surgery jan 15!!! anything i should know? do?

[natismi 0]

hi! i have my surgery on friday! i am exited and scared... i am a student and i dont know if i am going to miss classes the following week of the surgery, how weak do you get, how painful is it right after, and the weeks after!? please comment! thank you! :thumbup:

[mom2cjpx4 0]

Everyone is different. I read some people have the surgery on Friday and go back to work on Monday. I could NOT have done that. I had surgery on 12/11 and there was NO WAY I could have went to work on Monday. I took the next whole week off. By the next weekend I was still pretty weak and difficulty sleeping and just felt awful. I took the following week off, too - which happened to be Christmas. I picked a bad time, I guess. LOL. But by the 28th I was ready to get back to work. I didn't really need the whole two weeks but certainly needed at least that first week.

[Lauren2455 0]

Hi, I'm having surgery at the end of the month. I'm a student too and a little freaked about possibly missing classes. Good Luck! Keep me updated I'm curious how it goes.

Lauren

[LollyMoe 1]

I did good, recovery was fast. Everyone is different. Hang in there. Good luck.

[Soexcited 64]

I had my surgery on a Wednesday afternoon and was home that night by about 4pm.....it took 4 days of doing nothing but resting, drinking lots of Protein (clear protein) and from day one I took walks around the block (2 or 3 a day) it was good to break up the boredom of haging out in the recliner. I slept in bed the first night but the next few nights I was in the recliner. Dont forget tostock your fridge with all of the things you will need.....clear protein is SUPER important, I lived on iceopure and Vitamin Water the first 7 days.

[vlp1968 83]

Congratulations! I would expect to miss 2 or 3 days of classes. It takes that long for the pain to go. I felt the most pain when I moved around too much. Also, don't hesitate to ask for pain meds in the hospital. I waited until the next day and it worked really well. In hindsite I should have asked for it right away.

Things to practice before surgery is SLOW eating and chewing really really well. You might also want to practice seperating food and fluids.

Best of luck!

[voodoo 0]

hi! i have my surgery on friday! i am exited and scared... i am a student and i dont know if i am going to miss classes the following week of the surgery, how weak do you get, how painful is it right after, and the weeks after!? please comment! thank you! :tt1:

My surgery was on Dec. 15.

Like they said, everyone is different,

but if it is anything like mine then...

Your abdomen will be sore and standing

completely upright will be difficult.

My abdomen was bloated and swollen so I hunched a little.

The gas pains (it sits in the shoulder) can linger awhile...mine lasted a day and that's it.

You don't realize how much you use your abdomen for everything!

I would smile and be like, "Ow, my stomach!"

Ok...it's not that bad:tongue2:, but much of our movement uses the tummy.

And God forbid you're watching some

funny movie and have to laugh!

I still catch myself grabbing my stomach when I go to laugh,

even though it's not required anymore. :thumbup:

The worst part of it for me was the back pain.

My back seized up because I was

compensating for not using my abs.

This made sleeping difficult.

For the first week I slept poorly.

Also I was constantly hungry.

The crazy, hard rumbling hungry.

I personally could not have gotten up

and gone ANYWHERE in the first week.

But that's me.

You are much younger and might have quicker

"bounce back" than many of us.

Weakness hung out with me for about 3 weeks

then suddenly cleared as soon as I started eating more Protein.

You might start feeling sad about this because it feels like forever.

But it DOES PASS. Don't let it bring you down.

Again...I think your age will benefit you tremendously.

This board was a sanity-saver for me,

so I would recommend using it often.

Just knowing that all the crazy-weird things

that were happening to me were normal,

made all the difference in how I felt

about what was going on.

Edited January 14, 2010 by voodoo

[NoName-AZ 0]

No. 1....Make sure you have Gas-X strips on hand. Many people get "trapped gas" After the surgery.. For me this was more painful than recovering from the surgery. Make sure you read the instructions on the box. You have to take like 3 or 4 of them in order for them to work.

No 2.....Go and buy some papaya enzymes. You can find them in the Vitamin section at Walmart. These have saved me when I become stuck. If you are stuck.. chew like 5 or 6 of these little bad boys, it helps break the food down. Takes a few minutes, but they really help.

No 3...When you are able to eat regular food again.. CHEW,CHEW,CHEW,CHEW,CHEW,CHEW,CHEW! The shit out of your food.

No 4... Walmart also has 1 cup bowls..try not to eat more than 1cup at each meal. Measure your meals in these and transfer to plate after measuring. (it has helped me)

No 5....If you eat good Protein.(i.e.) Turkey burger patties...fish...chicken..beans.. all of these really fill that little pouch up.

Other than that just make sure you eat Protein and green veggies every day and Excersise.. ( i am about 4mos post op) and I walk everyday. 2-3miles.

Thats all i can think of for now... Good luck on your journey.

[natismi 0]

thank u sooo much everyone for your posts! my surgery is tomorrow and i dont know if i am scared or exited!!! i am scared more bout after the surgery than the actual surgery, i will keeo in touch with everyone... it feels really good to be in touch with people that have been through this too... thank u so much again!