post-op pain control - share your experience

[temkins 71]

I just got VGS yesterday, at home now. Pain is exhausting. Got liquid pain killer, but can't drink it - the taste makes me throw up immediately. I have no idea how to deal with this. I can just drink up to 4 tbsp of plain Water and feel awful swirling in my stomach. I wonder why nobody covered this aspect of the journey during support group sessions

[Berry78 4,261]

Keep trying different drinks. Plain Water isn't well tolerated sometimes. Warm herbal tea (not too hot) worked well for me. Experiment to see what your tummy tolerates.

You can dilute your medicine in water. If you make it thin enough, it'll be like a flavored water (like 1 serving med. to 16-20 oz water).

[JeffN 106]

I found walking helped a lot for me.

When drinking Water at first, I was told to only drink an ounce every 15 minutes. When you drink water, let it run down the back of your throat instead of swallowing. Swallowing can sometimes lead to air pockets, and that will cause you to regurgitate the liquid.

You honestly have to learn how to re-eat and drink with VGS surgery. I no longer swallow anything. I chew everything up until it just is no longer and I never just take a drink of water. I let it sit in my mouth and let is just slide down. I am grateful that a friend shared this technique with me because I have had zero issues.

For the pain, you have to walk and keep walking as long as you can. Stay away from NSAIDs based painkillers they have been shown to cause leaks.

[temkins 71]

12 hours ago, JeffN said:

I found walking helped a lot for me.

When drinking Water at first, I was told to only drink an ounce every 15 minutes. When you drink Water, let it run down the back of your throat instead of swallowing. Swallowing can sometimes lead to air pockets, and that will cause you to regurgitate the liquid.

You honestly have to learn how to re-eat and drink with VGS surgery. I no longer swallow anything. I chew everything up until it just is no longer and I never just take a drink of water. I let it sit in my mouth and let is just slide down. I am grateful that a friend shared this technique with me because I have had zero issues.

For the pain, you have to walk and keep walking as long as you can. Stay away from NSAIDs based painkillers they have been shown to cause leaks.

Thanks, I’ll try this drinking technique.