Anything I should know?

[Janiegirl1 11]

Hey ya'll,

So I feel very unprepared for this surgery. I posted before that I can't even get a surgery date, but I also haven't really talked to anyone to prepare me for post op. Can anyone give me insights on what I can expect?

Are you in tons of pain?

Are you eating the same foods as the 2 weeks before?

Anything else I should know?

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[KindaFamiliar 3,867]

@@Janiegirl1

I was in no pain...

None..

The nurse had to remind me to press my pain button...

Apparently that was a pre-emptive measure...

I was on liquids only for 4 weeks before the op...

I was on liquids for a few days after, then went thru the progression from liquids thru to solids...

There are SO MANY things you could want to know before you go in...

But the important things (in my opinion) are -

Follow the advice/orders of your medical team...

Protein, Water, Protein, water...

Walk as much as you can and as soon after the op as you're able...

Many others will also give you advice...

The reality is, it's ALL GOOD because it's what has worked for them...

Take in what you need..

But don't ignore what you feel you don't need...

It may come in handy at a later date...

Good luck to you...

And make sure you come in here if you've any more questions!!!

[Bufflehead 6,358]

Answers are going to be all over the place, here are mine:

Are you in tons of pain?
I wasn't. The nurse asked me to rate my pain 1-10 when I woke up post-op and I said 4. That was almost entirely gas pain. Pain gradually got better over the next few weeks.

Are you eating the same foods as the 2 weeks before?
I was on solid foods before the surgery, my surgeon doesn't do a liquid diet pre-op. I was on full liquids for four weeks after my surgery, then puree for another four weeks after that.

Anything else I should know?

Tons -- go read the post-op forum every day between now and your surgery. You'll be an old pro by the time your date rolls around. One caveat -- keep in mind that people are a lot more likely to post when they are having problems and issues than when they are not and everything is going smoothly. So don't take all the questions about "I'm having problem x" or "what does issue y mean?" to mean that everyone has all sorts of problems and issues after surgery. Most people have a smooth recovery and progression, they just don't run to post that sort of thing online!

Post-op forum:

http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/384-post-operation-gastric-sleeve-surgery-questions-answers/

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I wasn't in a lot of *pain*, but certainly discomfort. The worst of the pain for me was gas pain and that lasted about 4 days. I didn't have any pain around my incisions, but some people do. I also had discomfort in the center of my chest (esophagus constricting) every time I took a sip of anything. Even the teeniest tiniest sip. That lasted about two weeks.

You will be given guidelines about food. Typically people start off on Clear Liquids (broth, Jello, popsicles) for the first couple days, then "full liquids" (Protein shakes, strained cream Soups, drinkable yogurt, milk) for a bit, then purees (blended foods, refried Beans, cottage cheese), then soft foods (tuna salad, scrambled eggs, soft cheeses), then solid foods (pretty much anything so long as it's not crispy or crunchy), and then finally crispy/crunchy foods. The length of the phases and what is included in them will be completely dependent upon your surgeon's program. Every post-op plan is different.

It's very important to follow YOUR surgeon's plan. You will read/see/hear people with very different plans from yours, but only your surgeon will be working with YOU directly. Immediately post-op your primary objectives will be getting your Water in to avoid dehydration. Getting your Protein in to aid in healing and give you some energy. Taking your meds and Vitamins. And getting up and walking a little every hour or two to avoid blood clots and to help with the gas pain.

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

No pain. Just felt like I was punched in the stomach, so very tolerable. The only true pain I felt was when they removed the drain, and that was a whopper! My whole abdomen cramped up something fierce but it only lasted for a few seconds.

Absolutely no gas pains at all. I was so freaking worried about it as so many people seemed to imply it was a standard.

[Janiegirl1 11]

Does everyone have a drain????

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[JamieLogical 8,727]

Does everyone have a drain????

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Nope. Some surgeons use them and some don't.

[Jaez 10]

Never had a drain either. I was going to write something but the two people above stated everything. The worst pain is gas pains and trying to swallow. I'm almost a week post op and it still hurts to swallow. Then again he did a large hiatal hernia repair in addition to the sleeve so that may be why my esophagus is still sore.

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[Samara1974 116]

Not much pain for me I felt sore like I worked out too hard. Everyone's pain threshold is different though as some folks swear it's the worst pain they ever felt.

Two week pre-op diet all liquid diet, I could eat solids (chicken, fish) if I absolutely had to

Post-op diet 1 week Clear Liquids, 1 week full liquids, 1 week mushy food, 1 week semi-solid, then "real" food 60-80gm of Protein, 50gm of carbs or less, 600-800 calories a day.

I had a drain it is purely the surgeons choice, it doesn't hurt just feels weird when they pull it. That incision has actually healed the best out of all of them.

Things you need to know

* Follow your pre-op diet to the letter, my surgery was delayed by two hours because the surgery in front of me had complications due to them not following the instructions.

* Walk as soon as you can after surgery

* Use gas-x strips to help with gas pain.

* During the process it could be before or after you might have the major regret breakdown (mine was before.) This is a major decision and it's stressful, I warned my husband before that it might happen so he was prepared to talk me down when it happened.

*You aren't going to feel "normal" for a couple of weeks after surgery, I cried because I was tired of getting shots & taking pills after surgery (week one/two.)

*Everything gets better once you are on normal food, just keep telling yourself it is only one more week until you get to the next food stage. You can do anything for one week!

*You may be a "lucky" one who can drink normally just because you can doesn't mean you should measure your drinks and liquid food to make sure you don't over do it.

Edited May 4, 2016 by Samara1974

[Samara1974 116]

Oh and you might gain weight right after surgery I gained 5lbs due to being on an IV for 3 days. It goes away quickly thank goodness, that was majorly disappointing.

[Lenoralogan@yhoo.com 13]

Yea I know, I'm hoping to get a date soon I can't wait

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