Discharged from hospital and back home

[Beadingnurse 116]

Well...I had my sleeve on Tuesday (April 12) and I feel like I have had my guts rearranged with a rake! Ok...probably not that bad but I haven't been out of surgery much over 48 hours so I think discomfort is to be expected. I had a hysterectomy and it was a lot worse. I am taking pain meds but not as much as the doc said that I could and I suspect I will stop them by tomorrow.

I think I would be in great shape right now except that I had a large hiatal hernia repair done at the same time and that is what hurts. The doc said a big chunk of my stomach had gone through my diaphragm wall and was protuding into my thoracic cavity. One of my incision sites is very high...right at the bra line and that was so they could maneuver the stomach back down in the abdominal cavity. (I guess) and that area is what hurts. The surgeon told me he expected that to be painful because he had to do a lot of work there. I am not hungry at all and today drank some chicken broth for lunch and am sipping Water all day. No nausea at all since the surgery so knock on wood...maybe I will avoid that

I really, really like my surgeon a lot. His name is Mark Sherrod with SW Bariatrics and Capital Area Surgeons. I worked with him when I was working at a local hospital and he was calm and competent...a no drama kind of guy. He had very few complications, he performed a lot of emergency and scheduled surgery's...appendectomies, gall bladders, bowel obstructions, etc. That breadth of experience was important to me because I wanted a surgeon who could take me back to the O.R. if I developed a complication and know what to do. I was very touched my an incident in the OR. He told me was going to set up some soothing music (then put on Willy Nelson's Whiskey River if my memory is accurate!) but then he pulled up a stool beside me and took my hand and held it. It was very calming and the last thing I remember thinking in the OR was what an unusual thing it was for a doctor to offer comfort! I expect nurses to do that but not doctors! That is not a slam on doctors...they just generally are too preoccupied with the procedure to take the time. I mentioned the incident to my nurse in my hospital room later and she said, "oh you picked a good surgeon." Trust me...nurses who work in the surgical and post surgical areas KNOW who the good surgeons are and who aren't!!

All and all I would do it again in a heartbeat even though you have an uncomfortable couple of days. I look forward to getting back to normal and seeing what eating is going to be like with this little stomach! Oh by the way....my husband now qualifies for saint hood! The hospital room has a fold out bed so the patient can have someone spend the night and he did. He was wonderful and helping me to get up to go to the bathroom, rubbing my shoulders, walking me around the halls. I got quite cranky when I was hurting and waiting on pain meds and he took it all in stride! I got a keeper here!!!

[Infernored 5]

I had my VSG done on tuesday as well. I am tolerating the pain fine with just tylenol (lortab gives me the itchies!). But then again I didn't have a hernia either. Your surgeon sounds like a winner. My surgeon, I feel is quite competent, but is rather lacking on the personality-side. He has a way of making me feel very unsettled by over-taking our conversations and repeating spiels that I think he recites before he comes to work. I can tell he cares that I succeed, but sometimes I wonder if it's not just so that his numbers look good. Anyway, it is done, and I feel good. I won't have to see him much more now, even though I will follow up with the office for quite some time. I will be talking with the nurse practitioners instead.

[Loooou 30]

I am sooooo HAPPY!! really !! I am glad u had an amazing doctor and that all ur complications were resolved:)) Welcome back and welcome on the loser bench!! It wont be that long before I join u! so save me a seat:)

Wish u a smooth recovery and an extremely happy journey:)

[Beadingnurse 116]

Thanks guys! I am feeling even better today and I am so optimistic that this surgery is going to be just what I needed!

[Oopsseedaisy 90]

I am glad things are getting better for you and your surgeon sounds wonderful. Thanks for the update. I was wondering how you are doing.

Hugs

[KellyL 173]

Congrats to you!! Thanks for sharing your experience, I think I have a hiatal hernia that will be repaired also. So glad you have such a great dr, that makes a world of difference. Have a fast recovery!!

[kids05 4]

I had my surgery on Tuesday as well. I was incredibily nauseous when I came out of surgery then I met the devil himself...his name is HICCUP! I kept getting the hiccups...it was awful. Now I am home and I feel better, hiccups seem to be less but my belly!!!! Its so swollen and lumpy!!! Is that normal!? Its bigger now for goodness sake. I got my pants on to come home but the tshirt was embarassingly snug (the drain looked like an extra lovely little bulge as well...lol) How do you know when you feel full? I just don't know. When my stomach gets all gurgly I stop...thats what it does after a few sips...churn & gurgle. Is this normal or could something be wrong? I am just a bit worried but feel pretty good so...??? Could you all please let me know how you feel when you drink? I was on clear fluids for a day then on to full fluids. I have had Protein juice today some yogurt and some broth...but I want to do this right so please help! I never saw a nutritionist before surgery just a nutrition doc that cleared me but didn't discuss diet at al, I just want to stay on the right track. Let me know asap! Thank you sooooo much.

