so, i keep reading about how people spend 2 or 3 days in the hospital- if you had laprascopic vsg outpatient surgery, please chime in! i have to go in the next morning for fluids, and there is a hospital very close by if there are complications, which i'm not worried about- guess i'm more worried about pain management... no nurse at my beck and call...would appreciate your experience!

Hi there,

I had my surgery at the same place, with Dr. Billings!! I am 3 weeks post-op today. The staff there are wonderful. I was worried about going home the same day, and truthfully, I wish I had been able to stay overnight as I got very sick the day I went home. However...did they give you a prescription for nausea, one pill to take at 3:00 a.m. the morning before surgery? If so, TAKE IT. I was told by a nurse during my pre-op appt. that it was optional, and since my insurance charged a higher co-pay for just the one pill, I didn't get it. Dr. Billings was not happy that I had been told that, because he said it is not optional, that I would really need it for nausea. They gave me extra nausea meds. in my IV the morning of the procedure, but it didn't help. I vomited all afternoon after I got home, and all night long. The next morning, I was very dehydrated and needed several bags of fluids. They kept me most of the day to make sure I was okay, giving me nausea & pain meds. thru the IV. They said everyone is different, but if I'd had that nausea pill, I probably wouldn't have been so sick. The liquid percocet they give you manages the pain well, as well as the valium. Take them both religiously the first few days to stay comfortable.

Other people I have talked to weren't near so sick, so I don't want to freak you out or worry you. I hesitated sharing my experience since it was kind of rough the first few days. But also want to assure you that they will take good care of you, and they are only a phone call away. I had a one week post-op appt. and I was doing fine. They gave me pictures of the surgery and the piece of stomach they took out!

When are you scheduled? I wish you the best!! You'll do great, I'm sure!

Cathi

so, i keep reading about how people spend 2 or 3 days in the hospital- if you had laprascopic vsg outpatient surgery, please chime in! i have to go in the next morning for fluids, and there is a hospital very close by if there are complications, which i'm not worried about- guess i'm more worried about pain management... no nurse at my beck and call...would appreciate your experience!

I had surgery at 10 am. Was able to walk around that afternoon. Felt so good that I sent my nervous nellie husband home as his pacing etc was making me crazy. I could have gone home the same day. They gave me liquid lortab which made me sleepy. They also gave me Levosin (hope I spelled that right anti-spasm pill) to take for a couple of weeks. Sipping and walking are the trick!

I loved going home the next morning slept much better at home!!! Hope that helps!

no, not tmi- thanks, Cathi- that will help alot- I WILL TAKE THAT NAUSEA PRESCRIPTION! LOL... really; thanks alot!

Hi there,

I had my surgery at the same place, with Dr. Billings!! I am 3 weeks post-op today. The staff there are wonderful. I was worried about going home the same day, and truthfully, I wish I had been able to stay overnight as I got very sick the day I went home. However...did they give you a prescription for nausea, one pill to take at 3:00 a.m. the morning before surgery? If so, TAKE IT. I was told by a nurse during my pre-op appt. that it was optional, and since my insurance charged a higher co-pay for just the one pill, I didn't get it. Dr. Billings was not happy that I had been told that, because he said it is not optional, that I would really need it for nausea. They gave me extra nausea meds. in my IV the morning of the procedure, but it didn't help. I vomited all afternoon after I got home, and all night long. The next morning, I was very dehydrated and needed several bags of fluids. They kept me most of the day to make sure I was okay, giving me nausea & pain meds. thru the IV. They said everyone is different, but if I'd had that nausea pill, I probably wouldn't have been so sick. The liquid percocet they give you manages the pain well, as well as the valium. Take them both religiously the first few days to stay comfortable.

Other people I have talked to weren't near so sick, so I don't want to freak you out or worry you. I hesitated sharing my experience since it was kind of rough the first few days. But also want to assure you that they will take good care of you, and they are only a phone call away. I had a one week post-op appt. and I was doing fine. They gave me pictures of the surgery and the piece of stomach they took out!

When are you scheduled? I wish you the best!! You'll do great, I'm sure!

Cathi

so, i keep reading about how people spend 2 or 3 days in the hospital- if you had laprascopic vsg outpatient surgery, please chime in! i have to go in the next morning for fluids, and there is a hospital very close by if there are complications, which i'm not worried about- guess i'm more worried about pain management... no nurse at my beck and call...would appreciate your experience!

thanks so much- you gals are really helping me get mentally prepared!

