Suggestions
Although it has been a while since my first and only post, I have been reading every single day and all of you going through this struggle have been in my thoughts and prayers. I come with a couple questions today. My mother is post Esophagectomy 13 days. She had the invasive procedure here in Canada and has been recovering very well. She was discharged from the Hospital on Tuesday of this week and has been resting at home since. Her surgeon was very pleased with the way the surgery went and we are currently waiting pathology results to find out whether Post Op chemo will be necessary. Here’s hoping it is not. Although her text book recovery is going quite well, her spirits are very low. I think she is feeling as though she might have bit off more that she can chew so to speak. I was just wondering if anyone had any advice as to how to help a loved one cope with all that is going on. The pain from the surgery, the waiting for the results from Pathology, and the emotional exhaustion that comes along with all of this?
Maybe these are silly questions personal experience is all I’m really looking for. For anyone who has gone through this I was also wondering when life starts to feel normal again after surgery. I know 13 days is far too soon but if I could share with her some other people’s experiences I think it might help her deal with the coming days a bit easier.
Thank you to all who take the time to read and/or respond to my post.
Thoughts and prayers to all.
Comments
-
welcome back, fellow Canadian
Glad to see you back... this is a very stressful time for both you and your mom. Glad the surgery went well. You never told us who your surgeon was. Hope it was Dr Fortin, we loved her when we met her for staging.
Have you been getting any assistance from CCAC? They would probably be able to send someone over for counselling. They also do home care, whatever you may need. They are sending VON over for hydration, then next week feeding tube care then after that pain management team will come in. They did ask us about depression, so I'm assuming they must have resources to help people deal with those issues.
Sorry that I can't offer any more suggestions, the feeling of helplessness and anger can be overwhelming. Just be there for her, try to have some fun with her, even if it's just laughing over memories of past events, watching movies, walks if she's able. Sometimes we just need to be distracted, to remember that there is life outside of cancer
Be well,
Chantal0 -
Hi Chantal,Daisylin said:welcome back, fellow Canadian
Glad to see you back... this is a very stressful time for both you and your mom. Glad the surgery went well. You never told us who your surgeon was. Hope it was Dr Fortin, we loved her when we met her for staging.
Have you been getting any assistance from CCAC? They would probably be able to send someone over for counselling. They also do home care, whatever you may need. They are sending VON over for hydration, then next week feeding tube care then after that pain management team will come in. They did ask us about depression, so I'm assuming they must have resources to help people deal with those issues.
Sorry that I can't offer any more suggestions, the feeling of helplessness and anger can be overwhelming. Just be there for her, try to have some fun with her, even if it's just laughing over memories of past events, watching movies, walks if she's able. Sometimes we just need to be distracted, to remember that there is life outside of cancer
Be well,
Chantal
I've been
Hi Chantal,
I've been watching for updates from you guys. Glad to hear that Lee has decided to take another go at the Chemo. Hopefully once the hydration gets going he'll feel stronger to deal with the rest of it.
Our Surgeon is Dr. Inculet. He has been wonderful. They have a really good Doctor Patient Relationship which is so important to her. There is a VON coming into the house every other day and Homecare aswell. That will continue for quite sometime because as soon as she's well enough they will be taking out her kidney.
She mentioned something about a social worker coming in so maybe thats for the anxiety and depression side of things.
I'll be heading out there after work today maybe some mother daughter time will help.
Did you get a date for Lee to go in to have the J-Tube put in? hopefully sooner rather than later.
Thinking of you both!0 -
At this point time is the best medicine
AlexM,
I am 63 years old. I had an Ivor Lewis procedure (the "invasive" procedure) in December of 2009. I know at this point your mother is probably wondering if she is ever going to feel well again. Her incisions hurt, she gets tired after just brushing her teeth and getting dressed in the morning, and eating has become this unpredictable adventure. It can be very frustrating at first, but please tell her it does get better.
I am sure the wait for the pathology report is stressful as well.
Some things to focus on:
1. She was a candidate for surgery and has completed surgery with no major complications. A wonderful accomplishment!!
I was not so lucky, I got an infection in both of my incisions and that extended my hospital stay and healing time.
2. If her surgeon is pleased with the outcome I assume that means she had clear margins around the tumor site and no unexpected metastasis.
