ok went to dr getting pre opt diet i can handle that. got post diet i can handle that NOW i talk to nurse she begins to tell me i have to give myself blood thinner shots in my stomach for 10days. have a bag on my left side for 5days pain medicine that i have to take ouy myself when empty. n a fluid bag on my rt side for 5days. i am now in tears i have waited 6Mnths n now they telll me all this i Wanted to run out anyone make it past all this., all II know is i pray it's worth it.

I have never heard of that. I got a blood thinner shot in my stomach right before I went in to surgery and every day I was in the hospital after surgery. I was sent home with liquid pain meds. What is their reasoning for the bags???

to count fluids that drain she said. but i thought u check for leaks n blood thinner shots were just a precaution

andd automatically medicate for 5days.

I also have never heard of any of this happening!!! I'd call your doctor and tell him what the nurse said and have him clarify all this!!

I'm not sure about the bags, but I can speak about the blood thinner shots. I didn't know till after surgery that I too had to give myself shots for 10 days postop. In my head I was freaking out. I've always had a fear of needles. This needle was soooo teeny tiny and you do it in your stomach where there's lots of "cushion". It really turned out to be easy and no big deal.

Best of luck to you.

I had to to the shots, yeah they suck, but it was only for 10 days, and I would do it All over again even if I had to do the shots for a month. The whole bag for the drain, I'm assuming that is if by chance you need a drain. It is to my understanding not all people need the drain. If you by chance need one, it is only a few days, trust me in the long run you will do it again if you had to.

have a bag on my left side for 5days pain medicine that i have to take ouy myself when empty.

Laura,

I can tell you that the pain pump bag on the left side is something I had to deal with and take out when it was empty. It really was no big deal. Actually didn't hurt at all. My wife, who was sleeved a month before I was also had to do the pain pump bag and she took it out herself. Didn't hurt her either. That part should be fine for you. It actually is a lot more mental than physical.

Now the drain on the right side? That's a much different story. They took that out of me before I left the hospital and I thank God for that! That was not a pleasant experience at all, but I lived through it! So can you! I can't really speak of the shots as I only had one that I am aware of in the stomach while I was awake, but I've had bee stings that hurt much more than that shot.

You'll make it! Believe me and the others on here that you'll do fine and make it through this. You've already done the hard part: making the decision for a new and better life!

Eric

,

all II know is i pray it's worth it.

Laurabr1

it will be worth it

the stuff the nurse told you I don't understand - but she must be saying what she was told to say, the orders of the dr.

i would speak w/dr and nurse to ask questions about why you are to do this. Get all necessary infomation. make sure you understand everything, take notes if you want, maybe bring someone along.

good luck on pending surgery

kathy

I think you are maybe confusing some things, so calm down, and stay calm, and get clarification - get it on an email so you can reference it again and again - to keep yourself calm.

It sounds like you may have to take Heparin or something similar, it is not terribly uncommon, given certain medical histories.

The bag is not medicine, I think. I think you are referring to the JP drain or similar, and it is put into your abdomen at the time of surgery to assist in fluids draining and to help catch leaks...the doctor may have even mentioned food coloring your Water blue and such - it becomes very readily apparent if you have a leak it you see blue Fluid in the drain.

Your doctor seems to have prescribed several precautions for you - to make you safe, comfortable, and stay that way - just talk them over with him...and breathe! You are on your way!

thanks everyone. i am feeling a little better. knowning others have gone through similar things and survived and will say they will do it all again. i will have to take the bitter with the sweet.

I had the pain ball in my left side after surgery. It wasn't painful at all but then again it was pumping pain meds into my incision area of the sleeve for 2 days. Mine actually came loose and started leaking so they removed it since I was being discharged in 2 hours anyways.

Don't stress yourself out over it. I know it seems overwhelming now but it gets better. I'm post op day 9 and my incisions are healing well including the 2 small ones where the pain ball tubes were inserted.

thanks wowgirl it was just all a bit much today.

I had surgery June 27th. I did not know I would have the pain pump or the Luvinox injections but was relieved I was getting these after I read up on them. The indwelling pump I had was the "On-Q" pump. It is small but it decreases the amount of pain near the location with the largest incision. My surgeon explained that the incision on the left is where he removes the stomach through. He said the pump decreases the pain and swelling as well as decreases the need for the other pain meds. You can do a search for "On-Q" pumps and find there is a lot of information on the Internet. There may be other brands but this will give you a better understanding of this device. The injections decrease the risk of blood clots so it is very important to finish all that are ordered. The bariatric coordinator said dehydration and blood clots are two of the biggest reasons for readmission. So by decreasing the pain with the pain pump it is easier to drink your fluids and with the injections the risk of clots is greatly reduced. Good luck with your surgery. I lost te

thanks wowgirl it was just all a bit much today.

Just take it 1 day at a time. I had times of doubt too, even up to the day before my surgery. Mainly it was because my dad was extremely worried due to my aunt's problems with her sleeve the year before ( she had many co-morbidities which contributed to her initial problems but she's fine now). I knew I wasn't gonna change my mind but I was worried if it was gonna cause problems between me & my dad in the long run. He's being more supportive now that he sees I'm doing good.

So just take it one day at a time, one step at a time and try not to stress over the little things. Sometimes you just have to zone out and go to your happy place to de-stress.

I just watched a video on youtube of a wls patient removing her tubes. It is kinda freaky but she is laughing through the whole thing. I personally watch videos of everything so I am not shocked later. And about the shots, when I tried the hcg diet I was freaked out, but now, if I could take ALL my vitamins through a daily shot, I would do it in A HEARTBEAT!! I used the little insulin needles and still take vitamin b that way. Wishing I could find biotin and silica in shot form to prep for hair loss! I say watch the video, so you aren't psyching yourself out.