I know that pain is temporary, and that in the end this will all be worth it. I have faith in the surgery and in the plan. But, for those who have been through it, on a scale from 1 to 10 how bad does the surgery and recovery hurt? How long until you felt human again? I have never had any form of surgery besides the removal of my wisdom teeth and so this has me feeling a bit anxious. Thanks in advance for your responses!!!

My drain was the old fashioned bag hanging from my abdomen fastened by stitches. Really awkward!

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I read a lot about drains on here so I asked my surgical team about it and they looked at me like I was crazy and said drains were the old way of doing things and that up to date hospitals don't use them anymore.

But so many people on here have had them - they must be more common than that.

They look like a huge PITA so I'm glad I didn't have one.

I suspect (but didn't work in surgery, so am guessing) that they're not the default option, the doc likely puts them in if s/he sees something that indicates there might be a place where Fluid collects that s/he doesn't want. Not necessarily a complication, but maybe something that they think might become a complication so they head it off? My surgeon said that she sees so little blood loss in her surgeries that I don't expect one.

Mine was like the picture above. It only bothered me when I went to the bathroom because it was always in the way. It never hurt me, though.

Okay, if there is one thing I have learned from this surgery is that EVERY patient has a different story, so read all you want, but yours will not be the same. The pain of the surgery does not hurt much. I am 9 days post, and the only pain I feel is a little bit of my large incision tenderness. The gas pain however after surgery was awful for me. I was up and walking as often as I could, but it was pretty bad still. I was nauseous to the point of dry heaving for about 5 days after surgery (not typical). I feel great now, I just tire pretty easily and so am only working half days, so I can nap/rest. It is just getting used to how my new stomach feels and getting all my Fluid in. Best of luck to you in your journey!

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.

Okay, if there is one thing I have learned from this surgery is that EVERY patient has a different story, so read all you want, but yours will not be the same. The pain of the surgery does not hurt much. I am 9 days post, and the only pain I feel is a little bit of my large incision tenderness. The gas pain however after surgery was awful for me. I was up and walking as often as I could, but it was pretty bad still. I was nauseous to the point of dry heaving for about 5 days after surgery (not typical). I feel great now, I just tire pretty easily and so am only working half days, so I can nap/rest. It is just getting used to how my new stomach feels and getting all my Fluid in. Best of luck to you in your journey!

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.

Today was my first full day back and it was perfect. I am finally rested enough to come back full day strong. Tomorrow is a 12 hour day though, so I may have a different story tomorrow night lol

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Okay, if there is one thing I have learned from this surgery is that EVERY patient has a different story, so read all you want, but yours will not be the same. The pain of the surgery does not hurt much. I am 9 days post, and the only pain I feel is a little bit of my large incision tenderness. The gas pain however after surgery was awful for me. I was up and walking as often as I could, but it was pretty bad still. I was nauseous to the point of dry heaving for about 5 days after surgery (not typical). I feel great now, I just tire pretty easily and so am only working half days, so I can nap/rest. It is just getting used to how my new stomach feels and getting all my Fluid in. Best of luck to you in your journey!

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.

Today was my first full day back and it was perfect. I am finally rested enough to come back full day strong. Tomorrow is a 12 hour day though, so I may have a different story tomorrow night lol

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@@ChaCha77 - 12 hours! what do you do? that's a long day….how are you doing with fluids/food etc.?

Okay, if there is one thing I have learned from this surgery is that EVERY patient has a different story, so read all you want, but yours will not be the same. The pain of the surgery does not hurt much. I am 9 days post, and the only pain I feel is a little bit of my large incision tenderness. The gas pain however after surgery was awful for me. I was up and walking as often as I could, but it was pretty bad still. I was nauseous to the point of dry heaving for about 5 days after surgery (not typical). I feel great now, I just tire pretty easily and so am only working half days, so I can nap/rest. It is just getting used to how my new stomach feels and getting all my Fluid in. Best of luck to you in your journey!

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.

