Pre-Op Questions

[AllThatGlittersIsntGold 8]

Hello all!

I am super excited I got approved and I am preparing for surgery. I have the following list of questions, can anybody care to add any that may be helpful that I am missing?

Some questions pertain to nursing as I am still nursing my little one and want to carry on with that until March.

Edited October 31, 2020 by AllThatGlittersIsntGold

[NovaLuna 411]

Surgery

How long will surgery be? For me it was a little over an hour, but it really depends on the surgeon and if everything goes to plan. With surgeries you never know and every person is different.

How long will I be in the hospital? For me it was three days and two nights, but again, it depends on the person.

Will I have a drain? I didn't. But again, everyone is different.

Conditions that need to be met to be discharged? For me it was having my pain under control, making sure I was up and walking, and drinking enough. I stayed slightly longer because I wasn't drinking enough to where they could at least keep track. I was more comfortable chewing ice, but they couldn't keep track of that so they eventually took it away from me and gave me a bunch of these little 1oz cups so that they could track how much I was drinking.

Recovery

When can I give breast milk? Ask both your surgeon and your child's doctor when it's safe.

What does pain management look like post-op? It very much depends on the person and their pain tolerance. I have TN so I have a very HIGH pain tolerance and so I basically took four of the 30 Norco pills my surgeons office gave me. I mostly stuck to tylenol. It's not a walk in the park by any means, but it was bareable.

When to return to work? How much time off? They gave me 4 weeks off. I, however, was only back at work for two weeks and then went on leave again due to different health issues. Non-surgery or weight related.

What do you think about vitamin patches? When can I take pills post-op? I was told not to use Vitamin Patches for the DS or Loop DS and to stick to pill or chewable vitamins. Maybe your surgeons office is different? They're super expensive though if you do the patch thing for the amount of Vitamins you need for the DS/Loop DS so it's not the way to go imo. As to vitamins... I was told to take chewables for the first month, but not to start them until day 7, but your surgeons office may be different so ask.

What is normal for the first 6 weeks post-op? I'm 9 months out and my memory is a little shaky when I think that far back but I remember being really sore and hurting from both the gas and the incision from where they removed 85% of my stomach from. I had low energy for three or four weeks. I also had to sleep on the couch for the first several days after I came home because my bed was too hard to get out of and it hurt. I needed help showering for the first week or so as well. And getting up hurt because of that incision where they removed my stomach. Sitting hurt also because of it. Once I was up though it wasn't so bad.

Post-OP

What is my goal weight? You're goal weight? No idea. My goal weight is 180 pounds. I have low standards I guess lol, but my surgeons office said it was a good and realistic goal weight. They want me to get to 160 if I can, but I'd be happy with 180. Heck, I'd even be happy at 185 as both take me out of obese and into simply being 'overweight' BMI wise. I have low standards lol. It comes from being over 300 pounds for 15 years. I'm 215 right now and that's smaller than I was when I started HIGH SCHOOL! (I was in the 230's then) I was 32 when I had my surgery btw. I'm 33 right now.

How long does it take to digest food? I think that depends very much on how much you eat. If I eat a little snack I feel like it digests faster, but sometimes when I eat a meal I have on occasion eaten too much because I ate too fast and it took a while to process that it was too much for my stomach and felt full and nauseous for about an hour or two.

What will my stomach capacity be at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months? I think I was eating about 1/3 cup at 3 months (about 3 oz), 1/2 cup at six months (around 4 oz), and now at 9 months I can eat about 3/4 cups (about 6-7 oz). But I feel like it's probably different for everyone.

I hope this is helpful in some way...

[The Greater Fool 543]

Really, all those questions are best directed to your Doc who can provide actual answers that apply to you and your situation.

Good luck,

Tek

[Postop 393]

@AllThatGlittersIsntGold Hi. Are you having the SADI-S or traditional DS?

Edited November 2, 2020 by Postop

[Circlesis 53]

I read this as a request for feedback on her question list.

[ecugsplgrl 33]

also ask about any tests that you may have to "pass" to discharge. I had to complete a upper GI study with contrast and that may also affect breast feeding.

[AllThatGlittersIsntGold 8]

On 11/2/2020 at 12:45 PM, Postop said:

@AllThatGlittersIsntGold Hi. Are you having the SADI-S or traditional DS?

Sadi-S, conversion from gastric plication.

[AllThatGlittersIsntGold 8]

On 11/2/2020 at 12:49 PM, Circlesis said:

I read this as a request for feedback on her question list.

You read this correctly! I wanted to show my list of questions so people may add on any questions that I missed that may be beneficial for me

[AllThatGlittersIsntGold 8]

On 11/4/2020 at 12:08 PM, ecugsplgrl said:

also ask about any tests that you may have to "pass" to discharge. I had to complete a upper GI study with contrast and that may also affect breast feeding.

this is a good one, thank you

[Circlesis 53]

.