3. Even if the pathology were to show some stray cells in one or more of the lymph nodes removed it is important to remember that those nodes are now out of her body.
I had one lymph node with stray cells identified in my pathology report. I did follow up chemotherapy. I will not try to suggest it was easy or fun but it was survivable and I have had clear scans since then.
4. She will feel better and she will be back to doing the things she enjoys and eating the things she enjoys in time. She will have some life style changes required but nothing that can't be tolerated.
So how long will this take?
Of course each person's recovery if different based on age, other health issues, support systems available, and ATTITUDE.
But here is my experience:
The first three weeks out of the hospital consisted of migrating from my bed to the couch with a few short trips around the house for exercise. My incisions were still sore and I was taking oxycodone for pain for the first week. After the first week I switched from oxycodone to Tylinol because oxycodone made my drowsy. I think the first two weeks I slept much of the time. I had a “J-Tube” feeding tube and was augmenting my very small meals with 12 hour formula feedings through the J-Tube. My meals consisted primarily of soft foods like cream of wheat, sugar free pudding, soup, and other solid food that had been puréed in a blender. I found I got tired very quickly and was rather depressed.
I think some light depression is normal at this point, my body had been through a very traumatic event and I was beginning to wonder what my future life style will be like.
Two documents that were particularly helpful to me at this point were a guide for foods to eat and foods to avoid:
http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/Esophagectomy.pdf
And a guide on how to avoid “Dumping Syndrome”:
http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/DumpingSynDiet.pdf
I took some experimentation and life style changes to get used to my new digestive system. But things started to get remarkably better after about two months.
When I went back for my one month follow up visit with my surgeon I was starting to feel a bit better but still got tired very quickly and long car trips and extended walking was still difficult. I had to learn to be patient with myself and accept that I needed to listen to my body. I was rewarded with having my feeding tube removed on my one month visit because my surgeon agreed that I was eating enough to maintain my weight with regular meals.
At this point I was eating very small meals about 8 times a day. For example breakfast would consist of one scrambled egg and half a bagel, lunch would be half a sandwich, and dinner would be a small portion of chicken with mashed potatoes and applesauce. Interspersed with those meals were lots of snacks that consisted of yogurt, sugar free pudding, crackers and peanut butter, etc…
I started follow up chemotherapy shortly after my one month follow up visit with the surgeon. Of course chemotherapy has its own set to challenges and life style adjustments so I won’t spend any time on that unless your mother has to cross that bridge. I would say that follow up chemo slowed my recovery down by about three months both in terms of energy and weight gain.
I should note that I went to surgery weighing 150 pounds and I came out of the hospital weighing about 135 pounds. At one point during my follow up chemotherapy I was down as low as 118 pounds. I have now stabilized at about 130 pounds. I am about 5’ 5” tall.
On my two month follow up visit with my surgeon I was feeling stronger but was still struggling with some eating issues. It is difficult to tell if this was the surgery or the side effects of chemo but I will still having occasional bouts of diarrhea after eating. I found that Lomotil helped but I was wary of eating away from home particularly if I did not know what was on the menu. I started walking about a mile a day at this point. I found getting outside and getting some exercise helped my appetite, my mood, and my ability to rest.
At six months my eating issues were pretty much behind me. I was eating about anything I wanted with some notable exceptions that I will describe later but I was still eating small meals about 7 times a day. I was walking about two miles a day for exercise and I started playing a little bit of golf (my favorite hobby) but got tired after nine holes or so. (About 2 and a half hours if you are not familiar with golf)
At one year I would say I was completely back to my “new normal” self.
I eat all the things I like with the exception it things that are high in sugar content. Anything high in sugar causes me to have a dumping syndrome episode. But I have found low sugar or no sugar substitutes for almost everything I like. For instance I find that EDY’s frozen yogurt makes an excellent substitute for ice cream.
I walk about 4 miles a day for exercise and I am back to playing golf several times a week.
My “lifestyle adjustments” are:
1. No sugar
2. Replace simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates (e.g. brown rice, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta…..etc..)
3. Rest at least 30 minutes after eating a full meal
4. Eat small meals frequently (approximately 7 times a day)
5. Sleep with my chest elevated above my abdomen (some people use a wedge to sleep on, I purchased an adjustable bed)
6. Chew all food thoroughly and eat slowly. I put my fork down between mouthfuls to slow myself down. I make sure I swallow the food in my mouth before picking up the next fork full.
