What to expect day 1 post-op

[tobhappy&healthy 50]

Hi.. I'm so excited to be scheduled for my sleeve on 6/28. I'm just looking to get some info on what to expect day 1 & 2 post-op. I realize everyone's story will vary based on the individual but I'm reading & gathering as much insight as possible. Thanks!

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[kmorri 1,689]

depends on your surgeon but mine would not allow anything by mouth until they did the leak test the next day.....so that night in the hospital until they did the leak test the next morning was tough! I don't think my mouth has ever been so dry!!! If your doctor does the the same, mouth wash helps....the hospital staff kept bringing me these little bottles ....lol I think I went through 4 bottles.....also brushing your teeth will help too.

once I passed the leak test they brought me a tray of liquids.....I sipped on everything and it all seemed to go down fine and then they released me to go home...........

Home was another story! It was like as soon as I got home EVERYTHING tasted terrible!....I couldn't take my pain meds, because it tasted too bad, gas x strips tasted terrible, my nausea medication were these little pills you had to let dissolve in your mouth....well those made me want to throw-up..I had to resort to using a suppository! .LOL.....even tooth paste was awful!.....it was very bad I couldn't drink near enough Fluid and no Protein at all............this lasted until day 5.....On day 6 it was like a miracle! I woke up and everything was back to normal. During this time I was in close communication with my nurse coordinator and she had me focus only on Fluid for those days.....she told me to just sip as much as I could and to keep an eye on the color of my urine and to not let it get dark.....that was easier than trying to get in a certain number of ounces...

But like I said day 6 everything was back to tasting normal and I was able to drink 64 ounces of fluid and close to all my protein....took me a couple of days to build that up.

I didn't really start feeling good and more like myself until I was able to eat real food....pureed Soups, and yogurt....tuna salad........Real food makes all the difference in the world!!!

Good luck with your surgery! Feel free to ask me any questions!

[VEGAN ME 117]

I have surgery on Monday and I am so excited!!! I have a couple of questions. I have not ever had surgery, well except for tonsils and I feel weird like being all naked lol am I going to be wearing undies? I know this might sound funny but I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it. and I was wondering when we can eat thicker liquid can we puree raw veggies do you know or should we cook them. I am worried they wont give me enough pain medication, do you feel that you were taken care of that way.?

thanks

Deb

[kmorri 1,689]

One of the first things they do when you get to the hospital is you have to change into a hospital gown.....you can't have anything on under it. :-)

As far as pain control while it the hospital it was wonderful!!.....I had a little button I could push and it would automatically give me really good pain medication....I could push it every 8 mins....well I could push it all I wanted to but it would only give me some every 8 minutes. They will want you to get up and walk just a few hours after surgery....You probably won't want to....but do it anyway! It will help you heal faster.....walk as much as you can!

Your surgeon or bariatric team should have given you a food plan that tells you how and when to progress through each of the food stages....if they didn't then make sure to ask for it.

Raw veggies are usually one of the last things you'll eat.....here's what my plan was

Nothing the day of surgery

Clear Liquids the day after surgery

Full liquids day 3 through day 10 (full liquids included creamed Soups, and yogurt, and cream of wheat, sugar free pudding)

pureed cooked foods starting on day 10............and progress to soft foods as tolerated.

[kmorri 1,689]

@....by the way! Good luck with surgery on Monday. You'll do great!

[VEGAN ME 117]

thank you!!!! I am so excited. so did you lose all 40 lbs since surgery or some of it on a pre diet?

[Shaydi.Laine 237]

Day 1 Surgery Day

Woke up feeling sore but fine overall. Had very dry mouth and the swabs were quite helpful. Slept most of the day (hadn't slept the night before). Pain pump came in handy. Had my first "meal" late afternoon consisting of 1oz of Water to be consumed over a 1 hour period. 1 oz?! Made me laugh but I did as I was told. Later that evening I was given a clear liquid tray for dinner. 4 oz broth and a sugar free Jello to be consumed in whichever order I wanted, with a one hour wait period in between. The broth was too salty. The Jello was some awesome berry flavor I've never seen in stores. I finished both. Played with the call nurse button, walked around the hospital floor periodically doing the macarena, watched My 600 lb Life. Slept. The only weird thing of note was that i never felt like i had to pee but I frequently asked for help to the bathroom anyway and peed plenty each time. Yay for IV fluids.

