I Miss Advil

The rules and the 'no-no's after bariatric surgery are a little different depending on who your surgeon is/was.  Some surgeons allow you to go straight from liquid diet to soft foods.  Some have you do a bowel prep pre-op (thank GOD Dr. Drew doesn't believe in that one).  However there is one pretty standard rule throughout the bariatric surgery community : No NSAID pain relievers.  This includes Advil, Motrin, Aleve, ibuprofen, Asprin.  

The science behind this is for the benefit of the patient.  Your new pouch is much smaller in surface area.  NSAIDS are terribly hard on a standard stomach.  With less surface area for the medication to spread out over for absorbtion, it's especially hard on WLS folks.  Plus it's best if you take an NSAID with something in your stomach...but for a RNY, it's hard to swallow medication on a full stomach and expect it to stay down.  

I'm not a pill popper.  I have a fairly high pain tolerance (demonstrated by the fact that I still have entire bottle less 2 pills of Oxy-codone left over from my release from the hospital - I simply don't like how pain killers make me feel).  However, once a month I require 3 solid days of Advil.  I've had menstrual cramps since I've been menstruating but they have gotten worse with every child I've birthed.  My OB/GYN recommended taking 3 Advil every 4 hours two days before I expect my period and keep up that routine until my third day.  Well that's 5 full days on a LOT of Advil.  And it worked.  It worked well, actually.  My life and my pain were manageable.

Well, given my choice to have a RNY, I am no longer able to take Advil.  And I'm in pain.  Tylenol is an alternative but it's not the same.  It dulls the pain but it doesn't erase it.  And it dulls the pain for a couple hours, not 4-6.  And it's the kind of pain that makes you want to grab a heating pad and hide under the covers for a few days - something I cannot do because it's 90 and humid outside and my house of boys does not have any sensitivities for girl problems.  

I'm a member of Bariatric Pal - an online community of bariatric patients who share experiences and tips and advice and all-around support each other thru this journey.  I posed the question of how to deal with cramps and I got responses from Tylenol to hot water bottle to essential oils.  So not such useful advice.  And I know I'm not the only one suffering without Advil.

My PCP suggested a IUD.  Then I read on BariatricPal that IUD's can halt weight loss, cause all these wacky side effects, cause headaches, many other things I do not want in my life.  My surgeon said he's write me a prescription for a light narcotic.  Well thanks doc but I do have three kids who need me and a job...although flying for 3-4 days per month on drugs does sound appealing it's not necessarily responsible.  

So here I am.  In pain.  Missing Advil.  With an angry uterus.  Happy Friday, everyone!!