausea were so strong… nothing today so far, except this horrible horrible bubbly feeling right after eating followed by a nasty taste in my mouth. Ugh… I’m sorry to keep complaining.

So I went to see the doc 2 days ago as my cramps weren’t getting better. She prescribed a CT scan to make sure I wasn’t suffering from an intestinal hernia. I did the scan yesterday and the results are in: no hernia, thank Goodness, however, an enlargement of the gallbladder duct, which could cause all my cramping, nausea, vomiting and overall pain.
My doc prescribed some buscopan and some meds against nausea and diarrhoea… if nothing gets better in 2 weeks time, I’ll have to do a cholecystectomy to remove my entire gallbladder. I know people live perfectly fine without their gallbladder, but I am so scared of going through yet another procedure of which I won’t know the consequences of… already this enlargement only happens rarely. Has anyone gone through this already? I’ve lost another couple of pounds recently and I can barely walk up the stairs without feeling exhausted 😩

11 hours ago, Smanky said:

Definitely doesn't sound normal. I do get some of the cramping/pain and general sensitive gut issues, especially when I have an ulcer developing, but what you're describing sounds extreme. I'd be going to the ER, and letting your surgeon know to move that July appointment forward. They need to investigate this.

Thanks smanky… I appreciate your advice. I will see my doc this week and discuss all of it. You’re right, it doesn’t seem normal to suffer that much every day without relief…

8 hours ago, summerseeker said:

We call this kind of vomiting the 'foamies' - You have either eaten too quickly, eaten too dry a food, eaten too much or your stomach is not ready for this food yet. [ or sometimes I get a something like a piece of Tomato skin stuck] Our tiny stomachs have the same amount of acid in as before so it causes plenty of problems, especially when you have eaten nothing. It could be that this is causing your bowels problems too

Until you get your docs appointment, you need to calm this devil stomach. Go back to basics. I can not eat potato and It took me 12 months to master chicken. My basics would be yogurt, milk, cheese and tinned Soups. I hope you get your appointment soon

Hi summerseeker, thanks for your advice. I do know about the foamies. What I haven’t read anywhere though is when get them without eating. I’d by sitting on the coach, hours after having eaten a morsel and would all of a sudden feel sick. Today I’ve done a liquid diet which helped. It’s the 3rd time I go back to liquid diets… I just see no end to this

14 hours ago, Arabesque said:

I am so sorry you are experiencing this. What has your surgeon suggested as to the cause or done in the way of tests to discover why this is happening to you? And yes, I’d go to the ER with the chronic diarrhoea and foamies. You shouldn’t be experiencing any of this so there must be a reason for it.

Hopefully you’ll get answers and an appropriate treatment soon.

Thanks Arabesque… the last time I saw my surgeon things were on the mend and so we didn’t talk about the issues I’m experiencing now. For her and for me, things could only get better the thing that really bugs me is how horrible certain days can be as opposed to others where you kind of function a little. It keeps giving me hope until the next foamies and or diarrhoea attack.

Hey ChreeMiriah

Thank you so much for sharing your story…I’ve just posted my own experience with the mini gastric bypass I did back in February. It’s not at all what you are going through but it’s also a story of suffering with food intake and the fact that nothing stays inside. I don’t really vomit, i just gag for minutes and “throw up” saliva. However I do have diarrhoea every single morning until I feel my insides are dried out completely. To say this is an ordeal is an understatement. I’m completely at a loss and I wish I could help you out but I need the same help! Thank God for these forums… I’m here if you want to talk…

Hi everyone

I’m back again for moral support. Got my MGB back in February. After a couple of extremely hard weeks, 5 weeks to be precise, i finally thought that my ordeal was over. I had spent all this time finding it really hard to drink Water and reach my Protein goals until then. Suddenly, starting the 6th week post op, i saw some light at the end of the tunnel and managed to expand my food a little bit. I avoided everything I was told to avoid until then, oil, sugar, Pasta, rice, raw veggies, you name it!

