I don't know what to expect on the actual day and then for the next few days. When Can I drive?

OK, no great pain. But probably the most boring and uncomfortable recovery I have had.

Similar to any op in that you dont do much on the day as you're sleeping off the anaesthetic and waking periodically for pain relief, nothing major.

But the night was awful, lol. By that stage I'd laid on my back all darn day and you cant move an awful lot - like turning over in bed, or turning on your side, a lot like a caesarean there only the discomfort is internal. It felt like a big fist clenching inside, not really sharp pain, but disocomfort. But I was so uncomfortable from laying on my back and I couldnt sleep because I'd been asleep all day since 10.00 or so when I came out of theatre and there was nothing, absolutely nothing on telly here - we have 4 free to air channels and cable TV exists but not everywhere. I nearly went insane, in the end I asked for a sleeping pill to knock me out.

By next morning, I was raring to go - up and out of bed and around the hospital with the physio, barium swallow etc. I went home and went for a gentle walk.

hi snappy,

my day of and day after ... ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ... seriously! i slept for 2 hours, woke up for 15 mins, slept 2 hours ... repeated the entire 2 1/2 days...

i was one of the 'lucky ones' and had no gas pains/issues. i only took my pain meds 2 times. i was soooo lucky.

i waited almost a week to drive really only because i didnt have to drive anywhere ... **shrug** i took a week off work and loved it! good luck!

i didnt have any pain the day after, just soreness. i flew home from surgery 2 days after and drove that day, little uncomfortable but no pain

Day of was good sleeping. Wish I could pay for that type of anesthesia every once in a while just to get knocked out.

The next day I was up and around shopping with my sister in Mexico...but was hunched over...I have new appreciation for the ground. Slept alot, too.

The 3rd day I was crossing the border, flying out of LAX to SLC. Was relaxed and napped.

Day 4 was normal. But I did get sleepy alot.

Some can tolerate pain better than others and some surgeons cause more trauma to the site than others.

I drove like day 4 but got sleepy at red lights. So I waited til about a week.

Day of surgery was really boring, didn't sleep as much as I would have liked to. Pain was minimal, about one third as painful as the laparoscopic appendectomy I had in January. If it weren't for the awful shoulder pain I wouldn't have needed many pain meds. Had to get up every two hours to pee thanks to all the IV fluids. Sleeping that night was a nightmare, my alarms went off every five minutes because my heart rate kept dropping below 50. Eventually they just reset my alarms to not alarm unless it went under 40. Day after I was up and running around, waiting to be discharged. As soon as I got home I tried to do the dishes, but my mother in law ordered me to bed. My surgery was on a Friday and I was back at school on Tuesday. (Could have gone Monday, but there was no class.)

I am 2 days post op and although i am not experiecing a great deal of pain, I am uncomfortable. I sort of dont know what to do with myself. I have been generally on juice and Water, but I am just about to have some of my left over Optislim to try and give me energy.

I also cant see to drink sitting down, it is better when I am, standing. Please tell me this will get better as the days go on.

I bit of gas pain in my shoulder but its not too bad.

Hi Snappy3K! I had my surgery on 10/16/07 and it's still very fresh in my mind. I see we have two things in common -- we are close in age and BMIs. I am 42 years old and my BMI was 33 or 34 before surgery.

What to expect the day of surgery? I was restless and fidgety...but tired...no pain...but in just general discomfort. I went ahead and took the pain medication every 4 hours. I figured better to be ahead of the pain rather than experience the pain. I did have some nausea but I suspect that was more from the anesthesia. That evening I hardly slept because of just being tired of lying on my back.

The day after surgery, I was still not in pain nor did I experience gas pain. I just had a overall uncomfortable, restless and nauseaus feeling.

I had a two hour drive home and because of the nausea there is no way I could have driven home. Plus, the medication they provide for the nausea also made me drowsy.

Originally, I was going to go have the surgery alone and drive myself home the next day. I am so thankful I had someone go with me and drive me home.

Good luck!

Had my surgery on Friday 10/19. Day of surgery I was nervous, anxious and the like. I've had numerous outpatient surgeries so was really suprised by the nausea that hit MAJOR in recovery. There was a 2 hour process to go through that begins during recovery - certain quantities of Water in small sips over about a 2 hour period. Getting up and walking periodically - and going to the bathroom. My process was delayed b/c of the nausea. My surgery started at 12:30 and I was released to go home at 5:45 pm.

Not much pain around the incisions, sore, but not as bad as i thought. I did have the gas pains that started immediately. Felt like sharp stabs of heartburn and shoulder pain. That has been the worse part as it would be nearly constant. I'm on Day 6 (Thur) and it's finally nearly gone.

The night after surgery I sat propped up - sipping water, took some drugs and went to bed. You'll spend the next several days sipping.

The worst was on Day 3 in got up from the sofa wrong and had horrid pain in the port incision. Minor tear in the stiches that attach the port to the muscle. Makes it easier to hurt that area now.

Driving when you have no more pain and are OFF pain drugs. I drove a little on Tuesday, but have postponed until likely tomorrow as my energy level is getting back in gear today (Thursday)