What to expect right after surgery?

[Onward 40]

The vomiting won't hurt you because you will have nothing really to throw up. Kinda graphic, but really, it's just spit. The nausea from the anesthesia may make you feel sick for a VERY short time, but remember, it is quickly going to be over. Don't focus on it...you've got this!

[joatsaint 2,814]

My first impressions out of surgery was immense pressure in my chest. I never really felt any pain in my sleeve or the incisions. But the gas pressure had me hitting the pain meds button like I was trying to win a prize on a game show!!!

Until I had done the leak test, they didn't give me anything to drink except ice chips. When I did start drinking Water, I could only drink a thimble full at at time.

I was in and out of the hospital and on the way home in about 30 hours.

Edited January 8, 2015 by joatsaint

[Mumsicle 22]

There are nerves in every part of your body!! Are you sure it was a nurse who told you *there are no nerves in that part of the stomach...*

[smoggie 11]

Still in pain, both gas and surgery pain and been up all night with my usual anxiety and hyperventilating, just on paracetamol for pain relief although I was given morphine in recovery yesterday at 6:00pm, so not feeling great at the mo.

[Cyr 16]

My surgery is in 12 hrs and reading this is giving me anxiety!!!!!! Feel better and positive thinking it's all worth it.. No pain no gain right?

[staceytapia 12]

@@Cyr, good luck!

[heynowkc 329]

@@JerseyJules

- There is definitely going to be pain right away. Some at your incision site, but also at your stomach inside where it is healing from surgery. Your muscles will be very sore. In recovery, if you need pain medicine just ask for it and our recovery nurse should dole it out liberally at first!! Mine wanted to get me to the point of comfort that I could fall asleep if left alone in a quiet room. Only then was I moved to my room.

- The pain "inside" will last a while but will not be as painful as your incisions, especially at first. The incision pain is hard to describe. Sometimes I felt a bit of a "burning" especially at the largest incision above my bellybutton where the stomach was removed. But mostly it's not that kind of pain. Mostly I think you will feel like you did "abs of steel" all day for a week straight and your muscles will be very tender and protest at any type of "bending." (Sitting up from a laying position, reaching down to pull on your socks, etc.)

- I was expected to walk from the door of my room to my bed and that was easy.

- I experienced some hiccups and burping, but not too much nausea because they give you medicine for that as well.

- The only time my nausea was severe was when they gave me pain meds through my IV. The dilauded made my stomach do painful flips about 60 seconds after administration, every time. This lasted maybe 10 minutes but my nurses would give me the nausea medicine right before or right after the dilauded so I am not sure how long it would have lasted without it.

- Oddly enough I never vomited until almost 2 weeks after surgery while trying to get down my Vitamins. I think some people have a worse time with the nausea though.

- I had my surgery in the afternoon and could not drink anything until the following day. I brushed my teeth and rinsed my mouth constantly! (So I would definitely recommend bringing in a toothrbrush and your favorite toothpaste -- in my experience hospital toothpaste doesn't taste great!)

- Walking was a breeze and I did that a lot. Walking is easier than getting up and down.

- I was so out of it the first 12-24 hours almost that I couldn't answer texts from friends or concentrate on much except for listening to my audiobook (Amy Poehler to the rescue). After that I was doing crosswords and puzzles and able to talk on the phone.

- How not to lose your phone charging chord: Ask you nurse for a piece of medical tape and tape it to the rail of the bed near your head!

- They will want you to pee within the first few hours of surgery. This is HARD because you haven't had anything to drink or eat in a LONG time. I struggled with this but eventually it was no problem.

- I didn't have any gas pain to speak of. Many people complain of pain in the shoulders but I didn't experience that at all.

- When they finally did give me Water to drink, I was shocked by how hard it was to get down even a quarter of an ounce. They gave me four, plastic, one-ounce cups. and a pitcher of Water and wanted me to work up to being able to drink all 4 within a half hour. Just keep working at it and it will happen before you know it.

Hope this helps!

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

My surgery is in 12 hrs and reading this is giving me anxiety!!!!!! Feel better and positive thinking it's all worth it.. No pain no gain right?

Keep a positive attitude! I had absolutely no pain.

- There is definitely going to be pain right away. Some at your incision site, but also at your stomach inside where it is healing from surgery. Your muscles will be very sore. In recovery, if you need pain medicine just ask for it and our recovery nurse should dole it out liberally at first!! Mine wanted to get me to the point of comfort that I could fall asleep if left alone in a quiet room. Only then was I moved to my room.

NOPE! I had none, nada, nein, zip, zero! It truly varies from person to person.

Edited January 8, 2015 by BLERDgirl

[JerseyJules 862]

Still in pain, both gas and surgery pain and been up all night with my usual anxiety and hyperventilating, just on paracetamol for pain relief although I was given morphine in recovery yesterday at 6:00pm, so not feeling great at the mo.

Youre not helping dude......LOL...

[JerseyJules 862]

What is hard about getting the Water down at first? Pain in the stomach? Or just gag reflexes?

[BeagleLover 1,020]

I remember feeling fuzzy the day of surgery (a Friday morning) and the next day, probably from the pain meds they administered through the IV. I didn't feel any pain from the surgery. Whenever I wet my mouth, I got the pain behind the breastbone feeling. They just gave me my fluids by IV. I didn't have any gas pains because my doctor removed the gas before closing me up.

By the Sunday morning, I felt as though nothing had happened. I got my prescription for pain meds in case I'd need some, but I didn't even need one.

[heynowkc 329]

What is hard about getting the Water down at first? Pain in the stomach? Or just gag reflexes?

@@JerseyJules It's probably a combination of things. First you do have a lot of meds in you and I think that effects you in many ways including making drinking unappealing etc, second you may be experiencing gas/nausea, third your stomach is now tiny compared to what it was AND it's swollen from the procedure, so you just don't have a lot of room in there. It didn't take me long at all to get four ounces down as fast as they wanted me to, but those first four just seemed to take forever.

[heynowkc 329]

I remember feeling fuzzy the day of surgery (a Friday morning) and the next day, probably from the pain meds they administered through the IV.

Yes the pain meds and the anesthesia does make you feel foggy. That is the main reason I think I was so out of it for the first ~day.

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

What is hard about getting the Water down at first? Pain in the stomach? Or just gag reflexes?

For me it was both. It was a weird feeling. Not pain, but it's like you felt the muscles trying to push the Fluid down. The one time I vomited was when I was sucking on ice and too large a piece went down by mistake. They gave me those tiny medicine cups and it made sipping easier.

[joatsaint 2,814]

My new sleeve was so swollen, that there wasn't room for Water. I drank 1 or 2 ounces right after my leak test and threw up immediately - that was the only time it happened. There just wasn't room for that much water.

What is hard about getting the water down at first? Pain in the stomach? Or just gag reflexes?