My little trip to the ER last week... - ThinnerTimes

LarryB · 08-07-2006, 09:16 AM

Well I had a visit to the ER last week. It was quite.... annoying...

On Tuesday I had some severe pain in the middle of my stomach area that lasted about 10 mins. I shrugged it off thinking it was gas or a particularly bad bowel movement.

On Thursday at about 3:45AM my wife claims that I started screaming in my sleep. She states that I was talking about pain and work in my sleep and she was getting worried because I was in the fetal position and sounded like I was in severe pain. Well she wakes me up, and sure enough Horrible pain it is. So we make the calls to our bosses and off to the ER we go. On the drive over my stomach started easing some, but was still going pretty good when we got there. Once there I get sat down and wait about 25mins to go back. By the time I'm back there my stomach has all but stopped hurting.

*** Now before I progress let me point out that I told these ppl about 12x I had gastric bypass. ***

They come in and offer me some pain meds, which I turned down as I wasn't in much pain and prefer not to take narcotics when I don't have to. The then come in with 2 12ounce glasses of apple juice with contrast mixed in. My wife looks at the nurse and says, there is no way he will be able to drink all of that. Maybe if you give him til noon. She says ok we will just give him 8 ounces with both things of contrast in it. She says well we havent had him try apple juice yet, so we really would prefer not taking a chance of him getting sick. She then offers sprite. Note this is a hospital that performs 2-5 gastric bypasses a week. Do they not know the sugar and carbonation restrictions we are on? Suffice it to say I had to drink the nasty stuff in water. That was pretty much horrible.

Well the last time I had a CT scan they almost couldn't do it as I barely fit in the circle machine. This time I fit with plenty of room to spare. So that made me happy. Anyhow, we finish that and I go back to my ER room. Sit and sit and sit, finally my wife getting a little frustrated (1.5 hr later) goes out in the hall and runs in to a nurse that she worked with on a different floor. This nurse goes and finds out that they had misplaced the results and were trying to find them. another hour goes by and they finally find them and are discussing them with the ER doctor. He comes in and says that they are trying to get ahold of my surgeon because there was on piece of concern in the film but was waiting to hear back from my surgeon. Then leaves the room. He says nothing about what was concerning. He finally comes back and says, ok you're going home with a prescription of Protonix, but never mentions what was wrong in the scan. Finally we convince him to tell us what was wrong as my wife is a Surgery Scrub Tech and understands all this medical mumbo-jumbo. What it comes down to is that they had initially seen Free-Air in my abdomen and were concerned about why it was there as it could be a leak or colon rupture or something like that. My surgeon confirmed that it did not appear in an area to be of concern and could just still have not dissipated from surgery. My surgeons thoughts are that the pain was possibly from overactive gastric juices and possibly the beginning of an ulcer.

That was a very long and disturbing day to say the least...

Sorry I'm not sure what all the point of this thread is and that it was so long, but I thought I would share my first scare that I have had post-surgery.

Lesson I learned from this situation is to get the first pain looked in to, not the second one.

BethBaugh · 08-07-2006, 09:58 AM

I'm so not informed. You had surgery last Oct. but are just now having surgery comps or did you have another. I'm easily confused and or behind the times. Sorry you were in pain, and glad it wasn't major though.

Beth B. in TN

LarryB · 08-07-2006, 10:05 AM

Yes I had my procedure in October and this has been the first type of complication of any kind I have had since the surgery. I have been very lucky in that regard.

deadboy · 08-07-2006, 10:09 AM

And the surgeon thought there might STILL be some air in there from the surgery? Yikes!! That would have given me the heeby jeebies. Be wishing you all the best with this!

HeatherT · 08-08-2006, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LarryB

Well I had a visit to the ER last week. It was quite.... annoying...

On Tuesday I had some severe pain in the middle of my stomach area that lasted about 10 mins. I shrugged it off thinking it was gas or a particularly bad bowel movement.