I had surgery at 10 am. Was able to walk around that afternoon. Felt so good that I sent my nervous nellie husband home as his pacing etc was making me crazy. I could have gone home the same day. They gave me liquid lortab which made me sleepy. They also gave me Levosin (hope I spelled that right anti-spasm pill) to take for a couple of weeks. Sipping and walking are the trick!

I loved going home the next morning slept much better at home!!! Hope that helps!

Hi there,

How are you? Well i am in brisbane australia and i had my surgery on fri 24th june i only got released from hosp on wed 29th so i stayed 5 nights and over here that is how it works 3-5 night as i had no complications except a lot of gas pain and nausea i was very suprised to see that most people in other countries go home the same day, on day 4 i started 30ml an hour of clear fluids and had to do that for 24hr my dr told me when i asked to go home that if you leave to early you risk a leak and a leak then leads to icu. So i was happy enough to stay! I hope you get the answers you need just thought i would let you know how it happens over here in the aussie land lol.

Take care and best wishes! xx

so, i keep reading about how people spend 2 or 3 days in the hospital- if you had laprascopic vsg outpatient surgery, please chime in! i have to go in the next morning for fluids, and there is a hospital very close by if there are complications, which i'm not worried about- guess i'm more worried about pain management... no nurse at my beck and call...would appreciate your experience!

I was supposed to stay for 2 nights but couldn't take being away from home, so I begged my doctor to let me leave the next day.

I was outpatient as well ... Surgery at 7:30 and discharged at 2:30 with a pain ball and liquid pain meds. I had pain, but don't think a hospital stay would have stopped that.

thanks, my Aussie friend!

Hi there,

How are you? Well i am in brisbane australia and i had my surgery on fri 24th june i only got released from hosp on wed 29th so i stayed 5 nights and over here that is how it works 3-5 night as i had no complications except a lot of gas pain and nausea i was very suprised to see that most people in other countries go home the same day, on day 4 i started 30ml an hour of clear fluids and had to do that for 24hr my dr told me when i asked to go home that if you leave to early you risk a leak and a leak then leads to icu. So i was happy enough to stay! I hope you get the answers you need just thought i would let you know how it happens over here in the aussie land lol.

Take care and best wishes! xx

thanks again!

I was outpatient as well ... Surgery at 7:30 and discharged at 2:30 with a pain ball and liquid pain meds. I had pain, but don't think a hospital stay would have stopped that.

I am a patient at PSSC. I am pretty sure my insurance will cover this, so I am trying to decide if I am really comfortable with the outpatient business. Dr Billings also has priviledges at a couple of good local hospitals so that is an option, i know.

On the one hand I HATE hospitals. They make me feel bad and are filled with sorrowful memories (too many deaths of loved ones in recent years). I also fear mistakes and being awoken all the time (isn't that what they do in hospitals..lol).

On the other hand, I am scared of being home and having excess pain or even worse, nasuea. I do have a dear friend who is a nurse who has volunteered to stay with me at my house for the first day or two or three. she says that monitoring heart rate and stuff like that can be early indicators of any infection or similar problems. That gives me some peace of mind.

So, cost aside, what are the advantages of this outpatient approach?

(BTW, I really like Dr Billings and staff. They have been warm, thorough and caring so far.)

I had outpatient surgery. It was fairly uneventful for me. I woke up from surgery and actually had a faulty pain pump, only working the first time, but it was far from more than I could handle, uncomfortable yes, but bearable. The only real problem I had was getting my kidneys to work after surgery, and they threatened me with a catheter, which made me very dedicated to getting them to work, lol.

Best of luck - and a side note, my doc did say that most insurance companies would approve a longer stay if there are any complications, so if there is a reason for you to stay longer, you will. I even stayed 2 hours after my allowed time "off chart" .

I guess I should mention, my husband thinks that the outpatient/recovery at home is great. And of course, I know they have you go back the next day for fluids and check up.

Hi;

I was VSG outpatient. Went into surgery center in morning, out in afternoon. No pain ball (none needed), no catheder, no drain, and no nurses prodding me throughout that first night. Happyily had VSG as an outpatient surgery, but I did experience nausea the day after. A lot of surgeons are switching to outpatient for this procedure.

Don't be concerned, you just need to be prepared and read up on what you need to look for if you have any complications...like any other surgery. Do you have sleeve guidelines (diet/post op instructions/complications list) already? Send me an email if you want a copy of what I have. Remember, you will not be so out of it that you can not walk or function. I needed help those first couple of days because I am a total baby and wanted someone to hold my hand. It was more about the mental challenges than the pain (I only took liquid pain meds once and that was to sleep at night) with this surgery.

Excited for you. A new you is about to emerge so best wishes.