8 week post Surgery Checkup

Now, I know it's been ages since I posted anything on here but what can I say,  I'm LAZY! And I have a 6 month old baby who generally takes up most of my time, but mostly I'm lazy.
Yesterday (13th Feb) I saw my surgeon for the first time since he removed my stomach eight weeks ago. Can't believe it's only been eight weeks, it feels like I have had no stomach forever.
The appointment was super quick.
He asked how I was feeling, if I have any light headedness after eating, any other symptoms of dumping, all of which I answered no. He was happy and jokingly said he should use me as an example of how well this surgery can work for someone.
He then checked out my scar, he said it looked like it was done healing, but was still quite raised, so hopefully it wouldn't become too hypertrophic. I asked if there was anything I could do to prevent that happening and he said it could be treated with steroid cream or injections. But I don't really care about the scar, I actually quite like it. I then told him that I have more problems drinking enough fluid (makes me feel sick) than I do eating enough food. He said that was interesting.
Now it was my turn to ask some questions...
Since the surgery I had accumulated so many questions to ask the doctor, but when I got there I barely remembered any of them, so I highly recommend keeping a notebook or diary or something to jot down any thing that pops into your head on a day to day basis.
These were the questions I asked him...

Can I take anti inflammatory medication like ibuprofen etc?
Answer: Yes, I wouldn't live on them but yes you can take them.

When can I start playing sport again, in particular basketball.
Answer: Now, just take it easy.

And that was it! Pathetic I know.
Other questions I should have asked.

Will I be able to have another baby and if so what will the complications be?
Although everything is going well at the moment could I have complications in the future?
Will I ever have a solid bowel movement again?
Will I start putting on more weight, or is my food processed in a way which prevents weight gain?
When will my stitches be dissolved?
Can I drink alcohol, or will I be completely wasted after one beer?
Do I have to have regular checks for cancer?
Did they lab find anything when they tested my stomach post surgery?
I'm sure there is more but once again I can't remember..
He said that doesn't have to see me again, but he will just one more time, maybe in 6 months, to see how I am doing. 
He then took me next door so he could tell some other doctors that I had a total gastrectomy with a hunt lawrence pouch and that I eat normal meals. They seemed surprised and my doctor seemed very happy about it, I think I am one of the lucky ones. The doctors he introduced me to were actually the ones I saw everyday during rounds when I was in hospital (they didn't remember me) One said he initially didn't recognise me because I looked so different.
Fair enough I looked like a mess when I was in hospital.
And that was my post opp 8 week checkup.

Throwing Up

Before I had my stomach removed I read an article someone had written about their experience living with a gastrecomy. In the article he said that since having the surgery he no longer had the apparatus to throw up and if he was sick everything just seemed to come out the other end. So naturally I thought that this was a normal consequence of having a gastrectomy and something that I would have to live with. However, much to my surprise when I was in hospital I discovered that I still have the ability to throw up! After surgery the doctors kept giving me anti nausea meds to make sure that I didn't vomit. They actually said that it was really important for me to try and avoid throwing up because it would put too much stress on the new digestive route that the surgeons had made me and the last thing I wanted was to bust a stitch. Not to mention the pain it would cause me, considering my abdominal muscles had been cut in half. Anyway a couple of days ago I ventured out of the house (a rare occurrence these days) to the mall with my sister. I felt like eating sushi which I've eaten a few times since my gastrectomy and had no problems with. To cut a long story short, I ate a piece of sushi while window shopping and I ate it way to fast and next thing I know I'm vomiting in a rubbish bin in front of a bunch of spectators that seemed like they weren't sure whether to look away or ask me if I was okay. It wasn't the type of vomiting where you make loud noises and there is so much force it comes out your nose. I just vomited once, the sushi came back up and about 30 seconds later I felt fine and carried on walking around the mall. Perhaps some people who have a gastrectomy can't vomit but now I know that I definitely can and it felt exactly the same as it did when I had a stomach. I'm actually really happy I can still vomit because as I said, 30 seconds after the sushi came back up I felt totally fine, just imagine if I wasn't able to throw it up. I would have just felt sick and not been able to do anything about it except wait for it to pass. Which would have really put a downer on my first real trip out of the house.

An actual regular size meal!

I think things have finally turned a corner for me! Last night I ate a regular size meal, about the size of what I was eating prior to my gastrectomy, and it didn't make me feel sick, or give me any other unpleasant side affects. The only thing I felt was a little bit full which was actually a nice sensation. I had silverbeet, carrots, home made fries and a small piece of steak. I thought that maybe this was some sort of fluke or freak accident so tonight I ate another large meal and it's been nearly two hours since I ate and I haven't had any side effects yet. HOW EXCITING! I really hope that this continues because I was starting to feel a little bit down in the dumps about everything. I would find myself lying around wondering if this was going to be my life from now on, constantly feeling nauseous and tired and not being able to eat what I want. So as I'm sure you can imagine actually being able to eat like a normal person has really cheered me up and I hope that things will only get better from here, it has only been three weeks after all. Oh and while I am talking about eating I know in my last post I said I'd let you know how the cheese burger went down and I've got to say that I really don't think that cheese burgers are the type of food that were intended to be chewed so thoroughly. By the time I had finishing chewing, it tasted so gross that I didn't even want to swallow it. I find the same thing happens with meat, you have to chew it up so much that it ends up tasting similar to what I'd expect cat food to taste like. Lucky I am not a big meat eater.

