Had VSG and Hiatal Hernia Repair on Nov 10th

[greensthings 7]

I just found this forum board! Hi everyone! I had my VSG with Hiatal Hernia Repair on Nov 10th, released from hospital on Nov 11th by 7pm (Thank Goodness or they were going to kill me!) The ride home was over an hour and I cried the whole ride home, even though I was doing amazing in the hospital (despite the oopses they were making).

I am still on Clear liquids, tomorrow I should progress to full liquids.< /p>

I am walking, and tolerating clear fluids well.

Where I hurt, is not my stomach, or the 4 out of 6 puncture marks from my laprioscopy. The 5th puncture (the one over my liver) hurts the most. My Surgeon said that is where the deep muscle stitches and where he pulled the excess stomach material after reducing my stomach in size.

I lost 65 pounds pre-surgery (Starting weight in April was 287 pounds) surgery date I was down to 232 pounds. I work out in the High School Gym 5 days a week (Free and open to the public from 4pm to 7pm M-F), Water exercise 2 days a week (Sundays the High School pool is open and free, Tuesdays for 2$ we have a water exercise teacher. I do the exercises she teaches us and do them for free on Sundays).

My Surgeon told me absolutely no exercise (not even walking) and no lifting weights over 5 pounds for 3 weeks. Yet my Bariatric program (They are more geared to the RnY/Lapband group) said I needed to start walking on the treadmill as soon as possible. I am confused. At this point I figure my surgeon knows best, so I am listening to him.

The Hospital I went too, within an hour after getting to my room after surgery, they wanted me to start drinking clear Protein Drinks, and juices (every "meal" they would have pineapple juice in a cup and that BURNED so badly!!), one medicine cup full every 15 mins (that hurt like He**!!), the next morning they brought me in a multi Vitamin (full, regular non-chewable that was the size of my thumb) and insisted I take it. I protested saying it should be a chewable, the RN (who had just got done boasting that I was her first VSG since she had been in the hospital and was getting one herself in 2 weeks, should have known better). Argued with me for several minutes, before yelling at me, "Just take the damn pill, its only a vitamin and can't hurt you!" So I took the "damn pill" and within 15 minutes I was throwing up and in major pain! Between throwing up, I was walking the hallways, and that is why they let me go home so early, because I was walking so much. They sent in a CNA to remove my IV (Since when is THAT allowed? I was an LPN for 20 years and CNA's weren't allowed to do things like that!). I had an red allergy tag that clearly was marked I am allergic to tape and the CNA tried to put tape on my several times. I was super glued closed on the holes to my laprioscopy so that no tape or bandage had to be applied to my belly.

Long story short, I am glad my surgery is behind me, and that I am at home where I can get tender loving care!

[greensthings 7]

Just so you know a little more about me, besides my VSG/Hernia repair...

I am a 3 time cancer survivor (age 10, brain tumor[Menegeoma], age 21 Uterine Cancer [discovered when I was 6 months pregnant], age 36 skin cancer), as well as a Service Connected Disabled Veteran (US Army 6 years).

I Garden and give the produce to my local food bank, I do charity sewing (cancer hats, preemie onesies, homeless sleeping bag kits, blankets for Project Linus and much more), I am very active in the DAV as well as performing Honor Guard duty for Military funerals along side of the VFW, American Legion and DAV.

My Husband has lost over 30 inches of intestine due to Crohn's disease and has not worked in over 3 years and is waiting to be accepted on Social Security. Our oldest son at home is bi-polar. We are living on my very small VA check.

To say that things are tight is an understatement, but we always manage to squeak by. My car doesn't go into reverse unless it has been running to warm up for over a half an hour. This means anytime I park, I have to find a pull through spot, just in case I can't back up. It may be a beater and all rusted through but it is paid for and the only transportation I have. Which since we have so many medical problems in our family and we have to drive over an hour one way to get to the various Doctors, we pray every time we get into the car, that it will make it to our destination "just one more time".

