RNY Surgery on 10/26.

Time4Nana

I just came yesterday afternoon from having a huge hiatal hernia repaired and an RNY done. My shoulders hurt up into my neck so bad and not sure how to relieve the pain. Any suggestions or do you think walking helps that too.

The 5 incision sites really aren’t causing any problems even though certain pieces of clothing are uncomfortable. If anything keeps me that will be it.

I have read do not weigh after coming home I did it anyway, big mistake. I’m 12 pounds heavier than went into surgery. I’m not worried because I know how easy it is to retain fluid.

clcmfp

That kind of pain sounds like gas. They inflate your abdomen like a balloon so they can see what they're doing and easily maneuver. The only way to get that gas out is to walk. It helps your body absorb it to get rid of it.

jamielslater

Walk walk walk. I also used gas x strips. They seemed to help some. Welcome to the new journey!

thechadtx

Yes, get on your feet and walk as much as you can.

Congrats on the surgery. I had gastric bypass surgery on 8/25/17. And I actually didn't have any extra gas pain after the procedure. However, I know exactly what you're talking about...I had that pain in my neck/shoulders after my gallbladder removal surgery. It lasted a few days, but it got better with every day.

I hope relief heads your way soon.

Time4Nana

Feeling better each day and getting up and moving around the house. My shoulders still hurt but that’s improving too. Thank you for your input. I just reread my original post and boy the words I left out in certain sentences. I think part of that was the med pills. I don’t like pain meds it Interferes with my thought process and gives me headaches so as of yesterday I’m done with them. I feel just as well today without them and can think!

Yesterday I had a big issue with taking my regular prescriptions pills, crush them and taking them. Two of them taste so bad I didn’t think I’d ever get it out of my mouth. Someone recommended I take it with a Snapple Diet drink. They are still nasty but doable that way. One of my biggest goals is getting of some of these pills.

clcmfp

I had to be on antibiotics while I was still under orders to crush anything larger than a baby aspirin. Crushed antibiotics taste like hell. The worst 5 days of the whole experience!

Samquentin

I am so glad I never had to crush my meds! They gave me pills in the hospital. (my Zoloft, and Protonix) I did have the chew-able vitamins, that were awful.

ppmintpatty

Can you take them crushed in applesauce yet? That's what I did from day one and I still do my non-chewable ones that way six months later. It totally hides the taste.

Time4Nana

No I have to have a straight liquid diet until my dr appointment on 11/8. I am drinking protein shakes and clear liquids. Most of my pills barely have a taste but my jardiance and gabapentine taste horrible. The Snapple at least makes a little bit better. If all goes well I can start soft foods when I see the dr.

Mandy_1982

I crushed my pills and mixed them into yogurt.

Good luck on your journey!

Time4Nana

I’ve have been so weak since Thursday, no energy to move around. I’m only getting about 400 calories a day with 3 protein drinks and liquids. Is that normal. I’ll my surgeon Wednesday hopefully he’ll let me start with some soft foods.

Time4Nana

RNY friends requests would be appreciated.

loveshoe

Time4Nana, the fatigue is normal I believe. I would get up, shower and get back in the bed for the first two weeks. I was just that tired. The fatigue started to go away after my diet began to change from liquids to normal food, about 6 weeks after surgery.

Time4Nana

Hopefully I can start on soft foods Friday. Can’t believe how I’m looking forward to mush :-)

ccruz985

I've never taken pills for anything so I'm glad I didn't have to work that out. As far as the fatigue, that is absolutely 100% NORMAL. Truthfully, I didn't start feeling my energy really return for about a month or so but when you're subsisting on liquid and mush, that's to be expected.

Time4Nana

Managed to out and walk a little today. It wore me out but did better than I’ve been doing. I thought I was getting a handle on taking my pills but this morning they nearly came up and left my stomach hurting. Hopefully I’ll come off some meds soon. Already see a big difference in my glucose numbers. That’s a nasty tasting one (jardiance).

michellerussellknutzen

I had RNY on 11-1 and also had a hiatial hernia repair. I had no clue it was there, no symptoms etc. I had left shoulder pain when they took my drain out but never got the “gas” pains in my back. You are doing great getting your protein shakes in. That’s my struggle!!! I’ve heard the chewable gas ex works wonders too. Best of luck on your journey. Friend request me, I’ve tried to send you one but keep getting an error.

Samquentin

If I read right, today you go back! and you get to see your doctor, and start foods! (pureed or soft, depending on your program).
Hope you are doing good still!
I found that taking my pills on an empty stomach makes my belly hurt something fierce for a while... 30-45 minutes, then it passes. SO I take with food. (or my coffee/protein mix I have for breakfast.)