7. Take life one day at a time. I have learned only God has control and I thank him for the gift of each day.
I hope some of the suggestions are helpful. I know you mother feels like she is at the beginning of an insurmountable journey. But please tell her it will get better. She needs to be kind to herself and listen to her body. Try to do a little more each day and celebrate small victories.
I hope she will be feeling much better soon.
Best Regards,
Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina
DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!0 -
Paul,paul61 said:At this point time is the best medicine
AlexM,
I am 63 years old. I had an Ivor Lewis procedure (the "invasive" procedure) in December of 2009. I know at this point your mother is probably wondering if she is ever going to feel well again. Her incisions hurt, she gets tired after just brushing her teeth and getting dressed in the morning, and eating has become this unpredictable adventure. It can be very frustrating at first, but please tell her it does get better.
I am sure the wait for the pathology report is stressful as well.
Some things to focus on:
1. She was a candidate for surgery and has completed surgery with no major complications. A wonderful accomplishment!!
I was not so lucky, I got an infection in both of my incisions and that extended my hospital stay and healing time.
2. If her surgeon is pleased with the outcome I assume that means she had clear margins around the tumor site and no unexpected metastasis.
3. Even if the pathology were to show some stray cells in one or more of the lymph nodes removed it is important to remember that those nodes are now out of her body.
I had one lymph node with stray cells identified in my pathology report. I did follow up chemotherapy. I will not try to suggest it was easy or fun but it was survivable and I have had clear scans since then.
4. She will feel better and she will be back to doing the things she enjoys and eating the things she enjoys in time. She will have some life style changes required but nothing that can't be tolerated.
So how long will this take?
Of course each person's recovery if different based on age, other health issues, support systems available, and ATTITUDE.
But here is my experience:
The first three weeks out of the hospital consisted of migrating from my bed to the couch with a few short trips around the house for exercise. My incisions were still sore and I was taking oxycodone for pain for the first week. After the first week I switched from oxycodone to Tylinol because oxycodone made my drowsy. I think the first two weeks I slept much of the time. I had a “J-Tube” feeding tube and was augmenting my very small meals with 12 hour formula feedings through the J-Tube. My meals consisted primarily of soft foods like cream of wheat, sugar free pudding, soup, and other solid food that had been puréed in a blender. I found I got tired very quickly and was rather depressed.
I think some light depression is normal at this point, my body had been through a very traumatic event and I was beginning to wonder what my future life style will be like.
Two documents that were particularly helpful to me at this point were a guide for foods to eat and foods to avoid:
http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/Esophagectomy.pdf
And a guide on how to avoid “Dumping Syndrome”:
http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/DumpingSynDiet.pdf
I took some experimentation and life style changes to get used to my new digestive system. But things started to get remarkably better after about two months.
When I went back for my one month follow up visit with my surgeon I was starting to feel a bit better but still got tired very quickly and long car trips and extended walking was still difficult. I had to learn to be patient with myself and accept that I needed to listen to my body. I was rewarded with having my feeding tube removed on my one month visit because my surgeon agreed that I was eating enough to maintain my weight with regular meals.
At this point I was eating very small meals about 8 times a day. For example breakfast would consist of one scrambled egg and half a bagel, lunch would be half a sandwich, and dinner would be a small portion of chicken with mashed potatoes and applesauce. Interspersed with those meals were lots of snacks that consisted of yogurt, sugar free pudding, crackers and peanut butter, etc…
I started follow up chemotherapy shortly after my one month follow up visit with the surgeon. Of course chemotherapy has its own set to challenges and life style adjustments so I won’t spend any time on that unless your mother has to cross that bridge. I would say that follow up chemo slowed my recovery down by about three months both in terms of energy and weight gain.
I should note that I went to surgery weighing 150 pounds and I came out of the hospital weighing about 135 pounds. At one point during my follow up chemotherapy I was down as low as 118 pounds. I have now stabilized at about 130 pounds. I am about 5’ 5” tall.
On my two month follow up visit with my surgeon I was feeling stronger but was still struggling with some eating issues. It is difficult to tell if this was the surgery or the side effects of chemo but I will still having occasional bouts of diarrhea after eating. I found that Lomotil helped but I was wary of eating away from home particularly if I did not know what was on the menu. I started walking about a mile a day at this point. I found getting outside and getting some exercise helped my appetite, my mood, and my ability to rest.
