How did you feel immediately after surgery?

[lildarlin 0]

This may sound strange, but someone once said that gas naturally wants to go up, so she suggested laying on the bed, if you can of course, on your belly and laying the top half of you over the edge. Is that weird? I'm not sure if it works...I don't know if anyone has ever tried it.....but I can't personally imagine laying on your belly after you've had surgery there.

I wonder if the key is to move around as much as possible as Maggie says. Hopefully if I get banded, I'll have to keep that in mind.

[HarleyNana 10]

I had very little pain, took 1/2 a pill the first night home, then none after that. Only a little should pain. I had surgery on Monday, came home on Tuesday, and drove to grocery store on Wed and to the office on Thursday.

[piercedqt78 658]

I had surgery on a thursday and came home on friday afternoon. I am a stay at home mom so I guess I was technically back at work right away. I could have returned to a "Real" job on monday with no problem, but I was not allowed to drive for 10 days, something about not being able to quickly turn and look over my shoulder. I had gas pains in my shoulder and the chewable gas-x really helped. I also did a heating pad on my shoulder/ middle back on and off for a few days. I took a grand total of 4 doses of my liquid tylenol 3, all of them at bed time so that I could rest better. I did sleep in a recliner for the first few nights as I am a rough sleeper and I didn't want to be rolling over on my incision. I have a really good pre-op shopping list that has helped a few people be a bit better prepared. Hope it helps. ~Mandy

lab-band shopping list

heating pad

flexible ice pack

liquid tylenol (they make adult strength)

chewable or liquid gas-x

a few books or movies

comfy clothes (loose waisted shorts or jumpers)

squishy pillow for car ride (guard against seatbelt)

a sports bra (doc said no underwire for a few days)

protien shakes

flavored Water

make sure you have a good blender

I bought a drink mixer for the protien mix (cost $10 at walmart)

broth or stuff to make broth

sugarfree popsicles and Jello

sugar free gum (ask your doctor)

sugar free breathmints (ask your doctor)

*Ask at your pre-op for the pain med prescription so you can have it all ready to go when you get home, our walgreens has to order liquid pain meds and it takes 3 days to get them.

[mahelpme 24]

I was sent home with a script, don't recall what it was and I didn't fill it. Liquid tylenol worked just fine. alot of pain in my shoulder, that was gas, I did alot of walking the day I got home, even 4 hours after surgery I was up, walking the halls, that night in the hospital I walked 30 laps around the hospital floor. As the days progressed, the challenging part for me was finding a comfortable position to sleep in. I had to sleep in a recyliner. There was alot of soreness for weeks, even now my port area feels sore and I explained to my doctor that I have such a positive awareness of the port, I can feel it all the time also as I get trimmer, it is more apparent to the touch. There are little things that you will have to get use to like how to get up from the chair without hurting your self, picking up your clothes, blow drying your hair, you will rediscover how to comfortably do these things for yourself. I took 2 weeks of and I'm glad that I did. Just to get comfortable with the liquid diet, I wasn't sure that I would have enough energy on just the liquid diet, then there is the diarrhea that you get being on just liquids. I would take 2 weeks to heal and explore the newly approaching you. Enjoy the discovery.

[Jachut 487]

Well as of today I can answer this. Immediately after surgery I woke in some pain, it felt a bit like having lead fishing weights hanging off all my internal organs, every movement made them feel heavy and sore. But they dosed me up with morphine pretty quickly and that knocked any pain on the head for the entire day (I was out of surgery by 10 am).

I was drowsy and slept on and off in a way that was actually very pleasant, lol. Beats the chaos at home hands down. However by night I was not in a lot of pain but getting really restless and unsettled just from having slept all day and not being able to get comfortable in the bed, after pacing the floor for a few hours, because I felt better up and moving than lying down, I finally had something to help me sleep and that knocked me out for a good few hours.

I woke up feeling wonderful, most of the pain gone and was allowed to have a cup of coffee and some juice, my fear of drinking has abated now, I was really apprehensive at first.

I had no trouble having a shower by myself, getting dressed, I came home and we've just been out for a short walk. I'd say the pain now is just like a bit of a stitch in my side, I havent really needed anything more than paracetamol for it. Just the belly gas, I'm very distended but that just feels weird, not sore.

