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Did anyone NOT have a miserable recovery?



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TL; DR but my own experince was that it hasn't been bad at all. I understand I've been dang lucky....no issues with getting in my liquids & I'm drinking more than required at 3 weeks out (admittedly, I've always drank a lot!) The pain has been minimal. .mostly I'm sore but it's NOTHING like my hysterectomy was. I'm already starting on more solid foods and I seem to be tolerating anything as long as I eat small amounts and go slowly.

I have anxiety too...and after surgery it's manifested as being nervous that this too won't work. I'm working on that mentally but it's just part of it for me. :)

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It sucked! After 11 days I went back to work at my desk job. I was sleepy, in pain and mad. It did pass after a few weeks. My doc gave me more pain pills which helped a lot. I do not like taking any type of pill. I would do it again. It was not miserable but at 44 it was not easy.

Edited by LadyK44

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@@GinaCampbell

You're taking my statement personally. I'm not directing it towards you. Go pick a fight with someone else.

However, allow me to summarize my initial post:

-No complications, easy recovery (to answer your question, that is my "experience in the matter")

-Therefore, from my perspective (i.e. "experience in the matter") the horrible recoveries that are discussed over and over and over on this board were over-hyped. As another poster mentioned, people with easy recoveries do not post since there is no story to tell.

I've read your story in another post. It sounds horrible. I'm sorry for the pain that you've gone through. But my experience was different from yours, thus my perspective is also different from yours. My experience, my perspective, and my post do not diminish or take away from your experience or your perspective.

So once again, stop taking my statement personally. Pick a fight with someone else.

Best.

You sure like the debate!!!

My surgery was two days ago on 8/8. I just got home yesterday. I'm feeling pretty lousy but nothing traumatic. Just really sore and it's hard to get in and out of bed. I'm tired and my stomach hurts when I swallow anything so hard to get in my Protein and liquids. However, it's only been two days so not expecting much more. I hadn't been nauseous at all and definitely haven't thrown up. I think this pain will be easily forgotten in the coming months.

I'm a month out and I had a smooth recovery. Everyone is different so you can't compare apples to oranges you know? It depends on your health going in & also your level of pain tolerance.

I was sluggish after surgery due to the drugs. That evening however I was up & walking. The nurse encouraged me to walk about 50-100 ft & to rest when needed. I walked the entire of one side of the hallway. By the next day I covered both sides three times (in two different sessions).

W/ the medication, the pain was bearable. The best I can explain it... It felt like I completed 500-1000 crunches. After about 4 days of being home, I didn't need the pain meds at all.

No complications so far.

Good luck!

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I'm only 3 weeks out and I feel great! I know everyone's experience is so different and you never know where you will fall on that scale. I had read both extreme's before surgery and because I'm in my mid 50's I was worried I would not bounce back as quick as some of the younger ones. But I have been blessed. The worst pain was the headaches in the hospital that first night after surgery. I assume it was from the anesthesia or caffeine withdrawal, or both! I never even took any of the morphine they offered because I was afraid it would make me nauseous and I had not had any nausea. I still haven't. Not once. I am just starting soft foods and I've not had any trouble tolerating any thing I've tried. I've eaten Beans and shrimp and stewed tomatoes. I've always drank a ton of tea and coffee and I continue to do so. I drink 24 oz of coffee in the morning then switch to earl grey tea for the rest of the day. Most days I will have another 12 oz cup of coffee after dinner also. No it's not Decaf. No it doesn't keep me up at night and no it doesn't bother my stomach. I take no PPI. Like I said, I've been truly blessed. I had a lapband put in 2.5 years ago and went from 233 to 183, then slowly started gaining it back as the band was either too loose or too tight. My doctor recommended revision to sleeve which he did all in one surgery. This is usually a little more in depth and so he did leave me with a drain for a week after surgery. The drain caused some discomfort when I walked. I wasn't sure what it was until he removed it. It wasn't painful, just kind of a weird tugging feeling. Kinda worrisome until I knew what it was! But the drain and the pain are all gone. I don't have the sluggishness described by others after the first week or so. I've been meeting all my Fluid and Protein goals from about day 3. Will this be your experience? I have no idea. But I do think it's true that most of the posts on the forum are people looking for answers to questions or people having problems. The rest of the people having no problems and no current questions are off living and enjoying their new lives. For me, I think this was the right move. I hope you are as happy with whatever your decision, as I am with mine.

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Five months out. No complications. No food aversions. Never got sick. Had surgery on a Wednesday and back at work on a Monday. I'm a very slow loser, but I'll take it!

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I honestly was woken up in the hospital, and I thought they would tell me my liver was too big, or that for some reason they could not do the surgery. I had absolutely no pain, other than trying to pee. which hurt for a day. I never had issues drinking Water, in fact after sipping because I was told to, I was taking mouthfuls of liquid and pain. I was only in hospital one night, and it seemed like walking and getting out of bed was as easy as it was before. I was told I am 1 out of a hundred, and about 30% have no issues with water or swallowing. I was told they don't talk about it because most have some problems and that is more the normal, but discussing how easy many have it would just stress out the majority. I was laying on my stomach on my laptop on day two. I do not have any scares at all 5 weeks out, and have no hunger issues at all.

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My recovery was awful and if I wasn't morbidly obese I would not have done it. Make sure you continue to see your therapist and take your meds. Don't underestimate your relationship with food. Speak to your doctor.

Take care, be strong.

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My recovery was awful and if I wasn't morbidly obese I would not have done it. Make sure you continue to see your therapist and take your meds. Don't underestimate your relationship with food. Speak to your doctor.

Take care, be strong.

Thank you! I am trying right now to get in to see my GP but they were closed this afternoon and my bariatric team didn't answer the phone.

Found a specialist Consultant in C Diff infections in a nearby town but I need a referral from my GP.

I have chills and sweats but no fever so I don't know if it is the C diff, the Flagyl or a new infection. Or even heat, it's really hot here today!

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13 days out and doing fantastic, came back to work after 1 week, could have gone back earlier. No problems whatsoever, minimal pain, energy is good. My 4 little holes are already healed. This has been a breeze so far and I am very thankful. Got clearance from doc today to do any and all activities. My partner asked me if I asked my doc if I could have sex, lol. I said he said no, but that she could. LOL (We love to joke on each other.) :D

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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