All things great, except for occasional belly pain. It has felt like acid so I've continued taking Ranitidine (one of the meds I used pre-op) on the assumption that I still have lots of acid down there, it's just no longer coming up. However the last couple of days I've had some sharp pains around the area of my wrap that started soon after twisting my body as I tossed a large bucket of water up over a railing. I've really slowed down a lot since then, as doing too much adds more pain, just in case a stitch started to tear through or something. No reflux or even heartburn, but just the pain.
Last night the pain kept me awake much of the night. It felt like acid but I'd taken the Ranitidine at bedtime, but it also felt sharp in that same spot. Logically I'm thinking, "OK, so maybe there's a little tear from the other day, and when I lay down a little acid leaks into it and causes so much pain?" Not sure...I don't think I'm going to call the doc just yet, but rather I will go back to small meals, softer food, and not a whole lot of water-bucket-tossing, and see if things calm down. If they don't - or get worse - or I start refluxing again - I'll be calling the doc for sure! Loving this post-NF life and not willing to go back! :)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
What Caused THAT?!?!?
Yesterday we had a potluck after church. Not sure what I ate, but whatever it was, I had the same pain - BAD pain - that I had when I had eaten 3 salads plus a big slab of raw onion a few months ago. AWFUL pain! I know I didn't eat that many raw veggies...there were probably some in the potato salad but not that much really - it was mostly potatoes! And actually I was fine throughout the meal, it was only when I ate the dessert (yes, I go off-plan for these monthly potlucks at church, I love tasting everyone else's culinary offerings!): a sliver of cherry-something-or-other, and a sliver of pumpkin pie with a dollop - ok, a generous dollop - ok a MOUND - of whipped cream. I've eaten whipped cream without issue, even though it is so full of air.
So really, I don't know. Simethicone didn't help, nothing did. We had to leave apruptly. I went to my room and found the most comfortable position that I could on the bed with my bean bag at the head, and sweated it out, finally falling asleep from exhaustion once it started to subside, the pain had taken so much out of me.
Wish I knew what caused it, so I could avoid it in the future!
So really, I don't know. Simethicone didn't help, nothing did. We had to leave apruptly. I went to my room and found the most comfortable position that I could on the bed with my bean bag at the head, and sweated it out, finally falling asleep from exhaustion once it started to subside, the pain had taken so much out of me.
Wish I knew what caused it, so I could avoid it in the future!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tomorrow, It Will Be 6 Months!
All is well. Still, the only thing I seem to choke on (unless I take a large swallow of something) is cooked pork. Do fine with beef and eat a lot of it. Do fine with bread (I make my own low carb loaves) and rice and other things that seem to cause choking in other folks with a wrap. Why pork? I still wonder about that...
Still haven't introduced raw broccoli or cauliflower even though I do fine with cole slaw, or the occasional carrot, salads of all kinds of greens, and raw onion (in moderation - too much will give me a SERIOUS bellyache!).
One change in the last month: I have started burping a little. I have always burped "shallow" burps, such as when I swallow an air bubble, it comes back up before it ever reaches my wrap. But just in the last week or so I have burped several times. They were small, and not the glorious belches of old - lol! - but nonetheless they brought relief from minor discomfort.
Which brings me to something else: I hope this isn't an indication that my wrap is losing integrity. I don't have heartburn or any reflux whatsoever, and I'm SO careful of my wrap...I probably worry too much :).
Still losing weight. Then again, still eating low carb and have increased my fats which has always caused weight loss for me. I'm about 50# down from my pre-surgery weight according to my own scale which never is the same as doctor's scales but should be close. Lost a pound last week, another 3# this week...and I hate what it is doing to my body but I told my surgeon I would lose weight so I'm sticking to it, being a woman of my word...
I'm drinking coffee again too! Did I mention that last month in my update? I know I've written that I LOVED coffee before the surgery, and it tasted awful to me for months afterward. Well it tastes great again :). This makes me happy. However, I have not gone back to my 6-7 big mugs of the stuff every day, and plan to have my cup in the morning and one after supper and that's it - decaf of course. And I still drink my decaf tea. And bottled water, and sugar-free drink mixes. I am drinking a lot more than I did before the surgery, I think - back then it was coffee or nothing. Now I am constantly drinking something or other. But only DECAF! And, of course, nothing carbonated.