3 weeks post suregery

It's been exactly three weeks since I had my gastrectomy, and I'd like to say that things are getting back to normal but it's still much of the same. My incision site has stopped leaking serous fluid (if it doesn't leak out it can build up under the skin and then requires a trip to the doctor to get it drained) and is healing nicely, it still hurts though and often makes sleeping uncomfortable. I am eating pretty well, and usually eat whatever I want (just very slowly in small quantities). I ignored the advice to avoid sugar and had brandy snaps with cream and strawberries last night. I am happy to report that it didn't cause me any pain or dumping symptoms, i think it helps that I make sure I never eat sweet food on an empty tummy (or should I be saying empty intestine?)  Most days I don't get much stomach pain but I quite often feel nauseous after eating, which really sucks. I've found that if I lie down and try to sleep the nausea normally goes away. I am still really tired all the time and have at least two naps during the day. Everyone has told me that I won't feel hungry or have much of an appetite, but I feel the opposite. I don't feel hunger in the traditional sense it's more like my whole body is screaming at me to eat something, it's worse than feeling hungry and I hate it! I find that it's worst in the morning. I've been wondering If I should try having a snack in the night so I don't wake up feeling so awful. I also get headaches, which I presume is from low blood sugar. Another thing I've experienced is an unquenchable thirst, I find myself wanting to drink big glasses of water but can only ever manage small sips or I feel too sick. Most things I've read advise not to drink and eat at the same time but i find that drinking a little while eating helps me chew the food easier. Chewing everything to mush is hard work and a little liquid just helps to get it a bit more mushier, especially if you are eating meat. I'm going to have a cheese burger for dinner tonight so I'll keep you posted on how that goes down, literally.

Happy New Year!

It's the 1st of January 2012 and it's nearly three weeks since I had my stomach removed (total gastrectomy). I decided to start this blog because since having my surgery I have found it incredibly hard to find any helpful information about how having no stomach is going to affect my life, especially when it comes to eating. When I was in hospital I saw a dietitian who gave me a piece of paper detailing things that I should eat and how I should eat, but so far that piece of paper has proved pretty unhelpful. The info is often contradicting  saying things like avoid sugar and fat but then tells me to eat sweets and chocolate for the extra calories, and add butter to everything? Kinda confusing. The doctors also gave me some advice, and although they obviously know a lot about gastrectomies from a medical point of view, in reality none of them have ever had a gastrectomy so there is only so much they can help me with. Prior to my surgery I had the opportunity to speak to a lovely lady who has also undergone a full gastrectomy and the information she gave me proved to be invaluable. So far she has been able to tell me more than even my doctors about what living with a gastrectomy is like. So far, I have figured out that you just have to take it day by day and see what works for you. Most days I eat what ever I want, and apart from some nausea it hasn't caused me to much grief. I was so terrified the first time I ate, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would I feel the stitches joining my esophagus to my small intestines, would it hurt, would I vomit.... The first thing I ate was yogurt, 3 days post surgery and I felt nothing, I was honestly a little disappointed! Since then eating has become easier and easier. The first few weeks I would often experience quite severe pain, predominantly on the lower left hand side of my abdomen, which I later found out is where your small intestine fills up. Now that things are nearly healed as long as I eat slowly and chew my food I don't experience too much pain. Last night I ate grilled venison, salad, coleslaw and potato salad and felt fine. The one thing I do feel after eating though, is exhausted!! At the moment eating makes me very sleepy, I'm sure that will improve though once I'm healed. My would site is starting to feel tight which apparently means everything is knitting back together well. Hopefully my abdominal muscles will stop hurting soon cause, sneezing, coughing and even laughing hurt so much it feels like I'm going to rip  in half. My lack of abs also makes it rather hard to pick up my 5 month old daughter. Anyway I really hope that you find this blog useful, I wish I had a something like this to read before I had my surgery because I really had no idea what to expect and to be honest I still don't I am still taking every day as it comes.

The Surgery...

