Help my 16 year-old just had wrap surgery

My 16 year-old had wrap done April 8th
I am freaking out I know it has only been 2.5 weeks and I know it takes time but she had a great day yesterday and even got out with friends but today we are back to throwing up ... Nothing but foam.... But it is stressful to her wrap and she is loosing hope that she will ever be normal again. I guess I just need reassurance that she is going to be my happy cranky hard to deal with teenager again. Can you please tell me how long it took for those of you out there that have had this surgery to have enough energy to live again.

Cmsrecover

Sorry to hear your daughter had to go though this so young.
Here's the deal. She is very early in her recovery. Think of this recovery as a marathon not a sprint as a lot f doctors seem to think it is. Even though her incisions are probably healed pretty well she still had major surgery. Her GI system is going to be unhappy for a while. She is at the point of peak swelling and while it's swollen it will not work properly. Feeling of reflux at this stage is normal and so is nausea. Does she have an anti nausea med? If not please get her doctor to prescribe one now. She is going to need it. I keep it with me at all times since I can't physically vomit and dry heaves are horrible. This is what is most likely going on. Sometimes we can get some foam up after retching very hard and that's nit good for the wrap.

She needs to eat very small frequent meals. Small is 1/4 to 1/2 cup about 5 or 6 times a day. Sometimes we get hiccups when we are full. She will have a full feeling easier because they use the top of the stomach for the wrap and that is where the nerves are to tell us we are full.
Stay away from solid meats for about 3 to 4 months, ground is okay. Stay away from soft bread, but toast can be chewed to a liquid and this is what she needs to do while she is healing. Expect a good 6 months for about 80% healing and another 6 months for the rest.
Stay away from fizzy drinks and straws. Also sometimes cold drinks will make the wrap area constrict and cause problems getting food past the wrap.So warm liquids can also help loosen it up just before eating.
If food gets stuck at the wrap she may bring it back up like reversing gears or a cat's hairball we call it. It's not true vomiting because it's just from the esophagus.
If her wrap and stomach get irritated it will let her know right away. If this happens back off on her diet to softer foods and it should get better in a few days.

Noe as for energy we go back to the major surgery. She is going to be tired and get worn out quicker while her body heals along with the fact she isn't getting the normal amount of calories her body is used to. What calories she does take in is mostly going to healing. I found that the breakfast drinks and boost kinds of drinks helped with calories. When she can tolerate ice cream shakes with protein powder helps. Mostly the energy level will take time and not the 2 weeks a lot of doctors say. Remember most of them have never went through this surgery and have no real idea how hard it is.

I am sure you have more questions and please feel free to ask away. Those of us who have been through this and stuck around did so for a reason. Besides great friends we really want to help others going through this. My email is under my user name and on my profile, so feel free to email anytime also.

Take care,
Bill

Hi Cmsrecover,

When I was 16 I had surgery on both my feet and was in great pain for a long time.  I understand how hard it is to be young and have surgery.  Tell your daughter that she is at the very beginning of a recovery that will gradually get better, but will take six months for most of the healing and a year for the rest.  She will need to be patient as she moves through her recovery.

Bill has given you a lot of important and excellent advice.  Please read it carefully and share it with your daughter. As he said, retching is very bad for the wrap.  I'm guessing that she's not chewing her food enough (tiny bites and chew, chew, chew) and it's getting held up at the wrap site.  Please contact your surgeon and let him know what's happening.  If she's having nausea, be sure to get some anti-nausea drugs to keep on hand.  She should always have them now that she's wrapped.  I had the surgery a little over four years ago, and I always make sure I have anti-nausea drugs, just in case I get a stomach virus.

This recovery can't be rushed.  It gets better, but her body will takes its own sweet time.  If your daughter can go with the flow and listen to her body, she'll do just fine.  She's in the roughest part of the recovery now. 

Hang in there!

Denise

Thank you everyone for your advice all your posts were very helpfull
My daughter is doing much better today I know to keep the Zofran close we don't even go accords the street without it now. The warm liquids helped a lot thank you Bill
I'm sure I will have more ? As the healing continues and thanks to this site I don't feel alone THANK YOU!!!!
I also told my daughters Dr. about this site to give to her other patients I hope she will