RedDirtRN

I am day two post op too. My nausea was/is killer. Already calling the doc for more phenergan. I got a little routine going of gas ex then "eat" although yesterday it was just Water, some tea, tried a little Jello but it killed me! I have only taken pain meds three times. I dry heaved twce last night but both times just big belchs was all it was. That thing is an incentive spirometer. It is designed to have you take good deep breaths. With abd surgery especially you tend to breath more shallow. This allows for the lower parts of your lungs to just sit and no air exchange to happen... This leads to pneumonia. I always thell poeple if you are watching TV do one on each commercial you watch. If you are driving just do good deep breaths at every stop light.

So my surgery went well! I was the only case today cause the other 2 cancelled. They got me back and steers my IV. I got some heparin, medium, and ancef (antibiotic). The anesthesia doc came in and we talked and she then gave me some Versed. I got the giggles! So off I went and got to the OR where I got some gas to breath. They ended up giving me lots of other good drugs too. Next thing I know it's 45 min later and I was in recovery. I had some nausea and pain so I got some Demerol and zofran. I was up walking 30 min later. Then I was setting in a chair sipping water. I had some more phenergan and my BP took a little dip. They watched me about another hour then home I went! I slept a lot this afternoon. Pain is tolerable. Just sipping water, tea, and a protein shot (gag). Lots of walking too! Glad I'm done! Hope everyone's went well today!

Ok here I am!!! Dunkin Donuts right next door and my friend stops for coffee! Good thing I have nervous stomach and food sounds blah! I will update from the other side!

Me too! I will be glad to see everyones post tomorrow. I just finished a bottled water and thought... Well. Thats it! So I am off to bed to hopefully sleep some!

Tomorrow is my day too and I am on clear as well. My stomach is not liking it at all and is really growling too!!! To funny! I do have to vent though. I contacted my doctors office to see about pushing my post op appointment back in the day. (Set for Thursday next week at 11am) NOT VERY FLEXABLE! The appointment was set for me without my input on times that would work etc. Then the "nurse" got upset when she learned I only took 4 days off.... which I had approved with them when I was in the office before. I explained my work sitation and her solution was not to move it to after 3 or Tuesday or Thursday it was well I'll just have to call you and review it since you cant leave work. Very belittling... I think I will for sure be mentioning that to my doc tomorrow! Not to mention I have called twice to request zofran ODT since I know that phenergan KNOCKS me out. Boy if I acted like that to a patient I would be in some hot water! Oh well... maybe she hates her job! LOL!!!

That is so awesome! I am happy for you!! I am counting down....32.5 hours till OR! I hope tomorrow goes fast! I fought head hunger bad today... I think i had last meal mentality... I kept thinking i cant eat i cant eat... But then I watched the Biggest Loser and found motivation! I love that show and what great timing for a new season!

@Peps and Bromo- I am having band with plication too. My post op is clear x 2 days full till post op appt which is Friday of next week then i can do ticker liquids for a week then move on to mushies. My birthday is Oct 13 so i hope to get to have solids by then! I am super excited to get this too! I go Thursday and am getting very nervous! I am suppose to go back to work on Monday with a call to follow my shift. I am a little worried I wont be ready but it isnt a job i can easily call in for and only a few know I am having surg.... Cross your fingers!!

@winifred76- most definately I would be interested! This has been great for me reading how everyone has done. Reading about everyones post op diet makes me jealous to be able to have something new. I started my pre op on Labor Day. Only 4 days left. I have done a great job of sticking to it resulting in 14 lbs gone so far. But last night I will admit I had a moment of weakness. I had an extremely stressful day at work (pediatric donor) and it was a 20 hour day. At the end I was so hungry! I had already had my shakes and soup for the day. My work partner suggested we go to Old South Pancake House (Those from the Fort Worth area can vouch for the total YUMMINESS of this place). I thought about it and thought I could have some soup... Well I ended up eating some omelet and a few bites of pancakes... I felt awful afterwards. There is something to be said for picking food ahead of time and not looking at the menu when you get there! Suprisingly I was full after eating just a small bit. So this morning I am back to the diet. I am pretty sure my liver didnt puff up like a marshmellow from what I ate but regardless I still feel bad... Like an alcoholic sneaking a drink! Anyways- Sept 22 hurry up and get here!!

Try miralax next time. Not near as rough! Can take it daily too!

Cant help but think if 2 weeks AFTeR surgery are banders hell then the 2 week liquid diet leading to it must be the road to hell!

What about all the weight loss in pre op diet. Does that stay off? I hope so cause it is falling off right now! I can handle a slow bit after surery if i know this stays off!

