Having Partial Wrap 15th May 2013

DAY 6.......Much better today!!!  HOORAY!!!! Have eaten more today than any other day!!! 1/2 cup of porriage and yoghurt for breaky (Vitamised)......1/2 cup of mashed potato and gravy for lunch.....and have just had a small cup of tea with a milk arrowroot biscuit (Dipped in tea and made very soggy) am still keeeping sizes to really small helpings. I have lost about 9lbs since last Wednesday, but that is a plus as I could easily afford to loose this and some more!! As we weigh in Kilos I have to calculate it back to lbs.....Have lost 4 kilos  (2.2lbs = 1kilo)

All of my incisions have healed up nicely!! (5 in all) Quite a bit of bruising still around the area.

Oh and at long last I finally went to the toilet today!!!  What a relief!! After taking lots of medicine, Movicol, Senakot, Pear juice etc.....finally, finally sucess!!! I am now looking forward...No looking back!!!  Positive, Positive, Positive!!!!

Believe & Receive.......By His Stripes I Am Healed!!!!

Hi Sandy,

I'm very glad you finally got some anti-nausea drugs!  Sometimes the assault on the stomach during surgery is enough to set off nausea until things get healed  That's one of the reasons we're always recommending anti-nausea drugs after surgery.  You don't want to heave, as it could cause harm to your healing wrap.  That's why I don't understand surgeons.  You would think they'd want their work protected so they can have a positive result.

Oh well...you've got them now.  Still, it's too bad you had to suffer to get them!

Hang in there..it gets better!

Denise

Hi Andy 1986 I'm sorry I missed your thoughts yesterday...I'm not sure what ppis stands for???? Could you clarify please? Thanks

Believe & Receive........By His Stripes I Am Healed! AMEN

 Thanks Denise...I will...regards Sandy

Believe & Receive...By His Stripes I Am Healed!!

Sandy

PPI stands for proton pump inhibitor, it is the name of the drugs they use to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach, things like Nexium and omeprazole.

DAY 9...... .......Great day today....I believe I'm over the worst of it. Have had 3 great days in a row!!! Am eating most foods just mashed, not vitamised! Went to my Ladies Coffee & Cake night tonight.....Had decafe tea and a small portion of  cake like pudding with sauce...went down well but was very sweet so didn't eat all of it. Taking just one Stematil at bedtime...seems to stop nausea for the following day. Also taking Panadol minis 2 maybe twice a day. Am feeling really good and are going down to the Gold Coast tomorrow.....Its only about 40 minutes via highway about 40 klms (30 miles)   

Can anyone tell me why we shouldn't drink coffee after this op??? I'd really like to know as I would really love a coffee!!! I believe I've read somewhere about coffee......Is decafe coffee ok???? Some responses to this question would be great!!

Well I haven't got much to report as I'm doing so well!! Thanks for all your well wishes and support......will keep writing here anyway........... hopefully with stilll good results!!!

Believe & Receive......By His Stripes I Am Healed!!  AMEN!!

Hi Sandy,

Great news!  I'm glad to hear your recovery is sailing along smoothly.  Don't be surprised if you get some wrap swelling coming on in the next week or so.  Some people aren't bothered by it, but most are.  Hopefully you'll be one who skips over that little bump in the road.  Thanks for sharing your recovery with others here!  It will be very helpful to many, I'm sure.

Happy healing!

Denise

DAYS..13...14...15...16...Well here I am again!!      I have been really well...I can't say I have much to report except good things!! Have had hardly any pain except a little still now and again in my left shoulder. I have been doing some of the household chores like a little vacuuming, hanging out the washing on  low line, cooking, making beds etc Have been out to do grocery shopping (my husband carries it) and today went to have my hair PERMED( body waved!!)  Am feeling so good and am back to eating almost anything. I am a little tender around the incision under the left ribs but that is all. Not really anything to worry about.

I would really recommend this operation to those needing this surgery!!  Don't be afraid....Its nowhere near as bad as you think!!

   WARNING:       MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A REPUTABLE SURGEON WHO KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING!!  MAKE SURE HE IS A SPECIALIST IN THIS FIELD!! DON'T LET ANYONE ELSE OPERATE ON YOU!! ONLY A SPECIALIST!!

 I BELIEVE MY SURGERY WAS A GREAT SUCCESS DUE TO

 NO.1.....THE SURGEON I HAD (THIS IS HIS SPECIALITY ALONG WITH GASTRIC BANDING)

 NO 2.....A POSSITIVE ATTITUDE

 NO 3.....MY BELIEF IN GOD

 IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DO SO, I WOULD BE PLEASED TO ANSWER THEM!

