Are heparin injections standard? I didn't know I'd be doing this after surgery. It's the one thing that surprised me, that I didn't know in advance.

Anyway, I do them 3 times a day. They are easy to do and don't hurt. The most difficult thing was finding a pharmacy that carried them. I had to get my script filled in TX before flying back. I called over a dozen pharmacies. Finally I found ONE place who could fill it, but they could only fill 15 vials. I needed a total of 42 because I was prescribed 3 shots a day for two weeks. So I filled what I could and now that I'm home I'll have to call around and find another pharmacy who can give me the rest of my supply.

One drug was totally impossible for me to fill before leaving San Antonio---- Zegerid powder. My surgeon has everyone take it 3 times a day for 3 months whether patients feel like they need it or not. A pharmacist suggested an OTC brand to use until I could find what my doctor prescribed.

So my challenges here in the first week of surgery are getting in all my liquids in and finding a place that can fill my drugs, lol.

My Dr also has me doing them for one week. Today is the day I have to do the first one by myself. I didn't know about this beforehand either.

I could only get 6 at a pharmacy.... again hard to find. Will go back for the 7th one.

After my insurance paid I still had to pay $196.00 that was also a shock!

I got 2 heparin shots in the hospital after the surgery. Right in the belly!!! Kinda shocked me but nothing prescribed after I left. Another case of every doctor is different I guess. Or you have a particular health concern that they were worried about?

All I can think of is that I my blood pressure has been high lately and I'm not currently taking any meds for it. A few days before surgery, my BP was 130/110. Then after surgery it was still high. I saw it go as high as 210/120 but it went down to 140/95 by the time I was discharged. Maybe the heparin just makes it less likely for the high BP to make me throw a clot.....

My doc is prescribing Arixtra for 12 days to prevent blood clots; the same thing that Heparin does.

I had to take a shot the day before surgery and then they gave me 2 shots a day while in the hospital, but I was not prescribed anything when I left.

I had 2 shots in the belly at the hospital (the 2nd one really hurt and is bruised bad - the nurse wasn't at all gentle with it) - although I don't think it was Heparin, but I was told it was a blood thinner. However, once I left the hospital, I didn't have to do any more injections.

I had to do the injections for a full month at home, after getting them for a week in hospital - so five weeks in total. They do it with all WLS patients here, so it was nothing to do with my particular health. I gave them to myself in the belly and got well sick of it by four weeks!! I also had to have the pharmacy order them, took a couple days to get them, and they were very expensive, but insurance covered them at 100% thank god.

I'm STILL taking those damn horse pills against gall stones and gall bladder issues -- twice a day for six months. Urgh.