Day 1 - Was not nervous at all before surgery. Once they came to wheel me back I don't remember much after that. When they woke me up to remove the breathing tube I felt all clogged and couldn't breathe. Ended up having to have a breathing treatment. The surgical pain wasnt all that bad with all the drugs but the gas pain in the shoulders was pretty bad. Felt like somebody was standing on my shoulders and someone else was standing on my stomach. Once they wheeled me back to my final room for waking up and vitals, it all started to hit me what had happened. My nurse brought me some apple juice and I was apple to sip that down. That seemed like the best tasting thing I've ever had. Juice went down without any problems. When it was time for me leave and they brought me the wheelchair I had some sharp pain getting out of the bed but getting dressed wasnt too bad. The car ride home wasnt bad at all. I arrived at the hospital at 9:30 and was home at 4:30. Slept most the car ride home but bumps in the road would make my stomach bounce and that would momentarily wake me up. Got home and went straight to bed. My wife went and got my meds while I was sleeping. When she got back I awoke and took one Lortab pill and a Gasx pill. The gas pain in the shoulders and in the abdomen seemed to the dominant form of pain. After sipping some more water I started to have some PB's that made things start to feel much better. I ended up falling back asleep and found that laying down not flat but not on my side felt the best. A few times I even laid flat in my back with my legs up like I was frog felt really good to relieve the tension on my stitches. I was up and out of bed around 8 for about two hours. Did some walking, drank some broth, had a few small bites of yogurt and had two Popsicles. No issues with any of that at all. Took another pain pill at 10 and went back to bed. This time lying down was a bit more painful from being up so long but finally found a comfortable position and drifted off. Woke up at 4 to go the bathroom and take another pill. Crawled back into bed and went right back to sleep. Getting out of bed is the most painful. Everything else isn't too bad at all.

Welcome, and congrats on your surgery. The shoulder pain was definitely the worst of my operation too. I took Gas X, and used a heating pad, walked, and changed positions often. I found that sleeping in my bed wasn't always the most comfy, so I would switch back and forth from my bed to my recliner. That helped a lot. By post op day 5, I was doing regular housework like mopping and light cleaning, so it gets easier. Best wishes on a speedy recovery!

Banded on the 19th of Sept and am now feeling great. Have not started doing vaccumning and such as I can't have this band slipo r anything. I want no complications from this at all. Started eating soft foods yesterday. Pureed cottage chees & pumpkin soup. This morning I did have a couple of bites ot a cheese omlet. Am loosing weight, but still taking it pretty easy. Have started lifing a few things but am being careful with that too. I just don't want anything to go wrong. Congrds to you Junkie - I think we are going to love it on this side.

Hi there, thanks for such a thorough picture of your day -- really helps as I get ready myself even though of course it's a different experience for every one. Here's to a speedy recovery! Hope you have a restful weekend and lots of good sleep.

I have been following this forum for about two months now but just signed up today. I have read and followed several people but its the ones that really spelled out their experience that seemed to keep me from getting nervous. I just wanted to share my side so that others may benefit from my dealings like I did with people before me. Today has been good so far. I've been up several times and have actually walked a mile on the treadmill. The gas pains come and go but are much more tolerable today. My biggest issue today is hunger pains. I'm starving!!! Been staying hydrated though and don't really feel week at all. My incisions only hurt when I'm adjusting or getting up and down. I have found its much better to be out of bed and in the recliner or on the coach. Something about lying flat seems to stretch on my incisions. Overall it's been a great day. I have had no problems sipping or swallowing anything. I'm on liquids for the rest of today but can start back on my shakes tomorrow.

Sounds like you're off to an excellent start, and you have a great attitude! And I agree, lying flat wasn't comfy for me either. Hope it continues to be an uneventful recovery!

So last night went really well. Still had some gas pain but nowhere near as bad as the day of. Ended up walking on the treadmill twice last night for a total of a mile and a half. Can't believe how much walking can do for easing the soreness. I felt great after stepping off. I would have never walked a mile on the treadmill before surgery so I'm not sure where I got the motivation to do it the day after surgery but it really does help. Slept really good last night and only woke up once. I told myself I should have gotten up and taken a pain pill but I just fell back asleep. That was a bad decision. When I woke up this morning I was really sore feeling and could definitely tell I didn't have any meds in me. I definitely suggest keeping the pain meds flowing. Anyways, got up, took my pills and made the kiddoes pancakes. Just being up and doing something seems to make things feel better. The pain in my shoulders has started to subside. Now it just feels more like someone is touching my shoulder instead of standing on it. According to my dietician I'm able to start shakes today but haven't tried it yet.