Problems after surgery?

I had my surgery on March 19th.  Since then I have had a few complications.  A few days after my surgery they sent me home after I begged them not to.  I knew that something wasn't right.  I wasn't able to use the bathroom properly and I was still very sick.  Needless to say later that night around 2am I ended up having to go back to the hospital where they diagnosed me with having an ileus. They told me in the ER that if I hadn't gone back to the hospital with 24 hours I could have died because I was so dehydrated. Basically my bowels had stopped working or they were "sleeping" as they described it and it was going to take some work to get them going again.  After almost a full day of vomiting my bowels I was in a lot of pain.  They kept me for about a week before they would let me go home.

A short time later I ended up having some pretty strong pains behind my right knee.  I thought well maybe I slept wrong and wanted to wait and see if it would go away on it's own.  The next day when I woke up I had all I could do to breathe.  I was in so much pain it literally brought tears to my eyes.  I tried to make it through the day but that night I ended up going back to the hospital again.  The ER doctor said I had all the classic signs of a pulmonary embolism.  They did a CT scan and when the person working said that they saw no signs of a blood clot.  They treated me for pneumonia and sent me home.  The next morning I got a call back from the hospital telling me that I needed to go back because the doctor reviewed my CT scan and found that I did in fact have a blood clot in my lungs. They kept me for about 5 days before letting me go home.  Now I am on a regimen of Coumadin for 3 months to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Today marks the 2 month date from my surgery and I still seem to have some issues.  I constantly feel nauseaus, when I am sitting up right sometimes I feel pain. I constantly have gas. No matter what I try to take for it, nothing seems to help. The odd thing is when I am laying down I usually feel fine. 

I don't really understand all of the issues and signals that my body is giving me.  I can never tell if I am hungry or not.  I don't get that hunger feeling like I did before the surgery.  Someday's I don't feel like I am eating enough where others I feel like I am over eating.  It's tough because my dietitian wants me to get 75-80 grams of protein a day.  That's a lot to try to get in.  I sometimes dont' feel like I am getting all of my fluids in either.  I constantly have a glass of water or Powerade Zero next to me and I drink as much as I can.   It's just hard to get everything in, I constantly feel like I am putting something in my mouth.

I was wondering if anyone else has had or is having these types of issues and what they do about them.  Since the nurse gave me that "death warning" from being dehydrated I find myself constantly over analyzing and worrying about everything my body does. 

Any information or experience people could share would be most helpful.

Thanks :)

 

Which surgery dod you have hon, knowing that will help people answer. Also you may get more answers if you post on the forum for your particular surgery vs. the main forum.

I have had the Roux en Y. surgery.   Hmm I thought I clicked for that forum.  I new to the site so I am still trying to figure it all out.

So sorry you've been having so many problems :(  I hope they all get solved and you can move on and get healthy :)

As for not feeling hungry, just follow the plan they gave you, get in as much protein as you can and eat when they recommend.  Don't try and overdo it.  If you eat what they recommend, you won't feel full, but your body will be satisfied and you won't feel hungry.

I've had little to no issues, with my biggest problem being constipated every so often. 

Do you still have your gallbladder?  That might be an issue related to the nauseaus, pain, and gas.  They can do an ultrasound and see if you have gallstones.

Yes, I still have my gall bladder.  The nurse in charge of the program said that maybe I should see a Gastroenterologist to see if I have ulcers.  My surgeon is on vacation this week so I will have an appointment to see him on the 30th.

Well if anything should get worse or weirder prior to the 30th you can always set up to see your PCP that could order an ultrasound to rule out possible gallstones.  Of course, I am in no way an expert so definitely sounds good that you are going to visit your surgeon soon.  It will get better...stay positive, on course, and informed and informing.

Hello,

I am sorry to hear about your difficulties.  After my gastric bypass, I could not keep any fluids down and constantly had the hiccups .  My surgeon ordered an ultrasound and he found a hernia.  Two days after my first surgery, I was having a second to repair that hernia.  After the hernia was repaired, I felt great and was able to keep my fluids down and was released the next day.

I recommend continue to drink as much fluid as possible, You do not want to get dehydrated.  I could not tolerate water so Crystal Light and Minute Maid Light became my best friends.  You have to get that protein intake up.  Try mixing whey protein with fat free Greek yogurt.  One scoop of protein with yogurt is about 30-40 grams of protein.  Blend it well and it should be easy to digest.  Keep following your surgeons instructions.  During the next few months, you might not always feel hungry but you must continue to have several small meals through out the day so you can restore you metabolism. 

Good Luck.