3 Days Post-Op, My Experience

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

Hello, everyone! I was sleeved on Wednesday, 4/26 at 10:30AM at Highland Hospital in Rochester, NY. My surgeon was Dr. William O'Malley.

I was a bit of a wreck when I went in for pre-op. I was crying a lot because I was really scared of anesthesia. This was my first experience ever being knocked out for more than just a few moments (previously, I've only ever had my wisdom teeth removed). The nurses were really supportive and I had a good experience meeting my anesthesiologist. We discussed getting something to calm me down even before we left the pre-op area - I accepted enthusiastically. I was aware of the "ride" over to the operating room but didn't feel anxious thanks to the drugs. I remember sliding onto the operating table and an oxygen mask coming to my face. After that, I was in a recovery room answering what my pain level was (I seem to have said 7, but I don't remember that at all). Next, I was in my room and it was about 2:00 pm.

I struggled hard with nausea. I was warned by my anesthesiologist that I was at one of the highest risk groups for nausea due to the drugs - young, female, non-smoker (I'm 27). He was spot on. For the first night and day in the hospital, I felt nauseous frequently and vomited several times. If you vomit, don't empty your bucket yourself - it's important that your nurses can take a quick look to make sure that what's coming up is innocuous (in this case, a little blood from the tube placed in my throat during surgery and stomach acid). Vomiting was...horrible. Not only is it the regular ick of throwing up, but it was also very painful for my incision sites. I was given meds for nausea and vomiting, but ultimately we discovered that the drug I was given to help the nausea and vomiting was actually contributing. The drug was Phenergran and I know now that it doesn't agree with my system. Once we switched to a new drug, the vomiting essentially disappeared and the nausea improved a lot.

The items I found most useful to have with me at the hospital were: Biotene spray with mint flavor (between dry mouth and vomiting, it was wonderful to have), an electric heating pad, my own pillow, new pack of underwear, and my own nightgown. I had also brought my laptop, cell phone, mini toiletries and a few other things, but didn't end up using them at all. My pain control medications (hydrocodone) make me very sleepy, and I wasn't really awake for more than just a few minutes at a time. The fresh pack of undies was great for morale as I needed a catheter for the first 36 hours because I couldn't seem to void my bladder on my own at first due to anesthesia. This process was not at all painful for me, likely because the drugs had me so relaxed. If I'd been more awake/aware I imagine it could have been quite uncomfortable.

The items I'm finding most useful at home are my microwave heating pad - I use the Carex Bed Buddy Back Wrap. The warmth is really soothing to the gas bubbles and the gentle weight provides good compression that's not too much or too little. It makes a world of difference and I can't recommend it enough.

I was also sent home with 7 different prescriptions - something for pain, nausea, vomiting, blood-clot prevention, Vitamins, a stool softener, and another that I can't remember. The blood clot prevention drug is a shot that I can inject into my self in the back of the arm, belly, or thigh. I have an incredibly supportive SO who does this for me. I will need to use it for 10 days. It's not too bad - obviously the nurses were a lot better at th einjection, but for a complete novice it's still relatively pain free and tolerable.

I'm hoping to return to my desk job on Wednesday, 5/3 exactly one week after my procedure. However, I'll continue to assess this on a day by day basis.

[LongIslandKoukla 3]

Congrats! I was sleeved about two hours before you at St. Charles hospital in port Jefferson, N.Y. by Dr John Angstadt. I've been pretty good other than gas pain- I seriously woke up in recovery screaming like a wild animal from the gas and begging to stand up and walk it off on my own... But once I was up and walking (a few hours later) I was fine. Didn't really need the dilaudid, have not needed Percocet at home. I'm not even taking Tylenol. I feel bruised around my incisions, which is 100% ok because I'm pretty bruised up! This is the normal healing process, bruises are uncomfortable.

A few things- I'm a hardass on myself and fiercely independent. I have zero pity for drug addicts, fear the overuse of opiods, and have a VERY high pain tolerance. I have been in the medical field for years and have watched several of my patients, friends, even my PCP, go through this and know exactly what to expect. The worst part for me is that my surgeon wants me to jump right to pureed Protein and I am struggling to get it down. Eating is uncomfortable, every bite, however small I make it, feels like its stretching my pouch. It's gotta be mental, because the discomfort subsides almost immediately. That, and I'm cold all the time. I missed a gorgeous day yesterday sleeping off the rest of the drugs from the hospital, and I'm just waiting today to go take a nice long walk.

