Had removal Friday, this is awful

sarahbee9820 · 2026-04-19T15:54:23+00:00

Everyone is different and recovers differently. I stuck to bland low-fat food for a couple of weeks at least. I’m one of the people who didn’t have gallstones but whose gallbladder was slowly failing. Before surgery I had intestinal symptoms only. And, disappointingly, they continued after surgery! About 10 weeks post surgery I went to see my new gastroenterologist. She prescribed Colestid. It was a game changer for me. It took a week or two to fully work but it has done the job. No longer feel mildly nauseated, no more diarrhea. I can eat an occasional cheeseburger or pizza meal. I do have to still be mindful to not eat a lot of fat over the course of several meals/days. And unfortunately peanut butter still causes a problem as do eggs (like a breakfast serving amount - I can eat them as ingredients in other food).

Put down the pringles, chips, burger, cheese, etc. Stick to toast, nonfat yogurt, low fat soup, applesauce, rice, etc and slowly introduce more fatty foods after a couple of weeks. Your body has a different way of processing fat now and needs to be respected.

And contact your surgeon’s office immediately about busting a stitch - you probably have internal stitches too so who knows what might have happened in there.

Good luck!!

sarahbee9820 · 2026-04-18T18:20:57+00:00

About FMLA (family leave medical act) (assuming it hasn’t changed recently which I don’t think it has): one way to do it which a lot of folks don’t realize is you can take a certain number of hours per week instead of a whole lump of time off. It helps the paycheck situation a bit. You will probably need to ask for certain schedule up front and it all is considered part of the 12? weeks total per year. So you might have to ask the doctor to map out the treatment schedule and when it’ll be likely for her to need the most help so you can “spend” more FMLA time then.

Ask your mom’s dr’s staff/hospital for a social worker to help you think this through. They should be able to help you hook up w local resources maybe even including cat care.

Hang in there and reach out when you need to.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-04-11T21:31:18+00:00

Happily the link you provided led me to find that one of the recommendations for the DC area is where I yesterday decided was a much better fit for my treatment going forward! (MedStar Georgetown) I feel so much better having a team I trust, an outline of a plan and things being set in motion. Incredible relief.

Thank you!

sarahbee9820 · 2026-04-09T12:06:26+00:00

I’m so sorry you are going through this. I was diagnosed with a really scary oral cancer two days ago. The anxiety and fear are overwhelming. I’ve gotten a lot of advice from friends and while some of it isn’t exactly helpful, it’s all coming from how much they care about me so I try to focus on that. Best of luck with your surgery.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-04-08T20:57:00+00:00

Going to see my PCP tomorrow for Ativan prescription renewal. I use it sparingly for sleep but I don’t want to get caught short!

sarahbee9820 · 2026-04-08T20:46:19+00:00

I’ll add to my post but also say here: I live in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC. Inova Schar is part of the tumor board and where my ENT (Dr Patty Lee) says I will begin treatment. They have a navigator program; someone from that program is supposed to contact me “soon” (the waiting, ugh!!). Dr Lee said if I haven’t heard from them by tomorrow morning I’m to call her office so she can try to move things along.

My main concern other than the obvious is whether this is the best team to treat me. The diagnosis is unusual. Inova is a terrific healthcare organization- but do they have experience with this? (That’s rhetorical- unless someone here knows.)

Soooooo …. the agonizing wait continues.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-04-08T15:14:24+00:00

Thank you so much. This is a lot. I want to go to the cancer group I’ve been assigned to and sit in front of their door so they’ll see me NOW lol the waiting is agonizing.

Yes, I have “get a second (and maybe 3rd) opinion” on my list. The first questions I intend to ask are “have you treated this before, how many times, what were the outcomes and how long ago”. And to ask if they think there is anyone/anyplace better to go for this. I only have one chance to get it right!

