Noobie Questions

[shawn524 1]

My bypass surgery will be in early January 2023. Can anyone tell me what to honestly expect postop? I've heard that the gas is terrible and that it makes it hard to breathe? What is he pain level like during recovery? Was sleeping comfortable?

[Old Salt 64]

It really is different for each individual. I can only tell what I experienced from my Gastric Bypass surgery on Nov 8th.

I felt the gas the first few days but no real discomfort to me. Sometimes just changing position would help. No pain per say but I walked a lot around the house and honestly was too tired those first few days to take the dog for a walk. No problem sleeping (I sleep on my side anyway). They gave me pain meds to take home but I never needed any.

Speaking of tired, remember you will be recovering from surgery so you will be worn out. Rest, rest, and recuperate. My first 2 weeks was a "full liquid diet" where I lived on Protein Shakes and yogurt. My focus was on healing, getting Protein, and fluids. Again, I experienced no pain, no GERD, and very little Constipation. By the 2nd week I had more energy, so started taking the dog for a morning walk again ( she is so Happy!). Still not hungry!

3rd & 4th week was my "pureee phase" and again no pain or complications. My energy was still increasing however I made sure I was active in the morning because the afternoons still saw my batteries running low. During my 4th week I added my Airdyne stationary bike to my routine after the morning walk.

Then had a 2 week "soft textured" phase which I am entering the final week. Still no pain or complications. Still learning the "full indicator" (when to stop eating) and trying to find foods that I want to eat (especially in this phase). Still not hungry but I have become aware of when my actual stomach and not my head says "feed me".

Looking forward to the "Bariatric regular" phase starting soon. I honestly feel that these previous phases (including pre-surgery) have prepared me for the long run.

So in summary, I personally did not experience any difficulties or pain with this surgery but am enjoying not only the weight loss but the healthy lifestyle. Also, my blood sugar & BP are normal without any medications for the first time in decades.

Listen to your bariatric team, stick with the plan and you will be fine. You are going to have great 2023!

[Tomo 1,138]

Gas pain after surgery is common. Some experience it, while others do not. My experience: I didn't experience gas with my RNY. Pain was overall on the low end. A bad UTI hurts more. My stomach felt sore for awhile, like I worked out a bit too much. Nothing major. No nausea or any bad side effects. I had asked for nausea meds before hand since I am prone to nausea. I was concerned about one of my incisions but it turned out to be normal healing. It didn't hurt, but it felt like there was a big ball underneath it.

Fast forward almost a year and a half later, concerning post-op, no problem with excess gas or any bowel problems other than slight Constipation that Fiber or Miralax can't correct.

I always sleep with an incline wedge. sleeping after surgery was normal. I think the incline helped a lot. Some like using recliners but unfortunately, I don't own one.

[Arabesque 6,494]

You’ll get lots of different responses to your question.

You may have gas pains - I didn’t after my sleeve but had heaps after my gall surgery. The gas is not in your digestive system but in your abdominal cavity so burping & farting won’t help. It rises & gets trapped under your lungs causing nerve pain usually in your shoulder. You actually breathe it out so walk, walk, walk as you can, do deep breathing, march on the spot & heat packs can ease the discomfort. It’s usually gone in a week or less.

Yoi’ll get good drugs for the surgical pain. I took my last one on at night on day 4 to ensure I slept & didn’t need them after that.

You may find it difficult to sleep in your bed & some sleep in a recliner. I slept in my bed in my usual side twist position from day 1.

You will experience abdominal tenderness. It can make getting up & down a little difficult but go slowly. Some find a binder useful or even a cane but that is very individual. I didn’t use or need either.

You may be bloated from all the Fluid they pump you with & you may end up weighing more after the surgery than you did before. You pee it out over a few days.

You may experience swelling in your throat from the breathing tube which causes pain on swallowing & sometimes lots of saliva. Mine lasted about 3 days.

Nausea is also quite common but you should be given medication for that & to take home too as well as a PPI to help with excess stomach acid.

