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Hello all, I got through my surgery and 2 weeks of recovery just fine. I thought I would post a detailed description of how it went because I know how apprehensive I was about the whole thing, and I really wanted to know exactly what to expect. February 23 was the date of my surgery. I was having the gastric sleeve procedure, a hernia repair, and my gall bladder removed. I had these procedures done in Downers Grove, IL by Dr. Rosen. I had to arrive at the hospital at 5:00 am. They weighed me and put me in a room where I was asked to put on the hospital gown and get in the hospital bed. They then put an IV in my hand and put the compression stockings on my legs. I was given a couple of shots (I'm not entirely sure what they were for). Every time a nurse stopped in I had to repeat my name and date of birth and they had to check my wrist band. All this happened over the course of 2 hours. I was allowed to have one person in the room with me and we pretty much just chatted in the in between times of the nurses visits. At about 6:45 am the surgeon stopped by to review the procedures we were doing. I also met with the anesteologist. My surgery was scheduled for 7:00 am, and at about 7:05 am they started to wheel me to the operating room. I did make them stop at the bathroom because I was nervous and really felt the need to go one last time. Up until this point, I had been very calm and at peace with my decision. My heart rate had been right around 65 the whole time. But now I was extremely nervous. They wheeled the bed through what felt like 20 different corridors. We arrived in the operating room. It was COLD and smelled funny. They had me move to the bed they would be doing the surgery on. I lay there and looked up at these 3 huge lights (reminded me of old movies where the police were interrogating you and they had that big bright light in your face) and I started to really freak out. I kept thinking that this was going to be the last place I would ever see (I was so nervous about the idea of dying that the night before I wrote goodbye letters to all my friends and family). I started to cry and the nurses and doctors tried to comfort me, but I can't say it really worked. I would say that they knocked me out within about 2 minutes of when I started crying. The next thing I remember is waking up in a considerable amount of pain. I believe it was around 10:30 am. The nurse wanted to know my level of pain on a scale of 1-10. I told her 6-7. I also told her I had to go to the bathroom. It was horrifically painful to have them lift my hips to put the bedpan under me, and in the end, I couldn't go anyway. I stayed in the recovery area for 3 hours because they didn't have any regular rooms ready. For the most of the time I slept and the pain medication kicked in, so I didn't feel so crappy. Finally, at about 1:00 pm, I was taken to my room. I again pretty much slept and i would say that with the morphine, my pain was about a 2. I didn't feel bloated from gas. My biggest problem was a constant need to pee... major inflamation due to the catheter. In fact, the need to pee was so overwhelming that by 4:00 pm, I forced myself to get out of bed and try to go to the bathroom again. Getting out of the bed was incredibly painful. As long as I was not moving in bed, I felt fine, but getting out of bed hurt! I became incredibly nauseous when I sat up and I told them I needed a bucket in case I puked while on the toilet. I dry heaved a couple of times (that hurt like a mother!). They put something in my IV to get rid of the nausea, and I never experienced it again. I still wasn't able to go to the bathroom, but as long as I was up, they had me walk a lap. I pretty much had to get up every hour from that point on to try and use the bathroom. Most of the time, I would also walk a lap. I should add, that they put some blue dye in the ice chips so that when I was able to pee, it was bright green. The blue dye helps them make sure you have no leaks. If there is a leak, the blood in the drain would turn purple. If there is no leak, then your pee will be green. Around 5:30 pm, I went to radiology where they made me drink something that really left me feeling like I might hurl. After I got that down, I had to do the barrium drink. That wasn't as gross. The cool thing was that I could see the screen so I could watch