What To Expect...

[Jilllorraine 62]

Hello all you post-opers! I am scheduled for surgery on Oct 12 and starting to get the presurgery jitters! I'm nervous and anxious and scared and excited.. which I'm sure is normal too.

My questions to you are:

1) I know its surgery.. I've never had one! (But I have had 2 kids and labor was painful) but what should I expect? Is the pain manageable? Is it mainly from the gas, incisions, stomach pain?

2) When were you able to go back to a "normal" routine? I have kids that are active in lots of sports and dance etc.. will I be able to take them?

3) I have read people have the "post surgery blues" are you or were you upset you had the surgery? In pain? Lost your best friend (food) feeling?

4) I was put on bed rest with my first child and on very strong meds that kept me to the bed.. so had a folley (so?) Catheter .. it was terrible, and had a terrible experience... so I hated it. Did you all have caths and how long were they kept in? (I know crazy fear..)

5) Now that you've lost weight, what are your friends like? Have they changed?

Thanks for your time! Can't wait to be on the losing side with you!

[Big Lou 42]

Well I'm only 6 days post op but my own experience goes like this . The anxiety is the only bad part before surgery but ask your nurse for some meds to calm your nerves ! They work ! After surgery in the hospital room the pain was around a 3 on a scale of ten ! Morphine pump use it !! It works don't remember too much of that day other than they check vitals every two hours and glucose check too. It's not that bad the next day I didn't use the pump more than a few times . Be prepared they expect you to get up that first evening and that's rough!! As for pain at home my port sites seem to get better everyday I haven't used my pain meds at all !! You can do this !!! Keep in mind everyone is different ! Good luck ! That's my 2 cents .

[BBdoodle 483]

It all depends on the person and your frame of mind. I am the worlds biggest baby and cannot stand pain what so ever. I have had numerous surgeries before so I knew what to expect as far as surgery. The pain was not all that bad, I was on a morphine pump for two days. On a scale of 1-10 the pain was 6 or 7 the first day. I was more uncomfortable than in pain. Of course when you use your stomach muscels to sit up they hurt but to just lay there I was OK. I walked a real lot during the 2nd day to eliminate the gas which helped a lot. I had a drain which the doctor removed before I went home. Basically for me it was not so bad, a lot less pain than I thought. I had surgery on a Monday (4/9) and was back to work the following Monday but worked 1/2 day in the office and 1/2 at home for a week, then by the beginning of the 3rd week I was in work full time. My sister was out of work the 6 weeks allowed by dissability. Each person is different and can tolerate pain differently. I was one of the lucky ones where surgery went well, recovery was fast and easy and no complications. My friends and family are treating me fantastic, everyone is very supportive

[Jilllorraine 62]

Awesome!! Thank you for your replies! I am an on-the-go kinda person. I do have a tolerance for pain, but I'm also afraid of it. obviously no one likes it! I am hoping to bounce back like you!

[Ciaobella 76]

I typed my responses in all caps so you can see them, not because I'm yelling at you.

1) I know its surgery.. I've never had one! (But I have had 2 kids and labor was painful) but what should I expect? Is the pain manageable? Is it mainly from the gas, incisions, stomach pain? I'VE HAD TWO SINUS SURGERIES, INCLUDING A DEVIATED SEPTUM, AND TWO C-SECTIONS, ONE WITH A PAINFUL ,OPEN INCISION FOR NEARLY 6 MOS. FOR ME, PART OF THIS WAS WORSE. THE SURGERY PAIN ITSELF WAS COMPLETELY MANAGEABLE, BUT I HAD EXCRUCIATING PAIN (THINK STABBING ICE PICKS) IN MY SHOULDERS FOR A GOOD WEEK AFTERWARDS. I HAD AN ON-Q PAIN PUMP IN THE HOSPITAL, WHICH LET OUT A CONTINUAL DOSE OF PAIN MEDS TO MY INCISIONS. THE IV PAIN MEDS MADE ME NAUSEOUS. I FELT MUCH BETTER WITH THE liquid LORTAB. HOWEVER, WITH EVERY 24 HOURS THAT PASSED, I NOTICED A HUGE IMPROVEMENT IN HOW I FELT OVERALL. FIRST 24 ARE THE WORST.

