August 2023 Surgery Buddies!

[PennyinAL 28]

50 minutes ago, Shan0 said:

I had a pretty rough go. I actually ended up back in the hospital after being discharged because they gave me the wrong pain medication. The pain medication they had been giving me (hydrocodone) doesn’t do anything at all for me. I kept telling them that but they kept using it and then promised that they would send me home with oxycodone and didn’t. So at three in the morning I had to go to the ER and be readmitted. It was excruciatingly painful when I was not on pain meds that were effective. Mostly the gas in my upper shoulders was the painful part. I had a hiatal hernia repair and a bypass.

My doctor was not fantastic, I did not necessarily need to be readmitted to the hospital. I really just needed the correct prescription. But he wanted me in there so he could watch me, or for some other reason? He seemed very angry with me.

I will say this. I wish I had known that it could be that painful. I would’ve been able to more completely prepare myself and be more accepting of the pain if I knew it was coming. That’s why I’m mentioning it to you all, not to scare anyone but just so you can get ready in case you are one of the people that it hurts. It clearly doesn’t hurt everyone.

As for me, I’ve had two spinal cord surgeries that were less painful than this one. So everyone has a different experience, but mine was not fantastic. That said, I feel ok now and am home, doing well.

Good luck, all.

I am so sorry you are hurting so much. I too, had a very rough time of the pain. Like you, I've got major back issues (herniated discs neck, mid and low back) and have had several surgeries in the past and this lapband removal/bypass replacement hurt like hell. I wasn't trying to scare anyone off, I even said I would do it again but just really didn't realize how much it would hurt because compared to the prior LapBand, it was 10x worse in pain. I take Norco (hydrocodone & acet) and Lyrica and that Dilautin (sp?) was awful, it only worked for an hour at most but once I was able to get back on my Norco, it was bearable.

And I'm not a medical professional, but I am a bit of an observer of human behaviors and the human condition and at my age, I've seen a lot of things and have learned that it is best to try to prepare yourself for whatever life may want to throw at you because bad stuff never seems to happen at a good time :). Thus, I made sure I had my own pain meds because just when a bitchy old hag of a nurse wants to threaten to hold them over your head, you don't have to put up with crap, Or more likely, when staff is short and you are forgotten by the folks who are supposed to be caring for you in the middle of the night, etc. I'm not saying you need to ignore dr orders, I merely said it never hurts to be prepared for people to not do what they're supposed to do for you! Be prepared to take care of yourself.

I remembered my husband having spinal fusion surgery 10+ years ago, malfunction at hospital pharmacy so he was hours without meds. I watched that man screaming in pain and literally could do nothing to help him! The nurses had the audacity to try to come close his door (so they didn't have to hear him in agony) which made my head explode, I pretty much told them that IF I HAD TO HEAR HIM, THEY HAD TO HEAR HIM TOO AND IF THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR HIM TO GET HIM THE HELLO OUT OF PAIN! Going through these life experiences changes your perception, tends to make you learn what you don't want to go through again.

SoutheastP-Again, not trying to scare you. You may not have the same pain level or tolerance level, I'm just saying for me, IT HURT. That damned drain "football" suction port thing is what literally felt like they were suctioning my insides out! IF you have one, make them empty it (or have family do it) within 2 hours, do not let it get too full or have too much suction on it because I thought I was going to die from the pain.

And you don't have to take anything with you, I merely said that you might wish you had it. It is hard enough to be recovering from surgery, but if you are a chronic pain patient like I am, those pain meds help make life bearable most days for me, to be hurting from fresh incisions and still have my back & neck pain & hips hurting is a lot to bear. Many of the bariatric patients I speak to have spinal issues which is why so many of them are overweight to begin with as they cannot get much exercise due to pain issues or mobility issues.

And I also said, I'd do it again, but just like to be prepared for whatever you are going to encounter.

I also had a LapBand REMOVED and then replaced with a new Gastric Bypass so a 2-in-1 surgery which may have made mine more painful than what you're getting.