the Fluid move down my throat and into my stomach. I was down there for about 10 minutes and then it was back up to my room. At 10 pm the nurse came in to tell me I had to give myself my first heprin shot (my dr. requires all patients to give themselves 3 shots of heprin a day for 2 weeks following surgery). The idea of injecting myself with something really freaked me out, but I knew I had to do it or they wouldn't release me from the hospital. I had to give myself the shot in either my thigh or my stomach. I did the thigh. It took me a while to work up the nerve to put the needle in my leg, but I did it. It wasn't really painful and I would say that by day 3 after surgery, it was no big deal to do anymore. They also checked by blood sugar level which was 159! This completely freaked me out because one of the big reasons I wanted this surgery was to prevent diabetes, which runs heavily in my family. Because the blood sugar level was so high, I had to get a insulin shot. They had to check the sugar level every 6 hours after that. The next time they checked it was 139 and the time after that it was 88. They told me that sometimes surgery causes your blood sugar levels to spike, but it will usually drop back down to where it should be by the next day. That night I had to sleep with some tubing below my nose because the sleep study showed I have low oxygenation in my blood when I sleep. This thing was to monitor that. A buzzer would sound if the oxygen level dropped below 90. So, every single time I would fall asleep or start to drift off, this annoying buzzer would start ringing and I would have to call the nurse to get it turned off. At 3 am I finally asked what the purpose of this was, other than making sure I didn't sleep a wink the entire night. I was even more irritated about the whole thing when she told me the buzzer didn't sound out at the nurses station. The only place it rang was in my room. I made enough of a stink about the whole thing that they changed the tubing so it was putting out oxygen and would keep the stupid alarm from ringing the second I started to sleep. I don't think I slept after that because I was awake every time a nurse came in to check a vital or give me a shot. I will say, expect to be woken up at least every 2-3 hours. The next day, they took me off the morphine and gave me a form of vicodin as a pain killer. I continued walking every hour (and going to the bathroom). The surgeon stopped by around 8:00am to check on me. He said that since I had been up moving around so much and I was doing quite well, that he was going to have them release me around 2pm (provided I could drink 4 oz of Water every hour with no problem). I had no problem with this and was ready to go, but my nurse was so ditzy that it was after 4:30 by the time I was finally released. Before I could go, they had to remove the drain, which I was really nervous about. She assured me it wouldn't hurt, but would be more uncomfortable feeling than anything. I was still braced for serious pain because friends had told me it hurt a lot. However, when she pulled it out, it really wasn't painful. It was more of a bizzare feeling because you can feel that tubing snaking around your internal organs. I think because it was only in there for a day, the skin hadn't grown around it so there was no pain. I went home. The next 4 days, I was stiff and sore. I continued taking the liquid vicodin type medicine and my pain levels were around a 2. sleeping was difficult. I slept on the couch with my back propped way up so I could be in an almost sitting position. By day 5, I stopped taking the pain medication except for at night. By day 7, I quit the pain medication all together and was able to resume driving. If I had had to, I probably could have resumed working, but I was still very easily exhausted. I took a full 2 weeks off of work because I didn't want to have to give myself injections at work. Overall, I felt like the surgery was far easier than I had expected. The only hard part was getting in & out of bed & moving position, but the more you force yourself to do it, the easier it gets. I haven't had any problems with throwing up or anything like that. Relearning how to eat has been a struggle and is my biggest focus right now. I hope this long and detailed (and in some cases TMI) story is helpful to those of you with this surgery in your future. Krista

