Surgery day is 11/19 and I’m so nervous…. Can someone tell me how it was for them

For me it was quite uneventful. I went in at like 6:00 am and left the next evening before dinner. I don’t think my dr used the air in my stomach because I had no gas pain and no real pain otherwise. I felt like I did about 1000 crunches is all I had to use the bed rails to pull myself up from lying down.

Surgery itself was a doddle. The first few days were annoying, because I was trying to expel all the gas they pump into you.

Just follow your surgeon's orders, walk as much as you possibly can even if it hurts, and know that the first 1-2 weeks are the "price of admission" to what will 100% change your life.

I had mine last week. The story goes like this ..

• Arrived 3 hours before surgery time. Placed in pre-op room. Nurse setup the IV, measure vitals, etc.
• A couple of operating room nurses came to introduce themselves, asking for full medical history (I didn't mind overcommunicating the info)
• Doctor and nurse from anesthesia team came to introduce themselves. Again, full medical history. Asked to open mouth, and bend my neck around (test flexibility, I guess), Said everything looked good.
• Surgeon came over, talked for a bit. I reminded him of a couple of 'concerns' I had (just me overcommunicating).
• They pulled me to the op room. Injected the sedative through the IV, and lights off..
• Woke up ~ 2 - 2.5 hours later in the recovery room. With a nurse checking my vitals.
• I would wake up, and go back out on and off. No pain whatsoever.
• Took me to my room, more testing, questions, etc. Put me on Tylenol IV. Injected some prophylactic blood thinner, and anti-nausea meds (Zofran, I think), an I went back to sleep.
• About 2-3 hours post-op, did a round of walking around the hallway (with my wife's help)

Edited November 9, 20214 yr by Pete-TheTimeIsNow

One suggestion—ask your anesthesiologist to give you a TAP block (it's like an epidural for your abs). They give it to you at the end of surgery; you feel nothing (you're still under anesthesia). It lasts 12-24 hours and made it so I didn't even fill my prescription for Those Painkillers. I survived that entire surgery and recovery with 4-5 doses of Extra Strength Tylenol (acetaminophen/paracetamol).

I had a great experience. Super easy surgery. Walked over a mile in the halls in the evening. I think I had surgery at 8am? Woke up the next day at 7am, showered, washed my hair, put on clothes and was itching to go home. Very little pain. Zero nausea.

The hardest part for me...was that first week after...when essentially your entire life revolves around drinking little cups of fluid several times an hour...and writing everything down. Pain in the butt and felt like a full time job. Worth it, though!

Best wishes. You got this!

Thank you all

6 hours ago, sterrill36 said:

Surgery day is 11/19 and I’m so nervous…. Can someone tell me how it was for them

Twins! Mine will be 11/19 too! We are going to do great!

I had the sleeve about 2.5 months ago, and had a hernia repair at the same time. I was in some pain, I think mostly from the hernia repair. My advice is to walk, walk, walk. Whenever I had pain, it helped so much to get up and walk a lap of the surgical floor. Even though I was in pain from the hernia repair, I still didn't take any painkillers, just extra strength tylenol. It's really not a bad surgery.