Please some words of encouragement for VSG pain

Hi - I have been reading Obesity Help for years, and it has helped me through so many problems! Thank you! This is my first post. I am 52 years old and had the VSG surgery on December 19th. (and also an incisive hernia repair from having my gallbladder removed 20 years ago) The first week was absolute h*ll and no one could have prepared me for the pain, sickness, etc. I do not handle anesthesia well and felt absolutely seasick. I was, however, able to drink water and somehow get my ounces in by the end of the week. I had no gas, only naseua and pain. Constant. My primary care doctor prescribed an anti-consultant and it turned me around and stopped the retching. It will be week 4 on Weds. I can get my water and protein in, by drinking protein drinks, but I now have acid reflux, or gas, or heartburn depending on the day. I ate a boiled egg yesterday and thought I would die. I do not believe that I have a stricture, leak, etc. I can eat and drink. However, I am scared to death thinking I have to go through life with either: reflux, heartburn, or gas every single day. I am taking Omerazole daily and plan on taking it for the next year at least. I take gas X gel as well. PLEASE - is there anyone out there that had a rocky start and ended up ok? I need to hear your story. I am so regretful and sad.

I'm sorry you had such a rough recovery! Most people have to take a PPI for the first few months post-op, since your stomach still thinks it needs to produce the same amount of acid it did pre-op. You should talk to your surgeon and see if you should be taking something stronger.

Hardboiled eggs can be really hard - at this point, you might want to stick to softer foods. At week 4 post-op, I was eating "soft solids" and a poached egg might have been okay, but not a hard boiled egg.

Acid can also be due to not getting enough liquids - how much are you drinking each day? You need to get at least 64 ounces in and more tends to be better.

What do you mean by gas? Do you feel like there's air inside you? Or are you passing a lot of gas? You might be inhaling too much air when you drink - for some people using a straw to drink can really help. (Lots of programs have the outdated advice of "never use straws," but, for some people, straws are really useful. So try one and see if it's more comfortable for you.)

Talk to your surgeon about your concerns, and good luck!

Thank you so much for your response. I went from having acid and grumbling to having heartburn and gas.

The gas is burping. I am taking gas.x And it seems to help

My surgeon is not great at follow up and I'm transferring back to my obesity Dr at my six week appt. (Did all pre-op with him but had to go to another surgeon due to a weird insurance technicality.)

I'm scared that I ruined my life. I am getting 50 to 60 water in daily. I will try a straw!

Anything else you can think of please let me know

I hope you can find some relief soon, I am sorry it has been rough! I agree with Gwen, call your Surgeon to see if you need a stronger PPI. Hopefully you have been able to get in AT LEAST 64oz of fluids, if not, you could be experiencing dehydration. I was on a PPI for about 2 months, you may have to as well. My first two weeks were rough, but by week 4 I turned a corner. You hopefully will as well, hang in there and please keep your WLS team updated on how you are feeling.

Thank you so much for your response

Thank you

A lot of what you are experiencing, I did also. I was terrified I had complications because I was struggling with pain, nausea, and exhaustion for so much longer than other people appeared to be after surgery.

I followed my bariatric team's plan to the letter but I had to take everything extremely slow. At 4 weeks, I was during pureed food and struggling big time to even get two bites down. Protein shakes were thick and made me want to gag. I found isopure clear to be my best friend during this time. Helped me get both liquid and protein.

I had extreme rumbling at night and bad acid reflux. I now take famotidine every night and it seems to work really well.

I cried and also thought maybe I had made the wrong decision because it was rough. I had to tread lightly with what I ate, set timers between bites, set timers for water ( which I still do), and rest because my energy was next to nothing.

Give yourself some grace and call whoever you need to on your medical team to ask questions and address concerns. I've emailed and called the bariatric department and nurse practitioner about multiple things. If only for reassurance or peace of mind, please do so. I also keep in touch with the registered dietician to make sure I'm eating the correct macros.

Im about to hit 6 months out and my life has changed dramatically for the better. I'm living in a body I never thought possible and I work out 5-6 days a week. My energy is great. I still experience nausea if I forget to eat or I eat something my new stomach doesn't like (seafood and some cuts of beef)

ANYWAY, all that to say... you might just progress slower like I did. It is frustrating and the symptoms can be awful. However, it gets better.

God bless you for taking the time to write this thoughtful response.

You got this!

As the replies show, everyone is very different and I agree - your surgeon should be proactive about your pain. Im over a year out and cannot do a hard boiled egg. It just becomes like a wicked painful rock. I can eat scrambled, or fried but not hard boiled.

I also tried 2 (yes 2) potato chips and again, it was a rock. Just wanted to taste them, but some things are just not right for me. Yes, some folks seem to be able to eat small amounts of everything.

I have to eat and drink very slowly. And if I go too quickly heartburn, gas and pain. My stomach was touchy before as it where I carry my stress.

I would maybe take a step back to pureed foods for a week or so. I found pureed squash soup, split pea, etc. were vey tasty and stayed down.

Best to you!