Sleeve Revision to Bypass in January! Looking for a book...

[teach2017 6]

I was just thinking about the differences this morning actually.

The surgery went well. I was a mess before surgery, even though I've had plenty in my life. My boyfriend works 2 weeks out of town and 1 week in. He was flying in the morning of my surgery so I wouldn't see him until after I was out of recovery and hadn't seen him in 2 weeks, he's super confused about the surgery and doesn't understand why... so I was really stressed out going in.

I remember being wheeled into recovery (the hospital is way beyond gridlock) and only had 7 beds in recovery. I heard them say it took them an extra 45 minutes in the OR so I was late coming, but don't remember anything beyond that. I do remember the pain. I remember asking for pain meds but they couldn't give me anymore than they did because I wasn't breathing enough. I thought I was breathing just fine! but apparently it wasn't a lot lol. Since they had a room for me already, they ricked me to the curb in recovery, pain not controlled and went to my room. I told them about the pain, they showed me the monitor and said my breathing wasn't enough to give me more yet, and had to keep the oxygen on. I saw the monitor and I know that it was much much lower than I normally am at so that I understood and could see visually myself. They gave me what they could when they could, and I cold eventually tkae the oxygen off and they made me comfortable with meds. (So difference #1 - Pain. much worse than i remember with the sleeve). Difference #2 is the gas. I didn't have any issues with the gas first time around. This time... the gas went to my chest and the left side of my face. They could feel the crackle of the gas under my skin. That was very uncomfortable, i couldn't take a deep breath without a lot of pain (explains the breathing earlier) I didn't have any issues with gas, I was able to walk the first time and release the gas, well that was... this time around walking didn't do anything at all... took a few days to release gas that way, and only when I was laying down.

Difference # 3 - Bowel movements... im a week post op, and still no bowel movement, after using milk of mag etc. I am not uncomfortable with no bowel movement yet, but with the sleeve I was running to the bathroom fairly quickly without any meds for that.

so those are the bad differences...

the good differences are the eating and drinking.... I have ZERO issue getting Water in, or now eating cottage cheese and Soup. no pain or discomfort with that at all.

So some things have been bette and some things worse this time around.

The pain was definitley worse, and i ran out of pain meds, sat in emerg like the clinic told me to do to see my surgeon on call, and i didn't even get to see him... and i got pain meds from someone else that were very similar. they called me today to confirm and apologize since thats where they sent me. The hospital also ran some tests when i was there and my surgeon wants them rerun at his office... my blood work was "prestige" the day after surgery and "perfect" the morning of discharge. The hospital ran some other tests and went on a tangent when i was there for pain meds and some live enzymes came back high and low.. so they want me to come back tomorrow or Friday to run some stuff and they'll call me after that.

So when the surgeon came to see me after surgery the next day.... he said they were a little surprised to see my stomach/sleeve was in my chest cavity... and there was a huge hernia. So that's why I was in the OR an extra 45 minutes. They said I would see significant improvement with my acid issues just based on where my stomach was. None of that came up on my pre-op tests.

So other than the pain/ no bowel movement yet. I am doing perfectly fine, no major issues or concerns!

Why was yours moved back a week?

[Shells_Almost_There 357]

I'm glad to hear you're recovering well now, and thanks so much for sharing all this! Similar to you, I had only minor pain when waking up from the sleeve surgery and there were zero gas issues. So, I've been trying to mentally prepare for a much tougher recovery this time - and your words above tell me that it's probably a good thing that I've been planning for some bumps post-op this time. I have a 2-night hospital stay and will have a catheter (eek!), so I already know things will be more intense, but I felt like I'd barely had surgery last time. I will also have to do a swallow test before I'm discharged, which I didn't do last time either. I'm actually interested in that result, but I guess the stuff you have to drink tastes terrible.

I am negatively affected by anesthesia, which causes Constipation anytime I have surgery. I have already purchased a few products to help me out around day 5 or 6 like last time. Not fun!

Regarding my one week delay - I'm sad to share that my family experienced a very sudden loss of a young family member last Friday night, and I needed to take a bit of time to wrap my head around that, plus find out about funeral/celebration of life, etc. I was told that there wouldn't be a funeral with invitees, just a private internment, so I rescheduled for Tuesday 1/23. Then yesterday afternoon I learned that there was a change of plans and there will be a graveside service for immediate family only next Friday -- but now I can't attend. I spent some time being angry yesterday, but since there's nothing I can do at this point, I let go of it. I'll be able to attend the big celebration of life about 6 weeks from now, so that's good.

