Taking Pills Post Op - Worried

[chmood 0]

Newbie to site. Surgery scheduled early Apr 10. Very excited. Have learned a lot on this and other forums.

Question: I take 3 medications every evening that are non-negotiable. I take 5 capsules, 4 enteric-coated tablets, and 2 regular tablets. I can spread them out, but I have to take them. I get levels checked regularly and switching to power/liquid form, crushing, etc. is not an option because the dosing and levels are so sensitive. I am able to take all of the pills with a couple of swallows of Water, probably less than 2 oz.

Can anyone comment on taking pills postop? What do they give you for pain postop? Wouldn't it be pills.

This is my biggest concern about the procedure right now.

Thank you in advance.

[oakley 0]

ooohh, not sure. I know I take my capsule the same as I did before.

Sorry, I am not much help.

[Tiffykins 672]

Time released capsules are not recommended immediately post-op. I was able to take pills as long as they were no larger than a regular M&M.

I was sent home with liquid Lortab for pain. Definitely talk to your surgeon and pharmacist regarding your meds, and your new tummy.

[Lee 19]

I too was sent home with liquid Lortab post-op. In the hospital they give you other pain meds through an IV. My surgeon threw out my cholesterol and high blood pressure meds when I left the hospital. I take a PPI (acid inhibitor) in pill form but was told to wait 30 days until I take Vitamin pills. For now everything is chewable.< /strong>

I think the most important thing is to trust your surgeon and to know that they will work out the best plan for you post op. They'll send you home knowing exactly what to do.

Good luck!

[LAN2k 18]

Congrats to having your date for the sleeve! My hospital stay was a bit longer than usual, (5 days), so by day 4 they switched me from meds through the IV to pill form but they were crushed and brought to me by the nurses with (at my request) a cup of apple juice. I mixed the crushed pill in with the juice in the 1oz cup and then washed it down with some plain apple juice. I was instructed to crush my pills at home as well. I did for at least 2 weeks maybe 3 and then I asked my surgeon if it was safe to swallow them and he said as long as I was able to it was fine. The greatest concern is being certain that nothing interferes with the healing of the staple line. You don't want to risk a leak so as previously suggested, be sure to discuss this with your doctors early so you are clear on what to do.

[thinoneday 445]

Newbie to site. Surgery scheduled early Apr 10. Very excited. Have learned a lot on this and other forums.

Question: I take 3 medications every evening that are non-negotiable. I take 5 capsules, 4 enteric-coated tablets, and 2 regular tablets. I can spread them out, but I have to take them. I get levels checked regularly and switching to power/liquid form, crushing, etc. is not an option because the dosing and levels are so sensitive. I am able to take all of the pills with a couple of swallows of Water, probably less than 2 oz.

Can anyone comment on taking pills postop? What do they give you for pain postop? Wouldn't it be pills.

This is my biggest concern about the procedure right now.

Thank you in advance.

Right after surgery I was given my pain pills whole, not crushed, chewed or powdered. . .my doctor had me take my lasix, and amiloride, and pain meds whole with a sip of Water or two. . . so I don't think taking your pills will be a major problem. . .

[chmood 0]

Talk about insant gratification. I love this board. The site was nifty enough to provide "similar threads" when I looked at my post. Very savvy. Looked at other posts and saw a range of responses which were vey helpful. Oakley: How soon postop did you start taking your capsule again? Tiffykins: Do you know specifically why time/extended release meds aren't recommended immediately postop? I suppose it's because they don't dissolve as quickly. But wouldn't they just pass into the duodenum and finished being absorbed there? What do you think? Were you able to take pills that were smaller than a reg M&M immediately postop op? Lee: I sent a message to the pt coordinator with questions for the surgeon. I just want to be prepared. Not taking these meds is not an option and I want to be prepared. Recovering from the surgery itself will be hard enough without having to worry about toxicity or insufficient dosing of my usual meds.LAN2k: Thanks for the congrats. Honestly, it's still a bit surreal.Anyone out there who took their meds, even an extended-release med on the day of surgery or the very next day?Thanks for the responses.

[chmood 0]

Right after surgery I was given my pain pills whole, not crushed, chewed or powdered. . .my doctor had me take my lasix, and amiloride, and pain meds whole with a sip of Water or two. . . so I don't think taking your pills will be a major problem. . .

I like your sign in name. Makes me think. I've always been heavy. I can remember being teased in first grade because my fat belly was hanging out between my shirt and waistband. I, too, hope to be thin one day.Where did you have your surgery? Who was your doc? Reading the posts, there seems to be a spectrum of what surgeons recommend and no one "right way" to do things. That seems very reasonable to me. I'm fixating on this pill/medication thing for some reason, but I'm sure I'll be fine as you say. 11 pills are going to be a lot, though. I'll have to spread them out. I gave it a pseudo-trial run tonight and was able to take them with 1.5oz of Water. If I tried harder, I could probably do it with 1oz. I even used a little measuring cup to get exact amounts. I had to laugh at myself. Thanks again for the response.

Edited March 7, 2010 by chmood
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[Tiffykins 672]

Talk about insant gratification. I love this board. The site was nifty enough to provide "similar threads" when I looked at my post. Very savvy. Looked at other posts and saw a range of responses which were vey helpful. Oakley: How soon postop did you start taking your capsule again? Tiffykins: Do you know specifically why time/extended release meds aren't recommended immediately postop? I suppose it's because they don't dissolve as quickly. But wouldn't they just pass into the duodenum and finished being absorbed there? What do you think? Were you able to take pills that were smaller than a reg M&M immediately postop op? Lee: I sent a message to the pt coordinator with questions for the surgeon. I just want to be prepared. Not taking these meds is not an option and I want to be prepared. Recovering from the surgery itself will be hard enough without having to worry about toxicity or insufficient dosing of my usual meds.LAN2k: Thanks for the congrats. Honestly, it's still a bit surreal.Anyone out there who took their meds, even an extended-release med on the day of surgery or the very next day?Thanks for the responses.

I'm honestly not sure why it's recommended to go off the time-released meds for a short period of time. I also had a very different recovery than the average sleeve patient due to a complicated.

I just know that I've read on here from several different patients that their surgeons required that their meds be switched from time-released to the regular form for a period of time.