In any event, see you on the other side of it and wishing you a lot of success! peace

[Azepam@1014 1]

Hi I had my surgery on Monday I’m on liquid diet for three weeks more good luck to all of you. Take it easy you girls can do it!!

[PennyinAL 28]

Good luck!
🍀

[Nissi88 5]

My surgery 8/23, I only have to do liquid the day before, doesn’t’ seem right but doctor knows best.

[Nissi88 5]

How are you feeling Azepam@1014?

[Steve C. 4]

10 hours ago, Nissi88 said:

My surgery 8/23, I only have to do liquid the day before, doesn’t’ seem right but doctor knows best.

My diet was high Protein (at least 80g), low carb (60-100g), and low fat with no more than 1000 calories/day the 2 weeks before surgery. The day before was the same, except nothing but Water after midnight the night before. I think it has a lot to do with your surgeon and surgery. My surgery was successful and my meals before my surgery were anything but boring. Good luck with your surgery!

[Sandygal 3]

My surgery was 8/14 for a sleeve and the pain was very different then any of my other surgery’s for sure lol I’m still aching and in pain as we speak I also had to get a hernia repair oh and that gas thing I wish they didn’t do it at all my shoulders and back aches it’s very uncomfortable but the hernia repair and guess I’m assuming that’s why so much pain but omg.. God luck everyone you got this and the reward will be well worth it for us all 🙏🏾💪🏾

[Shan0 13]

It DOES get better @Sandygal. I’m now 4 days post-op and the shoulder pain is mostly gone. It’s going to be worth the pain anyway, as you noted.

[Victoria Wank 19]

21 hours ago, Shan0 said:

I had a pretty rough go. I actually ended up back in the hospital after being discharged because they gave me the wrong pain medication. The pain medication they had been giving me (hydrocodone) doesn’t do anything at all for me. I kept telling them that but they kept using it and then promised that they would send me home with oxycodone and didn’t. So at three in the morning I had to go to the ER and be readmitted. It was excruciatingly painful when I was not on pain meds that were effective. Mostly the gas in my upper shoulders was the painful part. I had a hiatal hernia repair and a bypass.

My doctor was not fantastic, I did not necessarily need to be readmitted to the hospital. I really just needed the correct prescription. But he wanted me in there so he could watch me, or for some other reason? He seemed very angry with me.

I will say this. I wish I had known that it could be that painful. I would’ve been able to more completely prepare myself and be more accepting of the pain if I knew it was coming. That’s why I’m mentioning it to you all, not to scare anyone but just so you can get ready in case you are one of the people that it hurts. It clearly doesn’t hurt everyone.

As for me, I’ve had two spinal cord surgeries that were less painful than this one. So everyone has a different experience, but mine was not fantastic. That said, I feel ok now and am home, doing well.

Good luck, all.

I’m so sorry you had to go through that when the “doctor” could have simply called in the prescription to your pharmacy. I’ve had a couple of experiences where doctors at Patient First didn’t listen to me, misdiagnosed me and gave me medication that is contraindicated because of my history of kidney disease (on that one, the “doctor” looked at my back and said “It looks infected.” Well, DUH! 🙄). Turns out I have cellulitis.

Like you Hydrocodone does nothing for me. Same thing with OxyContin. Only Oxycodone takes care of my pain and the Restless Leg Syndrome. I’ve had to deal with that a bit the last 2 months. Turns out one of my aides was stealing my Oxy, which caused me to come up short.

[Victoria Wank 19]

20 hours ago, PennyinAL said:

I am so sorry you are hurting so much. I too, had a very rough time of the pain. Like you, I've got major back issues (herniated discs neck, mid and low back) and have had several surgeries in the past and this lapband removal/bypass replacement hurt like hell. I wasn't trying to scare anyone off, I even said I would do it again but just really didn't realize how much it would hurt because compared to the prior LapBand, it was 10x worse in pain. I take Norco (hydrocodone & acet) and Lyrica and that Dilautin (sp?) was awful, it only worked for an hour at most but once I was able to get back on my Norco, it was bearable.