No. My back ground is ER and trauma. I did 2 years in hospice/palliative care. More recently I started to work in Organ Donation. With it we take the referrals of patients who meet certain criteria and then we evaluate to see if they meet our standards for donation. Then if the patient progresses to brain death or family decides to withdraw care we then approach the family about organ donation. Then we work the patient up and place organs with receipants according to the "list.". Then we go to the OR where we recover the organs and get them to the receipants. It is a very rewarding job being able to help families have something positive come from something bad. So that being said.... TALK TO YOUR FAMILY ABOUT BEING AN ORGAN AnD TISSUE DONOR. REGISTER TO BE A DONOR.... Www.donatelife.com :-)

I havent had my band but I did have gallbladder surgery. You really dont remember a thing! You may get some gas to breath or some fun drugs in your IV first. It is kind of a drunk feeling then boom next thing you know you are waking up. They wait till you are out to put any device in. And then you actually start waking up before they pull it but you are still at a point that things wont be remembered or will just be really fuzzy. Just remember that they do this every day all day. It is their world. You will have nothing they aint seen before! Or as I always tell folks... "if you do have something I have never seen then I probably need to see it!"

It is very standard. Speaking in general terms... Most likely they will do heavy sedation. This means you will get a cocktail of drugs in your IV that make you relax and also not remember. When you are that sedated it depresses your respiratory drive therefore some kind of device is placed to do several things. 1) it keeps your airway open 2) they provide you with supplemental oxygen given that the breaths you initiate wont be very deep and effective and 3) they can control the rate and depth of the breaths you take. The 2 devices we were discussing are standards in the medical setting. An ETT or also known as an endotracheal tube is a tube that passes down past your vocal cord where a small cuff is inflated. These are mainly used is someone is going to be "under" for longer periods of time. But it really does come down to physican/CRNA preference. The LMA or larayngeal mask airway has a tube simular to the ETT but the bottom has a cup looking device that fits just behind your pharynx. This is used in cases where airway managment is not needed for very long... Such as cases with your gallbladder (usually a hour long surgery) or with the band. Because the ETT passes through the cords most people have a sore throat for a day or so. You cant have surgery really with out this... Because your other option would be to be awake! I think any medical person who has had to deal with ventilated patients has a "thing" about knowing they will be "knocked out" and vented. It is just one of those things where knowing isnt so fun. I deal with the organ donation side of things and so I am very familiar with how we look when we are opened up! That was part of what helped me to decide to get surgery... I have seen a fatty liver, I have seen the amount of fat someone my size carries, I have seen a heart affected by heart failure etc. I have seen what plaque does to our arteries. By continuing to live obese and unhealthy it is like driving a great car but every day bumping it into things, keying it, not changing the oil, etc... I have to take care of my body for it to work right just like I take care of my car so it will work! Hope that helps.. It is just jitters. We all have our things we are nervous about be it the unknown of surgery or the known of surgery!

That was my thoughts too! And i want to know drugs too. Just thecontrol freak in me. So that explains the FFPM? you a firefighter/ paramedic? What service are you with? I am in the DFW Texas area.

Eric- you will do great!!! I bet sleep is hard the night before! Keep us posted over next few days and let us know what it's like and stuff. I am a 9days out and nerves are kicking in. I am a nurse and have a thing with the whole intubation etc... It's all just enough to kick my nerves into over drive! But reading about everyone's post op is helping! So good luck and let the fun begin!

Good luck! Keep us posted!

Sorry you are having so much discomfort! I hope its better. I have seen several people post that they are using the gas ex strips to help with the post op gas pain. I just wanted to let everyone know these will not help with that particular kind of pain. Gas ex works INSIDE the stomach and GI tract. The post op gas pain is the gas used to inflate the abdomin and all that gas is OUTSIDE the GI tract. The strips will help with the belching etc type pain. Only walking and time can help with the post op gas pain. Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that! Hope you get to feeling better!

Chili does sound good and that is good to note! But I will need to wait for cooler weather first.... Back up to 100 come Monday makijg it the hottest summer ever in North Texas.... I think I need a move North!

So how much did you eat before you got "stuffed" feeling?

So I decided I need to have some fun with my 2 week liquid diet... I mean all liquids I am gonna drop some pounds doing that one right!? So I made me my own little "weigh in" room. It is in a pantry (thats basically empty) with a scale and a calander. I wrote my all time high weight at the top, starred my surgery date, and each and every morning I weigh in. It definately provides the motivation to face another day of nothing but liquid. I started on Labor day with a weight only 2 pounds shy of my all time high. I am now down a total of 9 pounds and it is only Friday! At my current rate I will loose about 20 by the time I have surgery... I find it crazy!!!! So in my head it is like a numbers game. My office partner today asked if I had lost weight... I had to just laugh! (They dont know I am getting surgery). Anyways. Just wanted to share... Yea 9 pounds! Come on Sept 22!

So how have u been? How has your pain been? I am getting band with plication too. Set for 22nd.

Glad i am not the only one then to think it was bad! I also bought blueberry and mango peach to try. I also got some choc muscle milk light. I hope imfind something to make this a little easier! Ill get some green apple to try! Thanks!