Post op advice

[SuzyB 182]

I am having surgery tomorrow. What are things you would want to be able to tell your family about recovery? Is there a day buyer's remorse peaked, hormone changes, etc? I am excited and scared at the same time.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

Any one of those things can happen..but everyone is different....I had no time to feel anything really because my husband became a drill Sargent the moment I came out of surgery....He was so concerned about Water intake and every other little detail he had learned about the sleeve.....

Mostly your going to be tired and sore at first....A lot of people wish they never did it right away but that almost always changes.....You have done well in losing weight before surgery..

I think you are on board and are going to do great....Positive thinking is the key...K

[Macy6 356]

I had a relatively easy hospital stay and recovery. I appreciated having people visit, but the first 24 hrs I was on morphine and was very sleepy. I appreciated when people would walk with me at the hospital. The first few days I was tired, I took frequent naps at odd times. I never had buyers remorse but I did have a food meltdown one day. Once I got on fork soft and off full liquids I have been fine.

[MissErika 65]

Everybody is different. I was in a lot of pain and struggled getting liquids down. I just did not want them and I rather lay in bed all day. Then the bed got uncomfortable and I cried getting to the chair and I wanted to go home so I walked constantly even when I didn't want to. You must walk walk walk because it is the key to a faster recovery. It also relieves the gas you will have from the surgery. Drink lots of Water and don't be afraid to ask for help. The nurses are there for you. Your family must know that you will be tired, most likely dehydrated and you will need rest. You will be in pain, or at least sore. You may be moody, you may have buyer's remorse temporarily but as your weight gets down and you are able to eat food again it will go away (most of the time) and finally... your family must be there to give you the support you need. Let them know that you will need their help and that you love them and you will be an "active mom" again. It really isn't as bad as it sounds. VSG is a great tool and I already lost 50 pounds in 5 weeks (including pre-op liquid diet) and I feel great. Think of that. Think of running with your family, going to the park all the time, not being tired in the middle of the day. Those thoughts will keep you going. Good luck tomorrow and congratulations on taking the first step to a happier, healthier life!

[gamergirl 4,609]

Suzy, I blogged about my first 9 days. Here is a link to the first six days. Yes there was remorse, hormones, sadness, crying, anger, snapping. And it's best for your family to be prepared and know it's normal and not want you to "snap out of it".

http://sleevers.wordpress.com/?s=six+days&submit=Search

[Dickens22 62]

You're going to need to focus on yourself for awhile after surgery. This was different for me...the family always came first regardless of how I was feeling. This is a time for you to get healthy. My family was so sweet and a little worried not having seen me in this mode. Their support really helped. Get rest,drink your liquids, get your protien in, walk and rest some more. You may need naps because your sleep is off a little..take them w/o guilt. There are rougher days so eliminating the pressures of a busy schedule will help. For me p/o healing involved stopping to smell the roses....doing things at an easy pace....taking walks at the beach. It was the first time in 40 years of working I took off work just to do something for me with no schedule. It was a wonderful time of redefining my life plans.

[southernsoul 773]

I guess I'm a "hope for the best, prepare for the worst" kind of person. I tried to prepare myself and my husband for problems that could crop up afterwards, even as I hoped for a smooth recovery. By the date of my surgery, I had been around this site for about 3 months...long enough to know that everybody's experience is a little different and there is really no one way to define a "normal" sleeve surgery. I had bad diarrhea for the first 6 days, and consequently felt much weaker than I expected to feel. Once that was under control, though, I started feeling better really quickly. Personally, I have never felt buyer's remorse so far (I'm 3 months out), but I know that I might at some point. I didn't go out much in the first 3 weeks, except for short excursions. I felt comfortable at home & didn't want to push myself too much. Good luck tomorrow!

[toco 2]

I too understand what you are feeling, my surgery is tomorrow September 16th and I am feeling all sorts of ways. I have a sense of urgency to make sure everything is in order.... my house, family, etc. My emotions are all over the place. So please pray for me and I will pray for you! Everyone thanks for your posts on this topics they really help.

[Shells_Almost_There 357]

I have surgery tomorrow as well, and I'm running all over the house trying to clean and prepare every last thing. It's actually making me want a nap, but there's too much to do. I've tried to prepare my friend who is helping me for the first 4 days and then mom who will come after that --- I said to ignore me if I whine about buyer's remorse, etc, just bring me some nice broth and a gatorade! I told them if I cry, just say Uh-huh a lot and hand me a tissue. Best wishes to all! We got this!

[new_me_2013 46]

Good luck tomorrow, all of you! I was sleeved on Sept 10th, everyday I wake up a little stronger & I just remember checking in for surgery & bring prepped. It was all so surreal! I had a year of appointments, classes, etc & it was finally happening was so crazy! I had a GREAT anesthesia nurse who had had the surgery too so in addition to her great drugs she provides to calm my nerves, it was nice to know she had been there! My biggest problem in the hospital was peeing after they took my catheter out & my largest incision is still painful. Nothing life shattering its just a nagging pain where they cut the muscles & the stomach was removed. You all will be in my thoughts tomorrow!