And one last thing, which I have mentioned before but it is still the case that I have to take my 150 mg Ranitadine twice a day, or I get HORRIBLE belly pain. My stomach is undoubtedly still churning out way too much acid - just because it isn't shooting out like a volcano through my mouth and nose anymore doesn't mean it isn't there, I'm certain. If I miss a single dose, PAIN and lots of it! So I will continue with that as well. The only other cause of pain is heavy lifting, such as moving furniture. I thought that was just because I was post-op but just read on the Facebook NF group that this is common, sometimes even years after the surgery. That makes sense I suppose, if something causes pulling around the sutures or something.
All is well, most days I don't even think about my wrap anymore as everything comes second-nature to me now (chewing well, swallowing small amounts, not using the straw I'm given at restaurants or ordering pop, keeping a warm-almost-hot beverage nearby when eating cooked pork, etc.). Life is normal - a new normal, but normal nonetheless, and not so much changed from before as I had previously feared :).
Still haven't introduced raw broccoli or cauliflower even though I do fine with cole slaw, or the occasional carrot, salads of all kinds of greens, and raw onion (in moderation - too much will give me a SERIOUS bellyache!).
One change in the last month: I have started burping a little. I have always burped "shallow" burps, such as when I swallow an air bubble, it comes back up before it ever reaches my wrap. But just in the last week or so I have burped several times. They were small, and not the glorious belches of old - lol! - but nonetheless they brought relief from minor discomfort.
Which brings me to something else: I hope this isn't an indication that my wrap is losing integrity. I don't have heartburn or any reflux whatsoever, and I'm SO careful of my wrap...I probably worry too much :).
Still losing weight. Then again, still eating low carb and have increased my fats which has always caused weight loss for me. I'm about 50# down from my pre-surgery weight according to my own scale which never is the same as doctor's scales but should be close. Lost a pound last week, another 3# this week...and I hate what it is doing to my body but I told my surgeon I would lose weight so I'm sticking to it, being a woman of my word...
I'm drinking coffee again too! Did I mention that last month in my update? I know I've written that I LOVED coffee before the surgery, and it tasted awful to me for months afterward. Well it tastes great again :). This makes me happy. However, I have not gone back to my 6-7 big mugs of the stuff every day, and plan to have my cup in the morning and one after supper and that's it - decaf of course. And I still drink my decaf tea. And bottled water, and sugar-free drink mixes. I am drinking a lot more than I did before the surgery, I think - back then it was coffee or nothing. Now I am constantly drinking something or other. But only DECAF! And, of course, nothing carbonated.
And one last thing, which I have mentioned before but it is still the case that I have to take my 150 mg Ranitadine twice a day, or I get HORRIBLE belly pain. My stomach is undoubtedly still churning out way too much acid - just because it isn't shooting out like a volcano through my mouth and nose anymore doesn't mean it isn't there, I'm certain. If I miss a single dose, PAIN and lots of it! So I will continue with that as well. The only other cause of pain is heavy lifting, such as moving furniture. I thought that was just because I was post-op but just read on the Facebook NF group that this is common, sometimes even years after the surgery. That makes sense I suppose, if something causes pulling around the sutures or something.
All is well, most days I don't even think about my wrap anymore as everything comes second-nature to me now (chewing well, swallowing small amounts, not using the straw I'm given at restaurants or ordering pop, keeping a warm-almost-hot beverage nearby when eating cooked pork, etc.). Life is normal - a new normal, but normal nonetheless, and not so much changed from before as I had previously feared :).
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
That Darned Pork! (5-month post-op update)
Nothing really gets stuck that I eat anymore...except PORK! What is it about pork that it sticks?? I can eat any other kinds of meat, even beef brisket, but even the most tender pork roast gets stuck unless I give extra attention to chewing (very well) and swallowing (only the tiniest of amounts at a time)! I don't understand it. No problem with breads or rice, which other people have mentioned being problematic, although admittedly I eat very little of either since I'm a low carb eater. But pork...I just don't get it!
As far as belly pain or bloating, none of that unless I go crazy on raw greens and veggies. Which I occasionally do. But not often. If I take a simethecone first it helps.
Flatulence...nobody told me about that! I guess since I don't burp anymore, all that air has to go somewhere!
