I had my surgery today...Afterwards the Gas in my chest caity was unbelieveably painful... that cleared up as soon as I got home.. 3 hrs after the Op. I took a nap and woke up feeling much better.... So far I am pleased with the outcome.. im a little nervous about what I will or wont be able tto eat.. I am hunhryu as heck now... all I can get down is Protein Water and a few gummy Vitamins.. afraid to do anything else....

Anyone hace suggestions for the first week... something anything that it ios in the least bit satisfying... I could probably drink a shake.. but I have some fear of the unknown there.. not sure if I would do damage or cause my self some unnecesarry discomfort..

Suggestions?

I can't believe you are home 3 hours after the operation! I'm in sock!

How do you feel?

I went in at 10am.. surgery AT 11:30 which took 90 minutes or so.. afterward they told me I was free to go at around 2:30....

Since I have been home Ive been taking the Vicoden Liquid... and feeling not too bad..... I have the Pain Pump also.. it is a round ball of numbing agent that is tubed into my stomache... it is supposed to provide up to 100hrs of numbing... so far so good.. I am unsure if it is stomache pain at the staple line ort if I am really famished like I think I feel.. I havent eaten anything more solid than a gummi vitamin for 30 hours.... I have managed to get 12 oz of water in me... and 6 oz of clear chicken broth.. and so far no problems..

wow I can't believe you are home 3 hours post op!! amazing!

I couldn't even walk or sit up 3 hours post op.

I was in the hospital for 2 nights.

For the first 2 days I was on clear fluids, and then liquids - Protein drinks, strained Soup, yogurt, popsicles, Jello, cream of wheat....I was on liquids for 2 weeks post op. Just work on getting as much Water & protein as you can the first little while.

Congrats on being sleeved, wow 3 hrs, I do believe that's a record!! The famished feeling you have may be acid, did they give you meds for that? Did they give you post-op eating guidelines? Be careful on doing anything other than liquids for a while, most of us have 2-4 wks of liquids post op to allow the suture line to heal. Sending you healing vibes!!

My Post_Op diet is Clear Liquids first day.. and can move to "Bariatric Advantage" shakes on day two.. Clear broth, Low Fat Milk, Soy Milk, Yogurt, sugar free Popsicles.. etc... this is for the first two weeks... then in weeks 3-4 it says I can have textured foods-- but only ones that slip and slide on a plate or will go through a funnel with ease... some of the suggestions are fish ground meats low fat yogurt Jello well cooked veggies apple sauce scrambled eggs.. etc... It has been about 12 hours.. and I am sipping slowly onoo.. a shake right now...

I am certain it is not the Acid Reflux pain as it is a solid and consistent pain much like a hunger pain... I have had bad acid reflux for 20 years or more and have been taking Nexium for 1oyrs... Currently the Reflux feeling is gone but that may have everything to do with the pain meds..

The Doc Who performed the surgery is pretty good.. the surgery was at a private surgical center in Henderson,Nevada.. Not only was the price right.. the nurses were great.. very helpful and attentive... they told me that My Doc performed anywhere from 2-5 of these procedures every week.. and the y spoke very highly of him... The anesthesiologist was pretty great .. I took some gas and a shot and dont remember a thing until i woke up with the GAs PAins.. now those were truly awful...I never want to feel that sort of agony again... pain meds didnt help.. I had them for 2-3 hours and they were hell... I am unsure if the "Gas-X" tablet I took when I came home or all the Begging God for mercy was what eventually did it.. maybe a combination of both...

I was on clears after surgery. The only advice I have is to make whatever you drink room temp or warm. It helped me a lot. Nice warm broth with lots of seasoning was perfect to sip from a cup. For me the trick was to keep it from being bland - get some hot and sour soup and strain it, eat some broth from taco soup or just jazz up some regular old chicken broth with plenty of seasonings. I had spasms for a day or two post op and realized after suffering through them that they usually happened when I was drinking something cold or cool.

Take it easy and take the time to heal. You'll be recovered and losing weight in no time!

~Cheri

I also have been on Nexium for years because I have really bad acid reflux. In fact I am taking 40 mg twice a day. Make sure you are treating it with a PPI because untreated that acid will cause you all kinds of problems after this surgery. Also, it will make you think you're hungry. My surgery was on Dec 7th and I learn this the hard way. Now I open a Nexium cap and sprinkle the contents on applesauce or pudding. I went without a PPI for just 3-4 days after surgery and I'm still suffering the consequences. You might not think it's acid reflux, but since you are already prone to it make sure you continue with your PPI and not just something that treats the acid once it's already there. They told me to take Mylanta until I could start my meds again. That did not work because the acid caused swelling that prevented me from drinking and staying hydrated.

Good luck in your recovery. Keep hydrated and take your PPI.

First, Crawford, welcome to the loser's bench!! I am amazed that you were sent home so quickly!! I suggest sticking to clear liquids for at least the first week, and asking your doctor about an acid reducer and some eating guidelines. Who is your doctor?

Second, 5DogMa, Glad to see that you're home and feeling better!!!

Good luck to both of you!!!

Dr.Thomas Umbach.. Henderson,Nevada.

