Still VERY swollen after SECOND (emergency) surgery - thoughts?

[dragonfly11]

Hi all, some of you know I had my original gastric bypass 12/4, never felt "right," and was back in for emergency surgery this past Saturday. The first surgery, I packed on 17 lbs. of gas/fluids in the hospital, but lost it all in about 8-9 days. This second surgery, I put 16 lbs. back on, but have only lost 2 of those pounds in nearly a week. My feet, ankles, even stomach all look and feel very swollen. Any thoughts?

 

[Pat99]

Dragonfly-If you were on IV fluids then it's probably fluid retention. I gained a whopping 24 lbs. of fluids during my 4 day hospital stay. My legs, ankles and feet were so swollen that I couldn't bend my knees. If you don't start losing the excess fluids give the doc a call for a short term prescription dieuritic.

 

[dragonfly11]

I ended up in the ER...again! It has not been an easy recovery, I can say that. They were worried about a blood clot, but all is well. I'm still swollen, but home and happy to be here!! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, everyone!

 

[darkpoeticangel]

What is your doctor saying about this? 24 pounds is a lot.

 

[Pat99]

Dragonfly-Yep, I was sent for an ultrasound of my legs when I gained all of that water weight because I was complaining of pain. I knew the pain was from the edema but the doc insisted that I go for the testing just to be sure. As you know the pain from swollen legs can be terrible. Glad everything worked out for you. Hopefully you are on the road to recovery

 

[Pat99]

What is your doctor saying about this? 24 pounds is a lot.

Sent me for an ultrasound to make sure it wasn't a blood clot then had me take dieuretics. Anyone prone to edema will retain large amounts of fluids from the IV if the drip is fast enough. Almost everyone gains a few pounds from the IV fluids after WLS. They do this on purpose to make sure you stay hydrated for the first couple of days home because they know you won't be drinking as much as you should. The 24 pounds was extreme and is by no means "normal" to be sent home with. Someone wasn't monitoring me properly even though I started complaining about the swelling on day 2. One nurse would come in and speed up the IV drip, another would come in and slow it down then the doc would come in and practically shut it off and then it would start all over again when the shift change happened. I even shut the machine off a couple of times but I would get busted when the alarm would go off *LOL* Since I only slept about 2 hours in 4 days (not counting recovery) I didn't miss much of what was going on.

 

[penelope]

Dragonfly, you need a big hug!

I am sorry that you've been through the wringer! I'm glad you're home again. I honestly think that if you can handle drinking water, the more you get in, the more it comes out. Your poor body has been through two major surgeries! In less than 2 weeks! Give yourself some slack.

Take care and have a wonderful Christmas with your family!

 

[dragonfly11]

Thanks, everyone. Yes, I keep reminding myself that I've had TWO very major surgeries in such a short amount of time. Today I feel a bit better...just tired. Trying to look forward to Christmas and get out of my funk (feeling quite down).