What’s Your Worst Post-Op Memory (or Fear)?

[_Kate_ 2,224]

1) Being sick especially just after surgery. Didn't happen until week four, when I wanted to increase my meals and added an extra ounce to my 2oz of salmon and then threw it up. Must.Listen.To.My.Sleeve!! Not been sick since.

2) Constipation (can't stand tea anymore). I have always had a problem with BM's, even as a child. My normal routine is twice a week and it's that now but with having to take Duculax the night before. I am hoping that when I can increase my veg and fruits I will be able to give this up.

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

I had a very easy band surgery and recovery. That said, the worst part was the gas pains in the shoulders post op. I headed off Constipation successfully with prune juice. My first stuck episode scared the heck out of me with all the phlegm and sweating. I would do it all again in a second.

[gowalking 10,790]

Worst post-op memory...post-op pain. But it wasn't that bad and today I can't even recall how much pain there was. That tells me it wasn't so bad.

Worst post-op fear...that this band thing wouldn't work. That I would be getting stuck and throwing up all the time. Fortunately, this was a fear that didn't come to pass. I lost all my excess weight and no stuck issues...but I have to know when to stop. One bite too many and I'm not a happy camper for sure.

[joatsaint 2,814]

My worst fear was pre-op. I was afraid that I'd wake up from surgery only to find out that it was cancelled.

[Nurse_Lenora 903]

I'm not afraid of the surgery, as a Nurse I'm ok with it but crazy as it is my big fear is people guessing I had surgery!

I'm a private person and have only and will only tell my partner so I really don't want others knowing.

As for Constipation ask your Dr if Miralax is an option, it works well and is over the counter.

Or I always give my hospital patients who are post op and constipated from not only surgery but meds like morphine my concoction! It's equal parts prune juice and OJ mixed and warmed.

It never fails to do the trick!

[Paige Dukes 59]

I had a poor experience at the hospital with the day shift nurse the day after surgery. First thing, she didn't do an assessment on me. Another thing, she frequently "forgot" it was time for my scheduled pain and nausea meds. My IV fluids became inconvenient for her so she saline locked my IV. Every time she pushed my meds she didn't do it over the required period of time and it always felt like a a fire cracker going off in the vein (probably a small clot or sheath being dislodged at the end of the cannula). And coming back to not being assessed, my husband had to leave at one point to tend to our pets, so I was left alone for a bit. I had had my catheter removed during surgery, so I was being ambulated to urinate. I called for assistance and no one responded. I couldn't get up on my own. I felt helpless and horrible. finally 45 minutes later the nurse walked in with my (late) pain medication. I told her I had to pee and she looked at me like I was dumb and said "but you have a catheter in". I told her that was news to me. It made me question what she documented in her nurses notes if she assumed I still had a catheter in. I also was not ambulated or given an incentive spirometer or shown how to brace my incisions when I coughed. I was lucky I am a nurse and already knew to do these things. I had an excellent surgeon and surgery team but a crappy hospital to have surgery in. To add insult to injury they keep sending me bills for outrageous amounts (the first one was 75,000 dollars). They said "oh, just ignore the bills, we have to send them but you don't owe anything", but now I have a creditor calling me saying I owe. I will never go to this hospital again.

Everything else has been aces, I just hate that my hospital experience was so bad.

[IncredibleShrinkingMan 437]

Other than the world's worst GERD? The pain medicine administered through the IV. I have never been so nauseated in my life. At least before I could've surrendered and vomited. In the hospital I was just stuck with it.

[hikergirl14 80]

Luckily my surgeon believes in nerve blockers so I had almost no pain post duodenal switch. Unfortunately, when I was given Lovenox (a blood thinner) they found out I have a bleeding disorder so I bled heavily for four days. Three transfusions of blood and two transfusions of plasma did the trick. I currently am still experiencing vomiting but it is due to my stomach's aversion to Protein (meat mainly).

I would not change it for the world.

[OKCPirate 5,323]

I was scared that I would be intolerant of my favorite flavors and would be condemned to the land of the bland forever. However as I experimented adding spices to my Soups I was overjoyed to realize that everything still tasted good and the sleeve didn't care. I have even been able to add pizza back into the mix, albeit very little and chewed 40 times before swallowing.

[catwoman7 11,278]

dying on the operating table. But then I noticed a week or so before I went into surgery that the surgeon's office had scheduled my two-week, three-month, and six-month post-op appointments. So they evidently expected me to survive! After that, I was OK with it...

[jane13 2,256]

going bald...

....hair is thinning quite a bit.

[vhude 41]

Awesome. Walmart is even closer to us! Thanks again!

@@VanessaVSGforme I get mine at Walmart

Just in the tea/coffee aisle?

[sleevingbeauty17 28]

Fear: I am terrified that I will lose so much weight so quickly that all the Water and excersize wont be able to keep up and i will have loose skin all over the place and having my insurance NOT cover the cost of removal due to it not being medically necessary.

Any tips to avoid this happening other than Water and excersize?

[_Kate_ 2,224]

dying on the operating table. But then I noticed a week or so before I went into surgery that the surgeon's office had scheduled my two-week, three-month, and six-month post-op appointments. So they evidently expected me to survive! After that, I was OK with it...

lol... too funny!!

[no onions 258]

Concerning the Constipation complaint, I've had it too. Miralax and Dulcolax never seemed to work very well for me. On a whim, I drank some straight up apple juice and had a bit of a harsh result. Now that I'm some weeks out, eating about 6 slices of apple, daily and with peel, seems to keep me in good shape.

I know some cannot tolerate peels well. so consider a small amount to test and/or talk to your doc/nutritionist.

Edited September 16, 2015 by no onions