So is a PPI something other than Nexium? we talked a great deal about the use of Nexium Pre-Op.,, But I didnt hear the term PPI.. is it something additional I should be inquiring about right away>

Nexium IS a PPI - Proton Pump Inhibitor. PPI's prevent the forming of the acid in your stomach, kinda stops the acid making pumps in your stomach from working to a degree. You still need some acid in your stomach to digest foods. The liquid Mylanta that I was trying to take after surgery only treats the existing acid, it is supose to neutralize it. For me I need to stop the acid from even forming in my stomach or the acid will back up into my esophagus and causing me all kinds of problems. Since I was told not to take pills or capsuls for a week or so after surgery I was only attempting the Mylanta which I could not swallow because of the swelling and inflimation the acid was already causing. Yikes what a mess! Acid for me causes pain that can radiate to the back, burning and the feeling of being hungry like I need to put something in my stomach to stop the pain the acid is causing. Give that acid something to do other than burn up my stomach and esophagus.

I am not hungry since my acid is getting under control. Now if the spasms will stop I'll be doing a lot better.

Did you doctor let you take pills right after surgery? Are you taking the Nexium or ?

Hi. I just had the surgery Tues 12/13, came home Thurs. My doc told me no pills- I am on liquid multivitamin (after the surgery- about 1 1/2 wks before surgery Dr told me to stop multivitamin), Prevacid two a day (either crushed or he told me to break the capsule and sprinkle it in yogurt), and gas-x strips, as needed, and chewable calcium. I am on a liquid diet, at least 48 oz of liquid and he said try to shoot for at least 65 g protein. I use the lean protein shakes from GNC which have 25 g protein with vitamins.(Love the vanilla, hated the strawberry and chocolate). Good luck!

Doc told me to change my calcium,b12, daily vitamin, probiotic and Vitamin D to chewables.. but Lisinopril and nexium are still in Pill form.. I took them mid morning today and havent had any issues... I am having some swelling in my belly and on the surface.. I assume that is normal due to th trauma of the surgery it hurts fairly bad.. and a lot of bruising... also I have a catheter or numbiung agent in through my belly onto my stomach.. internally the entire incision is being coated with 4ml of lidocain hourly..it must work .. because internally there isnt any pain or real discomfort... I asked the doctor if it was possible to hurt my self physically by getting started on textured foods or soft foods too early or by over eating he told me the chances were low due to the fact that I would be inable to swallow or take in much food... I am sticking to liquids..and shakes for as long as I can stand it.. Id really like to try a scrambled egg or maybe some jello.. or something.. not eating is making me batty.. it has been about 46 hours since I had a meal...

I haven't had real food in 12 days. My last solid food was Sunday, December 3rd. Today I'm drinking some chicken broth, Protein drink, non-fat milk and deluted apple juice. Wouldn't consider trying anything solid yet. I can start of soft foods mashed up on the 22nd. Planning on some mashed up yams and mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner. It's not that bad since I am not hungry but I am struggling to drink enough calories to give me some energy. I am so tired all I want to do is sit or sleep. Plus I am freezing all the time and can't get warm.

Jello is considered Clear Liquids so go for it. It melts when it gets warm. Swelling is expected but keep an eye out for red and hot because if that happens you could have an infection.

This sucks out loud huh? Can't wait for this part to be over. I

Well for those that have struggled with their post op diet.. or other issues you may not wnat to read much further... I have to say that if there is a VSG success story.. I am the epitome of VSG success stories...

I had surgery Friday.. I was home just a few hours later.. first night tender and sore and clear liquids only.. second day I had some serious discomfort related to the anesthesia.. something called "post=opeative-Muscle Myalgia"..apparently a response from the body to a muscle relaxant called succinylicholine or Scoline for short... thus far the muscle pain has been the worst thing... on the second day.. not only was I able to get down 80+ grams of Protein shakes and plenty enough Water.. I had Soup broth.. chicken broth and vegetable broth... Today is Monday and I had some microwaved egg whites for breakfast--- (3 tablespoons) they were delicious.. and the texture and chewing there-of was a life saver... if I couldnt chew for a month I think I would have gone nuts... So I have also been taking chewable gummi Vitamins and supplements without any discomfort... water although sipped slowly has not caused any discomfort... for that matter I have not had any real issues or discomforts.. I had an internal pain pump.. which I turned off and have disconnected this morning.. there is some internal tenderness but no real pain there inside... If I continue this way until late afternoon without pain I will remove the tube that goes to the incision sit on my stomache... all in all I have to say thepain and discomfort was minimal.. and I am surprised to say that I will be going back to work tomorrow.. (I only mossed two days Friday and Monday)... So far including my pre=op weight loss I am down 21 pds from the 1st of December..

Has anyone else out there found the transition this simple... I feel as though I could probably make the next step up to soft foods right away.. but fear of damaging somehting prevents me from pursuin that avenue... that and my wife is highly agitated at the steps I have already taken....

Input comments?

I have also tolerated my BP pill and PPI pill without isse.. as well as Vitamin D and Calium Chocalate dietary chews .. Jello... greek nonfat yogurt... with fruit in it... the only thing I had any issues with was "Muscle Milk".. My stomache instantly told me not to go any further when I drank some of that stuff... No vomiting.. no sweating no chills...no nausea...