4 Days Out
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Hi everyone! So today is Sunday, 2/5, and I received my gastric sleeve on Wednesday, 2/1. I found these forums to be a wonderful resource to me when I was preparing for my surgery day, so I hope that this post will help someone who was in my shoes a short while ago.
My surgeon required a 2 week pre-op diet of 64g of Protein shakes a day, with unlimited vegetables. The day prior to my surgery was a completely clear liquid diet. When I had my first appointment with my surgeon, I weighed in at 333 (I am 5'11"), and when I had my pre-op weigh in, I was down to 316.
The day of surgery was a very nerve-wracking, but exciting, time for me. I have wanted this surgery for years now, so it almost seemed like an out of body experience. As soon as I arrived at the hospital, I was taken back into the pre-op room where I changed into my surgery ensemble. The nurse started an IV of electrolytes for me, and I received a preemptive shot of heparin in my stomach. I am also very susceptible to nausea after surgeries, so I received a patch and an IV of nausea medication prior to everything. I then met with multiple nurses, the anesthesiologist, and the surgeon separately, all of whom asked me many questions and explained what their part of the surgery would be. Before I knew it, I was being given the "relaxant" that calmed my nerves as I was being wheeled into the OR.
Prior to my surgery, I did a lot of research regarding the discomfort that I should expect when I woke up afterwards. I heard from the majority of people that this surgery was a walk in the park, and that I truly had nothing to worry about. However, I was completely taken aback when I awoke, because I have never been more uncomfortable in my life. I have always been extremely sensitive to most medications, to the point where they make me very sick and unable to function. I am sure that the combination of medications, the lack of food/water in my stomach, and the surgery itself was a trifecta that challenged me immensely. I was not prepared for this discomfort, and I am not telling you this to scare you. I just don't want other people to be taken off guard as I was, because I would have liked to have been more prepared.
Waking up from the anesthesia, I found myself to be extremely nauseous. I was retching for a few minutes, which was very uncomfortable for my incisions. Once this passed, I was brought to my room, and I quickly became aware of the dreaded gas pains that everyone talks about. My husband and my nurse helped me out of bed, and I started walking merely 45 minutes after my surgery. This DEFINITELY helped me immensely, and I highly recommend that anyone preparing for their surgery remembers the importance of walking. The remainder of the first day was (luckily) uneventful- I just stayed on my regimen of the nausea medications with the pain meds, as the nausea was still extremely uncomfortable. As others have stated, I was not allowed to drink anything at all this day, as I needed to wait until my barium swallow the following morning. I'm sure this was a major factor in my nausea.
That night and the following morning, I had several other retching fits that made sleeping difficult. (However, since I did not have anything in my stomach, I never actually threw up.) This made me extremely nervous for my barium test, because I was sure that I would vomit up anything that tasted so horrible. I was pleasantly surprised during the test though, as I only needed to take 2 small sips, and the entire test only took about 10 minutes. If I was able to keep the liquid down, then I am sure that you will be able to also! Lol Also, before my test, my catheter was removed, which was a relief to me.
For the remainder of the day, I still experienced nausea and I started to realize that a huge part of that was probably due to the pain meds that I was receiving. I discontinued the use of them, and the nausea slowly improved. Throughout this time, the gas pains were present, but were not unbearable. I did use the GasX Strips while I was in the hospital, and I still continue to use them today.
I was released from the hospital on Friday, 2/3, and I have been noticing significant improvements since then. The first day home, I struggled to drink my 64oz. of Clear Liquids, and the thought/smell of food nauseated me. However, the next morning (Saturday, 2/4) I woke up with an appetite, and actually felt slightly hungry! I was able to get in all of my liquids yesterday, and am on pace to do the same today. It was strange getting used to drinking with my sleeve, as I originally was able to feel every sip of Water travel down into my stomach. Now that I have been drinking so much, I am accustomed to this, and it no longer feels strange.
As of today, I no longer experience any nausea, and mainly just feel the gas/incision discomfort (which I am more than happy to deal with, vs. feeling nauseated!). For the first time since my surgery day, I feel so enthusiastic about this new phase in my life and I am beyond optimistic. As I had stated, my final weigh-in was on Monday, 1/30, where I was 316. I weighed myself this morning (Sunday, 2/5), and I was already down to 306! I walked half a mile this afternoon, and felt great.
I hope that my story is helpful to at least one person who reads it. Again, I am not telling it to scare anyone- I truly just want all of you to be prepared, as everyone's experience is different. Apparently since I am young (25), a non-smoker, and a virgin to abdominal surgeries, I hit all 3 risk factors for increased nausea/discomfort after my surgery (according to my surgeon). Please, anyone who has questions- feel free to reach out to me and I will do my best to enlighten you further into my experience. As you can see, I am only a few days out and am already feeling normal again. A few days of discomfort is well worth it for a lifetime of happiness and confidence!
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