PRE - ADMISSION
About a week before the scheduled surgery date I went to the hospital for pre-admission. Basically this is where they make sure that you are actually fit for surgery. First of all I had an ECG to make sure my heart was okay, it took all of about 5 minutes. Then I met with an anesthetist where he asked me if I had any drug allergies and if I'd undergone general anesthesia before (which I had twice; once for a broken arm and again when I got my tonsils out) Then we discussed different types anesthesia he said that an epidural was common for this kind of surgery, where they would insert a needle in my spinal cavity and make me numb from my chest to my waist. After this I had some bloodtests and they checked my blood type just in case I needed a blood transfusion, then I saw a nurse who told me what would happen on surgery day, where to go, and instructions on what I could eat the night before (no food from midnight, but I could drink water up to an hour before surgery). Finally I saw a surgeon (not my one) who explained the procedure (total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y hip oesophagojejunostomy with Hunt Lawrence pouch) and went over the possible risks and got me to sign a consent form. It all took about two hours and I went home with a lot of pamphlets about a whole bunch of stuff that I never bothered reading.

SURGERY DAY
On surgery day I had to be at the hospital at 7am. I woke up at 6am fed my 4 month old baby had a shower packed my pajamas and went to the hospital. At this stage I don't think the enormity of the whole thing had sunk in. When I got to the hospital I was taken by an orderly to the ORDA (operation room day admissions) lounge where a nurse checked all my details and then directed me to a changing room where I put on a gown with a nice bit slit in the back and some super sexy anti embolism stockings (FYI don't shave or wax your legs before surgery because the stockings are so tight that your hair grows back under your skin!)

THE ANETHETIST
My anesthetist then came and met with me to talk about what would happen, we started talking about the anesthetic propofol (which he would use on me) I said 'oh yeah that's one that killed Michael Jackson' he laughed and said yes. He then went on to tell me a story about his friend, also an anesthetist who testified at the trial of MJ's doctor Conrad Murray. He provided some sort of evidence related to algorithms for administering anesthetic he said most of the people at the trial didn't get it (I didn't). But he said that Doctor Murray broke the most important rule when administering anesthesia to patients - NEVER leave them alone. Anyway he was a very funny guy he reminded me of Tim Allen from home improvement. After our in depth discussion about MJ we discussed the option of me getting an epidural. He basically said that a full gastrectomy is one of the most painful operations a person can have and 'you'll know about it if you don't have an epidural' he then cracked up laughing. I was sold and signed up for an epidural. I then signed some more forms and then went back to the waiting room.

THE OPERATING ROOM
It wasn't long and my surgeon and my nurse came out to tell me it was time to go. I kissed my boyfriend goodbye jumped in the wheelchair (they don't let you walk) and away I went. Once I was in the operating room it hit me that i was about to have major surgery and all of a sudden i was terrified. The room was so sterile (probably a good thing) and big but it had barely anything in it except a table for me to lie on. I thought to myself shit they are gonna cut me wide open, I'm going to be lying here with all my insides out and when or even if I wake up I am going to be missing one of my major organs, one I had grown quite accustomed to over the last 30 years. The fear I had was compounded by the fact that my anesthetist was having a lot of trouble getting needles into my veins for the IV lines. He kept saying that my veins were hiding from him, I didn't blame them considering the needles were the size of chopsticks. Because it was proving q decided that he would knock me out and then put them in cos it would be easier. Then it was time for the epidural back which carries it's on risks - what if I end up paralysed!? During all of this I couldn't hold back the tears I honestly wondered if I was going to die. I couldn't even wipe the tears away because of all the stuff attached to my arms. I lay down on the table they put a mask on my face and that's the last thing I remember. The surgery took about 4 hours.

THE RECOVERY ROOM
The next thing I remember was being wheeled down a hallway in the most excruciating pain I'd ever experienced. It really did feel like someone had cut me open and ripped out my insides, which in a round-a-bout way I guess they had. I don't remember too much but I'm pretty sure I was screaming. Someone kept saying my name, Kara, Kara, Kara over and over I guess they were trying to get me to calm down but I wasn't having a bar of it I just kept screaming. That's really all I remember, then I woke up in recovery with some nurse putting morphine into my arm. I think I drifted in and out of sleep for a while but when I finally woke up and was coherent enough to figure out where I was I wasn't in much pain and apart from all the different tubes sticking out of me I felt pretty normal. The nurse offered me water to drink but I initially said no because in my head I imagined the water squirting out of the new join around my esophagus and small intestine, however an hour or so later I did have some sips of water, I was expecting excruciating pain, or at least I was expecting to feel something, some sort of hint at what had just happened to my insides but to my surprise I felt nothing, no pain no water squirting out, it was as if nothing had happened. I then spent an hour or so just laying around waiting till they had a room for me in a ward, during this time I was probably the most coherent person in the room and I noticed that recovery is quite an odd place, full of people at their weakest being comforted by total strangers. It took two nurses to put the teeth of the old lady next to me back in and the grown man on the other side of me couldn't stop crying. When people are that wasted on drugs it's like everyone is a kid again who just need reassurance. A few hours later I was up in the ward in my very own room! YAY!