I was sleeved on Sept 11th in Camden County... I have had amazing care... I had a side effect from the operation and had to come home with a catheter... It came out 3 days after I came home... Right now I'm constipated (TMI, sorry) and trying to get relief... The second day I was home I ha HORRIBLE gas cramps... My doc told me to take GasX, drink more fluids and walk and it had worked wonders... Now I'm taking both Colace and Miralax in the hopes that it will relieve to constipation (under doctor's) orders.. I was a little discouraged a my first weigh in because I didn't lose as much as I wanted... My doc reassured me that it would come off.. My biggest piece of advice is try not to compare your weight loss to any other sleeve patient (as far as the numbers go)... Best of luck to you!

Some of this may be TMI for folks but thought i'd put it out there Got to the hospital on 10/11 surgery was at 7:25 on the dot and at 11:30 am I was in recovery not feeling a thing the doctor calle my daughter to let her know how I was doing, I had made the decision that I wasn't going to let anyone know in my family which I have stuck too its been hard because I'm excited to see the changes. any how on to the way i'm feeling- by 2 pm on Tuesday my heart was pounding I was not doing well, I ended up getting two blood transfusions, way to many pin sticks my orginal IV went bad by the beginning of night one so they had to fight to find another place for a new one- I have so many black and blues on my arms that I look like a needle junkie, finally they had someone from cardiac care come up and put a new IV in thank god I was in tears and it was 2 am. Lots of pills to help with my heart, way to many blood draws to make sure it was all going ok, today I'm home and resting. but I have the dreaded drain still in and it will be with me for 3 weeks it freaks me out big time trying to log the liquid and keep it drained I knew I wasn't a nurse for a reason. LOL I was suppose to go back to work next tuesday but due to complications there was no way he would release me so now I'm off until 10/25 when i see him and than maybe one week past that if he doesn't feel i'm doing well enough. I'm fustrated and I've certainly had the talk with myself along the lines of WHAT TO HELL DID I DO THIS FOR? but still hoping it will work out after a few weeks but right now WOW was I stupid for having this surgery, it was much easier having the band surgery.. in and out and back to work by day 3.. Well I'm off everyone i hope those that are on their way or have been sleeved have a much easier time of it best of luck to you all. B002011

I only go to the bathroom 3 times a week....is that normal because we eat so little?

That is awesome! I don't think that's TMI but I am a nurse so I've heard and have seen almost everything. I'm happy for you and your SO. :shades_smile:

Hi all--I was just sleeved on march 21st. Surgery went well and I am home recouping. I am supposed to be on clear liquids until the 28th and see my surgeon on the 29th. I can't tolerate the protein powder. I've tried two different kinds in my drinks and all it does is run right through me and give me gas and diarrhea. Sorry for tmi... Isopure drinks make me want to vomit. I would call my surgeon and ask but it might take forever for a call back. I feel very tired and weak. Does any one have any other suggestions? I did pour about four oz of fairlife milk--the one with less carbs and more protein and have yet to have about two oz of it. So far have tolerated it okay. I know it's not clears, but does any one else know what I can try? Thank you!!

This is TMI I've always been on the heavier side of my periods and they would last 7-10days I'm experiencing my first menstrual and it's totally different. I'm barely cramping and I'm very light. I'm on day 4 and it's super light still. What has been your experience? Does it change? Should I worry? Is this normal?

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to give a little update for some who might wonder how it is after being sleeved. I recall, not to long ago wondering how I might feel a month or two out. First let me say, I went to Mexico, had surgery with Dr. Kelly. I lost 12lbs preop (if I recall right lol). Since the time I was sleeved I have lost 25 more lbs. I am tickled. I was on liquids for 2 plus weeks and around the 3rd week I started mushies. About 4 weeks I started soft foods. So far this has been a blessing but my sleeve has tolerated EVERYTHING. I have not ate one thing that has bothered it. I must say that I do pretty much stay by the book. I eat protein first always. I have tried a lot of different foods. I even can eat not huge amounts but never have I ever felt like I was going to be ill. I do feel sometimes that I have had enough. I did take 4 weeks off from work. I am a server at a very high volume restaurant and also clean houses for a living. Very physical work. I have no problems with energy level being low. I get in all my vitimans, protein and liquids. Everything has went almost to smooth. If I did say I have had an issue it is that I continue to deal with constipation ( sorry if TMI). Some NSV's (non scale victories) that I am so happy about are 1) I measured before and then a month after surgery and had lost 14inches total. 2) I went from a 20 tight, probably 22 to a 16 wide easily 3) My husband is lean , no weight issues and now finally after many years I way less than him. YEahhh. He is tall but .... who cares I weigh less. 4) I have been walking atleast 3 miles aday, sometimes twice a day now and have started jogging also. ME JOGGING, CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!!! 5) I can sleep all nite now, I also can sleep lying down, not with a bunch of pillows sitting me up. 6) I can not believe I am going to say this but..... for the first time I feel attractive. It is not how I look but how I feel about myself. I can breath and not huff and puff when I walk. 7) Oh yeah, I can cross my legs...lol. I love this. 8) Okay... I am going to say it kinda.... lol , by choice I have not been getting a lot of sleep. Not only am I happy, my husband is a very happy man these days. Something woke up, my hormones have been screaming. ok I am done.