Time4Nana

I did go see the dr for my 2 week follow up this morning. He told me part of the added problem I’m having is the area healing from my hiatal hernia repair because it was very large wrapping around my esophagus and then my stomach was going up into it. So he had to repair that before he could even begin the bypass. But he was happy with my progress and took me off all my diabetes medication which made me feel worse, very nasty

Time4Nana

I’m now on soft foods, one meal a day for the next two weeks.

Samquentin

Dumb hiatal hernias! (Thankfully mine was small enough, he didn't have to repair it, surgeon said it would cause more pain to repair, and since I did RNY, I'd not have reflux anymore)

Glad to see you get to start soft foods!! Hope that helps you feel better and stronger!! And YAY FOR being OFF OF diabetes meds!!!!

Time4Nana

Woohoo had eggs this morning without any issues. So happy to be moving along. I think the hardest part is the 30/30 rule. I know it’s my imagination but I’m so thirsty in that time period. It starange how how our mind plays tricks with us. LOL

loveshoe

Time4Nana, one of the things I did during the 30/30 was walk in place or some other light form of exercise or clean house to give me something to do during the before/after eating wait. It gets easier as you get further out and can eat more dense food, you'll feel full and not thirsty. In the beginning, it seems to be a mental thing to stop a reflex of having a drink with your meal. Glad to know you're doing well.

Time4Nana

loveshoe wrote: »

Time4Nana, one of the things I did during the 30/30 was walk in place or some other light form of exercise or clean house to give me something to do during the before/after eating wait. It gets easier as you get further out and can eat more dense food, you'll feel full and not thirsty. In the beginning, it seems to be a mental thing to stop a reflex of having a drink with your meal. Glad to know you're doing well.

Is the 30/30 a permanent part of our eating now or is it one of the stages we go through?

Samquentin

My 'rule' they gave me is 15/45, and it's forever. After you eat, you don't want to drink too soon, or you'll 'wash' the food out of your stomach, since you no longer have the pyloric muscle at the base of your stomach to hold the food in.
Start by setting a timer on your phone, after your last bite, hit the timer, eventually, I promise, you'll get used to not drinking when you eat, or for your 30 minutes after, and it'll be so normal.

JamesAztec

I look at the whole drinking before and after meals as more of a guideline than a hard and fast rule. Does anybody really think we're going to be following all these rules decades down the road?

Here's what I do, I CHEW my food. Digestion starts in the mouth. My dietician advised me to focus more on not drinking AFTER than before. So if I have a few sips of water before eating no big deal. During/after eating I try not to drink much at all. But sometimes if I'm eating something spicy you kind of just have to. I'd say on average it's about 15-30 minutes until I start drinking again.

I have about 10-12 eating events throughout the day so it would be virtually impossible to follow this "rule" and still consume a decent amount of water. Being flexible with stuff like this has worked for me and allowed me to achieve health goals I never thought possible.

Time4Nana

Thank you everyone for your input I’m in my 2 - 4 week of post op where I’m beginning to eat soft foods and have a lot learn in this new way of living.

clcmfp

My surgeon said drink right up until you eat, but wait 30 minutes after. Works for me.

loveshoe

Samquentin wrote: »

My 'rule' they gave me is 15/45, and it's forever. After you eat, you don't want to drink too soon, or you'll 'wash' the food out of your stomach, since you no longer have the pyloric muscle at the base of your stomach to hold the food in.
Start by setting a timer on your phone, after your last bite, hit the timer, eventually, I promise, you'll get used to not drinking when you eat, or for your 30 minutes after, and it'll be so normal.

I was also told the drinking rule is forever. I'm 2.7 years post-op and still follow the guideline unless I'm having wine with dinner. If I'm eating out I'll have my wine when everyone else is having an appetizer, which usually gives me 15-30 minutes before the meal arrives. At home, I don't bring a drink to the table so there isn't a reflex to reach for it. During the early stages, I asked the wait staff not to give me a drink when eating out or if they did bring it I wouldn't push it across the table out of reach.

Time4Nana

This is going to be the hardest part of this plan for me because I’m always drinking water all throughout the day. Now I seem to be even more thirsty.

Time4Nana

I ate something I shouldn’t have yesterday afternoon and had severe stomach cramps and nausea. The cramping went on through the evening. I had to take my blood pressure meds before bed which may have not been a good idea because as soon as I did they came back up. This morning my stomach still feels upset. I had hoped drinking my protein drink would coat it but no I still feel sick.