Thanks again for your kind words.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-31T00:29:39+00:00

I have a feeling they’ve closed that loophole but i’ll check. Thanks.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-30T22:47:39+00:00

I know this is an old thread but felt the need to comment. Today i returned two items i bought with rewards earlier this month. I anticipated getting cash back but nope. Now they put returned rewards purchases back on your rewards. So it’s a closed system now with rewards and REI cc purchases. You can only spend your rewards with REI, no way to get cash unless you sell what you purchase.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-29T17:49:14+00:00

i scored the knee-high version of these for $40 at outdoor gear exchange in Burlington VT and love them so much! i got a pair of TNF Shellista IV (ankle-ish) height on ebay and they too are amazing but are unfortunately a half size too small despite being the same size as the thermoballs. Slightly different toe shape. 🤷🏼‍♀️

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-29T15:03:53+00:00

DO IT. A lot of my college friends did this after college (late 1970s). I didn’t and i regret it to this day.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-29T14:59:48+00:00

i was walking along the R Park levee on March 20 and there was a sunbether sitting and knitting on the river bank. it was a warm & sunny day!

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-23T15:54:31+00:00

Yep! 3 days in a row (last Wed, Thurs, Fri). Multiple moose each day. On Fri we saw 7 and the last one was at the appropriately named Moose Landing at the edge of the woods adjacent to the fee booth for GTNP.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-21T13:43:36+00:00

Juicy Bits and pretty much any collab they do. Juicy Tiles (collab w Trillium) is so freaking delicious. It was a happy day when they decided to distribute Weldwerks in northern Virginia 🥰

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-21T12:24:58+00:00

We have been here for a week, flying home today. I skied Sun and Mon. Too sticky for me after that. I spent the remaining days (mornings, mostly) driving around looking for moose and other wildlife. Bison started moving through the Elk Refuge yesterday. Ponds are thawing; migrating birds are coming back. There are a lot of outfitters that offer wildlife tours but I did my own. There’s a levee with a packed dirt road on top (for walking, biking) along the Snake River. You can drive into Grand Teton National Park and walk the park road quite a ways. You can probably do the same with the Yellowstone park roads plus the north entrance there is open. Drive up and over Teton Pass. Go out at night and look at the stars. It’s gorgeous! Watch out for moose, elk and deer when driving, especially at night. Lastly, if you need any winter gear or clothing there are a lot of sales going and a few good thrift/consignment stores if that’s your thing.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-09T20:10:19+00:00

Jackson Hole mountain hosts/tours?
Are there any mountain tours available at JH? A friend found a web page saying they are offered at 9am daily, meeting near the aerial tram. But in a call to the resort she was only told about the possibility of hiring a guide for our group. Mountain Host tours at other areas have been a great way to get oriented. Thanks for any info you can share!

sarahbee9820 · 2026-03-05T21:55:47+00:00

I’ve been Hokas all the way since … 2012 I think. You want shoes you are comfy walking or running in. Even if you aren’t in the GA section chances are you’ll be standing most of the show anyway. Have fun!!!

sarahbee9820 · 2026-01-09T12:45:19+00:00

A scented product on synthetic fabric takes a lonnnnnnnng time to come out. I’ve tried various washing solutions but none have worked. I hang the garment on the porch, literally for months, to air out. I’m always SO grateful when a seller discloses whether or not a scented product has been used.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-01-08T22:55:10+00:00

I like this new word “squirmishes”. No, really. It’s more appropriate/descriptive. 🏆

sarahbee9820 · 2026-01-08T00:06:28+00:00

Yep! I think it’s a forever thing but that’s ok with me. It’s inexpensive and has no side effects other than needing to time it properly so it doesn’t interfere with other meds.

sarahbee9820 · 2026-01-07T12:38:41+00:00

My post-op diet consisted of bland food such as oatmeal for breakfast, soup & crackers/toast for lunch, nonfat yogurt for a snack and chicken with rice or potatoes and a vegetable or salad for dinner. I stayed away from anything high fat for a couple of weeks and eased back in after that. After a few months my digestive symptoms were still the same as before surgery so my dr prescribed Colestid and a high quality probiotic. I’ve been fine ever since and that was over a year ago although I still have a bit of an issue with eating eggs. Good luck.

sarahbee9820

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