You may experience a very sudden diarrhoea attack which occurs without warning. I did. It was awful … & messy. It’s from all the fluids, blood from the surgery, etc. It may persist for a few days. Otherwise, you’ll likely experience Constipation which may persist for several months in varying degrees. Add soluble, non swelling fibre to your diet, keep your fluids up & keep on top of the constipation. I took a stool softener if I got to three days without any movement. And don’t worry if your poop is small or you only go every two days. You’re not eating much so don’t have much waste for your body to excrete.

You will have periods of low energy & tiredness. You’ve had a pretty major surgery & are on a restricted diet. If your body says stop & rest, stop & rest. It’s healing & trying to recover. I found an electrolyte drink helped & gave me a little boost.

Follow your plan. Follow your plan. Follow your plan. But don’t worry if you don’t meet all your Protein & fluid goals straight out. As long as you’re close & getting closer each week you’re good.

If you don’t feel well, are experiencing excessive pain or pain that persists, or something feels wrong to you, contact your surgery or go to a medical centre. It may be nothing but better to be safe & sure.

Hope I haven’t scared you. All of this is temporary.

All the best with your surgery & recovery.

[The Greater Fool 1,953]

It was an adventure of agony and ecstasy into a new world of self discovery. I experienced the joy of victory and the agony of defeat. I laughed, I cried, it was a rollercoaster of emotions. The beginning seems to lose a lot of participants to the extent that many regret what they've done, but I was more focused on the drama of our protagonist pushing through adversity. Soon enough the new paradigm became normal, even boring. This does not mean the story is boring, however, as slowly but surely we see life changing. While the upbeat ending seemed inevitable it didn't even dent the emotional payoff of seeing our hero achieve things they didn't know they wanted.

5 Stars.

Tek

[kcuster83 1,502]

My surgery ended up being much more than expected. I went in having bypass and a Hiatal hernia repair. When my surgeon got inside, the hernia was twice as bad as it looked on the pre-op scans (level 4 of 5) and I have major damage to my esophagus caused from years or severe GERD. My 2 hour surgery ended up being 5 hours as he repaired my esophagus as well but everything went well with no complications. I ended up getting a second dose of gas since the surgery took so much longer and more extensive.

Now, recovery ... WHEW! I am not going to lie, that gas pain was no joke! I was MISERABLE the next day! I have a VERY high tolerance to pain, rarely take ANY pain meds but this was killer. Yes, it hurt to breathe, hurt to move... hurt to be alive. haha I took pain meds anytime they offered them, which doesn't actually help with the gas pain BUT they knock me out so I could at least sleep through the pain! By the second day (still in the hospital) I was off IV pain meds but took oral (crushed and disgusting) pain meds in the morning and then one more time for my trip home from the hospital. Once home, I never needed another pain pill, I didn't even take Tylenol. I still had minor gas pain, which was mostly in my shoulder and a heating pad helped.

I had NO actual surgery pain, or the gas pain just masked it? I had 1 incision that oozed, called the surgeon and it was normal. Took longer to heal up but never caused me any issues or pain.

Once I got past the 2 days of gas pain I was smooth sailing. I am so grateful how easy my recovery was. I mean, not one issue at all. I hit my fluid goals in less than a week and was hitting my Protein goals in just over a week. I had no issues drinking anything cold or warm.

Now, 8.5 months post-op and still no issues at all. I can eat anything, have no issues tolerating anything. I THINK I may have dumped once, but it was mild enough that I am not even 100% sure it was a dumping episode.

I slept in the recliner for about a week because it was more comfortable and when sleeping on my side the weight of my belly pulling made the incisions on the opposite side get irritated. But after that, I was good to sleep however I wanted.

Everyone is definitely different.

Just remember, every plan is different but you trusted your team and you trusted your surgeon with your life (literally) so trust their plan. Follow THEIR/YOUR plan and listen to them over other people.

Take it easy for a few days, walk, walk, walk and BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!!!!

[going2servive 36]

I am 8 years post op. I left the hospital with no pain medication at all! I had no pain from the surgery at all. As soon as they allow you to get up and move, MOVE; walk in that hospital! The more you move the better. If you just do nothing the air/gas trapped inside of you will feel like death. It’s truly about you getting up and moving and continuing to move.