ImReadyforThis

I certainly would not want to discourage anyone with this post. But I, (like I'mreadyforthis and others) had read so many uber-postive posts about the post-op experience that I think I had almost built up unrealistic expectations and then felt like a failure when I encountered some of the issues described in the main post. Having some pain, discomfort, energy drain and issues getting in food and drink are actually quite common and all in the range of normal, but the wonderful part is that every week the body makes huge strides in healing.
Major surgery is just that: major. I've had other surgeries that were much worse with longer and far more painful recoveries involving long term physical therapy, etc. This surgery is not that difficult by any means, but we should let people know what can be experienced and be ready for it.
Then if they are one of the lucky ones who jump out of the hospital bed raring to go, they can be pleasantly surprised. But if not, they can know what the common challenges are which they may face in the first month AND that each week will yield remarkable improvements.

Steph - thanks for sharing your experience. It's my personal observation that many of the conversations on this site focus on the super positive/no complications recoveries such as yours.
As someone who was unprepared for the potentially tougher and slower recovery, I very much appreciate HMB's post reflecting a reality that at least some patients experience post-op.
I'm not trying to put you down or anything, I just appreciate finding other people who haven't had as smooth of a recovery.

HMB-
Thank you so much for posting this! I'm 11 days out and am sort of following in your footsteps. Seeing that I've had a really bad week, it's really
encouraging to see that even with all the pain and frustration that I'll hopefully feel really good in a few short weeks. Again, thanks so much!

I was wondering why I didn't see many people posting right after surgery. I am known for live-blogging my life as it happens particularly when I travel. This time around, I had no interest in telling anyone anything. What a weekend!!!
I arrived at St Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates (burb of Chicago) and found a very friendly staff and on my bed I found a bear named Bari. The room was green which I guess is calming but they were running late so I am not sure the paint had the right affect. Various doctors and nurses would stop by and I told them all my life story, if you looked official I talked. Finally I was taken back toward the operating room. The injecting the first part of anastesia to make me loopy and at that point everything was "awesome" and I had to point it out to everyone who would listen. Once in the OR they put the mask on me to shut me up. I have no idea if they ever asked me to count backwards from 10. The last thing I remember was when they blew up the bag I was laying on to make it easier for them to transfer me to the surgery table. Next thing you know I was somewhere else.
I don't remember much from the recovery room other than moving over to a recliner from the bed and also being in quite a bit of pain. After a couple hours in the recovery room they wheeled me over to my hospital room for the remainder of my stay.
I liked my room, there was a tree outside my window that was a gathering place for a couple hundred small birds tweeting away about their day. I found out that they leave the tree at sunrise (go to work, run errands, etc) and return right before sunset. It did not look like anyone worked from home. I really enjoyed the birds every evening and morning. I thought they'd might be a little annoying but at some point they collectively decided to all be quiet.
The first night was rough. I could not sleep for various reasons but mostly because it was quite loud, bells and whistles going off on random intervals waking me through the evening. The most annoying alarm was all my fault the first night. We discovered I have inherited a heart abnormality from my mother that drops my resting heart rate to below the alarm threshold. I'd doze off and that damn alarm would go off. The nurses were confused so they called the doctor on call and had the alarm threshold lowered. They were impressed with my resting heart rate, they said that will benefit me as I lose weight and get back into marathon running shape.
Day 2 and 3 were about the same, the 3rd day was better than the 2nd. The nurses were quite accommodating and I became a bit of a fixture due to me doing laps around the 2nd floor every few hours. I became progressively better as the hours went by and by Sunday afternoon I was ready to go home. My home sickness was not due to being away from familiar surroundings or even the cuddling power of my 2 cats, I wanted to go home because the cable channels were anemic. I got home Sunday night just in time to watch "Live from the Red Carpet" and then the Oscars. Was it funny, I'm not sure, I was pretty hopped up on pain meds so everything was funny to me that night.

Hey there, I had very similar complications around 2 weeks after surgery. I basically vomited anything that I tried to take in for nearly a week. Finally, after a visit to the ER and an appt with the surgeon, I was hospitalized for 6 days where they focused on rehydration and did a bunch of tests. (Ct scan, scope, blood work, upper GI). Ultimately it was kind of a catch 22, where because of the vomiting, everything was swollen and that's why I couldn't keep anything down. There were other issues, but that was the reason I was throwing up so much. So by being on an IV for more than a few hours, it allowed the swelling to go down and for me to be able to drink again.
It was a tough process, and I still get sick everyday (I'm 6 weeks out), but I am eating and drinking now and mostly feeling ok.
Hang in there! PM me if you have questions or need anything.

