No One Said...

[mverges 15]

That coughing would feel like death! I've had some weird drainage the last few days. And whenever I cough, it hurts so bad!! I'm not even

a week out yet. Ouch!

[ImprovedDreamerGirl 2]

I was coughing a bit the same day as surgery.. it does hurt! Whenever you can, hold a pillow over your stomach when you cough as tight as you can. It helps.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

I got the worse case of hiccups the first time I got up to walk after surgery. My usual remedies are a big glass of Water or a spoonful of sugar, but I couldn't do either obviously. I really wanted to die. But a nurse looked me square in the eyes and said "hiccup for me". I thought she was crazy, but I couldn't hiccup on demand like that. Then I realized I wasn't hiccuping anymore.

I wanted to marry her right then. But my wife wouldn't let me.

[LVikingFan 14]

Love the hiccup story. I had them too, the worst pain of the entire journey. Lasted almost 24 hours. Thankfully I can also say they were the only complication of my whole journey so far, And it is only 2 days to my 1 year surgiversary.

[gustavo52974 369]

Try sneezing! I'm a pretty tough guy, but I actually saw stars the first time I sneezed after surgery. I thought my abdomen was going to explode!

[MinaT 669]

Were you given the Incentive Spirometer? Are you using it daily still? I used it for 4 weeks, so I wouldn't get pneumonia. Because of the weirdness with the stomach and a lot of people hunch a bit after surgery, your diaphragm isn't fully expanding. It's also allergy season and that could stuff you up a bit too.

If you have the incentive spirometer use it and then when you are done, hold a pillow to your belly and try to cough.

I was extremely congested 4 days out and coughed all night, though I used the spirometer alot and I had a lot of drainage down the back of my throat from my nose. During surgery they put tubes down your nose and throat and for about 12 days I had some blood in my nose and I coughed a little blood up.

Best of luck to you.