Post-Op Hunger Headache?

Hi everyone,

I wrote an account of my RNY a few days ago.  I've been doing amazing since then.  I stopped taking Percocet on my 3rd day home, I've gotten lots of protein and water down and some of the permitted soft foods.  My abdomen barely hurts now.  I've 'gone' seven times since I've gotten home and now that I'm off the Percocets, I'm not even straining at all.  I've also dropped 10.5 lbs since I went in to the hospital, and that doesn't take into account the extra 4 lbs of IV fluids that they had in me that I 'lost' when I went home.  I'm very happy.  I feel no hunger or food cravings, only a sense of fullness when my pouch is full.

My only 'problem', which isn't much of a problem, considering that I had surgery last Monday, is that I've noticed a nagging, pretty bad headache.  I don't think it's dehydration, I think it's from taking in such a low amount of calories.  I had a less severe headache the whole 3 weeks I was on Opti.  I normally don't get headaches.

My food day usually looks like this:

4 cups water

1 cup V-8 Juice

1/4 cup non fat cottage cheese

3 protein shakes each made with 1/3 cup skim milk, 1 heaping scoop of unflavoured whey protein isolate (28g/scoop), and lots of Da Vinci syrup

4 tablespoons of non fat Greek yogurt.

1 4 ounce 70 calorie no sugar added chocolate pudding.

All my vitamin and mineral supplements & stool softener & Prevacid.

I'm drinking and eating every 15 minutes, as per the plan, so I'm not sure if I could drink much more water, but I can always try to add another cup.

Anyone have any thoughts on this headache?  I don't want to take anything constipating (or addictive) for it, and plain Tylenol does nothing for me unfortunately.  Maybe, it'll just accompany me until I can get in more calories a day?

Jenn.  :)

It could be a drug headache.  I get those when I have taken too many pills (re-bound headache is what I call them). 

I also get a nagger from post-anesthetic issues and how they have to prop my neck for the tube. 

Keep getting in the fluids and maybe ask your centre ?

Sounds like you are doing really really well otherwise :)

Thanks DNA,

It could be a rebound headache, but I was only on the meds for 5 days (although they were strong meds), and I had the same headache on Opti.  I'm hoping it goes away some time before I can eat solid food. :D

Jenn.  :)

I was thinking the same thing... withdrawal headache. Even though you were only on them a short time, they are very strong and your body needs to detox. I was only on hydromorphone for 3 days post-op, and I had a similar headache and withdrawal symptoms when I stopped taking it. Your headache should go away soon.

That's very encouraging Amanda.  Thank you.

Jenn.  :)

I had some pretty wicked headaches for the first couple of weeks post-op.  I think for me it was caffeine withdrawl.  The TWH program doesn't require you to stop drinking Diet Coke during the Optifast period, and I drank a ton of it to get through.  Then I stopped all together and I think it was quite the shock to my system! 

Once I was off the percocets I took Tylenol as needed to help take the edge off - sorry that it's not working for you!   

Luckily, I went through my total caffeine detox 6 weeks before my RNY, but I guess I wasn't very hooked on caffeine, I usually only had one cup of coffee a day, and my withdrawl headaches lasted about 2 days.  Thank you Julia.

Jenn.  :)

I had my surgery on Thursday, I only had one dose of morphine the first night nothing since except the tylenol they bring you.  I had a fair bit of pain under the rib on the left side, but I also had two drains in and that pain dissipated over time.  I still have a pain under my collar bone, I think its from trying to get comfsortable while sleeping as I have  no pain when i sleep in my back but when I try to move to either side it flairs up.  I am trying to get the protein in but only managing about 40-50 a day and the water, sticking to protein shakes which I find too sweet now and cream of chicken soup with unflavoured  protein.  I am very tired and want to sleep.  Between trying to get the vitamins in and the proteins and water + bp/thyroid/metformin and heart pill can be challenging, and I am getting a headache, Thought is was the water but may be a combination of lots of little things that will resolve with time, bowels and bladder moving, so I know the water is there.  Hope things get resolved for you, as I certainly don't want to be crushing tylenol caplets. 

Wow, you must be a real trooper.  I didn't have a drain in me and I had them hanging morphine every 3 hours in the hospital from the recovery room until the night before I went home!  My headache is still there, but it's more bearable now.  It's definitely a challenge getting everything in each day - it really is "your job" as they said it would be at the nutrition seminar.

Jenn.  :)