My first 24 hours post op

txbecca · March 31, 2007

I'm still so glad I had this done. The pain has been manageable. Had I not found this site and did my homework I would have been much worse off. Thankfully, the teacher in my spent hours reading up on everyone and followed alot of your advice, and I'm in day two now and to be honest doing great!. The key is the walking and moving.. it really is.. Here is how I went about my last 24 hours

5am Arrived at hospital

7 am prepped for surg. IV and a nasuea pill, and leg compression wraps. LAst minute weight of 268

8:30 am.. Surgery Don't remember a thing, aside from flirting with the doctors who wheeled me in.

9:30 Waking up in recovery.. Throat hurt like hell, had a hard time taking a deep breath, and keeping my eyes open.

10:30 Wheeled up to my room, Where DH was asleep in my bed. doozed on and off, trying to come out on anestheia. throat was a sore.

11:30 Groogy but awake, took a lap around the hospital floor.

12: needed to pee, but couldn't.. (anesthesia)

12:30: Barium swallow. NAsty stuff, but not bad.. wide awake now

12:45 Pee'd.. yeah.. They brought me food.. Jello, broth, tea. I ate half the Jello, a cup a tea and all the broth..

1: took another walk down the hall, while DH packed up

1:30 Discharged. Iv's out.

2:00pm. Home sweet home.. Car ride wasn't bad except for pot holes, I took the pillows someone mentioned.. Helped alot to have them on my tummy

2:30 Napping on couch sort of..

3.pm Walking around the house in laps. Moving my arms in circles in alternate directions. took gas X pain is there, but took a darvocet. crushed it in a motor and pestal, mixed with 1 tablespoon grape juict.. Swig like a shot, chase with sip of Water then clean palette with a 1/4 chopped up popsicle.

4pm. Still walking.. sitting at pc.. trying to keep moving in some way..

5.pm.. I'm hungry.. Drink some broth, realize the dog can't be picked up and helped on the couch, she isn't happy. drank juice, drank tea

6 pm. Walked to the corner 4 x's ( only 2houses away) in my loud and obnoxious mumu..

7pm.. Took another Darvocet with popsicle chaser

laid on the couch and walked intermitently in the house.. trying to take a lap or two in the living room and kitchen every hour. Was surprised how hungry I was.

8pm. Drank an Ensure.. a little too fast I might add.. got the gurgles.. not painfull, just wierd. need to learn to listen to my body. Took more gas x. laying with heat on my shoulder, pain is managable.. helps if I rotate my arm alot. So I do that while walking. He is laughing at the naked propeller walking through the house.. (too hot in the mumu)

9pm.. starting to get sleepy, still moving about the living room,

10pm.. Get in bed for the first time. A major challenge since our bed is 38" off the floor. This is a comedy of errors. I can't just hop in.. our footstool from the office won't support my wieght, hubby brings in the step ladder, that won't angle and fit in the space. End up with positioning my butt against the bed.. and pushing with my legs to scoot back on the bed, then laying down at an angle holding on the DH's arm. We took one of those armed bolster pillows and made a backrest, and piled it with pillows.. this helped immensely. The only area I needed help with was getting in and out of bed.

Doozed until the Daughter came home at 11.

11:30 took another Darvocet, when to the Bathroom. Hurting a bit, more from laying down and not moving. Decide to do some laps. Walk in circles around the kitchen while Dh is doing dishes. I found that i only hurt when I stop moving, for longer periods than an hour. I've noticed that the swelling /bloating had left my upper stomach, looks more normal now.

3:30 Another Darvocet. This section of the night was the worse.. I kept having to wake DH up to help me sit up, didn't have the strength to get from laying down to a sitting position. I had removed the Bolster, Bad Idea,so I put it back. took a few more laps, back to bed

6:30 awoken by the storms.. Feel good.. Not taking anything.. walking abit.. back to bed.. able to get out and in bed without assistence.. still need a push from behind my back with sitting up.