one day I was invited to a barbecue and ate what I was given, namely a bit of salad and some marinated chicken. Everything was fine for the days that followed and I was ecstatic! I started to experiment with food more and more and I realised that the food I tolerated the most was still just plain potatoes and carrots with some minced meat of chicken. However, as weeks went by, my sensitivities seemed to increase by the day. I’d try watermelon and suffer excruciating cramps the next day, so I stopped. Then I’d try Beans, and I’d be fine the next day but suffer more cramps the day after, long story short, it seemed like every single new food I’d try was not tolerated by my stomach. The pain and cramps would be instant, and the explosive diarrhoea would follow the next morning like clockwork.
I remember at some point, i barely ate for 2 days and what followed were the most painful cramps and hunger pangs I’ve ever ever experienced in my life!

Looking at a plate of food triggers me now. I am absolutely scared of putting anything in my mouth. Even my trusted potatoes and carrots have forsaken me. That means I have not a single food that I seem to tolerate and I have absolutely no idea how this happened! Today, i tried boiled potato with some rotisserie chicken, and ended up vomiting 3 times. And when I say vomit, i mean, gag as if I would vomit, but only saliva comes out.

i feel weak and desperate. I have lost 32kg in almost 4 months, that about 70 pounds. That is way too much weight. Let’s not start about my hair loss… it’s ridiculous. I plan to shave my head…

i never in a million years thought this would be my life after the surgery. I have a doc appointment this week but only will see my surgeon in July… does this story sound familiar to any of you guys? Did I do something wrong? What did I miss?! I’ve been on the verge of going to the ER multiple times…

5 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Your tummy can be very sensitive & can behave like a petulant, tantrum throwing two year old for a while.

Lol that is so true!

thanks for your advice. Anything helps at this point. Yes I do take pantoprazole every morning to protect my stomach. The clockwork painful diarrhoea happens every morning though… I think I could live with it if it wasn’t that painful. Yesterday I drank about 20 oz of Water in one sitting (spread out over 2 hours) and I swear with every sip I could feel a cramp followed by excessive farting. I’m sorry but 🤦‍♀️ I’m lucky to be single that’s all I can say!

3 hours ago, Isabel1246 said:

Yes, I completely understand. My heart goes out to you, I hope it gets better for you too. Yes, fried foods are banned but I'd use a bit of olive oil to cook my egg and that was all it took to get me incredibly sick. I have to grill everything and make sure the fat content is not too high or else it makes me feel horrible. I was a comfort eater too, everything revolved around food. Celebrations, accomplishments, sadness all of it. Now I put a lot of energy into the gym to fill my time, and if I'm bored, I'll go to the gym anytime to help ward off the idle hands. I don't mourn food anymore, like you I eat to survive not for pleasure, but I enjoy the healthy choices I make now.

You see, then I guess I’m lucky that a little bit of oil to fry my egg doesn’t make me sick. The variables are so huge. I hate it. I hate that I can’t just follow some rules that apply to 90% of WLS patients. Everyone has their own personal issues and it depresses me. I thought I had done all the research I could before going for the surgery but I guess I didn’t and it’s like the habits I’ve had for years and the way my brain is wired it’s all fighting against me. Like I’m in a war with my body. Maybe I should add that I’m a breast cancer survivor and that my body (and especially my digestive system) has gone through a lot. That was in 2009-2010, followed by years of hormone therapy.
I want to stay positive though and except for a couple of exceptions, most of the people here are not regretting their procedure after a year. I just have to be patient… which I’m not 😝

16 minutes ago, Isabel1246 said:

I am 4 months post op and I had a rough time the first month too. My sensitivity is to fried foods which ultimately is a good thing for me, that was my weakness in my past life, now I avoid it at all costs. I was incredibly constipated up until recently, I started feeling more regular now. It’s just my belief, things DO get better.