Acid...yeah, I'm guessing that my stomach is still churning it out. PPIs are so expensive, I can't afford to stay on them forever, but I take 150mg ranitidine morning and night and that seems to keep the acid levels down. Of course the acid isn't coming up anymore - the whole point of the surgery - but I can still feel it in my stomach, causing discomfort and burning, if I don't take something to keep it under control. Which the ranitidine does, and only costs about USD$4/month.
Altogether, it's all good :). Have adjusted to Life After a Wrap, and it isn't much different than life before a wrap. Except it's a lot better. A lot less painful. A lot more normal. A lot less hassle. Except for that darned pork...
As far as belly pain or bloating, none of that unless I go crazy on raw greens and veggies. Which I occasionally do. But not often. If I take a simethecone first it helps.
Flatulence...nobody told me about that! I guess since I don't burp anymore, all that air has to go somewhere!
Acid...yeah, I'm guessing that my stomach is still churning it out. PPIs are so expensive, I can't afford to stay on them forever, but I take 150mg ranitidine morning and night and that seems to keep the acid levels down. Of course the acid isn't coming up anymore - the whole point of the surgery - but I can still feel it in my stomach, causing discomfort and burning, if I don't take something to keep it under control. Which the ranitidine does, and only costs about USD$4/month.
Altogether, it's all good :). Have adjusted to Life After a Wrap, and it isn't much different than life before a wrap. Except it's a lot better. A lot less painful. A lot more normal. A lot less hassle. Except for that darned pork...
Friday, April 1, 2011
4 Months Today!
That's when I had my life-changing surgery! The first of every month is a milestone for me, and a reminder of what my life used to be like...
Everything is going really well, so I just have a couple of things I just want to mention on this monthiversary :).
First, I'm still losing weight, although whether it is still from the surgery or whether it is from the low-carb/high-fat diet that I follow is hard to say. Due to my constant digestive issues pre-op I didn't adhere as closely to this healthy eating plan as I had the first few years I'd been on it (it will be 7 years tomorrow), and there were many times I was too ill to cook and I just ate whatever someone else made for me. But I do know that I had lost much of my passion for creating and serving wonderful "cheap'n'easy" low carb meals, when I was in so much pain it was hard to be passionate about anything. I was just trying to get through every day the best that I could. But my passion is back, I'm shopping and cooking myself once again, and that could be a reason for my continuing loss. I do know that the clothes I was wearing pre-surgery are now baggy on me, although I haven't stopped at the doctor's office for a weigh-in in a couple of months. But my health is more important to me than my weight, and I'm enjoying that a lot!
Second, I posted something on the nissen fundoplication group on Facebook a few days ago in response to someone else's post, and I felt I should copy/paste it here as well. Probably THE most important thing I had to do after my surgery was to relearn, and listen to, my body's signals. They were different than before, and in so doing I have had to relearn how to eat. Here is what I wrote (with minor changes to protect the other person's privacy):
"...from the first sip I took after my surgery I have been paying very close attention to my body's signals. The first few weeks were hard because the signals felt different than they did for the first 53 years of my life, but I'm getting used to it now. The 2nd thing I had to retrain myself to do was to stop eating at the first sign of fullness. After a lifetime of continuing to eat even after I was no longer hungry (just because I enjoyed it so much) it has been hard to do. I don't want to stretch or in any way threaten the integrity of my wrap, and risk having issues later that other people have had; that's the big picture, and it is always on my mind when I am tempted to eat more even after my belly tells me it has had enough. It is a matter of listening and obeying the signals I get...probably the thing that has been working best for me is to not do anything else (watch TV, engage in conversation, etc) but to think about my eating: chewing very well, swallowing only small bits at a time, concentrating on how it feels going down and how my stomach is accepting it and if it is done eating or not (even if I still want more!)..."
So all is well after 4 months! No digestive issues of any kind, not even a hint of heartburn, and life is good :).
Everything is going really well, so I just have a couple of things I just want to mention on this monthiversary :).