When the Brazilian starts to grow back on the backside is it prickly? I have always wanted that area cleaned up and now that I'm post surgery -5 days looking forward to my first not obese vacation every in April. TMI I am hairy ????????????????

Hi All, Let me begin by saying this site and everyone that is open and honest about their experiences have been so helpful in my journey and decision to be sleeved! I am a 28 year old female from Australia and am currently 138kg (303.6 lbs). I have struggled with my weight since I was a child and have tried every diet known to man! But nothing has stuck unfortunately. So after much thought and discussion with my husband I believe the sleeve is my best choice. I have had depression and anxiety for about 10 years now and one of my phobias is being somewhere or with people and having an accident (not that it's actually happened, but it's been close before!)- TMI - sudden nervous bowel issues. So the thought that there is any chance of getting dumping syndrome absolutely terrifies me! I know that this can happen if you eat something naughty after sleeved (I have read this on this site) but I am scared I could be one of those people that may get it without reason. Can dumping be controlled? Eg. Anti- diarrhea tablets? This is the only thing that worries me about WLS. Any advise or comments would be great!

LOL!! Had the exact same problem. TMI I know too! Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

I just had the sleeve done tuesday and i get my period today? I have pcos, i only get a period like once a year.... Is this common? I just had a period in beginning of december...

Today I am 2 weeks post-op and I am wearing a pair of jeans that haven't fit me since this time last year! :thumbup: I have another NSV but it's kind of TMI :thumbdown:

I was banded on the 9th and everything seems to be going ok except my larger incision seems to be getting worse instead of better. TMI warning .... The incision never seems to stay scabbed over for more than a day, has light draining and is slightly painful. I called my doctors office and they seemed unconcerned and said this is not uncommon for the center incision but I am getting frustrated. Has anyone else has this issue?

Im jealous you had a pain pump I just had liquid vicodine and that is crap... I walked down the driveway and did 3 mins on the treadmill I don't want to scare the whole neighborhood with no bra on walking like a crazy person.... I fall asleep every 4 hours like out cold... My day is breath into that thinger, sit up and drink, wait for bubbles to go down potty n back to bed.. TMI I was able to #2 today which is great I heard some people take weeks and I think I'd be grouchy by then

Hi all! I am one week post-op and sort of struggling. This part of post-op is so frustrating. I had a sleeve with Dr. Aceves in MexiCali. I also had a hiatal hernia repaired. In his post-op instructions he says we aren't really supposed to have more than 2 oz in 15 minutes. This is pretty hard. At first, I was taking in lots of liquid because I didn't quite understand the restriction. The first 1-2 days were actually alright. Now that I'm understanding what the foamies are (which I got twice in the first two days), I am trying to be more careful. No more than 2 oz, at all times. Also after 2 ozs I sort of feel full, so I don't try to push it. Yesterday I was pushing myself to have about 2 oz every 30 minutes and that seemed to be the best I could manage without stuffing myself full of liquid. At this rate, if I'm up for 14 hours a day, and I don't stop drinking, I will only get 28 oz of liquid--nowhere close to the 64 I'm supposed to get. Also, (TMI) my pee is a little dark, so even at this rate, I still feel dehydrated. Very frustrating. Did anyone else experience this? Does it go away so you can drink more? Second issue is that in one week I have only had one very small BM (a week ago). My reg Dr. suggest milk of magnesia. At what point should I use it? I think it's about time things start happening in that department but im afraid of getting dehydrated even more! I realize that I'm having all liquids and not much should come out, but....I had solids a week ago, and I'm pretty sure that's still somewhere in me (TMI). Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

@@MyssJones Hummm, are you drinking enough fluids? What kind of yogurt are you eating? Some yogurt is really high in sugar! Of course if it's close to time for your monthly you can easily gain that in water weight . Do you need to drink some "smooth move" tea to get things going? (I now tmi) but constipation can add the pounds too. Do you track your food?

