Sickness after surgery

If I can say anything consistent about being a post-op RNY patient, it's that there's always something new to contend with right around the corner. And since in life, timing is everything, this latest eye-opener came right on the heels of my exciting and reaffirming experience speaking at the Bariatric Conference.

I was looking forward to celebrating my one year surgiversary on December 7th, but the night before I got sick. After a long day at work, I went home and collapsed on the couch with extreme dizziness and a high fever, followed by vomiting. Now for those of you unfamiliar with the gastric bypass procedure, vomiting is a scary prospect. Not only is my stomach much smaller than the norm, thereby limiting my ability to take in an appropriate amount of nourishment to fight off whatever bug is causing it, but replenishing the fluids I've lost through vomiting is a huge issue. I can only take in about a cup of food or liquid at a time, and with rapid loss of fluid, dehydration is a potentially life-threatening risk. In fact, when completing the pre-op education classes necessary to have the surgery, I was warned again and again that if I vomited for more than a day, I needed to get to the clinic to preserve my health. There were stories of other post-op patient deaths that were a direct result of dehydration, and they didn't need to convince me how very important staying hydrated is to an RNY patient. 

So, the next day, off I went to my family doctor to get checked out. I have nothing but praise for my fantastic GP. Despite being new to gastric bypass, he's always well informed and listens to my concerns as they relate to my new lifestyle and eating abilities. He was equally as concerned about my fluid levels with vomiting as I was and he set to work to rule out his main concerns: bacterial meningitis, c-difficile and H1N-strains of the flu. He was able to positively diagnose a viral infection, and he explained to me that rest was my absolute best ally in the fight to get well.

Quite honestly, before surgery, the whole "rest and get well" thing kind of went in one ear and out the other with me, as I'm sure it does with most people. Yes, we get sick, but very often we still go to work, we still keep up with our daily lives, and we don't take enough time to give our bodies a chance to rest. As a result, it can take 2 to 3 times longer to recover from a common illness like a cold or the flu, and we tend to feel miserable (not to mention exhausted) for weeks.  But I'm glad that my doctor explained the difference for RNY patients. Without the stomach capacity or duodenum to adequately digest and absorb nutrients, our bodies' only defense is to rest. When rest can't keep up with illness and dehydration sets in, IV fluids are generally needed. This is no joke. And in the past year, if I've learned anything, it's that my health is paramount and I refuse to take it lightly.

That being said, the first week home was hard for me. Besides being a sitting duck for an infection that was ravaging my systems (I even developed infected gums and cuticles), I found it hard to sit still. Even as a sickie, my post-op energy was getting the best of me. After 6 days, Monday rolled around and I was chomping at the bit to get back to work. Bad idea. On my way out the door to go to work Monday morning, the dizziness and vomiting returned with a vengeance. No work for me, and a trip back to my doctor, who was not pleased that I had tried to rush the process. Now, I'm pretty thick-headed, but I think this one actually got through. Even with my new body, with all of its new abilities, I still can't cheat illness.

My doctor ordered me off work until next Tuesday, and I plan on taking his advice. My only trip out of the house was to Indigo to stock up on must-read new releases, and I'm expecting a visit from my wonderful sister this weekend (who has graciously volunteered to clean my house for the holidays - no doubt to put a stop to my whining about it, lol). I was also thrilled to get a visit from my friend and co-worker Jenn yesterday, who delivered a delicious batch of homemade chicken soup to my door, along with a group get well soon card from my team at work. Needless to say, I feel extremely lucky to have such caring people looking out for me.

So I leave you with this thought. Whether you're post-op patient, a pre-op patient, or just your average Joe, please take care of yourself this season. There's nothing heroic about going to work sick or exhausting yourself when you're feeling terrible. Be gentle with yourself and your body will thank you with good health all year.