Today was my first full day back and it was perfect. I am finally rested enough to come back full day strong. Tomorrow is a 12 hour day though, so I may have a different story tomorrow night lol

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@@ChaCha77 - 12 hours! what do you do? that's a long day….how are you doing with fluids/food etc.?

I work for a non profit, but tomorrow we have to work a normal day, then we have a fundraising event in the evening, so yeah, long day. Today, I had about 45 g of Protein and about 60 ounces of Water. Not quite where it needs to be, but it was my first day on purees and I think it will take a little practice

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Okay, if there is one thing I have learned from this surgery is that EVERY patient has a different story, so read all you want, but yours will not be the same. The pain of the surgery does not hurt much. I am 9 days post, and the only pain I feel is a little bit of my large incision tenderness. The gas pain however after surgery was awful for me. I was up and walking as often as I could, but it was pretty bad still. I was nauseous to the point of dry heaving for about 5 days after surgery (not typical). I feel great now, I just tire pretty easily and so am only working half days, so I can nap/rest. It is just getting used to how my new stomach feels and getting all my Fluid in. Best of luck to you in your journey!

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.

Today was my first full day back and it was perfect. I am finally rested enough to come back full day strong. Tomorrow is a 12 hour day though, so I may have a different story tomorrow night lol

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@@ChaCha77 - 12 hours! what do you do? that's a long day….how are you doing with fluids/food etc.?

I work for a non profit, but tomorrow we have to work a normal day, then we have a fundraising event in the evening, so yeah, long day. Today, I had about 45 g of Protein and about 60 ounces of Water. Not quite where it needs to be, but it was my first day on purees and I think it will take a little practice

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Lucky you! I can barely get in 40 oz of liquid.

Okay, if there is one thing I have learned from this surgery is that EVERY patient has a different story, so read all you want, but yours will not be the same. The pain of the surgery does not hurt much. I am 9 days post, and the only pain I feel is a little bit of my large incision tenderness. The gas pain however after surgery was awful for me. I was up and walking as often as I could, but it was pretty bad still. I was nauseous to the point of dry heaving for about 5 days after surgery (not typical). I feel great now, I just tire pretty easily and so am only working half days, so I can nap/rest. It is just getting used to how my new stomach feels and getting all my Fluid in. Best of luck to you in your journey!

@@ChaCha77 - surprised you are back to work so quickly after surgery! I was planning on 2 weeks off, but perhaps I won't need so long off.

Today was my first full day back and it was perfect. I am finally rested enough to come back full day strong. Tomorrow is a 12 hour day though, so I may have a different story tomorrow night lol

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@@ChaCha77 - 12 hours! what do you do? that's a long day….how are you doing with fluids/food etc.?

I work for a non profit, but tomorrow we have to work a normal day, then we have a fundraising event in the evening, so yeah, long day. Today, I had about 45 g of Protein and about 60 ounces of Water. Not quite where it needs to be, but it was my first day on purees and I think it will take a little practice

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My nerves around this surgery are the afterward. I can't wrap my mind around the difficulties drinking fluids, and eating. Is it supposed to be so hard? I get so lightheaded and ill if I don't get protein even now. So I'm worried about being able to work and be able to think straight if I'm barely able to drink or eat....

My nerves around this surgery are the afterward. I can't wrap my mind around the difficulties drinking fluids, and eating. Is it supposed to be so hard? I get so lightheaded and ill if I don't get Protein even now. So I'm worried about being able to work and be able to think straight if I'm barely able to drink or eat....

I work for a non profit, but tomorrow we have to work a normal day, then we have a fundraising event in the evening, so yeah, long day. Today, I had about 45 g of protein and about 60 ounces of Water. Not quite where it needs to be, but it was my first day on purees and I think it will take a little practice

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It really isn't THAT hard. Don't let yourself overthink this. These are issues you are perfectly aware of, so plan ahead. Get a water bottle you like that holds about 30 oz. Carry it with you at all times. Make sure you go through 2 a day. Pick out protein sources you like and stock up. There are so many options. The hard part is remembering to eat throughout the day. I am on yogurt and chili (pureed) because it is 2 things I love. I will probably eat these 2 things all day til I tire of them and then move on to something else. A Protein shake (30 g), a yogurt (15 g) and chili (15 g) and you've got your protein for the day. Of course that is split up into 6 meals You will do fine!