In the meantime, I'm on the all liquids / liver shrink pre-op diet and I have a continual headache and am dying for a piece of cake!!! Isn't that just how it goes? I can't even remember the last time I had a piece of cake, but now it's all I want. The pre-op diet (which I wasn't required to do for the sleeve) has been good practice for the 1-month liquid diet post-op. With my sleeve it was only 2 weeks and I thought I was going to lose my mind. I don't know if I'm more excited or scared for surgery right now, but it's going to happen no matter what!

Take care, I hope things continue on the positive for you!

[teach2017 6]

Sorry to hear about your loss

But... I had surgery Wed, and left the hospital Friday at lunch... I was out shopping on saturday and Sunday! Complete with gas (I could only get rid of mine while completely laying down, walking did not help this time around) I was fine to go out (on pain meds) at that point I was on oxycodone 10mg every 4 hours and liquid Tylenol.

So if yours is Tuesday, you will go home Thursday. It is very possible for you to go on Friday. Pants are not comfortable, even to where im at now 10 days out. What i did when i was out was just wore work out stretchy pants, and rolled the front part down so it was not on my stomach and that was a little more comfortable (wearing a jacket, no one can tell) I even do that with some of my pj pants still

oh the liquid diet.... i am dying.... 3 weeks post op (same i had for the sleeve) plus now 2 weeks after surgery (I feel like it was only 1 week post op for the sleeve but i could be wrong, i dont remember...but i feel like the post op was very different.. in terms of what and when) so I am going to stay on liquid until Tuesday.. then go to pureed for 2 weeks! and progress through more stages from there.

I dont know what i have a craving for... i know i am looking forward to scrambled eggs but i cant have that until the following week after i start pureed. I am looking forward to chicken for sure... i am dying for a Tomato slice (i love tomatoes) or a cesaer salad ... just anything besides, broth, Jello, yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese and soup... I will not be eating ANY of those foods for a VERY VERY long time after I get through this.

I dont have a craving for cake, but i know I will be having something in the near future. My boyfriends birthday is feb, mine is march and our anniversary is also march. So on those occasions I will probably have a little something.

In terms of pain meds... I was released on Friday and stopped taking pain meds the following Friday after I got out of the hospital. But I also had the extra work done so i feel like i might have had more pain than others who did not.

You've got a couple days to go then it'll all be over! Onwards and upwards!

Good luck! Let me know how it goes when you're feeling up to it.

And if you really want to attend on Friday, I honestly think it is possible. I was out and about, walking around Walmart, grocery stores, shopping for shoes with my bf, and then another store for pants for him... I can't even remember what else, as long as you have your pain meds, you'll be good

[Shells_Almost_There 357]

Following up to say that I had surgery on Tuesday 1/23. Post-op was horrible, much worse than with the sleeve. It was painful, both in the stomach and I had the gas pain in my left shoulder that felt like knives. It kept reacting to the cold ice chips, so I stopped eating those once I figured out what the spasms were about. I had a 2-night hospital stay and am now at the house I'm renting for a week to recover (my surgery took place a few hours from my residence, so the surgeon required a local week-long stay). Things are going well, at this point - the gas in my shoulder is completely gone and I'm able to do my Protein and Water, with minimal prescription pain meds - I'm mostly just on the liquid Tylenol and maintaining. I'm sitting up all the time, and walking laps in the house. So, all in all, I think things are off to a decent start with this new tummy of mine!

[teach2017 6]

Glad to hear you're doing alright!

[MonkeyNurse 26]

I had my revision on 1/11. My post op this time was much easier than my sleeve. I had hardly any pain and I was able to sleep on my side the first night. My only issue was bad nausea in the recovery room. I had problems with shortness of breath my first week. I didn't use my incentive spirometer enough. Now that I'm 3 weeks out I'm on soft diet. I'm struggling to get enough Water in so of course I'm constipated. Other than that I feel good. I've been eating mostly chicken salad, egg salad, ricotta bake and bean puree. I still do a premier shake in the morning, only way I can get in enough Protein but I don't like them as much anymore. They are too sweet now.