Tag: stomach problems

Stomach Dance

Me and my stomach have been doing that gastric bypass patient dance all day today. We’re having trouble getting along. We need to work together but today we’re causing problems for each other.

I have eaten three meals. Each meal came with a stomach problem of varying degrees.

I had a protein bar for breakfast. I went a little too fast and felt that blocked/stuck feeling. It wasn’t bad enough to become nausea or to produce large amounts of extra saliva that I have to spit out. I tried gagging it up but nothing came. I had to pause eating for about half an hour before the blockage was gone and then I was able to finish.

I had a burger (cooked on the grill) and some french fries for lunch. The burger went down without any issues. The fries though. I only had about four of them and I should have stopped at three. I felt a little blocked again. I think I was going too fast this time as well. It was never bad enough to require any spitting up. I don’t know how long it took to pass, but it wasn’t long. As soon as I declared myself done with lunch I was off to my father’s so it was probably a couple of hours before I even thought about eating or drinking anything else.

I had a big piece of chicken and a little bit of white rice for dinner. Well, it was big for me. about three ounces. The chicken went down fine. The rice felt a little off. I only had two small fork fulls. I was okay afterward though. I stopped in time to avoid any problems. When I finished dinner I was a smidge below my daily protein goal. I waited about 20 minutes and then had a little tiny protein bar snack. It went bad. I think this time I took too big a bite and it got stuck for real. I gagged up a tiny bit of it and have been spitting out saliva for about half an hour now.

So there we have it. All summed up. Three meals, three stomach issues. Yippee. My doctor told me that in almost every case when there is a stomach problem after eating it’s really the patient’s fault. In all three cases this was my fault. It actually makes me feel better knowing that. If it’s something I did rather than something going on with my new stomach, then it’s something I can control.

220 pounds lost since the surgery. Yeah, these sort of things are 100% worth it. Absolutely.

Choke

Friggin’ Bruins. One minute left in the third period and I was starting to think of what to write in the blog post when they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, only to have the whole season get pissed down the drain. So much for me being cautiously optimistic. Choke. Epic choke. Not as bad as blowing the three games to none lead in 2010, but setting all of the standings records in the regular season and then blowing a three games to one lead in the first round is pretty friggin’ close.

Changing the subject to health news, because of my total schedule screw up combined with all of my stomach problems last week I ended up taking off six straight days from exercise. I am writing this post right now as I procrastinate over starting this morning’s jog (yog). I’m also on a steady streak of having stomach problems every other night. Last night I slept through the night. The night before I woke up with stomach pain. The night before slept fine. The night before woke up twice with stomach pain. Ect, ect. Here’s hoping getting back into the exercise stuff will straighten all of that out, somehow. Magically. Maybe?

One final note. I took out some trash last night and while I was out there (during a lull in the pouring rain) I checked on one of the bird houses and there was something there! There was a twig sticking out of the opening! This morning I took a look through the window and there was a bird perched outside of it! One of our bird houses appears to have a tenant! WOOHOO!

That doesn’t make up for the epic choke though. Epic friggin’ choke.

Twice Over Night

My last post was me saying a stomach ache woke me up around 1:30am and having a small snack made me feel better so that I could go back to bed. Truth. I didn’t get to sleep until about 2:30, but that had more to do with playing with cats than stomach issues.

No, the stomach didn’t become a thing again until about 4:30 when the second stomach ache woke me up. Ugh. Same deal. I went out to the living room so I wouldn’t disturb my beautiful bride’s sleep (though she did wake up with me the first time around. Sorry, my love) and had another small protein snack. It didn’t fix me quite as clearly as the first one did, but I did feel a lot better, and I was 14 grams into my 80 gram goal before the sun came up.

I missed both my liquid and protein goals yesterday. I missed them both three times this week. Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Not good. I was trying to cap off the liquid last night, and I was only eight ounces away. I was down to 12 ounces left in the water bottle I was drinking from. I wanted to finish the bottle, wait 15 minutes, and then have a protein bar to put me over the 80 grams of protein for the day. Unfortunately, by 10:00 or so I was having trouble drinking. My body just didn’t want to do it anymore. On top of that, I was dead tired and couldn’t stay awake. I called it a night and gave up.

That means I hadn’t had anything to eat after dinner, which was probably why my stomach was empty enough to hurt so much when I woke up the first time, and the one small thing I ate wasn’t enough to hold me over until morning. So I guess maybe the solution to the problem is to actually make sure I eat too much before bed? That seems counter intuitive. I was actually worried about how much I was eating after dinner/before bed over the last couple of months. Based on the past week, maybe I had nothing to worry about. We’ll see how it goes tonight.

Once I got up and started my day today I tried to get some liquid in, like I always do at the start of the day, but it was still weird. I was having the same problem I had before bed last night. My body just doesn’t want to drink anything. Does that have anything to do with the mostly empty stomach? There was a mild stomach ache that kicked in after I took a few sips, but nothing near as bad as last night. I just didn’t want to drink anything. It took me almost two hours to get through the last 12 ounces from last night. Once I did, I waited the required 15 minutes and then had some actual, real, non-protein bar food. I feel a little better after that.

