Hello, everyone. I am just two days post-op.My surgery ended up being mid-afternoon on Monday, January 27th and right now it's early Wednesday, January 29th. Everything seems to have gone really well so far although I am, of course, pretty darn sore. The only real problem I am having is that sitting up from a lying down position is very, very uncomfortable. That's normal, right? I know that some people press a pillow against their abdomen when they move like that and they say it hurts a lot less. I haven't found that to make any difference at all. Any recommendations on what has worked for you (beyond never, ever, ever lying down again? )

I am looking forward to moving ahead with exercise and all of that. My horse misses me! :-) It's going to be very hard to not lift more than 20 pounds for a whole month though.

You'll be better soon!

I remember that getting out of bed was a demanding task. I had pushed my bed near the door and grapped the handle to be able to sit up.I was luck they were of good quality..

Congrats, and welcome to the other side :-) The pain is normal, and will subside in the passing days. If you have a recliner, try sleeping in it until the pain subsides.

Congrats on what is sure to be a WILD RIDE...one that is SOOOO worth it.

It is tough in the beginning but every day gets a little bit better and you will feel better and back to your old self before you know it.

Feel better and keep us posted on how you are doing!

Thank you for such great support. I really appreciate it! The pain med pump came out last night which was nice. I was feeling a bit like a St Bernard ready to head out into the snow (okay, I live in Florida but still...) to take brandy to those fallen in an avalanche. My only significant remaining problem seems to be a fast heart rate. It is consistently at about 100. My surgeon is aware and is checking in with me but since I have no chest or leg pain, they are not overly concerned, however, I am a tad freaked out about it as this i well above my norm. They recommended that I drink at least 60 ounces of Water per day which I am now doing (was probably doing more like 48 ounces per day before). I am also taking extra care to use the spirometer regularly (deep breaths are still quite uncomfortable). Neither of these changes have made a difference. Anyone experience anything similar?

Honest - is it possible that the faster heart rate is from anxiety? Just a thought.... Sometimes anxiety isn't obvious, and manifests in different ways. My heart rate increases, but also (this one freaks me out), I can hear my heart beating in the middle of the night. It's a thumping, and many times I get up to see where the sound is coming from. It's me! That one really freaks me out, but my doctor said that it's not abnormal.

I'm glad your doc is keeping a close eye on it.... Hopefully everything will normalize sooner than later :-)

Thank you, mrsto! Who the heck knows. It could possibly be anxiety. And then maybe I compound the problem every time I see that it's still high. Right now I have been told that if it goes into the 120 range and stays there, I need to go to the ER. So far, so good.The highest it's been is 104.

I see your numbers. What great progress you have made. Congratulations!!

Thank you, mrsto! Who the heck knows. It could possibly be anxiety. And then maybe I compound the problem every time I see that it's still high. Right now I have been told that if it goes into the 120 range and stays there, I need to go to the ER. So far, so good.The highest it's been is 104.

I see your numbers. What great progress you have made. Congratulations!!

Thank you so much! I feel absolutely great

The faster heart rate might be a consequence of the gas they introduce into our abdomen during surgery..

Has it ever happened to you that your heart has more beats when you have eaten too much and your stomach is too full?

Hi there, hope you're feeling better now and everything is calming down. Congratulations on your surgery and this big choice for a healthy future! To me what you're experiencing is very normal as far as initial soreness. The other issues may have to do with your body shrugging off the anesthesia. Good luck and happy weekend! You won't remember all this a few weeks from now. Try to find some one to take your measurements and a photo or two so you have those later. Welcome to the party!

Thank you for your reply, Bandista. I am very glad to have joined the club! And look at all you've already achieved! Go you!

Congrats on "crossing over" to the banded side

Wishing you the speediest of recoveries....and much success with your new friend!