At six months my eating issues were pretty much behind me. I was eating about anything I wanted with some notable exceptions that I will describe later but I was still eating small meals about 7 times a day. I was walking about two miles a day for exercise and I started playing a little bit of golf (my favorite hobby) but got tired after nine holes or so. (About 2 and a half hours if you are not familiar with golf)
At one year I would say I was completely back to my “new normal” self.
I eat all the things I like with the exception it things that are high in sugar content. Anything high in sugar causes me to have a dumping syndrome episode. But I have found low sugar or no sugar substitutes for almost everything I like. For instance I find that EDY’s frozen yogurt makes an excellent substitute for ice cream.
I walk about 4 miles a day for exercise and I am back to playing golf several times a week.
My “lifestyle adjustments” are:
1. No sugar
2. Replace simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates (e.g. brown rice, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta…..etc..)
3. Rest at least 30 minutes after eating a full meal
4. Eat small meals frequently (approximately 7 times a day)
5. Sleep with my chest elevated above my abdomen (some people use a wedge to sleep on, I purchased an adjustable bed)
6. Chew all food thoroughly and eat slowly. I put my fork down between mouthfuls to slow myself down. I make sure I swallow the food in my mouth before picking up the next fork full.
7. Take life one day at a time. I have learned only God has control and I thank him for the gift of each day.
I hope some of the suggestions are helpful. I know you mother feels like she is at the beginning of an insurmountable journey. But please tell her it will get better. She needs to be kind to herself and listen to her body. Try to do a little more each day and celebrate small victories.
I hope she will be feeling much better soon.
Best Regards,
Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina
DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!
Thank you very much
Paul,
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to me with so much detail. I will print this off and be bringing it for my mother to read tonight!
Many thanks again this is VERY helpful.0 -
Thanks for the detailpaul61 said:At this point time is the best medicine
AlexM,
I am 63 years old. I had an Ivor Lewis procedure (the "invasive" procedure) in December of 2009. I know at this point your mother is probably wondering if she is ever going to feel well again. Her incisions hurt, she gets tired after just brushing her teeth and getting dressed in the morning, and eating has become this unpredictable adventure. It can be very frustrating at first, but please tell her it does get better.
I am sure the wait for the pathology report is stressful as well.
Some things to focus on:
1. She was a candidate for surgery and has completed surgery with no major complications. A wonderful accomplishment!!
I was not so lucky, I got an infection in both of my incisions and that extended my hospital stay and healing time.
2. If her surgeon is pleased with the outcome I assume that means she had clear margins around the tumor site and no unexpected metastasis.
3. Even if the pathology were to show some stray cells in one or more of the lymph nodes removed it is important to remember that those nodes are now out of her body.
I had one lymph node with stray cells identified in my pathology report. I did follow up chemotherapy. I will not try to suggest it was easy or fun but it was survivable and I have had clear scans since then.
4. She will feel better and she will be back to doing the things she enjoys and eating the things she enjoys in time. She will have some life style changes required but nothing that can't be tolerated.
So how long will this take?
Of course each person's recovery if different based on age, other health issues, support systems available, and ATTITUDE.
But here is my experience:
The first three weeks out of the hospital consisted of migrating from my bed to the couch with a few short trips around the house for exercise. My incisions were still sore and I was taking oxycodone for pain for the first week. After the first week I switched from oxycodone to Tylinol because oxycodone made my drowsy. I think the first two weeks I slept much of the time. I had a “J-Tube” feeding tube and was augmenting my very small meals with 12 hour formula feedings through the J-Tube. My meals consisted primarily of soft foods like cream of wheat, sugar free pudding, soup, and other solid food that had been puréed in a blender. I found I got tired very quickly and was rather depressed.
I think some light depression is normal at this point, my body had been through a very traumatic event and I was beginning to wonder what my future life style will be like.
Two documents that were particularly helpful to me at this point were a guide for foods to eat and foods to avoid:
http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/Esophagectomy.pdf
And a guide on how to avoid “Dumping Syndrome”:
http://www.upmc.com/HealthAtoZ/patienteducation/Documents/DumpingSynDiet.pdf
I took some experimentation and life style changes to get used to my new digestive system. But things started to get remarkably better after about two months.