On Thursday at about 3:45AM my wife claims that I started screaming in my sleep. She states that I was talking about pain and work in my sleep and she was getting worried because I was in the fetal position and sounded like I was in severe pain. Well she wakes me up, and sure enough Horrible pain it is. So we make the calls to our bosses and off to the ER we go. On the drive over my stomach started easing some, but was still going pretty good when we got there. Once there I get sat down and wait about 25mins to go back. By the time I'm back there my stomach has all but stopped hurting.

*** Now before I progress let me point out that I told these ppl about 12x I had gastric bypass. ***

They come in and offer me some pain meds, which I turned down as I wasn't in much pain and prefer not to take narcotics when I don't have to. The then come in with 2 12ounce glasses of apple juice with contrast mixed in. My wife looks at the nurse and says, there is no way he will be able to drink all of that. Maybe if you give him til noon. She says ok we will just give him 8 ounces with both things of contrast in it. She says well we havent had him try apple juice yet, so we really would prefer not taking a chance of him getting sick. She then offers sprite. Note this is a hospital that performs 2-5 gastric bypasses a week. Do they not know the sugar and carbonation restrictions we are on? Suffice it to say I had to drink the nasty stuff in water. That was pretty much horrible.

Well the last time I had a CT scan they almost couldn't do it as I barely fit in the circle machine. This time I fit with plenty of room to spare. So that made me happy. Anyhow, we finish that and I go back to my ER room. Sit and sit and sit, finally my wife getting a little frustrated (1.5 hr later) goes out in the hall and runs in to a nurse that she worked with on a different floor. This nurse goes and finds out that they had misplaced the results and were trying to find them. another hour goes by and they finally find them and are discussing them with the ER doctor. He comes in and says that they are trying to get ahold of my surgeon because there was on piece of concern in the film but was waiting to hear back from my surgeon. Then leaves the room. He says nothing about what was concerning. He finally comes back and says, ok you're going home with a prescription of Protonix, but never mentions what was wrong in the scan. Finally we convince him to tell us what was wrong as my wife is a Surgery Scrub Tech and understands all this medical mumbo-jumbo. What it comes down to is that they had initially seen Free-Air in my abdomen and were concerned about why it was there as it could be a leak or colon rupture or something like that. My surgeon confirmed that it did not appear in an area to be of concern and could just still have not dissipated from surgery. My surgeons thoughts are that the pain was possibly from overactive gastric juices and possibly the beginning of an ulcer.

That was a very long and disturbing day to say the least...

Sorry I'm not sure what all the point of this thread is and that it was so long, but I thought I would share my first scare that I have had post-surgery.

Lesson I learned from this situation is to get the first pain looked in to, not the second one.

OMG reading your post was frightening - i had the same thing happen on july 13....i had been having pains but they were thinking it was an ulcer based on my describing it over the phone so i got med for that - but on the 13th i couldnt stand the pain was so bad - i went tot he ER i was in pain for about 2 hours it started mild at 11:30 by noon i was on the floor and going tot he ER and than started to subside by 1:30 but went away at about 4 - sounds like you may have gotten lucky and slept through some of your pain - they did a CT scan and found something on my adrenal gland (I have medullary thyroid cancer that has spread before - so now they think its not related to the GBS but reading your post is weird to hear someone had the same thing happen....
I have to go for a PET scan on the 10th and I meet with my cancer surgeon on the 14th so we shall see...but I am hoping for the best...

have you had any more sharp pains? i get dull ones still occasionally kinda like before when they thought it was an ulcer...but its every few days. we even moved rock this last weekend and i was fine, a little dizzy i think from lack of water but no stomach pains...

coptergirl · 08-08-2006, 08:11 AM

Sorry you are going through this pain - I hope thay find a resolve for it once and for all

vbee · 08-08-2006, 08:39 AM

I get some pain, kind of an umph and that's about it, but it didn't frighten me because I've had my gallbladder removed and a hysterectomy and in both these situations I experienced sharp pains in what I thought was my chest and it hurt to breath in...my dr. indicated it was air trapped in my diaphram. It had a medical term I can't remember. It became worse when I panic'd and subsided in a couple of days...anyway....Sorry to hear about the pain and the wait..that's a pain all on its own! Best of luck to both of you!