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[Beadingnurse 116]

I had my surgery on Tuesday as well. I was incredibily nauseous when I came out of surgery then I met the devil himself...his name is HICCUP! I kept getting the hiccups...it was awful. Now I am home and I feel better, hiccups seem to be less but my belly!!!! Its so swollen and lumpy!!! Is that normal!? Its bigger now for goodness sake. I got my pants on to come home but the tshirt was embarassingly snug (the drain looked like an extra lovely little bulge as well...lol) How do you know when you feel full? I just don't know. When my stomach gets all gurgly I stop...thats what it does after a few sips...churn & gurgle. Is this normal or could something be wrong? I am just a bit worried but feel pretty good so...??? Could you all please let me know how you feel when you drink? I was on clear fluids for a day then on to full fluids. I have had Protein juice today some yogurt and some broth...but I want to do this right so please help! I never saw a nutritionist before surgery just a nutrition doc that cleared me but didn't discuss diet at al, I just want to stay on the right track. Let me know asap! Thank you sooooo much.

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Kids05...OMG I can't even imagine the hiccups! I was a drama queen if I to blow my nose or cough...that must have been so painful! I wore my oldest stretchiest pajamas home from the hospital as I knew I would likely be swollen. Hope you didn't have to go far in the car! YES....my abdomen was very lumpy, swollen and not symmetrical at all. It has reduced some and evened out a little since surgery but girlie magazines are not knocking down my doors yet to get good photos!

Sorry you didn't have the benefit of nutritional counseling...did your doctor give a diet to follow at all?? You should contact them pronto for instructions but mine said I should be on Clear liquids for a few days and he wasn't worried at all about me getting in Protein during this time as my job was just to stay hydrated. I am just now trying to even think about Protein drinks. I do hear a lot of gurgly sounds when I SIP fluids... I try to take a sip or two...let it go down for a minute or two or even a few minutes before taking another. Sometimes I get up and walk around in the interim to get stuff to move down. Your body is still swollen from surgery and things may be very slow for days or even weeks. THAT IS OK and normal. I watched when they did my leak test in the hospital and saw that fluids kind of back up in my esophagus a bit because of the swelling and trickled slowly through my new tummy. You won't die from a protein deficiency quickly! so don't worry as much about getting your numbers up with that. You have some time to get used to eating (basically drinking) for now. That said, when you CAN take some protein drinks...do so because that will help you get your strength back more quickly.

Here is what I have been drinking since surgery...plain Water, Vitamin Water (Propel), green tea from a bottle (Lipton) at room temp, green tea steeped and warm, miso Soup broth, powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken broth Protein Drink, Atkins chocolate Royale shakes. I've tried a couple of cream Soups from the grocery with poor success. One promising one yesterday was an expensive wild mushroom bottled Soup that tasted okay but was like eating gravy...way to rich tasting. I tried a red pepper soup that was tasty and a "fall harvest" one that wasn't. I am only having 4 or 5 tablespoons top but it is enough to feel like you have "eaten" something. It takes me at least an hour to eat my bit of soup though. Next week will basically me more of the same for me...fluids, creamed and pureed foods.

Feel free to private message me if you have more questions but good luck on this weight loss journey! These are the hardest days and they will all be a dim memory soon!

Take care

[kids05 4]

Hi. Well I had a convo with the doc last night. The shoulder pain I have developed had me really scared. It hurts when I inhale...like from a 0 to a 7 or 8 pain level in one breath. It sucks, that with having had the hiccups (which can be a sign of a leak) I was just worried. He said it could be a leak or it could be the drain irritating my diaphram causing the pain. I am supposed to take it easy and wait for his call. Now my drain is clogged...ugh. Since he is supposed to call me today to see how the pain is, I have been waiting, but I'm getting nervous he's gonna wait till later to call and then say I have to go to the hospital. I just can't win...grrrr. I'm a nurse, can't I just pull this stupid drain myself??? As for drinking, today I drank a 16oz Protein Drink that had 32g of Protein in it. I ate 4oz of yogurt, that was @ 15 grams of protein (only because I added some flavorless Protein Powder to it) and like 6 oz of Water. I feel like all I do is think about 'eating' and drinking...isn't that what I was doing before...lol???

