i had a ruptured ucler!!!

[han-grrl]

What a week!

It started off on new years eve. I felt a sharp pain and then severe burning in my stomach. something was wrong. i was in sever pain and i screamed at my husband to call 911. i lay in emergency all night being fed pain killers until the ultra sound tech guys showed up in the AM. the following morning i got ultrasounded and scanned and it showed that i had an ulcer that ruptured. my surgeon tells me "either i operate or you die" yes she actually said that. anyway my surgery lasted 1.5 hours and i came out with a nasal-gastric tube, meaning the stuff getting pumped out of tummy was coming out of nose, IV drip and catheter. a great way to start 2007 no? i was on meds for most of the week which made me crazy and cry uncontrollable, (not fun). and finally i am back home with hubby. i had my staples removed today, but my abs are well, not exactly functioning. so that means NO TRAINING for 2 months! i am so bummed. i know things could be terribly terrible worse (like i could be dead!) so i am trying to keep perspective.

The reason i got it? well i use ibuprofen for my aches and pains, and even my limited amout many the tummy unhappy. never take things for granted...

thought i would rant and share...

Han

[ridethewind]

Good Lord, how awful! :eek: I can't believe they let you lay in emergency that long with such a severe condition. Thank goodness you are on the mend.

[snapdragen]

What a story! You are indeed lucky. Were you taking normal amounts of ibuprofen?

Take care, let your body heal - you'll be back to training in no time.

[Bikingmomof3]

What a dreadful start of a new year! I am glad everything is on the mend. Rest and take it easy. You will be back to training in no time.

[Thistle]

What an awful start to the new year :( So glad it's been fixed and you're on the mend. Make sure you take it easy for a bit!

[cosc]

Here's hoping the rest of your year will be easy sailing and you'll be ready to hop on that bike come spring.

[LBTC]

Yikes, Han-grrl! I'm glad they figured it out and got you fixed up. Time to learn the rest is good for you mantra and take one step at a time that so many of us are having to adjust to here...

Feel free to vent any time, or PM if you'd rather keep it low key. You might have some kind of low days and it's nice to know you can share with someone without the whole world getting to see it!

Take care of you!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[annie]

Han,

SO sorry to hear you're down for a bit! But truly, it is only for 2 months. I know that seems like a LONG time to you, but it will go by......... slowly at times, but very quickly most of the time. You'll be surprised, when you get back on the bike. No, you won't be back to full speed immediately, but it won't take all that long and soon, the memories of this difficult time will fade away into the dust and new memories of good biking times will take over. You are in my thoughts and I am sending vibes of healing your way.

annie

[bcipam]

As someone who has also had that nasal-gastric tube experience - I feel for ya! Nothing worse.

I have been listening to my doctors lately - all of them recommend Tylenol and nothing else for aches and pain. I still sneak in an Aleve here and there but I have become a Tylenol person.

[IFjane]

Sorry in advance for the little thread drift, but I have never had much luck with Tylenol. It never seems to help like Ibuprofin does.... Has anyone else had this issue? What do we do? I definitely don't want to wind up like Han.

By the way Han, thank goodness you are on the mend! I'm so sorry you are going to be out for a while but at least you know you WILL be back! Hugs to you!

[han-grrl]

i am so emotional lately from the meds and not being on the pill...i cried when i read your posts. thanks so much for the nice words! i know i am truly lucky things weren't worse! and two months is not that long, in fact it will be my birthday when i am, in theory, mended, so it will be a wonderful birthday present!

smile

Han

[bouncybouncy]

Sorry to hear...hope you are completely mended for your birthday!!


Just wanted to ask a question about your tummy leading up to this: Did you start getting tummy aches or have any discomfort of any kind before the rupture? I have taken high doses of ib on & off and wondering if there were any warning signs? I will look into tylenol now...thanks for sharing and take care!!!

[Grog]

Oh Han! That's terrible. I'm glad you're on the way to recovery. Don't get frustrated about the break from exercise... You can do other stuff you need to catch up on instead! (Like watching DVDs of your favourite shows!! Or of the Tour de France if you need some cycling entertainment.) (Or reading whole threads on TE!)

I've heard numerous stories equally terrible as yours and even worse from friends working in the intensive care unit. I would strongly recommend to anyone not to take any more ibuprofen, Tylenol or Aspirin than the maximum dosage written on the box. You might not have done that, this is just general advice for anyone. Aspirin can KILL you at much lower doses than people would think. Ibuprofen does nasty stuff to your stomach, especially if you add coffee (it does make it work faster, but don't try this trick more than occasionally!!!). Tylenol can also give a VERY bad time to your inner organs. Painkillers, even over-the-counter stuff, should be used only occasionally, and if more than that only under the supervision of a doctor... /End rant.