First, I'm still losing weight, although whether it is still from the surgery or whether it is from the low-carb/high-fat diet that I follow is hard to say. Due to my constant digestive issues pre-op I didn't adhere as closely to this healthy eating plan as I had the first few years I'd been on it (it will be 7 years tomorrow), and there were many times I was too ill to cook and I just ate whatever someone else made for me. But I do know that I had lost much of my passion for creating and serving wonderful "cheap'n'easy" low carb meals, when I was in so much pain it was hard to be passionate about anything. I was just trying to get through every day the best that I could. But my passion is back, I'm shopping and cooking myself once again, and that could be a reason for my continuing loss. I do know that the clothes I was wearing pre-surgery are now baggy on me, although I haven't stopped at the doctor's office for a weigh-in in a couple of months. But my health is more important to me than my weight, and I'm enjoying that a lot!
Second, I posted something on the nissen fundoplication group on Facebook a few days ago in response to someone else's post, and I felt I should copy/paste it here as well. Probably THE most important thing I had to do after my surgery was to relearn, and listen to, my body's signals. They were different than before, and in so doing I have had to relearn how to eat. Here is what I wrote (with minor changes to protect the other person's privacy):
"...from the first sip I took after my surgery I have been paying very close attention to my body's signals. The first few weeks were hard because the signals felt different than they did for the first 53 years of my life, but I'm getting used to it now. The 2nd thing I had to retrain myself to do was to stop eating at the first sign of fullness. After a lifetime of continuing to eat even after I was no longer hungry (just because I enjoyed it so much) it has been hard to do. I don't want to stretch or in any way threaten the integrity of my wrap, and risk having issues later that other people have had; that's the big picture, and it is always on my mind when I am tempted to eat more even after my belly tells me it has had enough. It is a matter of listening and obeying the signals I get...probably the thing that has been working best for me is to not do anything else (watch TV, engage in conversation, etc) but to think about my eating: chewing very well, swallowing only small bits at a time, concentrating on how it feels going down and how my stomach is accepting it and if it is done eating or not (even if I still want more!)..."
So all is well after 4 months! No digestive issues of any kind, not even a hint of heartburn, and life is good :).
Monday, March 21, 2011
Other Adjustments
As I have been feeling so much better I have become very active. My days of living in my recliner on pain pills and other meds and doing as little as possible just to get by seem to be over, praise God! I have a couple of things about my ongoing recovery (in the broadest sense of the word) that I want to mention here.
First, even though I BELIEVE my post-op weight loss has subsided - there was no loss at all for about 2-3 weeks - I'm losing weight eating normally than I ever did before. I have eaten a low carb diet for about 7 years now, and as I've noted, during the early days of recovery I didn't worry too much about whether I ate carbs or not; I was eating so little that it didn't matter. And of course we all know that low carb eating isn't just about weight loss - far from it in fact. That it keeps my blood lipids in good balance and that I'm not harming my body with sugars is the main thing...anyway, I've always been able to lose, or stop losing, by adjusting my macronutrient balance. As long as I kept my fat intake at 75%, or thereabouts, and strictly limited my intake of sugars and starches, I would lose quite well. When I wanted to stop losing, I would continue to limit sugars and starches from my diet but wouldn't concern myself with forcing such high quantities of fats. NOW, however, although I still get most of my calories from fat, even without deliberately eating so much of it, I am losing. It is something very different to how my body responded pre-surgery. So, I've started dropping weight again which is something that I don't like, for many reasons, but that I'd promised my surgeon I would do. So I will have to put up with the rest which is really not as bad as not keeping my word.
Second: I'm sleeping a LOT! I'm just guessing here, but I'm thinking that my body - which will be adjusting to the changes in it for a whole year, according to the surgeon - is wondering what is going on with all of this activity it isn't used to! Between the GERD and some other health issues with which I've suffered the last few years (serious food poisoning with nerve damage causing motility issues and blockages in my digestive tract in 2006, a "cerebrovascular event" with some months of debilitating neuro issues in 2008, arthritis in my spine and elsewhere, just as examples) I have really lived a very sedentary life. Now, however, with most of my health issues either resolved or adapted to, I feel better than I have in probably 5 years. So I am doing more - a LOT more - than I have in that time. It is my guess that these 9, 10, and 11 hour nights of sleep are simply my body saying, "Whoa! Gotta catch up to you here!" That's ok, I can accommodate my body's needs :).
These are just a couple of things that I wanted to mention as my ongoing adjustment continues. I'm still eating well, experiencing no pain as long as I don't overeat which I don't do because I don't want to stress my wrap, still having the occasional food "stick" when I'm not paying attention and swallow too much at once (sticking seems to be related more to how much I swallow than what I'm eating, but that's different for everybody), and still marveling every single night at being able to lay down and sleep flat in my bed!