And I'm not a medical professional, but I am a bit of an observer of human behaviors and the human condition and at my age, I've seen a lot of things and have learned that it is best to try to prepare yourself for whatever life may want to throw at you because bad stuff never seems to happen at a good time :). Thus, I made sure I had my own pain meds because just when a bitchy old hag of a nurse wants to threaten to hold them over your head, you don't have to put up with crap, Or more likely, when staff is short and you are forgotten by the folks who are supposed to be caring for you in the middle of the night, etc. I'm not saying you need to ignore dr orders, I merely said it never hurts to be prepared for people to not do what they're supposed to do for you! Be prepared to take care of yourself.

I remembered my husband having spinal fusion surgery 10+ years ago, malfunction at hospital pharmacy so he was hours without meds. I watched that man screaming in pain and literally could do nothing to help him! The nurses had the audacity to try to come close his door (so they didn't have to hear him in agony) which made my head explode, I pretty much told them that IF I HAD TO HEAR HIM, THEY HAD TO HEAR HIM TOO AND IF THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR HIM TO GET HIM THE HELLO OUT OF PAIN! Going through these life experiences changes your perception, tends to make you learn what you don't want to go through again.

SoutheastP-Again, not trying to scare you. You may not have the same pain level or tolerance level, I'm just saying for me, IT HURT. That damned drain "football" suction port thing is what literally felt like they were suctioning my insides out! IF you have one, make them empty it (or have family do it) within 2 hours, do not let it get too full or have too much suction on it because I thought I was going to die from the pain.

And you don't have to take anything with you, I merely said that you might wish you had it. It is hard enough to be recovering from surgery, but if you are a chronic pain patient like I am, those pain meds help make life bearable most days for me, to be hurting from fresh incisions and still have my back & neck pain & hips hurting is a lot to bear. Many of the bariatric patients I speak to have spinal issues which is why so many of them are overweight to begin with as they cannot get much exercise due to pain issues or mobility issues.

And I also said, I'd do it again, but just like to be prepared for whatever you are going to encounter.

I also had a LapBand REMOVED and then replaced with a new Gastric Bypass so a 2-in-1 surgery which may have made mine more painful than what you're getting.

In any event, see you on the other side of it and wishing you a lot of success! peace

When there is a chance I might get hospitalized after a visit to the ER, I bring my meds, so that I’ll have my Oxycodone, just in case the nurses ignore/won’t listen to me.

[Victoria Wank 19]

15 hours ago, Nissi88 said:

My surgery 8/23, I only have to do liquid the day before, doesn’t’ seem right but doctor knows best.

That’s because liquids are more easily excreted. Your surgeon doesn’t want any still-digesting food to come back up while have a tube down your throat. It can cause asphyxiation.

[Victoria Wank 19]

21 hours ago, PennyinAL said:

I am so sorry you are hurting so much. I too, had a very rough time of the pain. Like you, I've got major back issues (herniated discs neck, mid and low back) and have had several surgeries in the past and this lapband removal/bypass replacement hurt like hell. I wasn't trying to scare anyone off, I even said I would do it again but just really didn't realize how much it would hurt because compared to the prior LapBand, it was 10x worse in pain. I take Norco (hydrocodone & acet) and Lyrica and that Dilautin (sp?) was awful, it only worked for an hour at most but once I was able to get back on my Norco, it was bearable.

And I'm not a medical professional, but I am a bit of an observer of human behaviors and the human condition and at my age, I've seen a lot of things and have learned that it is best to try to prepare yourself for whatever life may want to throw at you because bad stuff never seems to happen at a good time :). Thus, I made sure I had my own pain meds because just when a bitchy old hag of a nurse wants to threaten to hold them over your head, you don't have to put up with crap, Or more likely, when staff is short and you are forgotten by the folks who are supposed to be caring for you in the middle of the night, etc. I'm not saying you need to ignore dr orders, I merely said it never hurts to be prepared for people to not do what they're supposed to do for you! Be prepared to take care of yourself.

