I am miserable

[Suz1 0]

Hi, I got my surgery yesterday Sept 29. I read many of the posts before I went in and thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. Many people said there pain was not that bad. I am miserable. I am in terrible pain and I was on morphine in the hospital. My doctor did not want me to meet with the diatician until after the surgery. Which I did not agree with. The dietician came into the hospital room and told me what I needed to do. All the infmoration was so overwhelming I burst out in tears crying. I started feeling anxiety and thinking why did I do this I made a big mistake. I know I am depressed this is a new life and I guess I am mourning my old eating habits. I know the first two weeks are hard but I was wondering if anyone feels like this. I need help to get over the hump. Any advice what foods are the best for the first two weeks. How much Protein should someone eat everyday. Thanks for the help.

[kristik99 0]

((hugs)) I was banded on the 16th and while I did not have terrible pain, I do have moments of wondering if it is worth it. I even posted right after asking if it was worth it and got some great responses. I can tell you that two weeks out, I almost feel back to normal. My incisions are tender, but I am not overwhelmingly hungry.

I am not going to give you advice about food because my dr only had me on liquids for 48 hours and then I graduated to mushy. I have done great on it, but I know that other drs do not recommend that. I know others will have some great, supportive advice.

[melmarlem 0]

Protein is important. Aim for at least 50-60 grams of Protein a day. It will be hard to get that much protein while you are on the liquid phase but still try. For the liquid phase I recommend thinned cream of wheat, skim or 1% milk to drink, sugar-free puddings, sugar-free jellow, cream Soups made with skim or 1% milk and strained, broths, sugar-free popsicles, etc. Remember to stay hydrated as well even though it will be hard. For me the liquid phase was the hardest. I'm 6 weeks post-op and feel great. Stay focused! It is worth it!!

P.S.

For the pain I suggest getting up and walking. I know it hurts, but I think I felt better the more I walked rather than lying in bed.

[melmarlem 0]

I forgot to mention that you should follow the advice of your nutritionist. Everything I listed was based on what I was allowed to have. Every surgeon is different!

[BooCakes 0]

Hang in there Suz1!!! I was the same way and was in awful pain, my chest hurt so bad I though I was gonna die. LOL I am only 2 weeks out and can laugh about it. I know the las thing you want to do is probably walk, but get up and go outside and walk, even if it's 10 minutes slow. It WILL help. Also, do try to get off the pain meds as soon as you can. They were tearing up my stomach and keeping me queasy so I couldn't get anything down the first few days. I kicked the pain med and my stomach felt better and the nausea went away. It really does get better with each day. I can't wait to see you back posting and feeling way better.

That was kind of irresponsible of your Dr not to prep you before hand so you knew what you would have to do. You should mention this to him at your follow up so maybe he'll consider this for future patients. I would not have like that either.

Hang in there...get up and walk. It will get better!!!

[tnewton8351 0]

I can't say anything really different than the others have said but I felt really bad the first week or two as well. I honestly thought I had made a big mistake and regretted having the surgery. Someone told me to walk and keep walking. Trust me I did not want to...didn't feel up to it...didn't think I could...etc. etc. etc. but I made myself do it anyway. It was slow going and at first I didn't think it would help but lo and behold it did. I started feeling better and better. After the first two weeks I began to feel like myself again.

Hon, it does get better just hang in there. You can do it!

Take care and God bless.

T

[sandiegokate 0]

Sorry you are feeling so bad..

I know you will feel better... the first couple of days for me were very tough. Day 10 was definitely a turning point for me and I've read it is for others also. I am now 5 weeks out and can't notice the band, my incisions, etc.

Just keep sipping on liquids, that will help!!

Take care and let us know how you are feeling tomorrow. I am sure you will feel a little better. The day after the surgery was the worst for me.

[LollyMoe 1]

My goodness, you are just out of surgery so to speak and of course you feel bad. You didn't get the kind of support you should have had from your surgeon or the dietican. I bet the d/c nurse didn't even go over your instructions for home care either or you would know what to do.

I didn't have a lot of pain except for gas. I used Gas-X and walked a lot. My doctor recommended liquid Tylenol or liquid Lortab for pain and Phenergan for nausea. I haven't used either yet. The walking helped me the most.

As for food. I was on a clear liquid for two days after surgery, full liquids for five days, and soft diet for 10 days. I was able to go on full food on the 15th day after I started the soft diet. I am seven weeks out and have lost 30.4 lbs. I had my first fill of 4cc on the 23rd. I am suppose to get in 40-60 gms of Protein, no more than 5 fat gms or 15gms of carbs.

It took a lot of determination on my part to stay on program, especially when the swelling went down, but I am determined to be a winner in this journey. I refuse to be a slave to food any longer!

You can do this....just give yourself time to heal. Drink your Protein shakes, Water, and whatever else your doctor said you could have.Don't give up.

