Hello!

I'm back, now 4.5 days since learning I was en route for the gastric sleeve journey, end of next year.

At first, I was delighted, then freaked out, and now I'm at the stage where I have 100's of random questions...

So I'll label them with letters to make it easy to reply, if you want to just quote the letters . Here we go...

A - Meds

1- If you're on meds for depression, can you still take them after the operation or do they go through your system?

2- Still on meds : when you have a headache, can you still take tablets? (I'm pretty sure half the stomach is taken, but I can keep the brain)

B - Living alone

1. After I get discharged from the hospital, can I go down a couple of steps (to get home)

2. My bed is elevated. Right now, it's a national sport to get on and off it because of my weight. Is it possible to manoeuvre getting in and out of bed without help shortly after the op?

3. Now the embarrassing one: Erm. What about bathroom breaks? Can you wipe?

4. How long after the op can you take a shower?

C - Work

1. I know everyone is different, but how long after the op are you sufficiently pain-free and physically able to work a full day and concentrate on your tasks?

2. When the office is open again (not fully open in Ireland yet), I usually go to work on a bicycle: how long after the op would you say it is possible to get on a bike and cycle?

So, these are my questions after only 4.5 days. Brace yourself for more in the next year! Luckily there are only so many letters in the alphabet!

Thank you in advance for your replies!

Maroux

Edited October 14, 20214 yr by Maroux

A-1 You will still take your meds. If any are time-release they will likely convert to to immediate release as time-release is iffy with RNY;

A-2 Most doctors have no issue with acetaminophen but some will not like NSAIDs like aspirin at least in the short term. NSAIDs are a ready argument around here, some folks believe they are off the list forever, others that reasonable non-constant use is OK. Pick your sides.

B-1 Most likely.

B-2 Most unlikely. Do you have a recliner? It might be useful for a couple days.

B-3 If you can now you will be able to after perhaps with mild pain.

B-4 Your Doc will tell you. You won't smell to bad when you are finally able to shower, unless B-3 is problematic.

C-1 There are stevedores that worked the dock the night after surgery and home bound people that couldn't manage to get from room to room. You won't know until you know. Probably a week or three.

C-2 I would imagine you would be healed enough to ride within a month, maybe a couple weeks, more or less. Precise estimates are my job, sorta maybe.

A lot of this stuff is personal experience. The Doc is also a good resource on all of the stuff, don't be afraid to engage him/her/it/them/xi.

Now, let's read all the conflicting answers together, shall we? I'll get the popcorn.

Good luck,

Tek

Edited October 14, 20214 yr by The Greater Fool

oops

Edited October 14, 20214 yr by The Greater Fool

6 minutes ago, The Greater Fool said:

A-1 You will still take your meds. If any are time-release they will likely convert to to immediate release as time-release is iffy with RNY;

A-2 Most doctors have no issue acetaminophen but some will not like NSAIDs like aspirin at least in the short term. NSAIDs are a ready argument around here, some folks believe they are off the list forever, others that reasonable non-constant use is OK. Pick your sides.

B-1 Most likely.

B-2 Most unlikely. Do you have a recliner? It might be useful for a couple days.

B-3 If you can now you will be able to after perhaps with mild pain.

B-4 Your Doc will tell you. You won't smell to bad when you are finally able to shower, unless B-3 is problematic.

C-1 There are stevedores that worked the dock the night after surgery and home bound people that could manage to get from room to room. You won't know until you know. Probably a week or three.

C-2 I would imagine you would be healed enough to ride within a month.

A lot of this stuff is personal experience. The Doc is also a good resource on all of the stuff, don't be afraid to engage him/her/it/them/xi.

Now, let's read all the conflicting answers together, shall we? I'll get the popcorn.

Good luck,

Tek

Many thanks for your replies Tek!

I didn't know popcorn was allowed post-op!

2 minutes ago, Maroux said:

Many thanks for your replies Tek!

I didn't know popcorn was allowed post-op!

I'm 18 years post-op, I can handle a hand full spread through the evening.

Tek

3 hours ago, Maroux said:

3. Now the embarrassing one: Erm. What about bathroom breaks? Can you wipe?

4. How long after the op can you take a shower?

You may want to use a toileting tool like a "Bottom Buddy". Reaching and stretching may be difficult.

Getting in an out of that high bed may be difficult. Can you step on a stool? A couple of stair steps won't be a problem.

You can shower after you don't have bandages unless the surgeon says it's OK to change the dressings. Don't pull off the Steri-Strips. They will come off by themselves after you shower a few times.

