Hospital Stay

maleliz777 · July 18, 2008

I see that alot of people in their stories stayed overnight, from what I know im in the out-patiet surgery, why is this? Is the surgery pretty pain managable because I have never had surgery before and needles and things bother me. So i know this whole surgery will be an adventure!

Northwest_Nance · July 18, 2008

Some doctors and/or insurance companies require an overnight stay, some do not. Sometimes it depends on the general health of the patient him/herself.

I've read posts here by some people who were absolutely miserable after surgery and they're very thankful they were able to stay in the hospital overnight. For me, I had surgery at 1:00 p.m. and I was home by 5:00 p.m. doing just fine. My stomach felt.... sort of like I was wearing a tight binding around it but other than that, no pain at first. I stayed up until 11:00 p.m. that night, watching TV, walking, playing on the computer. But I woke up in the middle of the night feeling a fair amount of pain. If I had taken my pain medication before I went to bed, that probably would have helped.

I stayed by myself and didn't have any problems or need any help. I was able to prepare my meals (such as they were), get on and off the potty, take a shower, and sleep in my bed. I did have my cell phone nearby at all times and a friend on standby for me to call if I had problems. And, the friend was scheduled to call me the next morning if he hadn't heard from me, just to check on me.

So for me, I would have been bored out of my mind if I'd had to stay in the hospital overnight. But for some people, it was a blessing.

tnag86 · July 18, 2008

I see that alot of people in their stories stayed overnight, from what I know im in the out-patiet surgery, why is this? Is the surgery pretty pain managable because I have never had surgery before and needles and things bother me. So i know this whole surgery will be an adventure!

Maleliz 777, I was banded yesterday at 8 A.M. and came home about 1:30. I am self-pay and they do our surgeries first thing in the a.m. so we have plenty of time to recover and go home safely. I was so glad to be at home. In the hospital I would have still been hooked up to a bunch of wires (IV,etc.) I took pain meds before I went to bed and woke up in middle of night and took them again. I did not wait until pain was greater than 4 or 5 on a scale of 1-10. Pain is not terrible, just feel really sore in my abdomen, like I did 10,000 sit-ups. My throat is kind of raw and scratchy from the breathing tube during surgery.

I ended up sleeping sort of upright in my recliner. I felt a little too sore to sleep on either side, plus it was much easier to take a sip every time I woke up. You must stay hydrated! I felt this much easier to do at home instead of having a nurse wake me every few hours. I was on my own schedule and comfy at home!

Good luck to you!:thumbdown: Nancy B.

Susanna · July 18, 2008

I see that alot of people in their stories stayed overnight, from what I know im in the out-patiet surgery, why is this? Is the surgery pretty pain managable because I have never had surgery before and needles and things bother me. So i know this whole surgery will be an adventure!

I had my gastric band fitted on Wednesday, and if I had lived nearer the hospital, I could have gone home that evening.

I believe that because I stuck rigidly to the pre op diet, it made things straightforward for the surgeon. I don't remember actually going to sleep, just being awake again at the end. I think cream was put on my arm so that I didn't feel the needles. Apart from slight pain in one shoulder in the recovery room which was banished with a shot, I had no pain at all. I am now at home, day 2, and am very comfortable. I had keyhole surgery, and apart from a little pulling where the port has been placed, everything is great. I am eating pureed food, small amounts, and looking forward to the future.

I wish you the same, and every good wish.

lafrogura · July 18, 2008

I am 4 days post-op. I was scheduled for outpatient surgery and ended up staying the night because it took me longer than most people to wake up in the recovery room and also my oxygen levels were lower than they wanted. So for precautionary reasons, they kept me overnight and i went home about 5:30 pm the following day. Doing great now. I have not taken one pain pill since surgery. I am very sore like i have been exercising very hard, but that's about it. Pretty pain-free. Just move slow and steady and you should be ok.

laurenwhite82 · July 18, 2008

I just found out that I have to stay overnight...I dont wanna (in a whiny voice)! My dr requires all of his patients an overnight stay. Sucks, but oh well.

Bea1128 · July 18, 2008

It really depends on the doc and the insurance co. I was at the hospital for about 4 hours total. I even came out of the OR with an elevated BP, but it came down quickly. I wish I had gotten to stay a little longer as I wasn't really even awake and they were shoving me in the car. I really don't remember the ride home except that I got sick in the car. I can also tell you that I had very little surgical pain. The pain I had was from the gas they inflate your abdomen with. Even so, it was the best thing I've ever done for myself. Good luck! I'm sure you'll do just fine!

pandagirl · July 18, 2008

My Dr. told me it's precautionary; not everyone reacts the same to the surgery. So it's policy to keep patients over night for observation.

libguy2753 · July 18, 2008

The place I'm going to get banded at has you stay overnight, whether you're self pay or insurance. I'm actually happy about that. I live 1 hour and 45 minutes away so I feel better knowing I'll be there to make sure everything's alright.