2) When were you able to go back to a "normal" routine? I have kids that are active in lots of sports and dance etc.. will I be able to take them? I HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION WITH MY OLDEST SON PLUS A 19-MONTH OLD SON. I HAD SURGERY ON A MONDAY AND MY HUSBAND TOOK THE YOUNGEST TO THE BABYSITTER'S BEFORE WORK FOR ME THAT WEEK. BY THURSDAY, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE MY OLDEST TO SCHOOL AND SOCCER TRAINING, AND WE TRAVELED TO GAMES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. FOR ME, IF IT WEREN'T FOR MY SHOULDER PAIN, I WOULD HAVE BEEN OK ON WEDNESDAY. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE OFF OF PAIN MEDS BEFORE DRIVING. I COULDN'T LIFT MY YOUNGEST UNTIL I WAS NINE DAYS POST OP, SO I TAUGHT HIM HOW TO CLIMB INTO HIS CAR SEAT ON HIS OWN. ALSO, WHEN I DRIVE OR RIDE IN A CAR, MY DOCTOR SAID I HAVE TO GET OUT AND WALK AROUND EVERY 30 MINUTES TO HELP PREVENT BLOOD CLOTS FOR THE FIRST THREE WEEKS.

3) I have read people have the "post surgery blues" are you or were you upset you had the surgery? In pain? Lost your best friend (food) feeling? I DON'T HAVE THE POST-SURGERY BLUES PER SE, BUT A COUPLE OF TIMES, IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT NOT BEING ABLE TO EAT THE YUMMY SMELLING STUFF. FOR EXAMPLE, RIDING IN A CAR WITH A FRESH, HOT pizza OR GOING TO THE TACO SHOP AND PICKING UP dinner FOR THE FAMILY WHILE I ATE chicken broth. FOR ME, IT WAS EASIER TO RESIST THIS STUFF PRE-SURGERY BECAUSE i WAS SO EXCITED. POST SURGERY HAS BEEN A BIT HARDER, BUT STILL COMPLETELY DOABLE. THERE IS NO WAY I'M GOING TO EAT SOMETHING THAT MIGHT MAKE ME SICK RIGHT NOW. I'M ALREADY NAUSEOUS IN THE MORNINGS AND AT NIGHT (LIKE BEING PREGNANT) AND I DON'T WANT TO MAKE IT WORSE.

4) I was put on bed rest with my first child and on very strong meds that kept me to the bed.. so had a folley (so?) Catheter .. it was terrible, and had a terrible experience... so I hated it. Did you all have caths and how long were they kept in? (I know crazy fear..) I DIDN'T HAVE A CATHETER. HOPEFULLY, YOU WON'T EITHER! I DID HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME URINATING AFTER SURGERY THOUGH. I WOULD SIT THERE FOR 15 MINUTES SOMETIMES WAITING FOR IT TO COME OUT.

5) Now that you've lost weight, what are your friends like? Have they changed? I'M ONLY 14 DAYS POST OP, SO I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED THIS YET. I ONLY TOLD A FEW PEOPLE BEFOREHAND, BUT THOSE THAT I DID TELL OR THAT I'VE TOLD POST OP HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE.

[Baker_gurl 119]

I was a little anxious right before surgery. I'm really difficult to draw blood from and not being able to drink anything made it worse. They had to try multiple times to get an IV in and also to draw blood. After the surgery, I felt like I couldn't breathe and was very nauseous. I was put on oxygen afterwards and given zofran for the nausea. I was told that the Dr. wanted me to sit up the first day for at least 30 minutes. The pain was manageable. Mostly, I was just very uncomfortable. The IV was in an awkward place and there were people in my room frequently.

I had surgery on a Monday and was released on Wednesday afternoon. I had to go home with a drainage tube that would be removed in a week. My biggest problem was that I couldn't get comfortable anywhere. My mom had bought me a recliner and that seemed to be the most comfortable place to rest. I was put on Hydromorphine as a pain reliever. I figured out within a few days that I couldn't take it close to bed time because it caused insomnia in me. I switched to Tylenol for night time pain. Thursday morning was a 100% improvement over my hospital stay. I went out for walks and everything just got better from there. I don't have kids and my mom was there to help me and my husband. This helped tremendously! Mike is visually impaired and I was not able to drive for a week or as long as I was on pain medication. I was able to get back into my normal routine in about 2 weeks. I took the 2 weeks off from work for after the surgery. I'm almost a month out from surgery and I feel I can do most things. I do get tired quickly singing at church and lifting anything that's slightly heavy.

The first few days after surgery I was having slight regrets. I just felt so uncomfortable and due to the medicine, I wasn't getting any sleep. I've had a pretty smooth path so far. Thank you Jesus!

I have been getting really positive responses from people! They are very excited that I got the surgery and are supportive. The one weird thing is my best friend and I are about the same size and I have heard multiple people say "I wish she would have the surgery. She is in such bad shape" , etc.I know that they mean well, but it just kinda rude. My aforementioned best friend has been a little distant lately. I don't know if it's because we're both really busy or if it has something to do with this surgery. She's asked me a few times if when I get thinner if I'm still going to like her/ hang out with her. I've tried to reassure her over and over that this is not going to change our friendship, at least not negatively.

[LosingItForMe2011 320]

Being nervous before surgery is perfectly normal. You've gotten some great replys

Congrats on your surgery date!