When I went back for my one month follow up visit with my surgeon I was starting to feel a bit better but still got tired very quickly and long car trips and extended walking was still difficult. I had to learn to be patient with myself and accept that I needed to listen to my body. I was rewarded with having my feeding tube removed on my one month visit because my surgeon agreed that I was eating enough to maintain my weight with regular meals.
At this point I was eating very small meals about 8 times a day. For example breakfast would consist of one scrambled egg and half a bagel, lunch would be half a sandwich, and dinner would be a small portion of chicken with mashed potatoes and applesauce. Interspersed with those meals were lots of snacks that consisted of yogurt, sugar free pudding, crackers and peanut butter, etc…
I started follow up chemotherapy shortly after my one month follow up visit with the surgeon. Of course chemotherapy has its own set to challenges and life style adjustments so I won’t spend any time on that unless your mother has to cross that bridge. I would say that follow up chemo slowed my recovery down by about three months both in terms of energy and weight gain.
I should note that I went to surgery weighing 150 pounds and I came out of the hospital weighing about 135 pounds. At one point during my follow up chemotherapy I was down as low as 118 pounds. I have now stabilized at about 130 pounds. I am about 5’ 5” tall.
On my two month follow up visit with my surgeon I was feeling stronger but was still struggling with some eating issues. It is difficult to tell if this was the surgery or the side effects of chemo but I will still having occasional bouts of diarrhea after eating. I found that Lomotil helped but I was wary of eating away from home particularly if I did not know what was on the menu. I started walking about a mile a day at this point. I found getting outside and getting some exercise helped my appetite, my mood, and my ability to rest.
At six months my eating issues were pretty much behind me. I was eating about anything I wanted with some notable exceptions that I will describe later but I was still eating small meals about 7 times a day. I was walking about two miles a day for exercise and I started playing a little bit of golf (my favorite hobby) but got tired after nine holes or so. (About 2 and a half hours if you are not familiar with golf)
At one year I would say I was completely back to my “new normal” self.
I eat all the things I like with the exception it things that are high in sugar content. Anything high in sugar causes me to have a dumping syndrome episode. But I have found low sugar or no sugar substitutes for almost everything I like. For instance I find that EDY’s frozen yogurt makes an excellent substitute for ice cream.
I walk about 4 miles a day for exercise and I am back to playing golf several times a week.
My “lifestyle adjustments” are:
1. No sugar
2. Replace simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates (e.g. brown rice, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta…..etc..)
3. Rest at least 30 minutes after eating a full meal
4. Eat small meals frequently (approximately 7 times a day)
5. Sleep with my chest elevated above my abdomen (some people use a wedge to sleep on, I purchased an adjustable bed)
6. Chew all food thoroughly and eat slowly. I put my fork down between mouthfuls to slow myself down. I make sure I swallow the food in my mouth before picking up the next fork full.
7. Take life one day at a time. I have learned only God has control and I thank him for the gift of each day.
I hope some of the suggestions are helpful. I know you mother feels like she is at the beginning of an insurmountable journey. But please tell her it will get better. She needs to be kind to herself and listen to her body. Try to do a little more each day and celebrate small victories.
I hope she will be feeling much better soon.
Best Regards,
Paul Adams
McCormick, South Carolina
DX 10/22/2009 T2N1M0 Stage IIB
12/03/2009 Ivor Lewis
2/8 through 6/14/2010 Adjuvant Chemo Cisplatin, Epirubicin, 5 FU
6/21/2010 CT Scan NED
3/14/2011 CT Scan NED
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!
Paul,
Your information is very helpful. I know I have wondered what the future & and future diet holds for my husband. It's good to see that angle from someone who has gone before us.
Thanks!
Terry
wife of Nick, Stage 30 -
So pleased your mum'sDaisylin said:welcome back, fellow Canadian
Glad to see you back... this is a very stressful time for both you and your mom. Glad the surgery went well. You never told us who your surgeon was. Hope it was Dr Fortin, we loved her when we met her for staging.
Have you been getting any assistance from CCAC? They would probably be able to send someone over for counselling. They also do home care, whatever you may need. They are sending VON over for hydration, then next week feeding tube care then after that pain management team will come in. They did ask us about depression, so I'm assuming they must have resources to help people deal with those issues.