[texasnole 0]

I'm 7months out and looking back I have a lot of trouble even remembering the pain. I know it's terrible right now, but things get better. I'm 100lbs lighter and I would go through that pain every weekend if I had to. You have to stick with it, and remember that the eating isn't forever. There will come a day when you can mix it up and have the things you love. But I promise in 6 months you'll look back and be able to laugh and see that this wasn't for nothing. Just keep looking forward to the new you

As for the pain, take the gas-ex chewables ... i was chewing one about every hour and walking helps. I don't understand why walking helps but it is REALLY important.

[SlimDownDani 1]

Hi Suz1!

I won't spend time here telling you how idiotic I think your surgeon is for not prepping you BEFORE the surgery... wait, I just did.:smile:

Well, anyway, like you, I was in a whole lotta pain. I honestly spent the first 7 days wondering if I had made the right decision. I'm now three full weeks out from surgery and I'm feeling great! The gas pain (that radiated from my abdomen to my shoulders and neck) was so bad that the liquid vicodin didn't help. Since the vicodin was adding to the Constipation, I got off it after day two. I advise you to do the same. You may find, like I did that the pain you're experiencing is related to the gas. In that case, walking will DEFINITELY help. My energy picked up when I started eating the soft foods, like yogurt.

If your nutritionist didn't give you written info- guidelines- you may want to call her and ask for them. That way you can go over them at your leisure and maybe not be so overwhelmed. Take it easy on yourself, your body is working to heal from what it thinks is a pretty traumatic experience. Follow ALL of your surgeon's instructions, and be sure to keep him apprised of any changes that you feel are not right.

Don't worry, you made the right decision. In a few weeks, you'll feel MUCH better.

[whatakindgirl 0]

Keep looking ahead to your goal. It may seem far... but it really is not. I was on Morphine for 1 day. I went on Vicodin the next day. And by the third day I used liquid Tyenol. I did have occasional mild pain when I tried to sleep on my side or stomach or when I would sit/stand up. It took a couple weeks for this to change.

If you are experiencing sharp pains for extended time, say longer than a couple of hours, then you need to speak to your doctor. Mild to Moderate pain is common. Use a pain scale to describe your pain to your doctor. Say 1 being a little pain and 10 being extreme pain. For example, my pain feels like 7/10.

It's important to remember that after surgery you are going to need time to recover. Everybody recovers at different rates. Nobody has the exact same experience. You know your body better than anybody else... if you feel like something is wrong, then do not hesitate to call your doctor.

[thecooley 2]

I know how you feel! The day after the surgery was the worst for me. It felt like I had been in a horrible car accident or something. I was on Lortab for three days (had to increase the dose the second day), then suddenly on the fourth day, the pain was tolerable without meds. While in the hospital, they had to give me morphine for the pain. Apparently, the doc really had to jerk me around during the surgery, and they told me I would be very sore. I've never had anyone call me "technically challenging" before.

I think day 10 seems to be the breakthrough point. I felt so good that we went out shopping all day. Just keep sipping liquids and try to get in all your Protein so you can stay strong and keep healing. You can do it!!

[TSB 1]

I am sorry you are having a hard time. I did not experience a high degree of post op pain, so I can't speak to that. From having read a lot here on LBT, though, it seems like there is really a broad spectrum of how people feel (physically & emotionally) and cope with their immediate post-op phase.

I DID, however, have the experience of being uncharacteristically overly-emotional for about the 1st week and half post-op.......crying for no reason, etc.....my poor husband thought I was losing my mind. I was assured by one of the PAs at the bariatric center that it was normal to be emotional after the surgery. All I can tell you is it does get better. We are all different, though, as far as the amount of time it takes us to start feeling "normal" again. Follow all of your post op instructions, take any pain meds prescribed to you. Most of all, be patient with yourself. Best of luck to you.

[Sue Magoo 71]

Hi:

Sorry you're feeling so uncomfortable.

You've had alot of good advice here so far. I just wanted to add that alot of the LapBand surgeons that have websites have their diet plans on their webpages. If your surgeon has a website take a look. If not, take a look at my surgeon's website. His website is www.massweightloss.com I think it's under the "For Patients" tab, and then click on post op diet.

Hope you feel better soon. Please believe that the pain and discomfort you're suffering now will be so worth it in the end.

I love my band and my new flat tummy!

Sue

[Suz1 0]

Hi everyone, If it wasn't for this site I do not know what I would do. Everyone is so supportive and wonderful. I hope when I get past this hump I will be able to be supportive to people. My pain is better today. I called my surgeon because I have neck pain and he said that this is common it was probably how I was laying in surgery. I told him how confused I was about the diet because he told me Clear Liquids for two weeks. Then the dietieican came into the hospital and said clear liquids for two days full liquids for two days and then pureed foods after that. Well the surgeon just told me no. Clear liquids for two days then full liquids the rest of othe two weeks. I am also nauseated and he is calling me in a prescription for that. So you can see how I am confused. I am also very weepy crying because of he unknown and feeling like life is over with food but the surgeon said this is normal. I know that life is not over with food eventually I will be able to eat what I want just in smalller portions and be satisfied. I think I am just scared right now .