Hospital was easier than at home

I am 3 days post-op, just got home from the hospital today. In the hospital, I was walking up a storm, feeling great, drinking my ounce cups of water, no nausea, no faintness, nothing - life was awesome. I had to ask my doc if he even did the surgery because I felt so good. (He did.) <br />
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Get home today, and I am a lot more tired than I was in the hospital. Water is still going down fine and I'm having no problem getting my fluids in (drank almost 70 ounces today). I took a nap, got overheated, and felt quite faint. I drank dome water and felt physically fine while drinking the water, but as soon as I was done, I felt like I needed more. Doc didn't want me to start protein until tomorrow, but I felt I needed to start it because I was feeling weak with only water in my body. Protein shake was tolerated fine, at least 4 ounces of it over a 1 hour period. I still felt a bit shaky and had some warm chicken broth. That felt nice. I ended the day with 3 small bites if SF Jello, and I finally felt like I was good. I also noticed that sitting on the couch made me kinda scrunch up my belly, and I had to lay on the floor to stretch it out - that was heaven. <br />
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My conclusion was that things were so great in the hospital because I was still on the IV, but then got a little shaky at home because I wasn't. Does that make sound reasonable to anyone else?<br />
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Other than this small adjustment period, things look pretty darn good right now (knock on wood). And getting into my own bed where I won't be woken every three hours is going to feel like heaven. Ahhhh.

Edited to add: I was also on consistent Toradol in the hospital every 6 hours (used the pain pump 3 times the first day and that was it). And I haven't had any pain meds since I've been home. I haven't felt any pain, but I'm sure that figures in to the whole different feeling from the hospital thing too.

Your RNY surgeon had you on Toradol the whole time you were in the hospital?!?  That is surprising because Toradol is a very strong NSAID and we are not supposed to have NSAIDs after RNY because of the potential for ulcers in both our pouch and (more problematic) in our blind remnant stomach!  We're they also giving you something to protect your pouch and stomach?

I suppose lack of fluids MIGHT be making you feel different, but usually the body holds a LOT of the fluids you were given in the hospital for a number of days, so it would surprise me if that was the issue.  More likely, it is just the common experience where people feel worse a couple of days after surgery than they did right after surgery (because you slept more, had more pain meds, and your body had not yet started the healing process.

Lora

Yes, a shot of Toradol in the IV every 6 hours (I am aware that NSAIDS are problematic in any form, so I also find this surprising and alarming). As for a PPI, I'm not sure - I don't think so. I will definitely ask about this at my appt on Friday. Thanks for the reply.

Toradol is an IV medication. Tramadol (Ultram) is the oral med I think that you are thinking of. If NSAIDS are given IV they have no effect on the stomach, (My nurse speak kicking in! LOL!)

NSAIDS, no matter how they are administered, can cause ulcers. 

No, I was speaking of Toradol.  Tramadol is not an NSAID (I have been taking it for 4 years for arthritis pain).  As Jodi said, NSAIDs given in ANY form can cause ulcers because the problem is not the direct action of the pills on the stomach or pouch, but rather is from the systemic thinning of the stomach lining when NSAIDs are in the bloodstream.

Unfortunately, I have twice had to argue with ER nurses about Toradol being an NSAID.  They wanted to give it to me the last time I was in the ER with kidney stone issues.  I had to make them consult the doctor (who promptly ordered morphine instead).

Lora

It is so important that we know exactly what we're being given BEFORE it's administered by a nurse. I had to argue with my anesthesiologist after a shoulder surgery last year even when I had a bracelet on that said NSAID allergy. He was insisting on giving me Toradol and I kept refusing it saying it was an NSAID. We went round and round for about half an hour before he talked with the surgeon. He finally admitted he was wrong (which in itself was amazing) and gave me Demerol instead. We have to learn to be our own advocates and speak up for ourselves. Doctors aren't perfect and a lot of them don't know about bypass patients. The more we educate them the better off they'll be for the next RNY patient they treat. 

Yes, if I had not asked what they were about to give me, I would not have known since sometimes they just tell you they are going to give you "something" for pain rather than specifying what it is.  I always ask what I am about to get, whether it be oral, IV, or injection.  I do that not only because of the RNY but because I take an anticoagulent and some medications can really screw up my INR/protime and lead to bleeding issues.

I was really surprised that, on that one occasion, three different nurses and an intern tried to tell me that Toradol was not an NSAID.  I would have thought that someone would have known that.

Lora

I hope that you feel better. Try drinking SF Powerade-it has electrolytes in it and this is a good time to drink it. I am on full liquids until I go for my first post-op visit with my surgeon and dietician on Jan 3rd and then they will put me up one to the next stage-Puree. Yay! something different.

Try some SF popsicles, too. Crunch your liquids.

 

Carol

 

 

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