Day 2

Was hoping to go home but my blood count was oddly low so they kept me around for a second night. Had my first shake, 8 oz Carnation Instant Breakfast. chocolate. I was told to consume the whole thing over a one hour period. That wasn't a problem. Began getting bored. Played on my tablet, watched more TV, texted people on my phone, slept more. That night they turned off the pain pump and switched me to oral meds. Back to sleep!

Day 3

Woke up to the joyous news that my blood count was back to normal and I could go home that day. Notified my ride to come get me that afternoon. They gave me another shake which again I had to drink over a 1 hour period. Again, no problem. Got dressed (i wore pajama bottoms and a sweat shirt to the hospital and back) and physical therapy came in with a bag of neat post-surgery goodies like a sock taker-offer and a sock putter-onner.. a really long shoe horn.. a reacher (which I still use for grabbing stuff off high shelves - genius!) .. a cute pillow with diagrams of sleeve, bypass, and lapband on it.. a pill cutter.. and the breathy thinger they make you use while you're there and want you to keep using when you go home. Nurse wheeled me out, I got in the getaway car, and home I went!! (after a stop at Rite Aid to fill my script).

Day 4

Weighed myself to find that I had GAINED 10 pounds in the hospital!! Nearly fainted. I mean I knew I would gain a little from the IV fluids but never expected 10 whole pounds!! Geez I had some serious peeing to do!!! Spent most of the day on the sofa watching movies. Popped pain pills. Got up to pee a lot. Drank a couple of shakes and as much water/crystal light as I could, plus my Vitamins and Calcium, and sf popsicles and jello.

Day 5

I was bored of lying around. Made my aunt take me to the mall. Spent the afternoon trying on clothes and buying stuff that was way too small for me (Most of it fits now!)

As you can probably tell, my recovery was pretty easy. I was able to wean off the pain meds fairly quickly. The lack of solid food got old fast however and I was hungry. Fully aware that I had just had major surgery I needed to heal from, I didn't cheat like so many seem to do around here (nutheads), but rather went completely by the book. By the end of the first week at home, I had dropped the 10lbs of bonus Water weight plus another 10lbs. I was off and running. And couldn't wait for the end of week 2 so I could dive head first into a 4oz dish of cottage cheese. Best cottage cheese ever!

Good Luck!!

ps. I was absolutely terrified going into this surgery. Turned out I was terrified clearly for no reason. It really was a breeze. Don't sweat it!

Edited June 5, 2016 by Shaydi.Laine

[kmorri 1,689]

thank you!!!! I am so excited. so did you lose all 40 lbs since surgery or some of it on a pre diet?

No the 40lbs is from my heaviest weight when I first started my journey in late March. I lost quite a bit on the pre-op diet.....I've lost 15 lbs since surgery on 5/16....it'll be 3 weeks on Monday.

[KristenLe 5,980]

@@Shaydi.Laine great post!

Edited June 5, 2016 by KristenLe

[VEGAN ME 117]

thank you so much for sharing!!!

[Cjanerun 4]

I hate to be the Debbie Downer here but...I had my surgery on 6/1-Wednesday. Today, Sunday, is the 1st day I didn't feel regret about getting the surgery. I'm guessing I'm a big baby when it comes to pain. I also don't like not being able to do yard work and normal, every day things.

As you stated, everyone is different, but the gas pains were and still are very difficult. My left shoulder hurt so badly that they did an EKG on me in the hospital. All good though.

I'm having a very easy time getting my Protein shakes and Water down.

Every day is a little bit better. Good luck to you!

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[KristenLe 5,980]

@@Cjanerun Were you not prepared for the recovery time and not being able to do yard work, etc? That's a given with all major surgeries - especially abdominal.

[Cjanerun 4]

KristenLe- I'd never had surgery before. Also, I'd been so active for many weeks prior to the surgery, I think that I just got used to not stopping until it was bedtime. I'm actually starting a new job tomorrow and am hoping that I didn't jump the gun on it. I'm sure I will be exhausted but I really had no choice.

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[KristenLe 5,980]

@@Cjanerun Yikes - hopefully all goes well. Good luck.