3 hours ago, Maroux said:

A - Meds

1- If you're on meds for depression, can you still take them after the operation or do they go through your system?

2- Still on meds : when you have a headache, can you still take tablets? (I'm pretty sure half the stomach is taken, but I can keep the brain)

B - Living alone

1. After I get discharged from the hospital, can I go down a couple of steps (to get home)

2. My bed is elevated. Right now, it's a national sport to get on and off it because of my weight. Is it possible to manoeuvre getting in and out of bed without help shortly after the op?

3. Now the embarrassing one: Erm. What about bathroom breaks? Can you wipe?

4. How long after the op can you take a shower?

C - Work

1. I know everyone is different, but how long after the op are you sufficiently pain-free and physically able to work a full day and concentrate on your tasks?

2. When the office is open again (not fully open in Ireland yet), I usually go to work on a bicycle: how long after the op would you say it is possible to get on a bike and cycle?

No dumb questions here ever. So all good. Ask away. ?

A - Meds

1- will depend on your surgery & where your meds are absorbed. Check with your surgeon & your specialist. It just may mean a switch of meds.
2- The rule is no NDAIDs for pain management. Burt in saying that I have a sleeve & my surgeon gave me the ok to take a single NSAID on the rare occasions I need to once I was in maintenance. In the last two years I’m still on the same box.

B - Living alone

1- I live alone in a two story house. Stairs were no problem. Actually walked up & down them a couple of times a day from when I got home as part of my gentle exercising.
2- I have a high princess bed (plus I’m short) so I always have to do a little hop onto my bed. I didn’t have any issue but I was also able to sleep on my side & half twisted onto my tummy. It is individual & will depend on how you heal, your surgery, etc. Maybe buy a step so it’s easier to get in & out of your bed. Otherwise some use a recliner.
3- No issues at all but as I said above I could twist pretty easily. Your starting weight may be factor & again your surgery. You may find you don’t need to go for a few days - the constipation!
4- I took a shower the day after my surgery. It was glorious. Took my own shower gel to hospital so I didn’t smell like antiseptic & all ‘hospitally’.

C - Work

1- pain was basically gone by day 4. But the brain fog for me was not good. Plus my blood pressure was very low. Was very doughy in the head in the morning then in the mid afternoon. I started back at work part time after 4 weeks. I do tend to take a long time to recover from everything - just me. A friend went back to full time work after a week no or is. Another took 3 weeks.
2- This will depend on your recovery. Talk to your surgeon too as they will likely have some guidelines re activity. As another consideration, you will have restrictions on how much weight you can carry, pull, push, etc. for the first 4 weeks or so.

Good luck.

On 10/14/2021 at 17:48, Maroux said:

Hello!

I'm back, now 4.5 days since learning I was en route for the gastric sleeve journey, end of next year.

At first, I was delighted, then freaked out, and now I'm at the stage where I have 100's of random questions...

So I'll label them with letters to make it easy to reply, if you want to just quote the letters . Here we go...

A - Meds

1- If you're on meds for depression, can you still take them after the operation or do they go through your system?

2- Still on meds : when you have a headache, can you still take tablets? (I'm pretty sure half the stomach is taken, but I can keep the brain)

B - Living alone

1. After I get discharged from the hospital, can I go down a couple of steps (to get home)

2. My bed is elevated. Right now, it's a national sport to get on and off it because of my weight. Is it possible to manoeuvre getting in and out of bed without help shortly after the op?

3. Now the embarrassing one: Erm. What about bathroom breaks? Can you wipe?

4. How long after the op can you take a shower?

C - Work

1. I know everyone is different, but how long after the op are you sufficiently pain-free and physically able to work a full day and concentrate on your tasks?

2. When the office is open again (not fully open in Ireland yet), I usually go to work on a bicycle: how long after the op would you say it is possible to get on a bike and cycle?

So, these are my questions after only 4.5 days. Brace yourself for more in the next year! Luckily there are only so many letters in the alphabet!

Thank you in advance for your replies!

Maroux

So just curious… if you are now en route,why on Earth will it be end of next year?

Welcome to the club! It’s an exciting time for sure and you will have plenty more questions, so don’t ever be shy or apologize, we live for these kind of posts :)

Meds: with a sleeve you’ll be fine. Some doctors will say crush it early on, many of us are given pills (antibiotics or nausea or acid reducers or all) right in the hospital, so it is my personal belief that any doctor that says no pills for X days is just being extra cautious - not that there’s anything wrong with that. NSAIDS…. Geeze you’re trying to start a fight aren’t you? Lol it’s ok. There is definite reasons to limit nsaids as much as possible but the occasional one likely will be fine. Use acetaminophen when possible.

