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Help! Surgery is today, I'm suffering from terrible shortness of breath

So this has been happening on and off since I started the liquid diet, whereas I'm struggling to take a deep satisfying breath. I've brushed it of as nothing and as a possible minor side effect of not eating.

But now it came back in a terrible fashion, I've been up almost the whole night tossing and turning struggling to get a good deep breath.

As I've said my surgery is today 12:00 PM, and I really don't know what to do. Should I tell my surgeon about it? I'm afraid he'll push off the surgery, and my whole two weeks of liquid misery will have been in vain. Should I not tell him? Who knows what might happen during surgery!

Please help me, I'm lost!

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Thanks for the kind words guys! I'm literally teary eyed that there are so many people out there that don't know me at all, yet are so concerned and caring about me! What a great world we live in! Anyway, the pain isn't as bad as it was before, but it's still pretty bad, and I'm having great difficulty walking around or even turning in bed. The hospital I'm in wanted to send me home merely three hours after surgery, but I insisted that I won't go home in such a condition, so I'm spending the night in the hospital, and we'll see what happens tomorrow. Thanks again people, I feel like part of the family now!

Congrats !! Happy you insisted on staying. When I had the band they sent me home with heavy duty pain meds. Make sure you get something. The pain is from the gas. Walking and a heating pad help. Some people take GasX. I never did so ask. Feel better. Remember follow your doctors rules not someone else's.

Arlene.

Hope your feeling better and ready to go home and start your journey. This will be a new day for you and feel better in the end.

Good for you! Way to stand up for yourself! Hope today is better! You are family! I was also amazed at the caring supportive people on this site. We are here for you!

Ice pack on your incisions helps too..if you are having gas causing pain in your left shoulder use a heat pad. That helped me a lot.

Hope you are OK??????

  • Author

Hope you are OK??????

Thanks for your interest and concern.

I'm OK for the most part, I went home this morning. Just going through the usual 2-3 days of incision pain, gas pain etc.

I found that laying on a recliner instead of laying in bed helps tremendously with the pain. As well as a heating pad helps a lot, like many have mentioned here, plus the pain killers my doc prescribed me.

All in all I guess I'm going relatively well being only one day removed from surgery.

Edited by Bruce120

Hey there, glad to hear you're doing better. I never had the horrible pains that you have, my 1st 2 days I was a little sore and tired, thats all . The 3rd day, with a hot shower and hot tea I felt much, much better ! From there on out it just got better and better. Hope all goes well for you ! Good luck !

Great to know your doing better! Those first days can be rough.Take care of yourself and rest.

Hi there, I'm glad you're feeling better and enjoying that recliner. Very happy you were able to spend the night in the hospital -- we really do have to advocate for ourselves sometimes. The walking can't be emphasized enough. I think it really helped kick my body into healing mode. I found I needed to get up to pee a lot and since I was up anyway that's when I did laps around the driving circle or even just up and down the hall. This will help everything go back into place and with the releasing of any trapped gas. I really enjoyed my Popsicles during this time, and I'm a tea drinker so I had a lot of warm tea. As others have said, each day is better. If you are taking narcotic pain medication be sure that any constipation issues are addressed. And know that a few months out you won't even really be able to recall this discomfort. Sending best wishes your way!

Sure glad to see you are doing better. And, talking to the anesthesiologist about the shortness of breath was extremely wise. He is more important than the surgeon when you are under.

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