9:30. Up for the day.. Took some tylenol. gas-x, my thyroid pill, and flintston vitamen and drank a cup of tea.

10:15.. Noticing I'm starting to bloat again, in my upper stomach and that the gas is moving into my shoulder, I'm attributing this to not walking much yet, so I take another darvocet. I'm only taking a half dose each time but it is enough. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, was going to start taking tylenol instead but I could feel the tummy starting to hurt and weakness with getting up.. Really need to walk.. so I said.. why suffer.. took it, as I'm writing this.. now going to do some walking.. Wish it wasn't raining so I could go outside. So far so good.. Drinking some broth now.. while I start my walk.. :clap2:

largeincharge · March 31, 2007

I was banded 3-28-07 in Houston by Dr. Spivak. All seems well. I drove myself 4 hours home from Houston yesterday. That was a bit tiring but other than that I have some soreness and gas pain. When do you have your first BM. I don't want to wait too long before taking something and get into trouble. Does anyone know how long to wait?

txbecca · March 31, 2007

I havn't had mine yet.. I had one right before surgery. Probably saw you at the hospital yesterday, I was the one with the tall skinny bald guy hubby. 4 hour drive.. WOW.. I don't think I could do that. WTG!

julieann · March 31, 2007

Thanks! Your story has been very helpful. I am just in the first stages of thinking about surgery. I meet with the doctor on friday. Little scared. Good luck with your process. I wish you a healthy recovery.

Dina69 · March 31, 2007

Hello Friends,

Well, to answer your question about the BM, I was banded last Monday 3/26 and just had my first BM today!! Wasnt to bad, I had read a few people have really bad squirts but mine was ok. Best of luck to all!! Txbecca, sounds like your doing great!

txbecca · March 31, 2007

So far day two is going good. I'm off the darvocet, Just taking tylenol as needed. I did have a few spoonfuls of yogurt, chased down with some hot tea, I read the thread about Yeast infections and I am prone to them, so I thought it would be a good idea to have a a spoonful or two on yogurt. Walking makes all the difference in the world. If I don't walk every two hours I notice the pain increases. I've always been active, but not to this measure. I have to make myself wake up and walk so I don't get stiff and the gass doesn't settle. Making some interesting body noises that is for sure.

txbecca · April 1, 2007

Took a shower.. wonderful!!!.. and went to Target to get a few things. and managed to walk almost half a block today. Not too bad of a day two. Coughed up a big mess of slime, looked more like mucus, felt much better afterwards. only taking Tylenol now.. Hungrey but not.. kind of wierd.

:nervous

396power · April 6, 2007

HI all

I have a date of the 04/20 for now and put in for 6 days of vac.

and I see almost everyone of you have desk jobs

which is cool cause my wife is also having lapband.

and she is a desk Girl. But me I have a lift big heavy stuff stand on feet allday Job. the lifting can wait, we have cranes for that stuff. But the moving around all over the place. I was just wondering if I would be pushing it going back to work after 9 days?

jubjub · April 6, 2007

You should be cool after 9 days. You definetly should not lift things, but if your crane Jones it should be cool. It will be cool man, they give you good drugs so no pain. And you should be able to walk around pretty good at least the next day. I love that surgery date! Happy 4/20 !!

juliegeraci · April 6, 2007

Boy does this bring back the memories. Thanks for the share. I too moved to extra strength tylenol pretty quickly. Congrats on being banded. Julie

396power · April 13, 2007

Thanks for the info.

dislexi · April 14, 2007

I was on liquid hydrocodone post op and afraid of Constipation. I squeezed the liquid out from a Colace and mixed it with a little slim fast. Never had a problem. I think it helped with the gas too.

fernandoandme · April 15, 2007

DH and I were banded on Monday 4/9. Feeling pretty good. I am still feeling sore and uncomfortably (sp?) after eating. Glad that the gas is gone...man was that bad!!! How much did you lose right after surgery?

just realized this is the 1st 24 hrs after surgery thread...but maybe some could still help me:)