My wife had the lap-band operation one week ago today.

but ever since she has been in great discomfort on a daily basis.

She is constantly dizzy and light headed and complains of what i believe to be Esophagael spasm's (when i spoke to her nurse she also said my wife was spasming) now they have her on a bunch of meds

clidinium/cdp (for the spasms? she says this makes her loopy but could be in connection with the next drug)

Butorphanol (she complains this just makes her 'loopy' and does not want to take it.)

promethegan ( for nausea i believe)

Now my wife takes these drugs only as a last resort. I do believe that this is part of the problem if she would take it more regular surely it would help her more?

but the bottom line is i am fed up of walking in the bedroom and seeing my wife crying from the pain.

Can someone please give me some advice on how to stop this or at least how to make life easier for her.

so far she has only had water/protien shakes and Soup (nurse said two days ago that she could have thicker soup because we are worried she may be suffering from malnutrition)

Please any advice you can give will be greatly welcomed.

Paul

She should go back to the doctor ASAP. If the doctor put her on medication then she needs to take it the way it was prescribed. It won't help her if she doesn't take them properly. The doctor should be notified that she isn't taking the medication prescribed, if she feels that the medications are not working for her, then she should let the doctor know so he can switch her to something else. Good luck and keep us updated. I will be thinking of her.

Well, tell your wife to take her meds as prescribed. I didn't take my pain meds initially because I didn't like being 'loopy' (same reason!).. I ended up pulling a muscle from holding my body in odd ways and going to the ER thinking I had a blood clot.

If they think she is malnourished (was she in the office, or was this a phone call?) you need to get her to doctor.

Make sure she is drinking a lot of water, and doesn't get dehydrated.

thank you guys we do have a follow up on Wednesday with Dr Snow here in Texas. I will be calling them on Monday and seeing if we need to move the appointment up. The potential malnutrition discussion was over the phone but she is symptomatic of it in my opinion (dizzy spells complaining of feeling faint sleeping a lot) as for the meds the biggest problem with my wife is she is a real light weight when it comes to these drugs and she has never handled them well and she hates the loopy feeling. Keep your advice coming guys. I will be showing her this thread when she wakes up tomorrow and using it to beat her over the head :thumbup:

I was wondering though is this normal? from what i read on here most people suffer from the spasms once they return to solids not when they are still on liquids right?

She is on thicker Soups but its things like potato soup which has then been blended. Can anyone recommend a good Protein shake she could be using? she is currently using the Atkins shakes but they only have like 5g of protein and she needs to have at least 30 g right? well she can only manage like two of them a day. So another shake or some kind of Meal Replacement drink would help but its getting the right ones.

once again thank you guys for your advice and the advice i am sure will come along later.

Paul

UPDATE

Thank you K@t and Fairy Facade I showed this site and this thread to my wife this morning and she is agreeing to take her anti spasm meds WAHOO!!!

We also went to a nutritional store near us today and spoke with a really informative guy down there. the long and the short of it is he recommended a new protein shake that has 22g of protein and a complete vitamin called life essence the master multiple and this stuff is supposed to have everything you need. If she is suffering from malnutrition it will take a couple of days for this to work so hopefully another update in a few days.

Thanks again guys

22g of protein is pretty good. I'm glad you got some help. Just tell her to suck it up and take the meds until you can see the doctor, then you can let him know how you feel and he can make adjustments accordingly.

Hi Folks.. This is Nina, Paul's non-compliant wife. I just wanted to say thanks for the advise and I'm really glad I have a super supportive husband who found this site in the first place. I wish I new about it Pre-Band because I feel I wasn't told about the possibility of malnutrition, I want told about the spasms, or the general feeling of discomfort. I think I'm on the upswing... havent felt really dizzy for at least 2 hours and I have been dizzy none stop since I got out of recovery last Friday.

About the new protein shake... it's really yummy! I have had other shakes and have been told they were good but I don't know what kind of taste buds those people have because most of them were GRUEL unless they were chocolate flavor (I'm not much for chocolate everyday). The pre-made Atkins shakes are good and the EAS brand ones are good too in just about any flavor, but ou need to have 4 of them to hit the 60g of protein my nutritionist said I would need.

Soooo... at what point do you stop wishing you could eat? I know I get full from the liquids but my mouth misses chewing something of substance.

Nina,

The initial post op phase is what's generally known as "bandster Hell". It's where you're transitioning back to solid foods, you're grieving your previous eating habits, you may feel a little (or a lot depending on your strategies) like you're starving and you want to see those pounds drop off but they may not be going as fast as you'd like. Bandster Hell.

Throughout this whole thread, I kept thinking "She's just not getting enough protein". I was warned prior to banding that if I didn't get enough Protein within the first few days post op I could feel dizzy and weak. I'm glad you found something you like. Now, you need to find some variety. Personally, I made myself Protein shakes with sugar free carnation instant Breakfast, added powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Protein powder (I suppose another brand would do, but I liked Unjury) and then went from there. I could add fruit, Peanut Butter. I don't like coffee, but I saw others doing instant coffees and having a frappacino (sp?) kind of shake. Protein puddings are good (sugar free instant pudding with fat free milk and a scoop of the protein powder). I even made some custards, they're higher in protein than standard pudding and taste great. Both fall in the full liquid category. Try some soups that may have protein in them like lentil or Beans, blended of course. I really liked refried beans with a little sour cream and melted cheese to flavor them. Get creative, learn what has protein and what doesn't. Go online and find recipes, ask your friends. Whatever it takes.

