Pain lots or little?

[sabrina2013 20]

My surgery is coming up in 2 weeks. I know I will have pain but is it unbearable?? I've had friends that have had it done one was in bed for bout 3 or 4 days the other well it's been over a week. I know everyone is different just wondering about how long the pain stays. Also since surgery is getting close I've found myself researching nonstop to make sure I didn't miss anything. I mean I know this is what I want and need for my health. But I've seemed to become obsessed with it. I'm so afraid I'm gonna mess up after am I over thinking everything??????

[Susie in Lima 320]

The pain was not bad for me. The worst was the gas that gets trapped and caused pain in my back. I had my gall bladder taken out a few years ago and it wasnt a bad surgery with minimal pain and the VSG was alot easier. Just plan to walk a lot to help get the gas to pass through. It really will help! Also if you have some GasX strips they help alot as well. You will do fine. Of course there is some pain but really, for as drastic as this surgery is, it isnt bad at all! You can do it!

[SerendipityHappens 1,594]

I had no pain.. just some discomfort. While in the hospital I did have some stomach spasms that stopped me in my tracks while walking.. but they were more shocking than anything... and they quickly passed. Now my gallbladder surgery I had several years ago was PAINFUL... I was in bed for over a week and I was absolutely miserable. For me VSG was a cakewalk compared to my gallbladder surgery.

[Bufflehead 6,358]

It's different for everyone, so hard to predict. I had minimal pain. I had some gas pain that first day but cleared it out by the next morning, just walking a lot.

I had some pain at one incision site. That was pretty intense the first couple of days, but the pain killers took care of it. After that it was only painful when I did something like standing up or turning to the side, and if I remembered to use my arm to brace my tummy, it wasn't bad at all.

I wasn't in bed during the daytime at all after surgery, except for when I really needed to nap. If I was awake, I was sitting up in a chair or walking, starting immediately after getting out of the recovery room. I was off my painkillers, except at night, after two days. I kept taking the painkillers at night for about five days, just because my drain site pain made it hard to sleep -- every time I would move in bed, it would bother me. But taking the liquid lortab made it fine.

Honestly I was more just weak and needing to get my strength back after surgery than I was in pain. I didn't think it was bad at all.

[1SuperBonBon 221]

^{I have my surgery on October 22nd and I have been trying to figure out where the pain rates. I have had the following surgery:}

^{C-section (this was a killer for me)}

^{Gall Bladder (cake walk)}

^{Appendix (Omg! I thought I was going to die)}

^{Tummy Tuck (not too bad. It felt like I wokred out really really hard)}

^{Breat Augmentation/Lift (Augmentation wowzer. that under the muscle thing FN hurts. Lift was nothing)}

^{Liposuction (pretty painful)}

^{I can't wait until I have my sleeve and report back where this surgery rates}

^Bonnie

[vsginkc 117]

I do think you are overthinking it. I know because I did it too!! I was obsessed with reading this forum and trying to figure out what it was going to be like. At the end of the day, I realized that it just like anything else in life. Some people are going to tell you it was horrible. Others will tell you it's no big deal. We all have our own perceptions. For me, it was pretty easy and I look back at what I had done and think, "Man, that's incredible! It was so simple." "Real" pain was an issue ONLY the night of the surgery and at that point I had the most excellent morphine drip. After that first night, I felt fine, albeit sore -- like I'd done lots and lots of sit ups. My main complaint was the fatigue. I did A LOT of sleeping. And I still do. Although I went back to work full time on week 2, I still go to bed when I get home from the office and on weekends, I can easily sleep 12-14 hours. Bottom line: Don't sweat it. Remind yourself why you made the decision. Reassure yourself by reading all our positive stories and then shut your eyes and go for it! Good luck!!

[J.Diesel 220]

The pain is different for everyone. Plus The morphine pump the first day really helps. Walking truly helps!! Good luck

[indecision 863]

The worst for me was coming out of surgery and the gas pains. Other than that I don't think it was that bad considering what was done to my body.

[sabrina2013 20]

Thank you for all your input. I know I will have pain, really think I'm over thinking and getting a little nervous as well.

[DeniseM 238]

After VSG I had one incision that was like a knife in my side for two weeks, and I needed narcotics for a full two weeks. If not for that incision, I would have been on Tylenol only after the first few days. After I had my gallbladder out two months later, I was off the narcotics and using only Tylenol in four days. It is really hard to know how you are going to feel since we all have different pain tolerance. But, they do give you plenty of pain meds so as long as you do not let your pain get out of control by waiting too long to take your meds, it should not be that bad. For the first few days, take your pain meds round the clock, and set your alarm. For instance, after my GB surgery I was taking Percocet every six hours, so I used an alarm clock to remind me to take the pills so my pain was never more than a 3 or 4 out of 10. I learned this the hard way with my sleeve because I did not do that and the first week, there were two times when I did not take my meds on schedule, both times during the night, and I woke up with pain at like 9 out of 10.

[Peggy 53 69]

I had surgery 3 weeks ago. I was in the hospital one day and went back to work, a desk job, one week later. Transitioning from sitting to standing and vice versa was rough and getting out of bed, but other than that the pain/ discomfort was very manageable. Tylenol was adequate 3 days later,. This was my 4th abdominal surgery. One was open and the other 2 laparoscopic. This was a piece of cake comparatively.

[Mrs.RRn 2,110]

I hear about people having so much pain, and it's quite shocking to me. My pain was VERY minimal. In fact, I left the hospital the same day and took no pain medication whatsoever. Now, the nausea was pretty bad on the other hand.

The only abdominal surgery I can compare it to was my gallbladder- which was similar except I actually took pain meds for the gallbladder surgery. I didn't have gas pains for the VSG but did for the gallbladder surgery.

Good luck!!

[jatherley 126]

Everyone's tolorance to pain is different. I had a great deal of pain for over 2 weeks. Even with that I was not "in bed". I was still up walking around and picking the kids up from school. I was just I LOT slower in doing it. I also had to hold my gut when ever I moved. But I know from experience that I have a very low tolorance to pain.

[laffypatty 47]

My doctor sends his patients home with a "pain ball" attached to the stomach via a small IV. The ball contains pain medicine that's time-released and goes directly to the stomach. Since it's localized, it doesn't mess with your head. I also had an Rx for Lortab. My pain ball went dry by day 4 post op and I have a nearly full bottle of Lortab; i haven't taken pain meds in three days. As other posters have said, the worse pain was gas pain from having our tummies blown up during surgery. I highly recommend getting a surgeon who uses the pain ball. The recovery is dramatically easier for those of us with it. I'm day six post-op and still no pain. None whatsoever. I've told everyone that this is far easier than childbirth.

[peachie86 63]

Unfortunately, I fell into the category that I am experiencing extreme pain.. Thankfully the gas is less severe...but the incision sites and my insides throb, burn and very painful moving. I move around very slowly and take my prescribed meds around the clock. I am glad many others are not experiencing extreme pain. I had my surgery on 9/16 and. I know with time I will heal and the pain will cease. I have no regrets. I was aware that it could be very painful.