I'm 4 weeks out and eating wheat thins with soft cheese. I make sure to chew very well to a mush before swallowing and have had no problems. They seemed to do the trick in eliminating those awful loose stools...TMI...lol

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Which kind of laxative did you take? Some can draw fatty material into the bowel. You might have just been expelling some of it. Could it have been mucus? That's also fairly common to see with a laxative or odd bowel movement. Like you, I've never been that regular. When they were telling me "no more than 3 days without a BM" I was like... I don't necessarily go every 3 days now pre-op... are you kidding? My first one post-op took about a week, then about 4 days, then another 4 days. Then nothing, and nothing, and it's been 2 weeks and nothing... I took Miralax and Benefiber, both with Splenda-based apple juice. On the 2nd day I had a large, hard BM. On the 3rd day I had what I would call "pudding" stool x2. After the second one I had a LOT of gas and a LOT of mucus. A LOT. I didn't look at what came out, so I don't know if it looked anything like what you had (I don't even know if it came out with, or just after). But I could imagine a mucusy stool might have a fatty look to it as well. Aren't our bodies wonderful?? (sorry if the above is TMI, but sharing info doesn't help much if it's censored or euphamized).

Getting stuck HURTS! It gets to the point that if the food isn't going down, then it's coming UP! I have what I call an "in-case-a-cup" in the car all the time--just in case! Public bathroom splashback I handle by first getting a big wad of toilet paper and then I throw up into the wad of paper. Probably tmi...! Sorry, but it does prevent the splashback! My husband doesn't understand that this isn't really the same as vomit--this is just saliva and chewed up food--still, he gets totally grossed out. It's not my idea of ideal, but it is what it is. Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

There are so many things i am looking forward to when i get thin and healthy but to name a few...SHOPPING!!!!!! Clothes without elastic! No more back fat, Sexy panties,bending down without a struggle ( LOL ) And ( sorry if Tmi but ) seeing my lady part without lifting up my stomach!!!!! Let me hear yours!

All such GREAT rewards! In the TMI category ... I am already feeling more confident being intimate with my man. I am looking towards that increasing even more!! I think I am very lucky that I have always been able to tie my shoes or paint my toes or walk around a store... My perspective is already different b/c I realize some of what I have taken for granted. Believe me... I have a LONG way to go to goal, but y'all that REALLY have had to start at ground zero... y'all are such AMAZING inspiration! ! Reading your joyous reports of achievement... it takes my breath away!! Please don't take this wrong b/c it's meant right... I always think if they can do this than I sure as heck can!! They make me understand how lucky I am this is happening for me at this point of my life. I mean this from the bottom of my heart.... ALL of you are going to deserve credit in my soon to be success story!! Ha! I am even teary eyed writing this.

so I went in this morning to weight in to start the process over, I knew i was short. So i wore my baggy pants cause more material, ate a number two meal from wendys, and manged my cell phone in my pocket. I have to be 40% bmi and I came in at 39.9%! lol so i have to come back in monday morning to do this damn thing. I almost said for get about it that simple and then i benged on chinese food and was like omg omg omg i need this damn thing cause there is no way i would have managed that with the lap band. Not to mention this drastic measure is going to give me the kick in the butt that i need to hit it hard core more than what i am now... so monday it is. I just hope i dont take a big bath room break before hand lol lol sorry if thats tmi.. love u banders and i cant wait to join the family

OMG, thanks for this thread! "Going down there" is one of my fav. things to do with my boyfriend and I always "finish the job" so to speak. He agrees that he's very spoiled...anyway... Here's my question, one of my fav. positions is missionary only with my legs up around his neck. I'm getting banded in Aug, I know there's recovery so I'll need to be careful but has anyone done this particular position? Did it affect your port? Thanks everyone and sorry if it was TMI.

My husband and I both had the surgery 2 weeks apart... Has made us stronger if anything... We are each others biggest supporters. The only big change is the sex... Lots of it now... Sorry tmi I know:)