BELIEVE & RECEIVE!......BY HIS STRIPES I AM HEALED!!  AMEN 

Hi Denise, thanks again for your reply. I think you need to have a positive attitude in todays world or you would have trouble surviving. With all the doom & gloom on the media, you need something on your side!! One of my favourite sayings is the definition of fear.
F..........FALSE
E..........EVIDENCE
A..........APPEARING
R..........REAL
I also like the one you have been signing off with........WORRY PRETENDS TO BE NECESSARY BUT SERVES NO USEFUL PURPOSE!!
thanks again...regards

Believe & Receive!...By His Stripes I Am Healed!! AMEN!!

DAY 17-22......Well I haven't been back on here for a while.....Things were still going great until about day 19 when I did something rather stupid. Because I felt so well, and I wasn't thinking, I stupidly carried 2 bags of groceries to the car from the shop.      That night when I turned over in bed it was like a knife stabbing me in the major incision area. This went on for 3 days and has now stopped. The day after this happened I woke up with a major attack of reflux which lasted all day long. Also had the feeling of a lump in my throat all that day. I don't know if this series of things were connected but I would be happy if someone could tell me. I have taken my reflux meds again for the last few days so they have fixed the reflux. I plan to stop taking them again in a couple of days time.

I've read on this forum about the major swelling from this op comes somewhere around 2 weeks after the op. I wonder if the lump in the throat feeling was this??  Can anyone tell me what it feels like??? I only felt like this for 1 day but I did go back to liquid diet for that day and it helped.

I will be much more careful in the future not to lift anything!!  Its crazy when you feel so good that you just don't think about what could happen. I sincerely hope I didn't do any damage to my wrap. I have my first follow up with my surgeon on the 17th of this month...11 days time so here's hoping all is well!!! Apart from that I still feel great!!  The hardest thing for me is resting as I am always on the go and I find it really hard to be sitting around and RESTING!!! I guess this is a test for me to have some patience which I don't have much of. Well I will just have to learn won't I??

BELIEVE & RECEIVE!!.......BY HIS STRIPES I AM HEALED!!

Hi Sandy,

Sorry about no response...my life has been extra busy lately.  My son is getting married on Aug. 3, and I'm having a bridal shower for his fiancée tomorrow.  I also tutor 5 students, babysit my two and a half year old grandson and six month old granddaughter two long days a week , and work in my son's third grade classroom one day a week.  That's my excuse!

You have been feeling so well that I've worried you were going to overdo it.  Maybe you'll have to tie a string around your finger, or put up signs around your house to remind yourself that you've had MAJOR SURGERY and need to take it easy for a while!

Yes, lump/discomfort is likely from the swelling, and it sounds as if you've irritated the wrap area with your over-active high-energy, can't sit down personality!  Even the reflux feelings could be due to swelling and irritation.  Yes, the peak swelling period is on or about Day 14, but it varies for everyone.

You were wise to back off your eating and go back to liquids if your wrap felt uncomfortable.  Baby yourself for a while, eat extra-carefully, and NO LIFTING!  I was told to lift nothing weighing more than a gallon of milk.  You can use that as a guide for yourself.

I hope things are getting back to normal again for you.  Hang in there!

Best wishes,

Denise

Hi Sandy,

I know it wasn't intended for me...I just felt badly that I hadn't responded. And no...people aren't bored with your journal.  I'm sure it's a very encouraging and welcome relief from some of the scary and difficult posts that they read.  While most who recover quickly and easily don't bother to spend time sharing their experiences, you've been kind enough to allow others to see a positive Nissen experience.

That's one of the reasons I stuck around.  There aren't enough people online who have positive experiences.  Most are having problems and looking for answers.  Most of the time these problems will resolve with healing, but they still need support and information as they make their way through recovery.

Have a great day, and take it easy!

Best wishes,

Denise

Well its 2 months after my wrap!!  I have still continued to heal well...Am back doing everything I used to do. I do have a question though.... The one thing that this has left me with is excessive flatulence!!  Is this normal???  I can still burp and all but I have a huge amount of excess gas which I didn't have before the op.  I also now have a lot more trouble keeping regular and used to be once a day like clockwork.  I can past wind up to 50 times a day........never happened before!!  Please answer if you have experienced this..........thanks.

Believe & receive!  By His stripes I am Healed!!  AMEN