post-op pain

[pjk 0]

Hi everyone,

I am having my band placed Aug. 28th. I am planning on three days off work to recover is this enough time? I just sit at a desk and dont do any bending or lifting.

[foodstampchamp 3]

Everyone is different. I would recommend really following your dr.'s instructions and not pushing it. Although following your doc's instructions is a good rule of thumb in any case.

[brittu 42]

Well I had my surgery yesterday so I can only spek for day 2. I feel a lot better tonight than I did yesterday or this morning. But to stay alert I have to drink children's ibuprofen. To get the pain manageable I have to take the prescription medicine that makes me sleepy an unable to drive. If my brain works then my body hurts. If I cut the pain I can't think clearly enough to work well.

I figured I'd probably be able to go back to my desk job on Thursday but I'm glad I planned for the whole week off just in case.

I was a little surprised at how badly I felt yesterday and today. I've had several surgeries and thought I'd be able to deal with the discomfort a little better than I have. But I can tell I'll just keep feeling better every day.

If you can, I might suggest asking for a week off but coming back early if you're feeling well enough.

Britt

[diva 0]

I was surprised to see that I felt worse on day 3 and 4 than I did on the day of surgery. I had anticipated being off from Friday to Wed and returning back to work on Thurs. No way. It depends on a lot of factors but it isn't a race. You are having surgery and there will be a certain amount of pain. I was lucky enough not to suffer from gas pain. If you can take the entire week off than do so. If you really feel better than go back earlier but don't plan on it. Let yourself heal. And listen to your own body.

[Tim 0]

I had surgery monday and was ready to go back to work today. Thankfully, I am able to work from home so it hasn't been an issue of driving, etc.

I haven't had a single dose of pain medication, other than tylanol... and I feel pretty darned good. The only real challenge is the feeling of needing to belch without being able to.

That said, i'm thankful that I don't have to go in if I don't want to, for the next few days.

[Leona06 0]

I took off almost 2 weeks... my mom took off 2 and a half and then worked at home for almost a week. The surgery was MUCH MORE painful than we expected. It is MAJOR surgery and your insides are all tore up. I am at 6 weeks and just now feeling good enough to exercise. I was so weak the first week and a half because I was scared to eat. Once I ate more than 500 calories in a day, my energy went higher, but I was still weak. I was on pain meds for 2 and a half weeks. I also had a reaction to the steri-strips and bandaids and had to be put on steriods for constant hives. I then found out I am allergic to adhesives. But this didn't stop my healing, it just took a long time. For the first few days, I regretted the surgery, then it got better. MY mom felt better on day 3 then worse again on day 4 like diva.

It all depends on you. I am 22 (was 21 then) and had horrible pain- my mom is 53 and somehow recovered faster. I didnt have gas pains, but she did. So its all different.

I'm not trying to scare you, but I think 3 days is not enough even for a desk job- thats what my mom and I have. My doc was iffy about letting me go back to work after almost 2 weeks. He wanted me to take a month off. Going back to work was hard- on the first day back- sitting straight up in a chair for 8 hours was IMPOSSIBLE, so I went home, took a pain pill and went to sleep.

Don't forget to drink your water! I got dehydrated as well, and almost had to go back to the hospital- so sip sip sip!

Not scolding or anything, just trying to let you see my situation. Hope this helps!