Good luck!!!!

[wannaduacentury]

I hope you feel better soon Han-grrl. I'm sorry your year started off on the wrong foot. Many healing vibes coming your way. get lots of rest and you'll be on the bike in no time. Jennifer

[SouthernBelle]

Feel Better! ;)

[Duck on Wheels]

ow ow ow. Well, nothing for it now but to use the next two months well. Walking helps rebuild those abs, start off slow and easy, add distance, speed and stairs gradually. And how about using the time to find out what was causing pain. Get to the cause so you can do without the pain meds. There really are no pain meds that are safe for the stomach over time, and your stomach lining is probably still overly sensitive now so that even doses well within maximum might still be too much.

Best get well wishes!

[RedCanny]

Holy wow, girl. Up until the point where they found your ulcer with an ultrasound scan, I had the same thing happen to me in early November. We still don't know what my problem was (is), but thankfully the pain has only recurred 4 more times since then, and at much less intensity. Needless to say, however, in the ER I was introduced to the wonders of Dilaudid via IV (thank God).

I am glad that they were able to help you with some surgery, though I certainly sympathize with how frustrating it must be to take 2 months off from your training! (Especially as I sprained my ankle 3 weeks ago!) Good luck, hang in there.

[doc]

Han,

Get well. Best wishes.

[GLC1968]

OMG, how scary!

Get well soon, Han! :)

[spokewench]

Han
Wow, that's a scary story. Glad you came through it okay. Keep faith, the being off exercising will be short and then you will be just rarin to go when you can start biking

[mimitabby]

I guess I know how you are going to celebrate your birthday!
Hang in there! Get well soon.

[han-grrl]

Thanks again for the kind words...

as for the cause of ulcers, they are caused primarily by a bacteria. for most people it layes dormant but when the conditions are right, like with ibuprofen or other factors like smoking (i dont smoke), then ulcers can form.

i didnt even know i had an ulcer. the ONLY symptom i had, in retrospect, was a couple of little tummy cramps after eating. so it came with a super vengeance on new years eve.

i had followed the directions for the pain killers, but i guess prior to the ibuprofen i took an apsirin based medication, i wasn't taking the two to gether though, but i ran out of one and went to the other, and i guess that did the trick. i am smaller than average height (5'2", 117 pounds before surgery), so maybe the dosages were too high for me. i just weighed myself, and i lost 3-4 pounds since last week, that was one HECK of a detox, i'll tell you that! ;)

i tossed out pretty much any over the counter meds in my cabinet, including cold and flu stuff. oddly enough, at the pharmacy today there was a HUGE display for advil. part of me wanted to knock it over.

I have learned a lot, and will take the time to relax and catch up on my movie rentals. :)

Smile
Han

[mtkitchn]

Wow, what a story! So glad you got it taken care of and hope you heal up soon!

[Chimiska]

And the good old FDA has just increased the warnings on the Ibuprophen boxes for us. It does indeed cause tummy holes. Tylenol is absolutely no good for me. When I have to take IB, I take it with food, and don't mix it with other stuff. Aspirin is just as bad, as I understand it.

Take care!

[LBTC]

Of course all of this talk of aspirin and ibuprofen is a bit worrisome for me. With the diagnosis of Crohn's, my specialist put me on pentasa which is virtually the same as aspirin, but designed only to reduce inflammation in the intestines. The drug has been really helpful for me so far, but wholly cow, the dosage is 4g per day. yes, that's 4 grams!! I still don't know if it's safe for me to take an ibuprofen when the bursitis acts up in my left hip, as it did earlier this week, and am just bearing it until a visit with my doc.

Han, are you on the drugs to kill the bacterial infection? Have you ever heard of DGL - it's a de-somethingerized licorice that is healing to the stomach lining. It was helpful to me when I needed it a couple of years ago.

Heal well and fast, Han!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[han-grrl]

Right now i am on two types of antibiotics and a stomach medication as protection. I will be off antiobiotics next week, and then just be on the stomach stuff for the next couple of months.

[Grog]

I still don't know if it's safe for me to take an ibuprofen when the bursitis acts up in my left hip, as it did earlier this week, and am just bearing it until a visit with my doc.


Why not give your doc a call?

[LBTC]

Why not give your doc a call?

I'll see him on Friday. The bursitis isn't terribly bad at the moment, but it will probably slow me down when I try kickboxing next....:)

~T~

[pooks]

han -- take it easy, watch videos, but do NOT do housework. Do. Not.

Housework is bad for your health.

If you feel even the slightest desire to do housework --

Grab chocolate and eat it IMMEDIATELY.

Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.

Take care.

[Chimiska]

Pooks, I LOVE the cure for the urge to do housework! Chuckle and laugh. I needed a good laugh today. Doctor was not good to me.
:)