RNYNewbie

​I had a little more pain than most. I had to have an open abdominal incision because my surgeon wasn't sure which form of bariatric surgery I would have to have until he got in and saw my ulcer locations (my surgery was because of gastric ulcers-had roux en Y) so yeah I ended up with a 5 inch incision on my upper abdomen. I had to stay in the hospital 5 days. I was up walking the first night post op. It really does help-the faster you're up and moving, the better. I was also a smoker-coughing was very painful. I no longer smoke! Pain is what a person says it is. It's different for everyone. Just don't let it go...stay on top of it. Good luck. You'll do great!!

So I am 23 days post-op from having the roux-en Y and vagotomy. I weighed in at 217 the day of surgery. I was relatively comfortable my weight...or resigned to it at least. You see, I didn't have my surgery for weight loss. I had 2 serious,non-healing ulcers. I had to have the surgery to get them removed to avoid them turning into stomach cancer. Now, don't get me wrong, the idea of losing some weight was also very attractive to me. I had no problems getting insurance to cover my surgery which was a plus. So here I am. I have lost roughly 41 pds so far. I lost the first 30 so fast it was scary. I am trying very hard to figure this diet thing out. I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing dumping syndrome as of yet but I have vomited more in the last 3 weeks than ever in my life I think. I was advanced to "soft" foods on my last Dr. visit. apparently I'm not a good judge of what is soft and ok to eat because everything seems to cause pain, nausea, or vomiting. I cannot tell when I am full until it's way too late. I eat slowly and take tiny bites but...I'm just not getting the hang of it yet. I am lucky if I get 300 calories in a day. I am sure I will get it eventually...well I'll have to. Next thing I guess I look forward to is being able to go to the gym to try and tighten and tone up all the saggy skin I have acquired so far. If it sounds like I am down and a little frustrated, it's because I am. Yes, the constant burning from acid and pain from my ulcers is gone...but I feel like I just traded it for a whole new list of burdens. I'm not sure losing weight is worth it. I miss food. On a higher note...I was also a smoker before my surgery. I have not been one now for 24 days. So I guess there's that.

1. VSG on 1/17/13 (273lb highest weight). Close to goal in about 7 mo but worked on that pesky 20 lb for another 6 mo. Plastics on 7/22/14 at 165lb (in 5'10"), so I was at goal for maybe 6 mo. I think it's more important to wait for a year when you're young and your skin has more elasticity and will continue to tighten. Mine was never going to tighten at 48 yrs old. Part of the reason to have plastics is to keep the weight off long term by being more satisfied with your body image and I wanted it done asap. 2. I had everything done at once. Arms, breast lift/augmentation, lower body lift, and 2 days later a lower face lift (neck lift). I went to Mexico for plastics for a lot of reasons, but one big one was that they do surgery using twilight sedation and epidural. I woke after surgery feeling awesome! Felt like I'd had the best sleep of my life. Hardly any pain. If it weren't for a compression garment that irritated the nerves in my elbow I would not have had to take any painkillers. Very lucky! If I had to do it over again, the only thing I might change would be to do the LBL in two surgeries and only because I think doing it in one puts more stress on the back incision (because you have to walk hunched over because of the tummy tuck) and you end up with a wider scar.
3. I did not lose any weight from plastics. The total weight of skin removed was around 6 pounds, but I had some of it put back in with a butt flap augmentation. Swelling for the first 3-6 months more than makes up for weight lost. Lots of lymph pathways are destroyed, so you are in swell hell until they re-generate.

Hello love!
First of, congratulations in taking the step to better your health and life. That is actually the hardest! So kuddos to you! Secondly, this forum will help you out tremendously with all the different types of inputs since everyone is so diverse. If you are having Gastric Bypass, laparoscopically you will have about 5-6 incisions. The most painful part of all was waking up after surgery. You will have gas pain, imagine a colic baby... how they squirm and feel so painful. This will last for a bit. I suggest you ask your surgeon if you can have Gas-X strips or if they can assist with that. I had to walk it out lol but the Gas-X comes very useful while at home until you do that first poop! Honestly speaking you will feel soooo much better after your first poop! Lol
Other than that, the first 3-4 weeks will be brand new to you and your body. I used to sleep on a recliner. It was comfy and I didn't feel as much pain while I slept. Hope this all helps! And again congratulations!
God bless you
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