All recently banded people please read this!

I'm not sure if this is posted somewhere else. I couldn't find it but I wanted to make sure all recently banded people knew this if their surgeon didn't tell them.

Deep breathing and coughing is VERY important the first few days after surgery. I know of at least one newly banded person that got pneumonia because they weren't given a spirometer to take home and weren't told to breathe deeply about 10-15 times every hour or so.

It may hurt but it is VERY important to do this. You don't want to get sick while you're still healing. You may cough up some green stuff (I did) and this is normal.

I only posted this because I don't see it mentioned often with as important as it is.

Keeping Your Lungs Clear After Surgery - Breathing & Coughing Exercises

Taking a deep breath and coughing every 2 hours after surgery helps to keep your lungs clear and prevent breathing problems. Even if you are told not to cough, you DO need to do deep breathing exercises every 2 hours.

Deep Breathing Instructions

1. First, you will sit up as far as the nurse tells you, BUT BEFORE YOU SIT UP, if you have had surgery on your stomach area or chest, hold a pillow tightly over the area where the stitches are.
   
2. Breathe in deeply through your nose and mouth and hold this breath for 3 seconds.
   
3. Move your lips as though you are going to whistle and let the air out through your nose and mouth at the same time.
   
4. Repeat this 5 more times.
   

If your caregiver tells you to cough, after the 5th deep breath, you should do the following coughing exercise:

• Still sitting up, with the pillow still against your stitches if you need it, lean forward a little and with your mouth open, take in a deep breath. Place a tissue over your mouth to catch anything you cough up, then quickly give 1 or 2 strong coughs from deep in your lungs.
  
• Repeat the steps 2 more times.
  

Deep Breathing Instructions Using a Spirometer (Breathing Exerciser)

Taking a deep breath and coughing every 1-2 hours after surgery helps to keep your lungs clear and prevent breathing problems and or pneumonia. Even if you are told not to cough, you DO need to do deep breathing exercises every 2 hours.

1. First, you will sit up as far as the nurse tells you, BUT BEFORE YOU SIT UP, hold a pillow tightly over the area where the incisions are.
   
2. Slide the yellow pointer on the left side of the breating exerciser to the volume level that your caregiver tells you to use.
   
3. Keep the breathing exerciser in an upright position. You can hold it or place it on a table.
   
4. Breathe out normally. Put the mouthpiece in your mouth, with your lips closed around it tightly.
   
5. Breathe in slowly. This raises the piston in the clear chamber of the breathing exerciser.
   
6. Continue to breathe in, and try to raise the piston to the set volume level. Read the level of the volume at the top of the piston.
   
7. When you are finished breathing in, take the mouthpiece out of your mouth and hold your breath as long as you can.
   
8. Breathe out normally and let the piston go back to the bottom of the chamber.
   

If your caregiver tells you to cough, after breathing out, you should do the following coughing exercise:

• Still sitting up, with the pillow still against your stitches if you need it, lean forward a little and with your mouth open, take in a deep breath. Place a tissue over your mouth to catch anything you cough up, then quickly give 1 or 2 strong coughs from deep in your lungs.
  
• Repeat the steps 15 times every 1 - 2 hours.