Post surgery pain level?

[Craig Wildi 68]

Hello, this is my first post. I am still about two months away from surgery, and have a question best answered by people who have had the surgery. What is the pain level post surgery VSG? More specifically, internally, what is the feeling just after surgery? Does the stomach hurt, and if so, to what degree? I expect that the incisions where the surgeon enters laproscopically will be a bit uncomfortable, but I have been wondering about internally.

Thanks in advance. Craig

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

I'd put mine at about a 1. It felt like I had done 1,000 sit ups the day before and my abs were sore. I was a little achy , but otherwise I felt fine.

[lahhleslie 30]

When I got out of surgery 3/10. Hard for me to get OOB to stand. You really use your core for that! Lol. That hurt the worst. My one incision on the right side still hurts and is uncomfortable but I'm able to deal with it. Took 3 hits of morphone post up (made me sick) never used again. And maybe 3 Vicodin total when I got home, just at night. (Hurts sleeping on your sides.) and so far no pain meds in 48 hours! The nausea and vomitting was much worst then the pain post op for me. I wasn't expecting that.

Edited November 25, 2015 by lahhleslie

[jane13 2,256]

@@Craig Wildi - I think the worst for me was actually getting up and lying back into the bed the first couple of days. I didn't have any nausea/vomiting post-op. I did find that if I sat on the bed and laid to my side first then rolled to my back it was easier getting in/out of bed. I quit the RXs a day or so after being home and only used maybe two nights worth to make sure I could sleep. I went OTC during the day. I really haven't noticed any "pain" and I am almost 7 months post-op.

My bellybutton did itch like crazy and then I realized 80% of my stomach left thru my BB. I had no idea...

Good luck!

[rking 484]

I have had two csection a and I can kind of compare to that. Not pain wise, but the uncomfortableness of getting up and down. I guess it was a little painful, maybe a 3, but it is totally do-able. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of pain, or should I say non pain. I was on a morphine pump too. I kept that sucker going so I could stay ahead of the pain.... A trick I have learned from knee surgeries. I stopped morphine on my own. The pain I had was completely tolerable.

[Babbs 14,680]

When I woke up immediately from surgery, I'd say the pain was a 6 or 7, just on the right side where I think they pulled the remaining stomach out. Once I got drugs and was all settled in, it never got past a 2 or 3. Just getting up and down was the only time I was ever uncomfortable after that. At home it was never more than a 1.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I really didn't have any pain, but I was sore for a day or two. I didn't need pain meds past the first few hours past surgery and within 24 hours I was off meds all together. My incisions didn't feel great, but that was expected. I was home the next day and driving 36 hours later.

It all depends on how pain tolerant you are.

[karen091866 120]

I'm 6 days post-op today, & my only source of discomfort has been the laproscopic site where the excised stomach was pulled out after my sleeve was created. I have 6 small incisions & immediately wondered why only 1 was painful & I hardly felt the others at all.

My surgeon confirmed that the tender one was, indeed, the one where the "old stomach" was pulled out, likely tearing some muscle fibers a bit along the way.

My abdomen was only aggravated when getting up out of bed...when those accessory muscles were needed.

My suggestion--use a pillow to "splint your abdomen" (tightly "hug" the pillow, for extra support) ...This will sure help you minimize this discomfort. -- Post-operatively, I had a PCA pump with Hydromorphone, but barely needed it. I was taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen only barely 24 hours post-op.

Best of luck to you with your surgery!

[Kindle 8,667]

No pain, abs just felt fatigued. Never needed any pain meds.

[Susan Lewis 25]

These have all bin good. My op in two weeks and was too afraid t ask about the pain to be honest. Is it the belly button they remove stomach from. Bit worried as had Tummy Tuck where they re positioned it

[BLERDgirl 6,417]

@@Susan Lewis - As long as the surgeon is aware of this, they can work around that.

[Craig Wildi 68]

Thanks so much for all the replies! It was really the only question that I had about the surgical procedure itself, that I didn't have answers for. Happy holidays everyone, and sometime in January, I should be having my procedure, and on the way to a healthier me.