First, even though I BELIEVE my post-op weight loss has subsided - there was no loss at all for about 2-3 weeks - I'm losing weight eating normally than I ever did before. I have eaten a low carb diet for about 7 years now, and as I've noted, during the early days of recovery I didn't worry too much about whether I ate carbs or not; I was eating so little that it didn't matter. And of course we all know that low carb eating isn't just about weight loss - far from it in fact. That it keeps my blood lipids in good balance and that I'm not harming my body with sugars is the main thing...anyway, I've always been able to lose, or stop losing, by adjusting my macronutrient balance. As long as I kept my fat intake at 75%, or thereabouts, and strictly limited my intake of sugars and starches, I would lose quite well. When I wanted to stop losing, I would continue to limit sugars and starches from my diet but wouldn't concern myself with forcing such high quantities of fats. NOW, however, although I still get most of my calories from fat, even without deliberately eating so much of it, I am losing. It is something very different to how my body responded pre-surgery. So, I've started dropping weight again which is something that I don't like, for many reasons, but that I'd promised my surgeon I would do. So I will have to put up with the rest which is really not as bad as not keeping my word.
Second: I'm sleeping a LOT! I'm just guessing here, but I'm thinking that my body - which will be adjusting to the changes in it for a whole year, according to the surgeon - is wondering what is going on with all of this activity it isn't used to! Between the GERD and some other health issues with which I've suffered the last few years (serious food poisoning with nerve damage causing motility issues and blockages in my digestive tract in 2006, a "cerebrovascular event" with some months of debilitating neuro issues in 2008, arthritis in my spine and elsewhere, just as examples) I have really lived a very sedentary life. Now, however, with most of my health issues either resolved or adapted to, I feel better than I have in probably 5 years. So I am doing more - a LOT more - than I have in that time. It is my guess that these 9, 10, and 11 hour nights of sleep are simply my body saying, "Whoa! Gotta catch up to you here!" That's ok, I can accommodate my body's needs :).
These are just a couple of things that I wanted to mention as my ongoing adjustment continues. I'm still eating well, experiencing no pain as long as I don't overeat which I don't do because I don't want to stress my wrap, still having the occasional food "stick" when I'm not paying attention and swallow too much at once (sticking seems to be related more to how much I swallow than what I'm eating, but that's different for everybody), and still marveling every single night at being able to lay down and sleep flat in my bed!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
100 Days!
Yup, today is my 100-day mark since my surgery, which was the time that the doctor told me I needed to be extra careful. He said that full recovery will be a year but this first 100 days were "critical"...and so I am glad they are over...
And I feel great! I forget I've even had surgery most of the time, even when I'm eating I don't often think of it, but do remember most of the time to take tiny bites and eat slowly. But this is truly my new normal, and doesn't feel strange anymore.
My weight loss from the surgery seems to have let up, which is fine with me. I'm still a fat lady :) but this is how I've chosen to stay for the last 6+ years after my 90# weight loss in 2004 after changing my diet to a low carb/high fat plan. I will probably continue to lose, but it will be at my pace, and by my own choice as I adjust macronutrient levels to lose or level off as I see fit.
Overall, I am still so thankful that I've been able to have this surgery and that my life is so much better now! I have so much energy without the constant pain, the only thing stopping me is arthritis (spine, hips, right knee and foot) but I can take drugs for that and keep on going!
So this is my new life, and I love it!
And I feel great! I forget I've even had surgery most of the time, even when I'm eating I don't often think of it, but do remember most of the time to take tiny bites and eat slowly. But this is truly my new normal, and doesn't feel strange anymore.
My weight loss from the surgery seems to have let up, which is fine with me. I'm still a fat lady :) but this is how I've chosen to stay for the last 6+ years after my 90# weight loss in 2004 after changing my diet to a low carb/high fat plan. I will probably continue to lose, but it will be at my pace, and by my own choice as I adjust macronutrient levels to lose or level off as I see fit.
Overall, I am still so thankful that I've been able to have this surgery and that my life is so much better now! I have so much energy without the constant pain, the only thing stopping me is arthritis (spine, hips, right knee and foot) but I can take drugs for that and keep on going!
So this is my new life, and I love it!
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