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

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

I want to say no, but we don't know for sure. They don't think my vagus nerve was damaged because my symptoms developed a couple weeks after surgery.They weren't immediate.

I think I may be more of crappy luck becuase both of my parents have had nerve problems in the past.

With any type of abdominal surgery gastroparesis could be an outcome. Although it is extremely rare. I just think I drew the short end of the stick.

Thanks for your post

My surgeon's name is Ricardo Bonnor' date=' and my GI doctors name Jaspaul Azad. They both have been great throughout this whole thing.

When I was in the hospital last, Dr. Bonnor was out of town at a confrence and he called me personally to check up on me. He also stopped by to see me when he got back into town. Even with my complication I would choose him all over again. He always listens to what I have to say and always makes sure I have everything I need. (nausea and pain medicine) He is an awesome doctor.

Dr. Azad has been great aswell. He explains everything so well and makes it esay to understand. He also makes sure that I have everything I need. I feel like he actually listens to me and takes everything I have to say about my symptoms into consideration.

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.[/quote']

That's so awesome your doctors have been so great! I'm so sorry you had to go thru this, it makes me feel very fortunate that my surgery and recovery went so smooth. I'm praying for you to feel better and be able to keep things down! I think your attitude is amazing and will definitely help in your recovery. Take care Sweetie and keep us up to date on your progress!

Paige,

I must say that your saga is one of the most page-turning, cliff-hanging stories on this site. In addition to wanting to hear good news about you, I can hardly wait for the next spine tingling detail.

Not to promote my doctor in any way & cause him to receive any more patients than he already has ... I believe he would have known instantly what was wrong.

My doctor is nice, but does not have the bedside manner of your drs. However, he told me early on that he would know if a problem was developing long before it actually occurred.

He also is serious about contacting him asap if anything happens, no matter how trivial. Seems he believes this kind of vigilance is necessary to the successful outcome of WLS surgery.

For all those posters who wonder, "Should I call my doctor," I say YES. I know my doctor insists that his patients call at the first sign of a bothersome symptom, even something as simple as a headache!

I want to say no' date=' but we don't know for sure. They don't think my vagus nerve was damaged because my symptoms developed a couple weeks after surgery.They weren't immediate.

I think I may be more of crappy luck becuase both of my parents have had nerve problems in the past.

With any type of abdominal surgery gastroparesis could be an outcome. Although it is extremely rare. I just think I drew the short end of the stick.

Thanks for your post [/quote']

I wish you luck and much success! God bless.

Paige,

I must say that your saga is one of the most page-turning, cliff-hanging stories on this site. In addition to wanting to hear good news about you, I can hardly wait for the next spine tingling detail.

Not to promote my doctor in any way & cause him to receive any more patients than he already has ... I believe he would have known instantly what was wrong.

My doctor is nice, but does not have the bedside manner of your drs. However, he told me early on that he would know if a problem was developing long before it actually occurred.

He also is serious about contacting him asap if anything happens, no matter how trivial. Seems he believes this kind of vigilance is necessary to the successful outcome of WLS surgery.

For all those posters who wonder, "Should I call my doctor," I say YES. I know my doctor insists that his patients call at the first sign of a bothersome symptom, even something as simple as a headache!

In the beginning my surgeon thought it might be a motitily problem. He put me on Reglan for a week and thought that it would get better. He didn't want to put me on the Reglan for much longer because it can have some serious side effects. He told me from the beginning it could take months for my stomach to start working properly again.

I agree, when in doubt call your doctor. That's what they are there for.

I hope I'll bring some good news soon.

Praying for everything to work out Paige! So sorry you're having to deal with this!

Is there an update?

Is there an update?

Well... I was in the hospital this past weekend for dehydration again. While I was there I had another upper GI swallow study and another contrast CT. Both came back normal. That's good news because that means the Botox injection worked. It also means that my stomach is starting to contract on its own again. Even though my stomach is working again I am still in pain and battling constant nausea/vomiting. They say that my nausea is caused my extreme hormonal changes from the surgery, and that It will pass on its own in time. They still don't know what's causing all my pain though

My magnesium and thiamine levels were both low so they gave me magnesium and thiamine to bring up my levels. I am also on three different nausea meds. Zofran, Phenergan, & Scopolamine patch. Even with them there are times that the nausea is unbearable.

I go back to the GI doctor next week so we will see...

Paige I am so sorry to hear u r going thru this. U sharing can hopefully help us in making us aware if this occurs. I am praying for you .

Praying for you and your family. I know this has been difficult for you all and especially you. Please keep us up to date.

Feeling sick with nausea and pain is a double whammy of nastiness. My heart goes out to you. Either is enough to fell you.

I had just a week of nausea myself from God knows what, and it was a bummer. Once, I irritated a nerve in my spine and it was awful, just lying around in pain. Later, I told my Dr. about it and she said I should have gone to the hospital and they could have put me on a morphine drip.

When it comes to these kind of illnesses, I think most people just grin and bear it instead of getting help. With you, having to go through this pretty constantly since your surgery, is horrifying.

I hope your illness turns around any day now. You're in my thoughts and healing wishes.

I had three gastric emptying studies prior to surgery for gastroparesis. The first two were abnormal, the third normal. What I did differently from the second to the third was get off all pain medication I had been taking for my back (prior surgery--spinal fusion). The medication itself was the culprit--Lortab caused it. Apparently, narcotic meds can make gastroparesis occur/make it worse. I had a perfect study the third time and no more Lortab. Finally, surgery was approved.

Very good to know. I'm a pre-op and take a lot of Vicodin for arthritis pain. How far in advance do we have to stop the meds?

I had to get a normal gastric emptying study before surgery was approved. It took me a full week off all pain meds to make that happen and "fix" the gastroparesis. If you take medicine for pain and have been doing so for awhile, it could be causing the gastroparesis. Otherwise, I don't think you necessarily have to be off the meds to have surgery. You should definitely check with your doctor though. The med itself could be causing the problems you are facing.