[MBird 298]

Thank you for sharing your list of needed things ~ and all the best on your journey [emoji4]

[krystal60 2]

HI all,

I am 3 days out from the gastric bypass surgery. I have been really blessed! I was only in the hospital overnight. I was horribly nauseated right after the surgery but haven't been bothered much since then. I have been able to keep liquids down and have finished two Protein Shakes each day since then. I am having a problem finding liquids that I enjoy. I don't care for the sugar free drinks anymore. I'll probably just drink Water. I haven't walked as much as I should so I plan to walk today.

[princessK23 9]

I was sleeved 4/27 and I feel sore still especially when I need to turn while sleeping. Turning over is tender. I have been having headaches figure not enough fluids but working on my intake. Still on Clear Liquids. I tend to have bad Water retention and swelling prior to surgery and was on meds since surgery I continue to have the problem and little numbness in the am. Is anyone else having soreness when they turn over or any headaches?

Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

On 4/29/2017 at 9:28 AM, LongIslandKoukla said:

Congrats! I was sleeved about two hours before you at St. Charles hospital in port Jefferson, N.Y. by Dr John Angstadt. I've been pretty good other than gas pain- I seriously woke up in recovery screaming like a wild animal from the gas and begging to stand up and walk it off on my own... But once I was up and walking (a few hours later) I was fine. Didn't really need the dilaudid, have not needed Percocet at home. I'm not even taking Tylenol. I feel bruised around my incisions, which is 100% ok because I'm pretty bruised up! This is the normal healing process, bruises are uncomfortable.

A few things- I'm a hardass on myself and fiercely independent. I have zero pity for drug addicts, fear the overuse of opiods, and have a VERY high pain tolerance. I have been in the medical field for years and have watched several of my patients, friends, even my PCP, go through this and know exactly what to expect. The worst part for me is that my surgeon wants me to jump right to pureed Protein and I am struggling to get it down. Eating is uncomfortable, every bite, however small I make it, feels like its stretching my pouch. It's gotta be mental, because the discomfort subsides almost immediately. That, and I'm cold all the time. I missed a gorgeous day yesterday sleeping off the rest of the drugs from the hospital, and I'm just waiting today to go take a nice long walk.

One of the ways I'm working on getting everything down is timing out my sips. If I take my first sip at 9AM, I take the next at 9:02, then 9:04, 9:06 and so on until I'm half done. At the point where I'm half done I take a break for 5 to 10 minutes, then start over. With taking pills, I double the time between sips/pills and double the break time. It helps me get over the mental hump of fearing my pouch stretching out.

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

22 hours ago, MBird said:

Thank you for sharing your list of needed things ~ and all the best on your journey

Thank you, Mbird. If I could recommend anything else that's been particularly helpful, its my laptop tray and Blender Bottle. The tray keeps my laptop off my tummy and blender bottle keeps my shakes smooth even if they start to settle due to how long it takes to drink.

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

20 hours ago, krystal60 said:

HI all,

I am 3 days out from the gastric bypass surgery. I have been really blessed! I was only in the hospital overnight. I was horribly nauseated right after the surgery but haven't been bothered much since then. I have been able to keep liquids down and have finished two Protein Shakes each day since then. I am having a problem finding liquids that I enjoy. I don't care for the sugar free drinks anymore. I'll probably just drink Water. I haven't walked as much as I should so I plan to walk today.

Finding drinks you enjoy is hard. I hated the sugar free carnation instant Breakfast shakes before surgery, but luckily I find them enjoyable now. I still don't love crystal light, but I'm thinking about getting some Torani sugar-free syrups to help mix up the flavors a bit.

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

2 hours ago, princessK23 said:

I was sleeved 4/27 and I feel sore still especially when I need to turn while sleeping. Turning over is tender. I have been having headaches figure not enough fluids but working on my intake. Still on clear liquids. I tend to have bad Water retention and swelling prior to surgery and was on meds since surgery I continue to have the problem and little numbness in the am. Is anyone else having soreness when they turn over or any headaches?

Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm also still very, very sore. I've always preferred to sleep on my right side, and I haven't been able to do that yet. Getting myself up and down creates a pulling sensation - not necessarily painful, but certainly unpleasant. I've found that if I hold my tummy up a little when I need to move, the extra (gentle) support makes it a little better. I keep thinking of Winnie the Pooh Bear with his stuffing falling out though As for headaches, that hasn't been a problem for me but I do have some tingling in my right thigh. There's no indication of blood clots (no redness, warmth, tenderness) but I plan to bring it up for extra examination at my follow-up appointment.