My life's motto is, Nothing is so bad, that you can not over come it. Laughter goes a long way to making yourself, and those around you feel better. I try and make the most out of every day. I have done so much in my life. I lived in Europe, I sang in a band, I play Cello and Bass, and you know, I don't think I would have done so much if I had not had cancer. My personal philosophy about life reflects the Tim McGraw song "Live like you're dying".

[Lisa :) 231]

Welcome!! Sorry you had such a rough time in the hospital. I was lucky to be at a hospital with a bariatric program and all the nurses and CNA's were understanding.

I was sleeved on the 9th and I also had a hiatal hernia repaired. I wish I could move to full liquids now...the Isopure is killing me and I can't move to full liquids until after my post-op appt on Friday.

Anyway, welcome!!...there is a lot of great info and support here!!

[klus263 9]

Wow, I also had a hernia repair along with my VSG. Our doctors stresses walking after surgery to help in the healing processing. We actually have to get up within 4 hours of surgery. I then started walking the halls whenever I could. This aided in my being released by 10 am the next morning. We did have the lifting restrictions for 4 weeks. I am so sorry that you did not have a good hospital experience, I was at a center of excellence for bariatric surgery so they were great. I was not allowed any thing to drink until the next morning and they did not stress the vitatmins for the first 2 weeks and just had us concentrate on trying to get in fulids. It will get much better. I lost slower then others but I am almost to my goal and loving every minute of it. Hang in there. This place is a wealth of information for you.

[greensthings 7]

[quote name=Lisa ' timestamp='1321242758' post='228876]

Welcome!! Sorry you had such a rough time in the hospital. I was lucky to be at a hospital with a bariatric program and all the nurses and CNA's were understanding.

I was sleeved on the 9th and I also had a hiatal hernia repaired. I wish I could move to full liquids now...the Isopure is killing me and I can't move to full liquids until after my post-op appt on Friday.

Anyway, welcome!!...there is a lot of great info and support here!!

The Hospital I was at DOES have a bariatric program!! They were full and I was overflowed onto the onocology floor

[greensthings 7]

Wow, I also had a hernia repair along with my VSG. Our doctors stresses walking after surgery to help in the healing processing. We actually have to get up within 4 hours of surgery. I then started walking the halls whenever I could. This aided in my being released by 10 am the next morning. We did have the lifting restrictions for 4 weeks. I am so sorry that you did not have a good hospital experience, I was at a center of excellence for bariatric surgery so they were great. I was not allowed any thing to drink until the next morning and they did not stress the vitatmins for the first 2 weeks and just had us concentrate on trying to get in fulids. It will get much better. I lost slower then others but I am almost to my goal and loving every minute of it. Hang in there. This place is a wealth of information for you.

Thank You! The hospital I was at does have a Bariatric program, and I started walking as soon as they took my catheter out (I was an LPN for over 20 years, so I knew what I needed to do to get better and out of the hospital...It also meant I was on to every mistake the Staff made....)

[LoserMama 37]

sorry you had such a hard time of it, hope you are recovering well at home.

How did you know you had a hiatal hernia to be repaired too? I wonder, because i was just diagnosed with silent reflux and wonder if I should be having them check out anything else prior to my surgery to see if there is anything else that needs to be done

[Lisa :) 231]

My hernia was discovered during surgery and repaired at that time.

[greensthings 7]

sorry you had such a hard time of it, hope you are recovering well at home.

How did you know you had a hiatal hernia to be repaired too? I wonder, because i was just diagnosed with silent reflux and wonder if I should be having them check out anything else prior to my surgery to see if there is anything else that needs to be done :smile1:

I had several upper endoscopy scopes that diagnosed a "Gaping Hiatal Hernia". The last one was about a week before surgery to double check how involved my surgery was going to be. I had also had a Bravo monitor done about 3 months before I started the Bariatric program. (A Bravo monitor is where they sew a small device high up in the esophogus and and you wear a monitor around your waist and it measures how much acid reflux is flowing up your esophogus. Mine was quite high, and was one of the reasons that I decided that if I needed a hiatal hernia repair, then I might as well go full bore and get the VSG as well....)