Post Op Recovery...Banded 04/22/10

My Recovery...Been waiting to post this...

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...didn't want to scare off anyone still waiting for the surgeries...but just have to ask this?! Sorry, here goes...

Did anyone else experience OVERALL muscle soreness & lots of pain (NOT in abdomen area...I expected that)...within 1st 24 hours of surgery completion???

My surgery didn't take place til 3pm so spent the night in hospital. Got home around noon next day. Unpacked & hubby & I both decided we needed an hour's nap...when woke up from nap, literally felt like I had been in a bad car wreck & the car had flipped & landed on top of me. Was so sore in odd places...like upper & lower arms, legs, buttocks....plus the expected tenderness in abdomen area. I was really shocked as I:ohmy: had recv'd 3 other lap surgeries...all in abdomen area...and bounced right back. I felt like something was bad wrong...just didn't feel good at all. I'm known in my family for bouncing back...have gone shopping the day after surgery before...so this was totally unexpected for me. Didn't want to bug Dr. since we were into the weekend by then...retrospect, should have called him then...as not calling caused me a very miserable weekend & post-op recovery experience

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I kept asking myself & everyone "what the heck happened"??? and why am I this sore?!?! I'm a strong southern gal (a tough old broad or a steel magnolia as I'm nicknamed)...who's had lots of health issues & always met them head-on without much whining/complaining. But this was something weird! My surgeon allows no NSAIDS, so took my liquid hydrocodone & took to bed on the 2nd day. So glad it was the weekend & my hubby & ex-football son were @ home with me. I was so pitiful, could not have managed to care for myself alone. They literally had to lift me out of bed or off recliner for me to potty...felt like a 2 yr old! I'm fat, I know...and not the specimen of perfect health...but had been daily doing Water aerobics @ home & @ the gym & a chair aerobics class 3x a week...so had strong core muscles & arms/legs. Also, due to diabetic nerve damage in both feet...am on a medical scooter...but can still get up & walk around a little. I had the normal gas pains, tender tummy, tight/swollen feeling around band & port...plus all the other soreness to boot! It was much more than I had bargained for...and I did ? to myself only "what have I done?"

I'm only saying this now to try & prepare another newbie for what "could" happen to them...but praying it won't! Well, to shorten this a little...13 days out today....still sore & achy in weird places...and finally got an explanation that makes a little sense to me from surgeon. Rarely, patients have this all-over muscle soreness & extreme fatique as an odd side effect from the paralytic (sp?) portion of the anesthia given. When I mentioned had never had this happen before...nurse said it can happen once out of 100 surgeries...and may never happen to me again (we can hope & pray it doesn't!!) :thumbup:). Due to my discomfort, he will allow me to take two 200mg ibuprofren for a short while IF I take Pepcid, Nexium, Prilosec, etc...beforehand...and space them out 30 mins. apart. Did this several hours ago...and getting a small amount of relief. The codeine in liquid pain meds came home from hospital with sometimes wires me up instead of makes me sleepy...so try to only take it as a last resort.

Life is about lessons learned...this is mine. SPEAK UP & don't be embarrassed if your recovery/pain/whatever seems out of the ordinary from everyone else. I could have rested more comfortably & had a better post-op experience if I'd "bugged" the Dr. sooner. I really had begun to think anesthiologist had gotten me asleep during surgery but not relaxed/comfortable...and I had fought or resisted the entire surgery...or that's what my body seemed to be telling me. Sorry so long...hoping no one else experiences this...but soooo glad that 1st week is behind me. I still may have to be enduring the mushies & lots of soup/liquids...but at least it doesn't hurt to breathe & move around so much this week. HAS THIS HAPPENED TO ANYONE ELSE OR ANYONE EVER HEARD OF THIS TYPE OF REACTION TO ANESTHESIA???.

God Bless all April 2010 Bandsters! So much more to learn about this new journey we're all on....mj

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