Wife sent this via Facebook this morning.

HMB-
Thank you so much for posting this! I'm 11 days out and am sort of following in your footsteps. Seeing that I've had a really bad week, it's really
encouraging to see that even with all the pain and frustration that I'll hopefully feel really good in a few short weeks. Again, thanks so much!

Steph - thanks for sharing your experience. It's my personal observation that many of the conversations on this site focus on the super positive/no complications recoveries such as yours.
As someone who was unprepared for the potentially tougher and slower recovery, I very much appreciate HMB's post reflecting a reality that at least some patients experience post-op.
I'm not trying to put you down or anything, I just appreciate finding other people who haven't had as smooth of a recovery.

Look who I found waiting for me when they took me back for surgery.

I am so sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. The Patches worked like a miracle for me but after a week I started to build a tolerance for them and they started causing me side effects. (Dry mouth, metal taste, blurred vision, dizziness, irritation/ rash where the patch was placed) My surgeon said it was probably even causing my nausea, so be careful. It was the only thing that stopped the vomiting so I became dependent on them. I just did everything I could to get through the hard times and not end up back in the hospital, sounds like you are doing the same. Remember, it will get better in time. I would still do it all over again for the 40lbs I have lost and the way I feel now. Feel free to private message me

Steph - thanks for sharing your experience. It's my personal observation that many of the conversations on this site focus on the super positive/no complications recoveries such as yours.
As someone who was unprepared for the potentially tougher and slower recovery, I very much appreciate HMB's post reflecting a reality that at least some patients experience post-op.
I'm not trying to put you down or anything, I just appreciate finding other people who haven't had as smooth of a recovery.

Steph - thanks for sharing your experience. It's my personal observation that many of the conversations on this site focus on the super positive/no complications recoveries such as yours.
As someone who was unprepared for the potentially tougher and slower recovery, I very much appreciate HMB's post reflecting a reality that at least some patients experience post-op.
I'm not trying to put you down or anything, I just appreciate finding other people who haven't had as smooth of a recovery.

HMB-
Thank you so much for posting this! I'm 11 days out and am sort of following in your footsteps. Seeing that I've had a really bad week, it's really
encouraging to see that even with all the pain and frustration that I'll hopefully feel really good in a few short weeks. Again, thanks so much!

I'll definitely give Donna a call.
I have chocolate and vanilla. I have a nutribullet, so that's what I used at first. I'd add fruit and some kind of liquid. Followed several recipes, but they all made me sick. Then I figured since that wasn't really helping it go down, I started using the shaker with either Water or milk. I just chug it now.
I ordered the same exact product but unflavored, with the hope that I can mix it with broth and maybe that would go down better. It should get here on Tuesday.
End game! Got it! Thanks!

Thanks everyone!
I've spent so much time disconnecting from their toxicity that I just don't want to open the door again. Glad to know that I'm not alone with this.

Thanks everyone!
I've spent so much time disconnecting from their toxicity that I just don't want to open the door again. Glad to know that I'm not alone with this.

Thanks everyone!
I've spent so much time disconnecting from their toxicity that I just don't want to open the door again. Glad to know that I'm not alone with this.

Hi!
I'm pre-op (hoping for an early February date) and have been going back and forth about telling my family.
Most of the friends I've told have been supportive (sometimes after a short time, but they ultimately came around and have been great). My family, on the other hand, tends to be judgmental, gossipy and negative. I know that I should tell them, but to be honest, I don't want to. This is an exciting yet scary time, and I feel that dealing with their reactions will add more stress. Has anyone dealt with anything like this? If so, can you please share your thoughts or tips?
Thanks.

Hi!
I'm pre-op (hoping for an early February date) and have been going back and forth about telling my family.
Most of the friends I've told have been supportive (sometimes after a short time, but they ultimately came around and have been great). My family, on the other hand, tends to be judgmental, gossipy and negative. I know that I should tell them, but to be honest, I don't want to. This is an exciting yet scary time, and I feel that dealing with their reactions will add more stress. Has anyone dealt with anything like this? If so, can you please share your thoughts or tips?
Thanks.