Hi,

I am having surgery on June 4th. I would really like to know the REALITY of what to expect immediately after surgery. Pain issues, unexpected pros and cons, etc. Anything you can offer would be helpful. I know no two people are the same, but I like to be informed. Thanks!

I'm 8 days post op and will say not as painful as I expected. You will have a pain pump and I used mine liberally. I had surgery on Thursday and was back at my desk job Tuesday. The initial pain is really the gas.

I was prepared to be in a lot if pain. I had my lapband removed a few years ago and the pain was intense.... I was surprised that the pain was not near as bad!!! I was sleeved on May 6th. The first 24 hours are rough, but for me I think that was mostly the anesthesia. That and the morphine help to blur out those hours. I did not have a pain pump but they kept up with it. They stopped it within 24 hours and I started on liquid pain relief. Walk as much as you can. I did not suffer from a lot of the gas pains until about 3 days after surgery. Those pains lasted only a few seconds each time, which made them more tolerable. My issue has been trying to get in liquids and proteins and being so tired all of the time. I have no regrets. The sleeve is just a tool. And with any tool you have to learn how to use it. It's a huge commitment and adjustment, but I have no doubts that this tool will help me be successful. Best wishes to you!!! Oh, and find out if they give you an abdominal binder. If not, get one beforehand. It helps so much with getting up and moving around!!!

Thank you for sharing your experiences. It really does help to use this site to see what other people have gone through. I have my pre-op today. I plan on asking about the pain meds given in the hospital as well as that abdomina binder.

I was in a lot of pain like I did 5000 sit ups or I was inducted into a gang fight. My body felt exhausted. Also, my pain threshold is really low for sharp pains. Dull pains I can take on pretty well. Walking helped A LOT. I was on a Pain med pump that delivered pain relief every 10 minutes and that was good but it made me dizzy so it was difficult to walk.

Im on my third day post op. I can say that I really do not feel that anything has changed. The hospital keep up with the pain meds and I started liquid pain meds as soon as I got home. I think that my pre op diet is the same as my post op for the first week. I can take all my pills whole and i dont feel a change. I was 392 when I started preparing for the surgery and was able to get up to 30 minutes on a walker before the surgery. I would say the more you prepare before surgery both dieting and exercise will help you recover on the other side of it. Im a big beliver in the Optifast meal supplements. If you havent heard about them they would be good to ask about. Made by Nestle and my 18 year old son drinks them as a supplement and likes them even though he dont need to be on any diet.

The pain wasn't as bad as expected. The real issue I had was just adjusting to not eating and how to eat. I did not expect to struggle as much as I did. I am two weeks post op today and am just beginning to understand and ACCEPT the changes I have to make. I am beginning to understand my sleeve and how it works - and what my limits are. The first week felt like nothing had changed and the liquids did not fill me up. Now that I feel restriction I am having to work through how to manage it and still hit all the targets. The psychological changes were far more challenging than I anticipated so be prepared. (And I went into this fully aware but you really don't know until you are faced with it)

I just had my sleeve on Wednesday. For the first few days after, I could only keep minute amounts of liquid down. After I drank even a little, I had to make sure I sat upright for at least a good 1/2 hour or I'd probably throw up. Thursday night I woke myself up coughing and spewed all over the bed. Oops. Since I couldn't keep liquids down, I didn't bother with the liquid Vicodin. By Friday I could drink a few sips at a time, and keep it down. Definitely had my salivary glands working overtime, and I kept a bucket nearby to spit into. I was able to sleep on my side with no problem by Friday. For me, there wasn't so much pain as just gassy nausea. I'm on my way home right now, and feel pretty normal...other than I have to sip slow and only 3 sips max at a time. My surgery was outpatient, so bear that in mind.