I also had my surgery on 10/22/18. The hospital stay was not bad at all, other than them coming in there in the middle of the night to take blood or do vitals. They encourage you to get up and get moving. That's the best way to deal with the gas pain. It was a struggle to drink 1oz. of water every 15 minutes, but that's your ticket home. My new tummy was ok with the water, broth and tea but did not care for the Jell-O, only tried it twice and it came right back up. Although I can say that I did try name brand Jell-O once I was home and it stayed down. The nurses had to almost persuade me to use the pain medicine because they "We're going to have to throw it away". "Good Pain Meds, no way, lol" but honestly I only used it a few times and that was so I could get some rest, than pain management.
I would say the first two weeks is the hardest to deal with because everything is new to you. The new way you have to eat is foreign. By week 2.5 I was ready to go back to work but waited out for the 3 week mark. Once you get to 3wks you have an idea of what your suppose to be doing. I think this was the best decision I made for me. I have wanted this for years but didn't have the insurance that would cover it. In 3wks I have lost about 27lbs. I'll take it!