All in all much less traumatic than I was anticipating.

[Firecallie 2]

Well i hated the groggy feeling right after surgery but since I got in the car and got home I was fine. I mean a bit tight but I had NO problems I walked alot drank Water and ate popsicles alot, did my breathing excersises ect. I didn't need to take any of my pain medicine or gas medicine though I had them both on hand. I think the worst part of me was sleeping for about 3 nights I was very restless and uncomfortable. Woke up every 2 hours and was miserable (even then it wasn't horrible). Goodluck!

[Guest SAMPECKINPAH]

I am four days out. Everything was going pretty great up until today. I had some modest discomfort, but really far less than I expected. Then, this morning, my wife and I went out for a walk and I was hit by the most intense pain in my left shoulder I can ever remember experiencing. All strength has been sapped out of my left arm. It feels like my nerve-endings are in a vice and are being crushed. And I here I am, laying in bed waiting for the pain to subside.

[guile 0]

So does everyone experience the shoulder pain? And am I understanding this right the pain in the shoulder is caused by gas?????? Doesnt sound right, I would assume the gas pains would be in the belly??

The reason you get the shoulder pain from the gas is because your diphram and shoulder share the same nerve pathway. Your brain doesn't know how to interpret the discomfort on your diphram so it registers it at your shoulder.

[Jachut 487]

When I woke up from the anaesthetic the pain was quite bad, very localised, right around my stomach. They quickly gave me morphine and it was fine for a few hours, that night I had an extremely restless night - not so much bad pain but discomfort, I was hot and itchy after being in bed all night, I was in a bit of pain, my back hurt, but I was able to get out of bed on my own and walk around. I was given some tranquilisers so I could sleep, becuase I just wasnt tired after being in bed all day and I woke up the next time feeling great, the pain had gone. Got dressed (put jeans on!) and went home, never needed one single painkiller, in fact I went for a half hour walk the afternoon I got home and we went Christmas shopping the next day. I sat with a hot Water bottle on my tummy the night I got home and that was all.

I was banded on Friday, drove the kids to school on Monday. My two year old was farmed out for the week with my mum and to daycare, so I had time to recouperate, didnt really need it but all the same whilst I was coping just fine, I dont think I could have coped with a toddler throwing a tantrum in the supermarket. For a few days I let Doug do all the washing etc just so I wasnt doing anything heavy.

It would have gone without a hitch apart from the fact that I dont seem to cope very well with very low calorie diets. I had fainting spells on the pre surgery Optifast and by Day 4 was feeling like death and fainting again. But once I ditched the Protein drinks and Water routine and started having some real food, that quickly cleared up and a week later I'm fine to have an hour's walk, do my housework and such. Dont even get any more tired than usual.

It was absolutely a piece of cake.

[Jachut 487]

D'oh I've answered twice. Oh, well, you get my perspective from 10 days out now.

[NJChick 3]

Right after surgery I was in ALOT of pain, dang it hurt. The next day when I came home I was in tears b/c it was to long in between taking my pain meds. The 3rd day I was MUCH better and I continued to feel relief after that.

Would I do it again........... YES !!!

[Desi80 1]

I had very little pain, was on morphine the first day, a mild pain killer on the second day, and tylonal for a day after that. I was having sex with my hubby on day 3/4 :banana

[MsButterKup23 1]

I don't know why, but immediately after surgery (when I woke up) I was in EXTREME pain. Apparently they didn't push anything into my IV before I woke up because I felt like I had been stabbed. They gave me some pain meds in my IV and it went away quickly.

They sent me home with liquid Lortab with a refill. I love that stuff, if I was to get addicted to anything that would be my choice..lol

I didn't have gas pain, my main complaint was not being able to sleep on my tummy for a few weeks, I am a major tummy sleeper.

[Connorsmom 1]

I woke up feeling awful - the worst part was not having anything to drink until after my floroscope. Out and about by day 3

[CCBSTX 0]

Directly after surgery, I had pain of about a 2-3. The next day, it was mostly a 1-2. I had the shoulder pain (left), right out of surgery (ouch). I still have it on occasion. When I do I take a tylenol. After the 4th day, I started to feel really good (not perfect).

Shawn