I have been snooping the forums for what seems like forever now, and have now come to realize that it is time to tell my story. My name is Paige and I am 19 at 5'7". I started this journey in July at 262 lbs and am now at 219 lbs. 10 weeks post op.

Okay, here is a quick rundown of what has been going on. I'll try to keep it as short as possible (no promises). I was sleeved December 21, 2012. The surgery went smooth. I was in a bit of pain afterwards but that was to be expected. The first two weeks were a breeze for me. I was able to get all my Protein and fluids in while keeping my pain at bay. At two and a half weeks everything came to a screeching halt. I started having really bad pain in the upper left part of my abdomen and was vomiting up everything that I put in my mouth. I called my surgeon immediately and he ordered a CT scan with contrast (Jan 15). Everything came back normal. No leak and no infection. He gave me a prescription for more zofran and some reglan.

A week later I was still struggling to keep anything down. I went back to my surgeon and he ordered another barium swallow (Jan 28). This one was horrible. I was gagging the whole time and the consistency was just awful. It took a few days to get the results back, but once again everything came back normal. Then he referred me to a GI doctor.

I went and saw a GI doctor (Feb. 4) and he wanted to to a EGD ASAP to make sure that there wasn't a stricture. I had my EGD the following day (Feb 5). There was no stricture that he could see. He said that my esophagus and stomach were wide enough for a semi to go through. He also did a biopsy to check for H. Pylori. That came back negative.

After he talked with my mom he decided to order an ultrasound of my gallbladder and a HIDA scan. My mom had her gallbladder removed and when she was having attacks her pain was on her left side, so it was worth a shot. I had these test done (Feb. 13). But surprise, surprise, they were normal. At this point the doctors are at a loss, and I am beyond frustrated. They doctors are also worried about me becoming dehydrated. My GI doctor advised me that If I started to become lightheaded and that if I stopped peeing it was time to get to the hospital for fluids.

Sure enough the following Saturday (Feb. 16) I ended up in the hospital for 5 days. While I was in the hospital I had another barium swallow. This time we finally got answers! Turns out my stomach isn't emptying properly, gastroparesis. They explained it to me that since 80% of my stomach was removed the nerves have to re-grow to get the stomach muscle to work again. In some people it can take many months for the nerves to function properly. There is also a very small possibility that my stomach will never function the same again.

Also, the head of the bariatric department at the hospital looked over my surgery notes and all the tests I had done to make sure that the other doctors hadn't missed anything. He agreed with the diagnosis of gastroparesis and their treatment plan.

While I was in the hospital they started my on reglan, again, and dexilant. I started to see some results. I was actually able to keep down half a cup of yogurt. After I was released from the hospital I had a few good days. But on Tuesday the vomiting, pain, and constant nausea came back again.

I just got back home from seeing my GI doctor and surgeon. They both agreed that the next step in my treatment is to have a EGD done where they inject the valve where my stomach and small intestine meet with Botox. The Botox will help relax the valve so it isn't as tightly closed shut. This will hopefully help the flow of things. I'll have this done on Tuesday. I pray that this is the answer because my surgeon said that if this doesn't help then the next step is exploratory surgery to check for scar tissue or a twist in the stomach that the x-rays missed.

Now I'm Lortab to try and manage the pain. Dexilant to make sure that excess stomach acid isn't causing all the trouble. Phenergan for the nausea and vomiting. Reglan to try and jump start the motility of my stomach.

I'm just at a loss right now, and extremely discouraged. I know I should be thankful that it isn't a more serious complication, but I find it so hard to be positive. I have been in constant pain for the past 8 weeks. Not to mention the nausea and vomiting. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Thanks for taking the time to read this,

Paige

... waiting ...

Thinking of you...

On my way home now. The procedure went smoothly. I was in lot of pain afterwards though. The doctor said I may feel the results immediately or it can take up to 3 days. I have noticed that my stomach doesn't feel so tense. I don't really know how to explain it. I had something to drink and still wasn't able to keep it down. So now it's a waiting game. I'm pretty optimistic, but scared at the same time. I let y'all know when I find out more. Thanks again.

P.S. sorry for typos still super groggy from the meds.

I'm believing for you, hoping for a speedy recovery

Paige ... As if you haven't been through enough ... a lot of pain after surgery? Why? Didn't they give you enough pain meds?

As to us, you never need to apologize for anything!

Hoping this works.

Please keep us all posted. Hoping only the best or you and what is your doctors name??

Some positive thoughts would be nice. My GI doctor said that he has seen 6 other sleeve patients with the same symptoms. These patients from various surgeons.He has done this procedure on 3 of these patients with success in 2. Hopefully this procedure will help' date=' my fingers are crossed.[/quote']

Sorry you are going through this. Was it the surgeons fault?

My thoughts and prayers are with you. I am so greatful you brought this experiance to the forum. But I am so sad that this has happened to you. You have shed new light on other complications from VSG that we have not heard about. I hope everything turns out ok for you. Keep your faith and strenghth.

Hope all went well my thoughts are with you!

Thoughts and prayers from a fellow Houstonian. Speedy recovery.

I'm believing for you, hoping for a speedy recovery

Thank you so much!

Paige ... As if you haven't been through enough ... a lot of pain after surgery? Why? Didn't they give you enough pain meds?

As to us, you never need to apologize for anything!

Hoping this works.

They didn't know if the injections themseves were going to cause me pain or not. In some people they do and in some people they don't. In my case they did! After I started to wake them up and let me know the immediately gave me dilaudid, two doses of it. It was smooth sailing after that. Although, this morining I feel like I have been hit by a truck. Thanks for your post!

Best wishes on your procedure, Paige! I've been diabetic since I was 9 years old and years ago I had a problem with gastroparesis and I know it is so painful. Mine ended up going away with Meds and some time. (This was long before my VSG was done.) I hope yours heals up quickly. I'm sorry you have to go through it!

Thank you! It's the pain that gets me. I can handle the nausea and vomiting. I just want the pain to stop. I'm glad you're better now!

Wow that sounds horrible, scary, frustrating, and any other adjective you can think of. We read about leaks, bleeding, and bowel punctures on here. But this is the first time I have heard of this. Thank you for sharing your story. It is a testament to how diligent we need to be when we feel and know something isn't right. I hope your procedure is smooth and successful. Please keep us updated on your progress.

The main reason I posted my story is becuase there is many similar ones out there. As soon as my symptoms developed I knew something wasn't right. I am very grateful that I have great doctors that listened to me. Even though it took them a while to diagnose me, they always listened and never threw me to the side.

Thank you for the well wishes.

I have had doctors in the past that made me feel like an idiot.They didn't believe anything that I was telling them. In a sense I got lucky because my doctors have been amazing.