I haven't had surgery yet.. but im still educating myself about the whole life changing experience. I watched a youtube video where this one woman said you have to inject yourself 2xs a day for the first 7days after surgery. Is this true? I am not good with needles at all and just want to know if anyone else has to do this

Inject yourself with what? I had to inject myself with Lovanox (sp?) because I take a blood thinner. I always have to do this for any surgery or dental appt. Has nothing to do with the Sleeve surgery. I think there is all sorts of misinformation out there. I have not regretted having this surgery. I have had very little pain & little nausea. All that happened before I left the hospital. I was in there 2 days & left on the 3rd day. I wish you all the best in our Sleeve journey.

I have read that some people need to inject themselves with a blood thinner after surgery? I think I have read some posts on here about that actually...

I just went to a pre op meeting(scheduled July28) and we were given a kit from Lovenox. We were told that for a week post op we will be injecting ourselves daily with it to prevent clots. I've had these injections before after another surgery and they really aren't bad. My surgeon said that all other complications he can fix, but a clot is what people die from and he does everything he can to prevent that. We have to do our part too, walking and using the medication. Seems a small price to pay for a good outcome.

The only people that should be injecting themselves with a blood thinner after surgery would be people already on a blood thinner before surgery. I have been on blood thinners for years because of a heart issue (AFIB). I had a hysterectomy several years ago & ended up with a blood clot in my lung. As a result I'm a bit paranoid about making sure I do an injectable blood thinner a few days before surgery because I have to stop my Coumadin pills. This is the first time I had to give myself shots after a procedure & then it was only for 3 days while my Coumadin was started & had to "catch up". If you are not on a blood thinner I can't imagine why you would need any shots or pills for this. Hope this helps you.

Oops, I'm scheduled for July 28 , not July 2 which makes no sense.

Levonox "Prevents and treats blood clots. Also used to treat certain types of acute heart attacks. This medicine is a blood thinner."

I had to for 30 days once a day to prevent blood clots and I am not on blood thinners....i tried but i just couldnt do it, i did it 2 days, i just walked everyday 1 mile and 2 miles a day...they also sent me home with leg compressions so i put them on all day

Yes.. lovanax I think it was. I never had to take anything to thin my blood so hopefully I wint have to do this be ause I dont think I can inject my self

You will be surprised what you can do when you have to The first time is just fear of the unknown. I have read that it's not really painful at all. You can do it if you have to! Good luck!

I'm not on any blood thinners and not at risk for clots. I didn't have to do any shots before or after surgery. I had them daily in the hospital (with a nurse injecting) but I refused those when I was readmitted for pneumonia because I was up walking around a lot and was tired of being stuck.

It's not always required.

Forming blood clots after surgery is a serious concern. My surgeon said they are doing this more & more for surgeries (not just bariatric). I had to give myself a shot the night before surgery and they have me shots of it while I was recovering. They called it a prophylactic (preventative) treatment. The shots were VERY easy. U do the shots a few inches away from belly button and below. I've not heard of it happening 2weeks prior though. Interestingly they also give insulin injections in post op care. To everyone, u don't have to be diabetic. The shock to the system from surgery triggers stress hormones which trigger insulin spikes. So if your sugar is above a certain amount, they give shots. Keeping sugar low promotes healing. Those shots didn't hurt either. Only needle thing that hurt a bit was blood sugar tests. Never had to do that before. If they do regular checks while your are in, make sure to do it on SIDES of your finger tip. Less nerves there. Plus it seemed to help what the nursing assistant squeeze the finger tight (sort of pinching your finger with their finger and thumb on too and bottom). When they applied that pressure to quick stick didn't hurt. I had a bunch of different Aides and some didn't pinch the finger. They just stuck me and it stung.

I had surgery for a broken leg and even though I was not on blood thinners and my mom indicated to my doc that I might have issues with clotting. NOT! Anyway, he gave me lovenox and it was really no problem. The needle is so tiny you barely know it is going in as the weight of the syringe makes it slide right in. Just remember to push the syringe slowly. The only reason for that is to prevent bruising. There is no pain, but if you don't want little bruise dots on your stomach inject it slowly. I also now have to do insulin twice daily, which I am hoping to eliminate with the sleeve, and as I said earlier, the needles are so tiny that unless you hit a nerve, you will never know you took the shot. At least this has been my experience.

I was put on Lovenox inj for 2 wks after my hip replacement, but not for this surgery. I would assume they would prescribe this for people at higher risk for clotting. I know some hospitals have a protocol and use with most surgeries. So it may just depend on the hospital/MD also.

What is she referring to? Is it a condition you have?

Remember, everyone having the surgery has a back story, a unique medical history and profile, and hopefully, doctors that have been working with them for awhile and are not so encumbered that they can give the patient attention they deserve - such as feedback and instructions to ANY injections at ANY time.

Second this with a talk with a good pharmacist, in addition to anyone else you talk to - and provide them with all of your meds, Vitamins, herbal remedies, and OTC meds.

Good luck!

Edited July 9, 201412 yr by Pookeyism

Lovenox is given to a great majority of patients after any kind of major surgery. A lot of people don't realize they've been given the injections after surgery because it's frequently done in the recovery room when you're not fully awake from anesthesia. Anyway, the needles are extremely tiny - the same size as insulin needles. If you do have to do injections for a few days or a week, that's much easier than remaining overweight, developing diabetes, and possibly doing insulin injections for the rest of your life. =)