[Finding_Stacy 263]

Congratulations!

I had my surgery on Monday, April 24th...so I'm six days post-op today.

I too have the lovenox injections, twice a day. They're not as bad as I thought. I inject them into my lower stomach, alternating sides per shot. The worse part for me is that in my main incision site, where they take the stomach, and in my case, the gallbladder too, they had to leave it open. So that means, twice a day, my husband has to pack it with gauze and the incision is probably three inches deep. I guess the doctor did this because my gallbladder was full of stones and infected and he had the hardest time trying to get it out. He was afraid of an infection, so I guess this is how they head that challenge on--packing a wound . I will say my right side where they took my gallbladder out, and where my drain was, are the two areas where I have pain, other than that, I'm pretty good. I will say, six days out is 100% better than 3 days out. It's amazing how fast the body heals itself.

An hour after I got to my room they put me on clear fluids, which all I could do was sip some Water here and there, and by the second day I've been on pureed foods. So, as I'm writing this, I have my quarter cup of Oikos greek yogurt that I'm working on. Everyday it's getting easier to get food down, like a quarter of a scrambled egg this morning, but I'm not hitting 64 grams of Protein or anything. It's not easy getting the protein and fluids down, but our bodies need both badly to heal itself and so we have to chug along.

Good luck and it only gets easier--concentrate on that!!!

Oh, and edit to add that I went off my pain meds as soon as I got home. I think that was the best thing ever. I had no more nausea or mental fogginess...

Edited April 30, 2017 by Finding_Stacy

[puk 1]

I too had surgery on 4/24! Everyday feeling better but it is def hard to get all the liquids and Proteins in! I am waking up early and starting sipping but this is not easy! What kind of pureed foods do you have?

[Ap0621 1]

Wow you guys are lucky to be on puréed foods already. I was sleeved Thursday the 27th I haven't had any nausea or vomiting and the gas was gone after a few hours. Since I'm doing so well it has been hard to be on a liquid only diet. I would like to add some puréed foods but I can't do that until day 14 with my doctor

[Judymo 33]

I was sleeved on 4-26, but my surgery was later in the day due to patients ahead of me having more complex procedures. It turns out that I had to have hiatal hernia repair in addition to my gastric sleeve during my surgery. The last few days have been challenging. I am sore and tired, have a jp drain, and I cant lay in my bed yet. I have been sleeping on the recliner sofa in my living room for comfort. I wish I could lay in my bed, but I cannot get comfortable at all ! But I am doing fairly well on the liquid diet with Protein Shakes. I use Premier Protein shakes and I really enjoy the flavors, especially strawberries and cream. It reminds me of Quik drink mix when I was a child. I have managed to keep everything down, knock on wood lol. This is definitely different than I imagined it. I was down the last 2 nights wondering if I did the right thing. I know it is from the pain. I know it will get better and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next few weeks. Good luck to you all

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

On 4/30/2017 at 1:12 PM, puk said:

I too had surgery on 4/24! Everyday feeling better but it is def hard to get all the liquids and Proteins in! I am waking up early and starting sipping but this is not easy! What kind of pureed foods do you have?

I haven't been given the official go-ahead for pureed yet, but I can have: strained Soups, Protein Shakes, Danon Oikos Yogurt, sugar-free pudding, sugar-free popsicles. I really, really hated the flavor of the Danon Oikos - they had that "fake sugar" taste - and now it's just normal. Same with the no sugar added carnation. It gives me a lot of hope for a "Fresh start" with food after I heal. I've been using Fooducate to find lower sugar, lower carb, higher Protein versions of my favorite foods/drinks/condiments, and looking for "healthified" recipes for my favorite comfort foods (mac and cheese made with greek yogurt, who'd have thunk it?)

That being said, I cannot possibly describe the craving I have for a spinach salad with feta and Newman's Own Homestyle Italian Dressing (....never ever thought I'd be saying that!)

[darnlochnessmonster 40]

21 hours ago, Ap0621 said:

Wow you guys are lucky to be on puréed foods already. I was sleeved Thursday the 27th I haven't had any nausea or vomiting and the gas was gone after a few hours. Since I'm doing so well it has been hard to be on a liquid only diet. I would like to add some puréed foods but I can't do that until day 14 with my doctor

You're very lucky! I've gotten my nausea and vomiting under control but gas is still an issue. I also stopped taking my pain meds for the last two days because I'm so constipated. TMI here, but until this afternoon, I hadn't "gone to the bathroom" in a full week.