Thanks Isabel. I’ve only been constipated the first week. It was absolutely horrible and very painful. Since that week all I’ve had is diarrhoea, every single morning, except once (might have been a banana I had the day before). Aren’t fried foods completely banned? I’m so scared of food eating is merely a way to survive. I’ve always been a comfort eater so this is really hard. My new obsession is mukbang videos on YouTube. I watch all these people stuff themselves and reminisce on the days I could eat without feeling sick. How miserable of me…

1 hour ago, catwoman7 said:

lactose intolerance or intolerance to certain artificial sweeteners can cause that, but if it's happening in response to Water, too, then that's not it. I hope they can figure it out for you - that would be awful!!

also, various colors of poop aren't that unusual during the first month after surgery. Although I'd at least let my clinic know if another two or three weeks go by and it's still looking weird.

Yes, I’ve been thinking about intolerance to lactose at some point when all I could drink was milk instead of Water. But I haven’t had milk in 2 weeks and I’ve only had a tiny bit of light cheese and cottage cheese, so I don’t really know. It’s hard to figure out the foods you don’t tolerate anymore because everyone is SO different. Some people are ok with zucchini, others not, etc etc… it’s so hard to figure out.

another thing I wanted to say was… I am constantly hungry. Like starving. But as soon as I put food in my mouth, I just don’t want to eat anymore. It’s almost like food has been such a trigger for pain and cramps that I’m just scared at how my body will react. 2 days ago I had the equivalent of 1 tsp of cooked corn and I spent half the night crying in pain and emptying my guts in the toilet. Not fun to experiment…

Hi everyone. I need some advice or encouragement… because I still don’t really see the light at the end of the tunnel 😕

I had surgery 33 days ago. I already posted before about my journey 2 weeks post op and how I couldn’t eat nor drink properly for weeks. I can gladly say that drinking has improved immensely and somehow eating as well. However things have shifted dramatically and I don’t know if I’m the only one. The cramping and pain that used to be located around my old stomach in the early days has somehow moved to my bowels now. Let me explain. Up to week 3 post op, every time I tried to eat or drink something I would instantly feel it in the new pouch like a heaviness or discomfort. That would then change into non stop gurgling, sometimes foaming. This feeling of wanting to burp but nothing comes out until hours later. I’d of course lose my appetite once again and lay down for the pain to go away.

Now, we’ll into 4 weeks post op, that type of discomfort has almost disappeared (it’s still there) but the cramps and instant bowel movements and heavy diarrhoea is a daily issue. One sip of Water in the morning results in a bowel movement. And it’s an uncomfortable one! I am also so so gassy and I cannot hold it in at all! The other day I was with my brother in my car and it just came out without a warning. I had to open the window because the smell is out of this world… Have you guys encountered this as well?

TMI my poop is completely gray. I already spoke to my doctor about it and she said it was nothing to worry about for now.

1 hour ago, fed-up said:

Hi - Water puts me in hell .Even a sip .I told my Dietitian and she said it's pretty common .She pointed me to Vieve Protein Water , it goes down very softly .They sell it on Amazon and I'd be utterly lost without it .You're not just getting fluids in , you are getting Protein .I also suffer from trapped gas/wind - I could burp for Britain ! It lasts for a few hours and then goes off .It only happens about twice a month but it's horrible isn't it ?

I'm six months in and still find solid food very uncomfortable to digest ,I tend to stick with soft foods .

Hope this helps !

Hi, yes it helps tremendously! I’m just back from my appointment with the dietitian. She spent an hour with me going through everything I have in a day (so little). She said she was worried about not only my protein intake but also my fibre intake. She’s a different dietician than the one I saw before surgery who had given me a default 4 week diet plan. I will list the tips she gave (which I might post in another thread as well to help others):