So in summation, this week has been pretty bad stomach/food/drink wise. I am hoping I have it all figured out, and not having to drive to Foxborough and back each day will get me back to my sort of normal routine. Wish me luck kids.

I asked chatgpt to write a one page essay on dealing with the side effects of gastric bypass surgery. What did it come up with?

Gastric bypass surgery is a weight loss surgery that has become increasingly popular over the years. It is a highly effective way of helping individuals who are struggling with obesity to lose weight and improve their overall health. However, like any other surgery, gastric bypass surgery also comes with its side effects.

One of the most common side effects of gastric bypass surgery is nausea and vomiting. This is usually experienced by patients during the first few days or weeks after surgery. It can be caused by the body’s adjustment to the reduced food intake or by the changes made to the digestive system during the surgery. To manage this side effect, patients are advised to take their time when eating, take smaller bites, and chew their food thoroughly. They may also be given medication to help alleviate nausea.

Another common side effect of gastric bypass surgery is dumping syndrome. This occurs when food moves too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine, causing symptoms such as abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and dizziness. Patients can manage this side effect by avoiding foods that are high in sugar or fat, eating smaller and more frequent meals, and avoiding drinking liquids with meals.

Some patients may also experience hair loss, which is usually temporary and can be attributed to the body’s nutritional changes following surgery. To manage this, patients are advised to take supplements such as biotin and to consume a protein-rich diet.

In addition, gastric bypass surgery can increase the risk of developing nutritional deficiencies, particularly in vitamins and minerals such as iron, calcium, and vitamin D. To avoid this, patients are advised to take supplements as prescribed by their doctor and to follow a balanced and nutritious diet.

Overall, gastric bypass surgery can be a life-changing procedure for individuals struggling with obesity. However, it is important to understand and manage the potential side effects to ensure a successful and healthy recovery. Patients should work closely with their medical team to monitor their progress and address any concerns they may have.

Good News

While I was driving home from the hospital I sort of magically started feeling okay. Whatever was screwy in my stomach just sort of went away.

I waited an hour or so, maybe a little more, mostly because I was afraid that my stomach was just faking me out. Then I had a drink. Grape juice. There were 16 ounces in my water bottle. I was nervous taking the first sip. Nothing happened. I had a second sip. 30 minutes later the 16 ounces are in my belly where they belong and I still feel okay.

Sigh of relief, babie. Sigh. Of. Relief.

I might try to have something to eat. Cross your fingers, oh my readers and only friends.

So Close, Yet So Far

I had to pause for blocked stomach after I took this evening’s pills, just like the lunch time. It cleared while I was cooking dinner. I blocked again while eating dinner. I only took 2.3 ounces of chicken but I couldn’t eat the last 0.3 ounces. So close, yet so far.

I was taking tiny bites and chewing each one to oblivion. I guess I was going to fast? I don’t know. I felt like I was doing everything right and being super careful. I am really getting annoyed.

I still need to drink 20 ounces of water and I still need 14 grams of protein. I will definitely hit both goals before the end of the day, but it’s just pissing me off that I still have so much to do. I’ve been stuck waiting for the blocked stomach and the foamies to clear for over half an hour. If I wasn’t stuck like this I would have hit the protein goal by now and would be pausing for an hour before finishing the liquid goal.

I’m really frustrated. Am I regretting my weight loss surgery decision? HELL NO. I don’t care how hard this gets, it’s still better than weighing 450 pounds and feeling like breathing was too much exertion to survive. This is frustrating but it’s 10000000000000 times better than it used to be.

Just so there are no questions about that.

Okay, I need to go get rid of a couple of pounds of saliva. Ugh.

Gun Shy: Dietarily Speaking

I mentioned yesterday that taking a couple of vitamin pills before lunch was enough to set my stomach into a spiraling abyss for a couple of hours. Wouldn’t you know it, it happened again this morning. It wasn’t as bad, but it was bad enough. I take four pills in the morning. Three vitamin supplements and one over the counter medication.

Those four pills plus eight ounces of water sent me right into gastric bypass hell. I took in eight ounces of water but probably spit out a pound of saliva. It just kept coming. Foamies like a boss. I tried to get my jogging in place (yogging in place) in while in the midst of it and I had to stop for a while to concentrate on spitting. What the hell? I can see it if it’s a food issue, but pills? Tiny little pills? I took a minute or two in between each pill too but clearly that wasn’t enough.

Once it started calming down a little, I got back to the yogging and was able to finish my exercise goal. I was then able to eat some protein supplements for breakfast without getting sick again. I was definitely gun shy though. I took my sweet time and wasted a ton of time. Enough that I was almost late for work, which is crazy seeing as I was sitting at my work desk for almost all of this.

Here’s hoping I’m through all of this today. I don’t want any issues at lunch time. I don’t want to be distracted from work at all. Wish me and my new stomach luck.