Many of the other questions will be difficult to answer accurately. Recovery time does vary. I would have been capable of any of those just a day or two post op, some people need a couple weeks. It also depends on your current physical condition, if any of those things are already difficult for you now, it will not be easier so soon post-op. I would aim for 3-4 weeks for the bike just to be safe. Wait until you lose weight and you have that “ahahahah!!!” moment where you realize how much easier wiping is in general. I can reach all sorts of places I couldn’t before :) oh… showering. They had me shower in the hospital the next morning. I had bandages on the small incisions and it wasn’t a problem. Their requirement was no submersion (pool, tub, etc) for four weeks for me.
Keep asking!
And again, welcome, it’s an exciting time and we all are wishing you the best, fast and easy recovery and weight loss.

I agree with everything the above responses have given.

I would add a few from my personal experience: I have bipolar disorder and have to take 10 pills a night. I took them the night I had my surgery (surgery was 1300). It was a bit challenging because I could only take tiny sips of water, but I managed. The first week after surgery, it would take almost an hour to get all ten pills down, but now a month out, I can take about 3 pills at a time (before I could take all ten) and be done in about 8 minutes.

I didn't find it hard to wipe compared to how hard it was to sit up from a lying down position. My bed is low, so can't answer that part, but expect pain on sitting up/changing positions for the first week.

I have been working from home and I went back to work after two weeks. I had really bad brain fog for the first two weeks and didn't do anything except stare at the wall. At a month out, I am just a bit tired, but mostly bored.

Good luck!

15 hours ago, Maroux said:

Hello!

I'm back, now 4.5 days since learning I was en route for the gastric sleeve journey, end of next year.

At first, I was delighted, then freaked out, and now I'm at the stage where I have 100's of random questions...

So I'll label them with letters to make it easy to reply, if you want to just quote the letters . Here we go...

A - Meds

1- If you're on meds for depression, can you still take them after the operation or do they go through your system?

2- Still on meds : when you have a headache, can you still take tablets? (I'm pretty sure half the stomach is taken, but I can keep the brain)

B - Living alone

1. After I get discharged from the hospital, can I go down a couple of steps (to get home)

2. My bed is elevated. Right now, it's a national sport to get on and off it because of my weight. Is it possible to manoeuvre getting in and out of bed without help shortly after the op?

3. Now the embarrassing one: Erm. What about bathroom breaks? Can you wipe?

4. How long after the op can you take a shower?

C - Work

1. I know everyone is different, but how long after the op are you sufficiently pain-free and physically able to work a full day and concentrate on your tasks?

2. When the office is open again (not fully open in Ireland yet), I usually go to work on a bicycle: how long after the op would you say it is possible to get on a bike and cycle?

So, these are my questions after only 4.5 days. Brace yourself for more in the next year! Luckily there are only so many letters in the alphabet!

Thank you in advance for your replies!

Maroux

A1 - If you are on extended-release medications, they'll need to be switched to standard or immediate release. I went from 150 mg Wellbutrin XL once a day to 75 mg Wellbutrin IR twice a day, and am about to drop the evening dose. I feel fine.

A2 - Yes, but you can only take acetaminophen/paracetamol which is Tylenol in North America and Panadol elsewhere. You will be able to swallow pills, just perhaps one at a time at first.

B1 - I was able go up and down stairs within hours after surgery. If your incisions hurt, take a pillow to brace. Ask your anesthesiologist for what's called a TAP block, it's like an epidural for your abdomen and lasts about 18 hours which is enough time to get used to stuff.

B2 - An elevated bed will actually help because you don't have to squat down to get onto and off of it. But you could buy a little heavy duty stepstool if you want. Just make sure it's stable.

B3 - You absolutely can wipe. Laparoscopic incisions are small. And, honestly, you'll probably be constipated after surgery and won't need to as often, especially if you are on opioid painkillers which back you up. The good news is as you lose weight (which happens fast) you'll become more flexible. A month out and I can wash my entire back without needing a long-handled brush.

B4 - Varies by surgeon. Mine said I could shower immediately, but to avoid scrubbing the incisions, just gently wipe them with a separate cloth.

C1 - Depends on what you do. I have two jobs; the desk job I was back to after two weeks (and could have done one if needed); the outdoor job I'm still not back at because my surgeon wants 6 weeks.

C2 - I was cycling (stationary / assault bike) 2 weeks after surgery with the blessing of my surgeon.