I would anticipate that the spasms will go away. It's your body's way of reacting to this foreign body in it. Once it gets used to it I would think that the spasms will get better, but that's a question for your doctor. But definitely take the meds as prescribed. The loopiness will get better, too.

Fortunately, this period is temporary. Hang in there.

Please make sure that you are going to the doctor appointments with your wife. Sometime us women don't want to or forget to give the whole story to the doctors. Also, you may be connecting more the dots then she is at the moment. Best wishes!

Thank you guys

Yes I always go to the docs with my wife. Simply because if nothing else i am very vocal ( Nina would probably say a loud mouth) and i am not afraid to speak up if something isnt going the way i think it should be. So i will be there on her visits

As for the dizzy spells and spasms now that we have eliminated cold drinks (yet another thing we was never told about this site is GREAT) and she is taking the new protein shakes and vitamin addition she is doing a lot better.

Now we are trying to mix it up a little by making her shakes with juices etc and she is certainly feeling a lot better.

OK... I go see the doctor tomorrow for my first postop exam since getting banded.THANK GOD! Because I am in so much pain from stomach spasms I almost want to scream every time I have a strong one. It feels like a heart attack that stops prematurely over and over and over again... I have to breathe really shallow because breathing deep hurts... sitting very still hurts... and God forbid I have to burp or hiccup... then I almost pray for death. I have taken my anti-spasm medication regularly and as directed and it does nothing at all... not one thing! I'm trying to make sure I don't get malnourished again but its really hard because my stomach hurts so much I just don't want to drink anything because that just makes the spasms go berserk. Ive had to stop 5 or 6 times as I write this post just so I can brace myself for a spasm. I feel like such a problem child and I'm in constant pain/discomfort. I have tried the warm liquids and they help for a few minutes but then its back to spasm city. Does ANYONE have anything they can share with me that can offer comfort?

wow, I never heard of the spasams before, maybe your body is trying to reject to band? I really don't know. Good thing your going to the doc soon! Please keep us updated, and we will be thinking of you.

wow, I never heard of the spasams before, maybe your body is trying to reject to band? I really don't know. Good thing your going to the doc soon! Please keep us updated, and we will be thinking of you.

Thanks... just knowing someone gives a hoot really means a lot. I'll be sure to come back on tomorrow after I get home and let others know what they can go if they get them.

OK... I go see the doctor tomorrow for my first postop exam since getting banded.THANK GOD! Because I am in so much pain from stomach spasms I almost want to scream every time I have a strong one. It feels like a heart attack that stops prematurely over and over and over again... I have to breathe really shallow because breathing deep hurts... sitting very still hurts... and God forbid I have to burp or hiccup... then I almost pray for death. I have taken my anti-spasm medication regularly and as directed and it does nothing at all... not one thing! I'm trying to make sure I don't get malnourished again but its really hard because my stomach hurts so much I just don't want to drink anything because that just makes the spasms go berserk. Ive had to stop 5 or 6 times as I write this post just so I can brace myself for a spasm. I feel like such a problem child and I'm in constant pain/discomfort. I have tried the warm liquids and they help for a few minutes but then its back to spasm city. Does ANYONE have anything they can share with me that can offer comfort?

Wow, Nina, that sounds awful. ((((Hugs)))) I am so sorry. I wish I had some advice to offer, but unfortunately, I don't. I never experienced that problem!

You will be in my thoughts. Please do come back and give us an update. Good luck to you on your journey.

Thanks... just knowing someone gives a hoot really means a lot. I'll be sure to come back on tomorrow after I get home and let others know what they can go if they get them.

Esophogial (esophogus) spasms happen sometimes when you drink liquids that are really cold or maybe have too much swelling from the band placement. Tell your Dr. you are experiencing them and he may need to take some of the Fluid (if there was any put in at time of surgery) out. Several patients who saw My Dr. thought they didnt have any fluid in their bands at the time of placement but actually did- and that in combination with the swelling from placement caused those spasms..Good lUck and I hope it gets sorted out for you. No one should have to be in that kind of pain.

Esophogial (esophogus) spasms happen sometimes when you drink liquids that are really cold or maybe have too much swelling from the band placement. Tell your Dr. you are experiencing them and he may need to take some of the Fluid (if there was any put in at time of surgery) out. Several patients who saw My Dr. thought they didnt have any fluid in their bands at the time of placement but actually did- and that in combination with the swelling from placement caused those spasms..Good lUck and I hope it gets sorted out for you. No one should have to be in that kind of pain.

After reading your post I went to look for the pictures of my stomach with the band around it and it really does look (to my untrained eye) like it has fluid in it! OMG I think that might just be the problem. I hope that is it because then they can fix it by just taking some or all of it out, right? (I am no longer drinking cold fluids, warm to room temperature is the coldest I will attempt) *sigh* WOW..I actually feel a little ray of hope. THANKS!!!