Home from Surgery my experience

[Nevergoback 0]

My surgery was 9a on Wed. Feb 11th. I was mostly out of it after being brought to my room. When I became coherent, I did feel a little nausea and had the burn in my chest. I'm sure they had pain meds in my iv, but I don't remember asking for anything. The largest of my incisions had some pain, so I was aftaid to get up without help, but once I did get up I realized it wasn't that bad and did not require assistance again. Since you are on iv, you cannot drink until you do your dye test. I recommend packing a saline spray for your sinuses and a little bottle of mouthwash. I washed my mouth with Water frequently durng day one. Late in the afternoon dr. b came in to see if I was up to the dye test and I didn't think I could , so we planned for day two. They gave me the test a 9a on day two. The liquid was like drinking liquid levaquin which is like a clear worse tasting nyquil. Suggestions here, ask them to put you in an area where you can wash the taste out of your mouth afterward, you still can't drink until they read the results, but getting that taste out was a life saver as they parked me by a sink while waiting to go back upstairs. Day two was much better, I was experiencing pain from gas or hunger but it would pass quickly, like a bad gas pain. I couldn't tell which was causing it so I will attribute to both. Before the dye, you are untethered from the iv and they got back to me pretty quickly to tell me everything looked fine and I could have a tray of Clear Liquids. The first thing I tried was the diluted juice and I think the sugar was too much for my stomache as it caused some pain. so I tried the horrible chicken broth, then just stuck to water. I they did give me a suger free frozen popsicle which I had half of. So I was realeased that afternoon and my husband picked me up at 6p. We went straight to the pharmacy to fill my pain med. I was worried the gas/hunger pain would keep me from sleeping. So I did take it at bedtime and I did wake up a 3am with a pain, so I took some more. Today is day three and the pain hasn't come up as much. It's like a bad gas bubble, not too bad and passes quickly. I am feeling really good today, took my shower and removed the bandaids. Did two loads of wash and took care of a sink of dirty dishes left by my loved ones. So I am expecting to feel mostly normal by tomorrow, I have a little discomfort bending over, but not real pain. I am glad I had this done, the recovery has actually been easier than when I had my lapband put in (by a different doctor). So if any of you have any other questions, fire away. I'm feeling good and am very pleased at this point. Now we will have to see how much I shrink, keep your fingers crossed.

[lena23 0]

Hello,

Hope you are still doing well!! I would like to know do you have any extra scars from surgery or did they go in thru old scars?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

How soon do you feel you would be able to go back to work if you had a desk job?

Did they remove your band at the same time?

[babygirlinokc 0]

Hi Nevergoback,

How much weight have you lost now?

I too am planning to get the sleeve done. I had my lap band surgery in April 08. So many people ask me on OH forum, ask me why I want to get a revision. I tell them it's because I failed the lap band. I guess I ate to much because I was alway hungry, I had 4 fills and 1 unfill, because, my food would get stuck. I believe one must have very strong will power. I lost 13 lbs with the band and gained back 16. It's been really depressing and fustrating. I had an upper GI and the band is normal. I'm going for the sleeve because it's less evasive and expensive than the RNY. Just checking to see how others out there have done with their revision from the lap band to the sleeve.

Thanks so much.

[Nevergoback 0]

I had to wait six months after my band was removed because it was removed due to a staph infection in my abdomen. During that time I gained back 43 pounds. I had great success with the band, the initial weight loss was not that much but I lost about 1 to 2 lbs per week until I would plateau, then have another fill for a total loss of 65 pounds. With the sleeve, I lost 10 pounds the first two weeks, now I am losing 1 - 2 pounds per week. I haven't weighed today but I've gone down from 192 to 179 the last time I weighed. So that is 13 pounds. I expect now that I am off pureed food, that rate will increase as it did with the band. You can get in a lot of calories during the pureed phase. When I am at work I keep a variety of things in the fridge, cottage cheese, yogurt and sugar free pudding, and keep Protein powder and a blender there. I am only 29 pounds from my goal, so I don't expect to have a high rate of loss. I am walking 1 to 2 miles per day outside (weather permitting) and have dusted off the treadmill. At least I am wearing pants now that have not fit me since last year. Yesterday I had to tell myself stop being impatient, after all it has only been 4 weeks, I want to see the entire 43 pounds gone in one month...how silly of me.

In answer to the other question, I went back to work after 8 days.

[Nevergoback 0]

Hello,

Hope you are still doing well!! I would like to know do you have any extra scars from surgery or did they go in thru old scars?

I have one extra scar, there was the one from my port that he couldn't cut over.

[PGIRL 0]

I wanted my doctor to use my old scars for this lap band surgery....but he did not. I know I asked his nurse about it, (which is his wife) I guess I failed to ask him though. I thought I had discussed it with him. I was disappointed when I saw he had made new ones. I had just finished having my gallbladder removed about 8 months prior. (so there were a few scars already) O well, I can't change anything now. =)

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Everyone I know who has had revision has new scars. I don't know why they can't go through the same spot.

[MacMadame 81]

Scar tissue? OTOH, my surgeon put my liver retractor scar right on top of my gallbladder scar so who knows?