banded monday sept 14th

[kiki-nj 0]

I am new to this site and was reading through posts and I just wanted to offer a little advise to the people that are recovering from surgery.

Please do not spend too much time sitting in recliner chairs, especially if you are not getting up every hour and walking around. My husband had a simple surgery on his dislocated ankle. He was not told that he should not sit in his recliner chair, and ended up developing deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot) which went to his lungs and killed him.

He was only 37 years old, and otherwise, very healthy and physically fit. It wasn't until after everything happened that the doctor in the ER said "was he sitting in a recliner chair?"

Everything happened in a matter of 15 minutes...he went from being out of breath (I called 911 right away) and he went into cardiac arrest int he ambulance on the way to the hospital. they could not revive him (we also only live 10 minutes from the hospital).

I don't want to scare anyone, I just want to STRESS that it is VERY IMPORTANT to walk around every hour, and not sit in recliner for large part of the day.

(ALso, just a quick note, my husband was up and about all day, with a brace on his ankle...it was only a few hours in the evening when he would sit in the recliner chair with his legs up).

Edited September 20, 2009 by kiki-nj

[kimr 37]

Yikes, sitting in my recliner now. Seems to be the only way I can sit comfortably. I was also banded on the 15th. I am doing ok gas wise, but I have horrible incision pain. I'm waiting for it to be ok! I am not walking enough as I need to be as it hurts.

I am not on Clear Liquids and able to add Protein to Water or non fat milk, so I've been doing that and not really hungry. I am taking in about 70g of Protein a day.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Sitting in a recliner can put pressure on the backs of your calves. Wiggle your toes frequently while you're sitting in it! And don't sit for longer than an hour; every hour get up and walk a little, and you'll be fine. Stretching also helps. Realize you don't have to do a power hike, but walk around the house 5-10 minutes or so. Move.

If it hurts to walk, take your pain med and walk anyway. Brace your incisions with a pillow (hold a pillow over your abdomen) and that should help! but move those legs, breathe deeply, keep that circulation going! :biggrin:

Edited September 20, 2009 by RestlessMonkey
clarity

[amwash23 1]

Sitting in a recliner can put pressure on the backs of your calves. Wiggle your toes frequently while you're sitting in it! And don't sit for over an hour; every your and walk a little, and you'll be fine. Stretching also helps. Realize you don't have to do a power hike, but walk around the house 5-10 minutes or so. Move.

If it hurts to walk, take your pain med and walk anyway. Brace your incisions with a pillow (hold a pillow over your abdomen) and that should help! but move those legs, breathe deeply, keep that circulation going! :biggrin:

How long after surgery should we be worried about getting a blood clot? When are we out of the danger zone? I was banded on the 14th, and wasn't very active until Friday when I went back to work. I also did a lot of walking and driving yesterday as well. Also, I don't know if this would have helped, but my doctor gave me a blood thinner before surgery as well....is this common?

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Yes, it's pretty common to get a blood thinner before surgery. You need to watch it for at least a few weeks. For example at my 2 week check up, when they found out I was just sitting in a 3-hour class (nursing school) I was told to GET UP AND WALK!!! every 40 minutes and if I needed a note to get permission, they'd give me one!

LOL. They gave us a break every 50 min so I'd get up and walk during the break.

The farther you are from surgery, the less likely a clot, but realize that anytime any person is very sedentary (like being on an airplane flight, cramped, and sitting for a few hours, or taking a long car ride and not stopping every hour to walk a bit!) the risk increases, even if you aren't post op. Add obesity into the mix and the risk goes up more.

Most of us even when we sit, we are wiggling our legs, flexing our feet, shifting around, etc. If you are on pain meds or in pain and don't move around as much, that sedentary situation can lead to trouble. So move, walk, wiggle your toes, and you should be ok!

[john47 0]

Yes, it's pretty common to get a blood thinner before surgery. You need to watch it for at least a few weeks. For example at my 2 week check up, when they found out I was just sitting in a 3-hour class (nursing school) I was told to GET UP AND WALK!!! every 40 minutes and if I needed a note to get permission, they'd give me one!

LOL. They gave us a break every 50 min so I'd get up and walk during the break.

The farther you are from surgery, the less likely a clot, but realize that anytime any person is very sedentary (like being on an airplane flight, cramped, and sitting for a few hours, or taking a long car ride and not stopping every hour to walk a bit!) the risk increases, even if you aren't post op. Add obesity into the mix and the risk goes up more.

Most of us even when we sit, we are wiggling our legs, flexing our feet, shifting around, etc. If you are on pain meds or in pain and don't move around as much, that sedentary situation can lead to trouble. So move, walk, wiggle your toes, and you should be ok!

Thanks for the information, I am back at work tomorrow so will follow that advice while at my desk.

[kristik99 0]

I was banded on the 16th and so far, so good. Yesterday I had a good day, felt pretty good and was up and about, even did a little laundry. Today, I am not feeling as good, but managed church this morning.

My dr only has Clear liquids for 48 hours and then I can go to the mushie stage. I made myself a scrambled egg for Breakfast this morning and so far so good. I am going to have pureed Soup for lunch in a bit, but I am not very hungry right now.

kiki--I am so sorry about your husband! The only place I can sleep is in the recliner for right now. But, I am up and active during the day, so hopefully that helps. What a horrible thing to have happen!

[thecooley 2]

I was banded on the 14th too! Went back to work this week, and it's been interesting to find a comfortable seating position (I work at a computer all day). I get up and walk around when I remember, to be sure I'm keeping my circulation going. I was wondering though, how long are we supposed to use the spirometer to prevent pneumonia? I used it every waking hour while I was at home recovering, but I haven't brought it to work. I just make sure to do it first thing in the morning, then at night before bed. During the day, I just breathe in very deeply while walking around.

[kristik99 0]

The nurse told me that it was mostly for patients who are bedridden, but for lapband patients, we are up and around pretty quickly, so not to worry about using it.