*my old diet plan listed a soft cracker and cream cheese for Breakfast, followed by a plain yoghurt and then runny vegetable Soup for lunch. Second snack was homemade applesauce with no sugar and dinner was soup with cracker. All of that during 4 weeks! The only changed were week two pureed veggies with minced meat. Third week same diet except breakfast with hard cheese instead of cream cheese and more meat. Fourth week was same diet but introduction of some harder foods …

this was not exciting to say the least. The puréed stage literally killed me and guess what… it was neither dumping nor dehydration. I was severely constipated! The minute I had a proper bowel movement (I had had 2 very small ones before) the relief to cramping and nausea disappeared into thin air. I can’t explain it.

so this new dietician is like:

1) Don’t worry about water. Keep drinking Hot Drinks like teas and coffee, just dilute them a bit more

2) cut a banana in three and have one piece as a snack instead of plain yoghurt

3) change the yoghurt into soy, almond or coconut in case you turn intolerant to lactose which can happen after surgery

4) adding meat to your puréed veggies too challenging? Add a slice of smoked salmon even in week 2.
5) have a yokult to keep your flora alive

6) drink a couple of Protein Shakes instead of a meal if too challenging…

anyway, the flexibility was eye opening. She said don’t try to follow rules too blindly. As long as you keep eating pretty soft foods you are fine eating toasted bread with peanutbutter (creamy)!

to say that I was in a shock is an understatement…

cant wait to have breakfast tomorrow!

5 hours ago, vsg2410 said:

I also had issues with Water. I tolerated broth much better. I ordered a miso Soup powder off of Amazon and add that to hot Water to get in some fluids. Or better than bouillon mixed with some hot water. And sugar free popsicles were great too! I like the no sugar added outshine ones - they were approved by my dietitian but they do have natural fruit sugar in them.

Thanks for the tip. Yes I never thought I’d ever say that but water is hell somehow… I bought some instant broths which you dilute in hot water. They’re perfect and I can add some neutral Protein Powder in to get something at least.

23 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

P.S. just wanted to add that I didn't intend AT ALL to offend you. I see from what you wrote that you know what dumping is. I just mentioned that because a lot of people on here think that every time they vomit, it's "dumping". That's not dumping. What you described above are some of the actual symptoms of dumping. But again, the most critical thing at this point is the dehydration - and some of the symptoms you mentioned - like dizziness and feeling unwell - can also be from dehydration. That can land you back in the hospital if it goes on too long. I'm glad you're seeing your surgeon tomorrow.

Hey catwoman,

I’m sorry I didn’t want to sound rude. I was genuinely asking … I’m sorry if I offended you!

I went to see my doc today. I burst out crying and told her how desperate I was. How hard it was to drink Water, to eat puréed food, to eat 6 times a day… I almost used the word regret but she was very quick to reassure me. It’s only been 12 days after all. She said I was being very hard on myself. That drinking water is a REAL issue and she can’t scientifically explain why. She told me to stick to Soups and teas and to forget the water for now. I was surprised by that. But it’s true that I tolerated both better. She also said that when I speak she could tell I swallowed a lot of air. When your stomach is the normal size, there’s room for air but now, air can’t go anywhere and may cause a lot of pain if you try to push it down your digestive systems. It’s true that I burp a lot.and I mean A LOT. It’s really unpleasant. A lot of it is stress related. The fact that I experienced dumping may have been because I had carrot puree (amongst other veggies) and that may be too sweet for the moment.

I trust her. She’s been very open and genuine with me. I have to keep going even if it is much slower than others. Some people don’t suffer from these issues. I’m not surprised I do as I’m usually an emotional wreck. Anyway she’s booked an appointment with a nutritionist Thursday so I can go in deep detail about the things I should eat etc. I can’t wait…