It really isn't THAT hard. Don't let yourself overthink this. These are issues you are perfectly aware of, so plan ahead. Get a Water bottle you like that holds about 30 oz. Carry it with you at all times. Make sure you go through 2 a day. Pick out Protein sources you like and stock up. There are so many options. The hard part is remembering to eat throughout the day. I am on yogurt and chili (pureed) because it is 2 things I love. I will probably eat these 2 things all day til I tire of them and then move on to something else. A protein shake (30 g), a yogurt (15 g) and chili (15 g) and you've got your protein for the day. Of course that is split up into 6 meals You will do fine!

My nerves around this surgery are the afterward. I can't wrap my mind around the difficulties drinking fluids, and eating. Is it supposed to be so hard? I get so lightheaded and ill if I don't get protein even now. So I'm worried about being able to work and be able to think straight if I'm barely able to drink or eat....

I work for a non profit, but tomorrow we have to work a normal day, then we have a fundraising event in the evening, so yeah, long day. Today, I had about 45 g of protein and about 60 ounces of water. Not quite where it needs to be, but it was my first day on purees and I think it will take a little practice

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Thanks ChaCha77 - that does help! How long are you on purees before you can add regular food? And are there certain things you can and can't eat when you do go on regular food? Is chewing thoroughly a new lifelong habit to gain?

Thanks ChaCha77 - that does help! How long are you on purees before you can add regular food? And are there certain things you can and can't eat when you do go on regular food? Is chewing thoroughly a new lifelong habit to gain?

It really isn't THAT hard. Don't let yourself overthink this. These are issues you are perfectly aware of, so plan ahead. Get a Water bottle you like that holds about 30 oz. Carry it with you at all times. Make sure you go through 2 a day. Pick out Protein sources you like and stock up. There are so many options. The hard part is remembering to eat throughout the day. I am on yogurt and chili (pureed) because it is 2 things I love. I will probably eat these 2 things all day til I tire of them and then move on to something else. A protein shake (30 g), a yogurt (15 g) and chili (15 g) and you've got your protein for the day. Of course that is split up into 6 meals You will do fine!

My nerves around this surgery are the afterward. I can't wrap my mind around the difficulties drinking fluids, and eating. Is it supposed to be so hard? I get so lightheaded and ill if I don't get protein even now. So I'm worried about being able to work and be able to think straight if I'm barely able to drink or eat....

I work for a non profit, but tomorrow we have to work a normal day, then we have a fundraising event in the evening, so yeah, long day. Today, I had about 45 g of protein and about 60 ounces of water. Not quite where it needs to be, but it was my first day on purees and I think it will take a little practice

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My surgeon does 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks pureed, 2 weeks soft, then regular food. Of course they say no alcohol, popcorn, sweets, or carbs like bread, rice, Pasta, and I probably won't have have any of those for a while, mainly because I truly want to focus on protein being that I cannot eat very much.

I had my first appt with the surgeon today and they told me there won't be drains and I won't have to use a catheter, which is GREAT news. I've never had a drain before but last time I had surgery the catheter drove me insane. I bitched and moaned until they took it out early, lol.

I would just ask your dr!

I had my first appt with the surgeon today and they told me there won't be drains and I won't have to use a catheter, which is GREAT news. I've never had a drain before but last time I had surgery the catheter drove me insane. I bitched and moaned until they took it out early, lol.

I would just ask your dr!

I wasn't catheterised either. Getting up straight away is important for recovery. Nothing is more encouraging for getting you out of bed than a full bladder!

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My surgery is 8/24. So pumped. My concern is that drain tube that I will have for a week. How gross is that? That is the only part I am not looking forward to. Have not concerns about pain, gas etc all that can be handled. Any advice on that?

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