Hi Folks,
Just entered week 4 post op gastric bypass with my new and much smaller stomach wondering if anyone had this done and what their experience was ( I did it for the GP though I am overweight). I guess by now I expected more improvement (though there has been some). I still wake up nauseous and have low levels through the day that worsen with food and water intake. My food is drastically reduced and it wasn’t much before the surgery… now I get about 1/3 -3/4 of a cup of food a day and due to the nausea and sometimes the vomiting I have little desire to eat. I hear it will get better and I hope it is sooner rather than later… I did have one whole day where I was only very slightly nauseated …it was bliss and I hope it was a picture of things to come…
I didn’t expect full recovery (I hoped you would have to be crazy not to hold out that hope) but wanted to feel better than I do by now…in terms of the nausea. Most of my go-to foods are now on the no-no list as they have made me sick and the protein shakes are flat out disgusting…On the positive side, I’m not going to starve to death as apparently my weight hasn’t changed in a week…arrrggghhhh NOW I FEEL Better…but still nauseated…
Thank you for your upfront post. And so sorry for your challenges thru gastroparesis. I have a similar problem related to colon and would like to connect w you but haven’t figured out how on my phone…think it doesn’t show the whole screen. So. Look forward to a message tomorrow when I’m at a bigger computer! Best to you. Kim
Really sorry to hear you are still struggling with this. There is a woman whom I work with who gets Botox injections in her stomach. She has pretty severe case of GP and has been hospitalized a ridiculous number of times for it. Has had every test done in the book, and has tried everything (minus the bypas) to get relief. The botox injections are actually really working for her.
As far as protein shakes go, ugh, I can’t stand any of them. Whenever I’m sick I end up not eating for days. I have a lot of trouble with nausea and a very sensitive stomach. Sometimes my stomach is ok with certain foods, other times it absolutely is not. A few things I go to when I’m nauseated, just to keep up my sugar so I don’t end up passing out are watered down apple juice (no sugar added), white rice cooked very soft, potatoes with just a little salt or butter if I can manage that, plain couscous, mashed sweet potato (plain), and the classic chicken soup with as little salt in it as possible. The tricky thing is that though the grain products don’t bug my stomach, grain has pretty much no nutritional value, so its still a struggle to get all the minerals and vitamins you need. I really do hope things improve for you!
Thank you Captain,
Yes getting the nutrition that you need under these circumstances is hard and it certainly didn’t get easier… I’ve started to use a product in the US (lactos free) called Fair Life, it’s a milk but has added protein (18 grams I think) that and chewable vitamins but it is not a perfect solution. Appreciate the tips on keeping my sugars up because as you know when on insulin and unable to eat…
I wanted to update my ‘vent’, because I hope that someone with GP sees it and it and my experience helps them decide. I am four months post gastric-bypass.
I have and HAD before surgery a very severe case of GP, including 24/7 nausea and occasional vomiting (about 1x a week). As written above, I did the bypass in the hopes that it would alleviate the nausea and vomiting maybe not entirely, but lessen it a little. I never expected it to get worse or as bad as it did. I’ve been through some recent surgeries as fall-out from the first, strictures, ulcers and gallbladder and personally, unless I’m in a life threatening situation don’t plan to have anymore.
So, the question how do I feel now. I would say that the nausea is still slightly more than before the surgery - we hope that time helps lessen it AND it is improved from the levels I had prior the removal of the gallbladder. I would say that the vomiting is increased (1-2 times per day) and without the gallbladder the digestive issues are more ‘emergent’, even with the clean eating. I will also say that the amount I can eat is pitiful (less than 1 cup of food PER DAY usually around 1/2 cup of solid) and I enjoy nothing about food at all… so, for me this was NOT a win.
Finally, I would also add that nutritionally, I’m in a lot of trouble as things (even the pills) do not process and go right through. I also find that I’m required to take so many vitamins and pills that I have no room for food (because my stomach as small as it is, still does not empty).
On the up-side of things, note that I still go to work every day, walk around attend meetings and have lost a ton of weight (a scary amount) …had I had a note like mine to read before the surgery, I probably wouldn’t have done it…but most everyone is just so excited to loose weight and that was not the goal of the surgery for me.
Thank-you for your update. It will help others in the future. I’m sorry for your current difficulties and hope things will improve for you in the long run.
I hope with time things will take a more positive turn for you. GP really stinks. I have struggled with it for the past 17 years with mostly nausea. Fortunately the past few years things have settled down.
I have a diet of pureed and soft food plus 30 mg of Domperidone before each of my two meals a day and with this, I have been able completely to overcome my gastroparesis, eat a normal amount of calories per day, and avoid any symptoms. Perhaps some sufferers might want to try this.
The important thing is to live in a jurisdiction that hasn’t forbidden Domperidone, whose negative effects on lengthening the Q-T interval of the heart beats have been ridiculously exaggerated. I had an electrocardiogram recently which shows only minimal, non-clinically significant changes in my heart rhythm, even with 60 mg. a day. Americans sometimes go to Caribbean pharmacies to get it, and they are fairly liberal about selling it to anyone with the money.