Ask anything, really. That's why we're here.

6 hours ago, Brad86 said:

So just curious… if you are now en route,why on Earth will it be end of next year?

Hi! That's because I'm not insured, and I am referred to it via the liver specialist within a hospital setting. That means I am on a waiting list, and there are many loops to go through 1st before I can get the go ahead. All the specialists I have to see have their own waiting list, mostly due to backup from the pandemic. I am sort of happy that I have whole year to form new habits. It could happen quicker though. A year is the max time.

49 minutes ago, Maroux said:

Hi! That's because I'm not insured, and I am referred to it via the liver specialist within a hospital setting. That means I am on a waiting list, and there are many loops to go through 1st before I can get the go ahead. All the specialists I have to see have their own waiting list, mostly due to backup from the pandemic. I am sort of happy that I have whole year to form new habits. It could happen quicker though. A year is the max time.

It's good to have a time to make changes... I spent 7 months waiting and I made a lot of changes... but then about a month before surgery I threw a lot of "food funerals" and ate a lot of junk one more time! I lost 50 lbs (22 kg?) prior to surgery. I just think of that as less weight I had to lose after surgery. I'm glad I spent that time. But I still find that adjusting is very hard, harder than I expected. But other people seem to have had an easier time than me.

6 hours ago, vikingbeast said:

A1 - If you are on extended-release medications, they'll need to be switched to standard or immediate release. I went from 150 mg Wellbutrin XL once a day to 75 mg Wellbutrin IR twice a day, and am about to drop the evening dose. I feel fine.

Wow, thanks for the tip. I do take 150mg XL Wellbutrin I have been taking it for 3 years (and before that 10+ years of 300mg XL) with by old stretched out pouch and had no issues. My pouch after revision will be only 1 oz, so I'd better advise my prescribing physician

8 hours ago, Sunnyway said:

Wow, thanks for the tip. I do take 150mg XL Wellbutrin I have been taking it for 3 years (and before that 10+ years of 300mg XL) with by old stretched out pouch and had no issues. My pouch after revision will be only 1 oz, so I'd better advise my prescribing physician

One important data point: the faster releases of Wellbutrin are well known to spike anxiety in many patients. I manage mine with those ashwagandha gummies from Goli but you can find liquid ashwagandha too. 300 mg a day.

On 10/14/2021 at 5:48 PM, Maroux said:

Hello!

I'm back, now 4.5 days since learning I was en route for the gastric sleeve journey, end of next year.

At first, I was delighted, then freaked out, and now I'm at the stage where I have 100's of random questions...

So I'll label them with letters to make it easy to reply, if you want to just quote the letters . Here we go...

A - Meds

1- If you're on meds for depression, can you still take them after the operation or do they go through your system?

2- Still on meds : when you have a headache, can you still take tablets? (I'm pretty sure half the stomach is taken, but I can keep the brain)

B - Living alone

1. After I get discharged from the hospital, can I go down a couple of steps (to get home)

2. My bed is elevated. Right now, it's a national sport to get on and off it because of my weight. Is it possible to manoeuvre getting in and out of bed without help shortly after the op?

3. Now the embarrassing one: Erm. What about bathroom breaks? Can you wipe?

4. How long after the op can you take a shower?

C - Work

1. I know everyone is different, but how long after the op are you sufficiently pain-free and physically able to work a full day and concentrate on your tasks?

2. When the office is open again (not fully open in Ireland yet), I usually go to work on a bicycle: how long after the op would you say it is possible to get on a bike and cycle?

So, these are my questions after only 4.5 days. Brace yourself for more in the next year! Luckily there are only so many letters in the alphabet!

Thank you in advance for your replies!

Maroux

My answers:
A1 -- Yes, you'll be fine and the meds will work.
A2 -- Buy some liquid Tylenol prior to surgery to keep around for a few weeks until you feel OK taking tablets.
B1 -- Yes, but you may want to invest in a good, sturdy cane. Also helps when going from seated to standing (like the toilet).
B2 -- That is going to be tough. If you have a recliner, you may want to sleep in it for a few days.
B3 -- In the hospital, I could not wipe. It wasn't until later in the first week that I could do that on my own.
B4 -- I had surgery on a Monday and I think I showered on Thursday or Friday. Don't scrub your belly/scars. Doc's office told me to soap up my chest and let the water/soap run down the belly.
C1 -- I have a desk job and by the end of week 2, I was fully back, both physically and mentally.
C2 -- I probably would not have tried biking until at least a month out. And I would have been terrified of falling off my bike and landing on my stomach.