discouraged

I am a little over 4 weeks post op and things have not been going smoothly. My weight has barely budged in 2 weeks. I am getting the protein and fluids in. I am not consuming grains or starchy foods either. I have even been going on regular walks but the weight is not moving!!

For the past 2.5 weeks, I have had pain in the center of my abdomen that has only gotten worse. The best I can describe it is searing pain when touched. Sometimes just lightly brushing the area causes intense pain. I was told at my appointment last week that it was most likely a muscle strain. The pain has only gotten more intense since then. The pain is also very localized to a small area where I am assuming my intestines are. Would that be a muscle strain? My urine output seems to have decreased and I sometimes have a cramping feeling in my back, above my kidneys. I am drinking around 60oz a day but only urinating a little a couple of times a day. Starting on 2/14 I began to feel slightly nauseous when eating and am rarely able to finish 4 tablespoons of my food since then unless it is soup or yogurt. Most days I only have 2 meals + protein drinks and water.

I don't feel like this is normal. I stopped taking pain meds 4 days post-op and my pain was mostly non-existent until this latest issue popped up. This pain seems much more intense than I should be experiencing so far out from surgery. Is it possible to have a slow leak that causes problems internally? Do internal hernias happen this soon after surgery? I don't know what these symptoms would even be a sign of. I am frustrated that this isn't going as smoothly as I had hoped.

Be patient about the weight loss. You are in recovery mode and may also have retained fluids from the hospital and surgery. 

I am assuming you have seen the surgeon post op.  What is he saying about the pain?

 I am having similar issues and also wondering is something wrong? I did better eating soft foods last week than this week. Now I can tolerate far less, and couldn't even deal with a yogurt today. The past three day I have vomited what little food I was able to get down.

 I have a follow up Thurs and think I'm just going to go back to fluids/protein shakes until then. I'm feeling discouraged to. Mostly because recovery is just so much harder than my gallbladder or appendectomy was. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to get better and get healthy. That's why I did this but it's not happening. :0(

 I hoe you feel better soon! Please keep me posted, our symptoms are a lot alike.

Please do not ignore this increased pain.  Go back to the emergency room at the hospital where you had surgery or call the surgeon`s office today.   With the decrease in urine output, and the increased pain, this should not be left as is.

Good luck.

Judy

I'm also 4 weeks post op and have gained weight over the last 2 weeks. I am very discouraged too. Hope you feel better soon. Thankfully I'm not having any pain.

The weird thing about the pain is that I do not have the intense pain all the time. Usually only when the area gets bumped or I am bending over to get something. When the area isn't touched, it will sometimes have a cramping feeling. I saw my surgeon last week and I was told that it was most likely a pulled or irritated muscle. I realize it is hard to determine what is wrong based on symptoms but it doesn't seem like that to me. The last thing I need right now is something serious going on. Between school, work, and an internship, I don't have the time for it. I called my surgeon's office and they left a message on her desk. Hopefully I get a call back.