THIS is how the first 4 weeks go...

[CubsWinCubsWin 108]

I am glad to hear what the next 3 weeks have in store for me, I'm in the middle of week one. Keep the updates coming, we all appreciate them.

[HumanMerelyBeing 287]

I certainly would not want to discourage anyone with this post. But I, (like I'mreadyforthis and others) had read so many uber-postive posts about the post-op experience that I think I had almost built up unrealistic expectations and then felt like a failure when I encountered some of the issues described in the main post. Having some pain, discomfort, energy drain and issues getting in food and drink are actually quite common and all in the range of normal, but the wonderful part is that every week the body makes huge strides in healing.

Major surgery is just that: major. I've had other surgeries that were much worse with longer and far more painful recoveries involving long term physical therapy, etc. This surgery is not that difficult by any means, but we should let people know what can be experienced and be ready for it.

Then if they are one of the lucky ones who jump out of the hospital bed raring to go, they can be pleasantly surprised. But if not, they can know what the common challenges are which they may face in the first month AND that each week will yield remarkable improvements.

[CrazyJaney 775]

This is a great thread! I'm gonna have my husband read this so he can get a better idea of what to expect from me. Nobody is exactly the same for sure but this thread summarizes so many others journey. I am scheduled for Thursday. I'm soooo ready to move forward. Thank you for painting a realistic and hopeful picture!

[jdillon 355]

Thank you for that!

[Seela 1,187]

I'm 4 1/2 months out and I think I had a darn near perfect recovery. My experience was almost exactly like the OP. of coarse some people take months to recover, with complications and some people recover as if they never even had surgery, but I think the OP's post was pretty accurate for most of us the first month out. Nice.

[alwaysonadiet 47]

This is perfect humanmerelybeing!!! This is true true true. Thanks for the post! This is definitely the "norm" on these boards!! Very funny, made me feel better!

[hi2alisa 2]

I'm 5 days post op and this is the first day I haven't felt so completely tired. I appreciate the OP of what's to come and what to expect.

[Emarie07 47]

Love this! Thanks so much for sharing. I find it really helpful!

[hopeful2 be slim 121]

superb post..most of us have gone through all this...even i am so happy I can sleep comfortably now. But I keep wondering..oh...will it hurt if I sleep on one side...but now things are fine..weakness ,pain,is gone...sometimes I have been scared when my pain increased due to traveling..

This journey is surely an amazing one.

[CrazyJaney 775]

Sleeved yesterday. Heading home now. When does it stop hurting to swallow? You can really feel a tiny sip. This is going to be tough!

[mommyof3sweetboys 67]

Sleeved yesterday. Heading home now. When does it stop hurting to swallow? You can really feel a tiny sip. This is going to be tough!

It took me until about the 4th day for that to feel better. I was thankful when it did because I thought I would be in for a long life of sipping like a kitten!

[AuntieLala83 81]

Hello all - I know several of us are hitting our 1 month mark this week. Mine is today. The body is an incredible thing, truly. It's a healing machine quite frankly. At one and two weeks out: -you wonder what you have done to yourself and you are pretty sure you will never feel quite normal again -you can't imagine yourself ever sleeping anywhere but the living room recliner -the thought of driving or going back to work seems like an unrealistic commitment you made Way Back Before Surgery -you can get in so little Water and Protein that it dawns on you that THESE are the weeks that will cause Hair loss several months from now -you learn what "sliming" is (ewwww) -MyFitnessPal tells you repeatedly: "You are getting too few calories. If every day were like today, you would be DEAD in 5 weeks." At three weeks out: -you feel better but not really there yet -you need extra naps on the weekend -getting in your water and protein can be done with the effort of a full time job -you have a strange painful stitch in your side that you've resigned yourself to bravely live with the rest of your life -you accidentally sleep all night with the heating pad on your largest incision site on its highest setting -you walk 20 minutes on the treadmill and then come onto this site and disbelievingly post, "WHEN did they say I should start exercising????" -your body decides you must be on a grueling episode of Survivor and goes into starvation mode yielding the world's most devastating weight loss stall prompting you to decide that you are a failure and did this all for NOTHING At four weeks out: -you sleep in your own bed in whatever position you want -the fire-hazardous heating pad gets put away -you walk 2+ miles at lunch and think maybe you could have done more -you have enough energy to really start cleaning the house again and get totally aggravated at hubby and kids for how little they managed to do for the past month -you randomly feel happy, mad, silly, sad as hormones and emotions take their toll -you have to pack up the first set of clothes which are now too big -you feel healthy....dare I say...normal? Yep, the first month is kind of amazing.

Please explain this stitch in the side lol. Tues will be 3 weeks and I overdid it. My side is in some massive pain today plus I have a cold/cough and that's not helping my side either

[tarak421 2]

I can't wait to get to week 4, everything else is right on! Thanks for posting!!!!!

[CrazyJaney 775]

Yup, week one has been on target. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD - this sipping thing is a full time job! I had bronchitis the week before surgery so I've been coughing up crap and it freaking hurts! I put my binder back in today to give myself a rest. Also, I would just love to chew something. Bacon? Probably not. Sigh.....

[kphillips 12]

LOVE THIS!!! I heard nothing but positives before surgery and then wondered what I had done afterwards. I am now 2 weeks out and feeling much better! Thanks so much for the post!!!! It made me laugh.