As for this being a dim memory...wow, that cannot happen soon enough!

[Beadingnurse 116]

Hi. Well I had a convo with the doc last night. The shoulder pain I have developed had me really scared. It hurts when I inhale...like from a 0 to a 7 or 8 pain level in one breath. It sucks, that with having had the hiccups (which can be a sign of a leak) I was just worried. He said it could be a leak or it could be the drain irritating my diaphram causing the pain. I am supposed to take it easy and wait for his call. Now my drain is clogged...ugh. Since he is supposed to call me today to see how the pain is, I have been waiting, but I'm getting nervous he's gonna wait till later to call and then say I have to go to the hospital. I just can't win...grrrr. I'm a nurse, can't I just pull this stupid drain myself??? As for drinking, today I drank a 16oz Protein drink that had 32g of Protein in it. I ate 4oz of yogurt, that was @ 15 grams of protein (only because I added some flavorless protein powder to it) and like 6 oz of Water. I feel like all I do is think about 'eating' and drinking...isn't that what I was doing before...lol???

As for this being a dim memory...wow, that cannot happen soon enough!

Don't pull that drain out yourself!!! You and I are both nurses but it is sutured in place and is probably 20-24 inches long. Don't want to play doctor here but the shoulder pain is likely from the carbon dioxide they pump us up with during surgery. For some weird reason the pain is often referred to the left shoulder area and it IS very painful. The body just has to reabsorb that gas so time is your best friend but walking as much as you can will help increase the absorption. I also found a heating pad and as many back/shoulder rubs as I could plead for also helped! I'd love to be able to eat yogurt as I love it but it isn't on my eating plan until week 3. Good luck and feel better soon.

[Infernored 5]

Lol, as my doctor keeps telling me... "nurses who nurse themselves will have a fool for a patient". I always want to smack him for that!

[kids05 4]

Lol, as my doctor keeps telling me... "nurses who nurse themselves will have a fool for a patient". I always want to smack him for that!

I suppose there could be a fraction of truth in that statement, but just a fraction...and I WOULD smack my doc for that (and he knows it...lol)

Anyway, I wen in for an upper GI...the middle of my sleeve is squished! I watched the upper gi...it went into my sleeve, pooled up....drizzled through the middle and pooled up at the bottom again till it emptied into my small intestine, GRRRR! Doc said it might just be swelling, not calling it a stricture yet, even if it was...too soon to treat. Nothing we can do about it with such a fresh staple line (sleeved 4/12) So clear fluids only. CLEAR FLUIDS ONLY TILL WHEN I ASK??????? His reply, talk to me Wednesday when you come in for your 1 week post-op appt. Well kids...today is wednesday...he better have some answers for this chica! I'm very unhappy being knocked to just clear this far out! I was knocking on the door to mushy heaven!!! So not fair!

[kids05 4]

I suppose there could be a fraction of truth in that statement, but just a fraction...and I WOULD smack my doc for that (and he knows it...lol)

Anyway, I wen in for an upper GI...the middle of my sleeve is squished! I watched the upper gi...it went into my sleeve, pooled up....drizzled through the middle and pooled up at the bottom again till it emptied into my small intestine, GRRRR! Doc said it might just be swelling, not calling it a stricture yet, even if it was...too soon to treat. Nothing we can do about it with such a fresh staple line (sleeved 4/12) So clear fluids only. CLEAR FLUIDS ONLY TILL WHEN I ASK??????? His reply, talk to me Wednesday when you come in for your 1 week post-op appt. Well kids...today is wednesday...he better have some answers for this chica! I'm very unhappy being knocked to just clear this far out! I was knocking on the door to mushy heaven!!! So not fair!

PS...he pulled the drain! OUCH, stung like a bleep bleep bleep as it pulled through the fascia! Woah....glad I didn't attempt that one! LOLOL

[Infernored 5]

Oh no! I get my drain out tomorrow morning before work. My abdomen is really sore at it's insertion point. I'm sick of it.

[kids05 4]

Oh no! I get my drain out tomorrow morning before work. My abdomen is really sore at it's insertion point. I'm sick of it.

mine hurt a bit coming out but only for a minute...having it out...SO WORTH IT!