this is really hard…

Hi everyone,

im new here… I came across your post and feel so relieved to read how good you feel now. I had surgery about 2 weeks ago. Everything went well. I felt like I had made the best choice…well… as long as I was on pain meds and not eating I should say. Because as soon as I got home it started with the buildup gasses which extremely uncomfortable and sometimes painful. I had a liquid diet and stuck to it religiously even though I could never keep up with the quantities. At best I had half of every tiny meal and only managed 3 out of the 6. I was starting to feel miserable. My stomach would gurgle and make horrible burping sound at the slightest sip of Water. Then came week 2, in which I am right now. This week it is minced food. So I can have cream cheese and blitzed vegetables (as long as it is smooth) mixed with a lot of Protein. I was happy for the change, but I have experienced dumping yesterday which lasted 2 hours and then today again TWICE in a row! To say that I absolutely afraid of food now is an understatement. I barely have 300cal a day. I feel “fine” but exhausted at the same time. I look at food videos and want to cry. I’m not hungry, just scared of what I’ve done. The gassy feeling is slightly better but I though dumping happened when eating fatty foods or sugary foods?? I haven’t done none of that and I experienced horrible pain. I don’t think I’ll be able to take it…. Its good to see that I’m not the only one in this. I’m devastated. Ive lost 13kg since doing the pre-op diet. (Around 26 pounds) I fear it might be too fast… but good to read that it can and will get better ❤️‍🩹

Thanks for your replies. They helped a lot already to put things into perspective. I know it’s still early days. I still need to not only get used to a new way of eating and drinking but also to a new stomach and digestive system. Sounds obvious but I swear it’s only dawning on me how huge the challenge actually is.

to answer some questions: the thing I experienced after eating lately was freezing cold hands, hot cheeks, feeling of overall dizziness and unwellness. Followed by painful movement in my bowels, diarrhoea and extreme nausea but no vomiting. You tell me if that is indeed dumping or something else.

this morning I woke up at 5am with dry mouth and eyelids. I had to urinate and it was dark brown. I know I’m at a very high risk of dehydration so I sat down in my bed and sipped Water for an hour very slowly. It was ok this time. I felt a little unwell but I don’t think I suffer from obstruction. Just overall unwellness with every sip or bite I make. I shall follow your advise and go back to phase one diet and only have liquids like soup… I am not looking forward to it but that phase was fine, so. I just hope it will get better… 😕

I see my surgeon tomorrow. I will keep you posted…

Brussels in Belgium Europe

Hi everyone,

im new here… had to find a support group somehow even though I really didn’t think I needed one in the first place. I’m pretty strong and have had many medical issues in the past (breast cancer being one of them). I’m 44 now and living in Belgium. But no matter where you live things are pretty similar surgery wise. I had surgery about 2 weeks ago. Everything went well. Prior to it, I had this super strict diet which was not liquid but sugar free, fat free and carb free, to reduce the size of my liver. It was really hard and I lost 6kg (around 12 pounds I think).
Surgery as I said went super smoothly and I felt like I had made the best choice…well… as long as I was on pain meds and not eating I should say. Because as soon as I got home it started with the buildup gasses which extremely uncomfortable and sometimes painful. I had a liquid diet and stuck to it religiously even though I could never keep up with the quantities. At best I had half of every tiny meal and only managed 3 out of the 6. I was starting to feel miserable. My stomach would gurgle and make horrible burping sound at the slightest sip of Water. Then came week 2, in which I am right now. This week it is minced food. So I can have cream cheese and blitzed vegetables (as long as it is smooth) mixed with a lot of Protein. I was happy for the change, but I have experienced dumping yesterday which lasted 2 hours and then today again TWICE in a row! To say that I absolutely afraid of food now is an understatement. I barely have 300cal a day. I feel “fine” but exhausted at the same time. I look at food videos and want to cry. I’m not hungry, just scared of what I’ve done. The gassy feeling is slightly better but I though dumping happened when eating fatty foods or sugary foods?? Ibanez done none of that I experienced horrible pain. I don’t think I’ll be able to take it…. That’s how I ended up here. I hope someone can help me in understanding what is going on and maybe tell me it is really going to get better? Drinking water is the worst. I barely have 1 glass a day. I can’t manage more… I’m devastated. Ive lost 13kg since doing the pre-op diet. (Around 26 pounds) I fear it might be too fast. Please help…