I remembered my husband having spinal fusion surgery 10+ years ago, malfunction at hospital pharmacy so he was hours without meds. I watched that man screaming in pain and literally could do nothing to help him! The nurses had the audacity to try to come close his door (so they didn't have to hear him in agony) which made my head explode, I pretty much told them that IF I HAD TO HEAR HIM, THEY HAD TO HEAR HIM TOO AND IF THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR HIM TO GET HIM THE HELLO OUT OF PAIN! Going through these life experiences changes your perception, tends to make you learn what you don't want to go through again.

SoutheastP-Again, not trying to scare you. You may not have the same pain level or tolerance level, I'm just saying for me, IT HURT. That damned drain "football" suction port thing is what literally felt like they were suctioning my insides out! IF you have one, make them empty it (or have family do it) within 2 hours, do not let it get too full or have too much suction on it because I thought I was going to die from the pain.

And you don't have to take anything with you, I merely said that you might wish you had it. It is hard enough to be recovering from surgery, but if you are a chronic pain patient like I am, those pain meds help make life bearable most days for me, to be hurting from fresh incisions and still have my back & neck pain & hips hurting is a lot to bear. Many of the bariatric patients I speak to have spinal issues which is why so many of them are overweight to begin with as they cannot get much exercise due to pain issues or mobility issues.

And I also said, I'd do it again, but just like to be prepared for whatever you are going to encounter.

I also had a LapBand REMOVED and then replaced with a new Gastric Bypass so a 2-in-1 surgery which may have made mine more painful than what you're getting.

In any event, see you on the other side of it and wishing you a lot of success! peace

It’s “Dilaudid.” It’s a descendant of a drug called Laudinum, which you may hear if you watch shows that feature doctors practicing medicine pre-1923 (i.e., 18th and 19th century).

[DD 7939 11]

I had gastric sleeve on Thursday. The first few hours after were rough, but by discharge on Friday morning I was feeling much better. Today, my body started expelling all the gas and I was immediately rid of the bloating and mild pain when sipping Water. I’m walking around just fine. The only issue is a bit of lingering pain in the larger stapled hole on my left side. Everything else is good. I sipped on some broth and am not having trouble sipping water frequently.

I have to admit, I am in less pain than I thought at this early point. Hope everyone else is seeing strong improvements!

[DD 7939 11]

I had gastric sleeve on Thursday. The first few hours after were rough, but by discharge on Friday morning I was feeling much better. Today, my body started expelling all the gas and I was immediately rid of the bloating and mild pain when sipping Water. I’m walking around just fine. The only issue is a bit of lingering pain in the larger stapled hole on my left side. Everything else is good. I sipped on some broth and am not having trouble sipping water frequently.

I have to admit, I am in less pain than I thought at this early point. Hope everyone else is seeing strong improvements!

[PennyinAL 28]

11 minutes ago, Victoria **** said:

When there is a chance I might get hospitalized after a visit to the ER, I bring my meds, so that I’ll have my Oxycodone, just in case the nurses ignore/won’t listen to me.

Apparently you have had some issues with medical pros in your lifetime as well. Unfortunately, in many communities drug use is such a problem that drs & nurses look at everyone as a junkie if you are in chronic pain. The sad reality is that so many people have major injuries that cause them to be in long term pain that necessitate pain medication that the numbers seem really high. I've personally been in 5 car wrecks, 3 times I was rear ended while sitting at a red light! For a dr or nurse to tell me I don't need my pain meds or to withhold them until they think I deserve them like a dog who is sitting up for a treat is demeaning and unethical.

Like I said, I'm not saying everyone should ignore their dr orders but if you have issues, you might not want to be caught unprepared because while there are some truly AMAZING and WONDERFUL med pros out there, there are quite a few of them who have no business being in the caring profession. Take care