Sorry that I can't offer any more suggestions, the feeling of helplessness and anger can be overwhelming. Just be there for her, try to have some fun with her, even if it's just laughing over memories of past events, watching movies, walks if she's able. Sometimes we just need to be distracted, to remember that there is life outside of cancer
Be well,
Chantal
So pleased your mum's surgery went well. My husband, Alan had the Ivor Lewis surgery March 2010. His op also went well and he was home within 14 days on his 67th birthday. The June following his op he had to start Chemo and radiation as 7 lymph nodes proved positive. He was so weak that I wondered if he would stand all the treatment but he did. It was a very difficult time and apart from when we were at the hospital he spent his time asleep in bed and I would just take his meals into him other than when he couldn't eat due to the Chemo. He has always had quite a good appetite eating everything he wanted but just smaller meals and about 6/7 meals a day with no indigestion or reflux at all. He did sleep elevated though and still does.
I would say he really started to improve after 6 months and 9/12 his life was nearly back to normal but not quite as strong or energetic. But life is good and 2 months ago we had a lovely holiday in Spain and hopefully we will be going again in Oct. God willing. So please let your mum know that there is life after esophagectomy, just takes time.
But I remember the agony of waiting for the results of all the tests. it was mental torture as we waited through 3 months of tests to see if an op was possible so I know what you all go through whilst waiting and also the devastation if an op is not possible. My thoughts are with you all.
T3N1M0
Posting from England.
Ann (2)0 -
Hi, Paul gave a good
Hi, Paul gave a good summery, that most of us that have had the Ivor Lewis surgery experience.
Us women have a little different feelings. We were use to taking care of others and not having to be dependant on some one else. I never realized how indepentant I was, and I didn't like to sit back and let others do for me.This caused mild depression. I also couldn't bounce back as fast as I thought I should. I was extremely weak and it took time to regain my strength. One thing that helped--my daughter signed us both up at the gym. I started doing light strength exercizes. This helped my depression and helped me to start feeling normal again. It took months to feel strong again. I didn't have a feeding tube when I went home from the hospital ( think I should have had), so I beleive this also was a reason for my weakness.. I lost a lot of weight after surgery the drs. could not understand., But with the weight loss, I am healthier than I was before surgery.
It's been three years since surgery. I have learned to deal with my new stomach. Sometimes (like tonight) I will overeat and suffer pain for about twenty minutes. This doesn't happen often. We do learn by trial and era what to eat and how much.
Tell mom that what she is experiencing is normal, and she will start feeling better. This surgery is one of the worst and it has been a shock to the system, so it's understandable to be down.
Praying for good pathology results,
Sandra0 -
Hi Sandra,sandy1943 said:Hi, Paul gave a good
Hi, Paul gave a good summery, that most of us that have had the Ivor Lewis surgery experience.
Us women have a little different feelings. We were use to taking care of others and not having to be dependant on some one else. I never realized how indepentant I was, and I didn't like to sit back and let others do for me.This caused mild depression. I also couldn't bounce back as fast as I thought I should. I was extremely weak and it took time to regain my strength. One thing that helped--my daughter signed us both up at the gym. I started doing light strength exercizes. This helped my depression and helped me to start feeling normal again. It took months to feel strong again. I didn't have a feeding tube when I went home from the hospital ( think I should have had), so I beleive this also was a reason for my weakness.. I lost a lot of weight after surgery the drs. could not understand., But with the weight loss, I am healthier than I was before surgery.
It's been three years since surgery. I have learned to deal with my new stomach. Sometimes (like tonight) I will overeat and suffer pain for about twenty minutes. This doesn't happen often. We do learn by trial and era what to eat and how much.
Tell mom that what she is experiencing is normal, and she will start feeling better. This surgery is one of the worst and it has been a shock to the system, so it's understandable to be down.
Praying for good pathology results,
Sandra
Last Night while
Hi Sandra,
Last Night while I was with my mom I tried to break through some of the silence to get a real feel for what shes feeling and going through. Pretty much in a nutshell it is what you have described in your post. I can only imagine, how difficult it must be for all whom are going through this or have gone through it. One day at a time step by step we too will one day be post op three years. I suppose thats what keeps us going.
Thank you for your response.0
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