Hi,

We are through the 1st week of June already, can you believe it??

Any how, I've been enjoying reading about everyone's surgery experience, but it's hard to find them, some start a new thread, some post in the June Line Up etc. I thought it would help to have a centralized place to post our stories.

My sugery was Thurs. June 5th, scheduled at 1pm. They wanted me there by 10 to get ready and sometimes the surgeon is ahead of schedule. I did get in early but only 30 min. early. I was not nervous at all the morning of surgery, the day before I was scared to death and wondered if I was doing the right thing. I arrived at the hospital at 10, and had to sit in the waiting room til about 1030, at which time they came and got me. I had to weigh on this huge scale in the hall, I was down 3 from the surgeons office the day before, not sure if that was a real loss or just different scales. My vitals were taken, and then I was to change into my lovely hospital gown. Mine had a big rip across the boobs, good thing it was so big I sortta wrapped it around. Then they came and got my IV going. My surgeon came in to see if I had any last minute questions and to sign off on my chart, he was on his way into the surgery before me and said he'd be sending for me shortly. Then the anestesiologist came and checked somethings over and signed off on something. Next thing you know the OR nurse is there to get me. At that point I sortta got emotional and started crying saying good bye to my husband and daughter. To calm me the nurse had me describe my most favorite place on earth, I picked Hawaii. I had to say what I was wearing, what the weather was like etc. As I entered the OR I said I was drinking a Lava Flow, Dr. S said it better be a low carb one. Then they scooted me onto the OR table, all sorts of folks were surrounding me. Dr. S asked how I was doing and I said okay but more importantly how are you doing? Always the jokester, he said fine but I'm a little shakey and hung over. That was the last thing I remembered until waking in recovery. My first thoughts upon awakening were: 1) should I be waking up or am I still in surgery and 2) it's done! They sure don't let you come out of the anestesia slowly, the nurse had me sitting up right away and walk with assistance to the bathroom. She then put me in a wheelchair to await transport to radiology for the swallow test. Well there was miscommunication there and Isat there for about 30 min. I got really whoozy and nauseaus. I called for a nurse and they promptly put me in a recliner where the rest of my recovery was going to be and rehooked up my IVs. She said it was from sitting there too long and with no IV. Finally they came from radiologoy, that wasn't real pleasant but not painful. I was still too much in zombie land. After that I go back to my recliner and my husband and daughter meet me there. I got the shivers/shakes real bad and they kept piling warm blankets on me and then put some demerol in my IV. She told me to remember that for next time I ever have surgery that I react that way. She said it was fairly common to get the shakes. Then my 1 oz every 15 min of liquids started and had to do that for 2 hours before being considered to go home. 1 oz every hour was Protein. After a short nap (probably from the Demerol) I felt much better and was heading for home about 630pm. Today is day 3 and I've not taken any pain pills and am feeling pretty good. Have a weird pressure type feeling by my port and a really growly tummy and a little bit of diarrhea. I am nervous for when I start having mushies. So far I can pretty much drink anything. I carry a Water bottle with me and try to get in 70 to 80oz water a day. I never needed the gas-x strips nor the toilet tongs! Never got the shoulder pain either, he said he tries to suck most of it out before closing up after surgery.

That's my experience, next???

OK, I am only 5 days out and wondering if my stomach growling with hunger is bad for healing. Is it as bad as if my stomach were digesting food? I just keep drinking to get it to stop.

As to the pain, I believe the patients with hernia repair have more pain than those who had no hernia. I was fortunate not to have the hernia and am having an easy time of it.

WW used to promote personal mantras - anything short and meaningful to you can work. I think it is a great idea.

Good luck to all! I can't wait for thicker liquids then mushies!

Edited June 30, 200818 yr by brown bear
forgot something

Hi all...Just checking in. It will be two weeks tomorrow since my surgery. I can honestly say that this surgery was a breeze. Had MAJOR trouble though with shoulder pain. Met with my surgeon a week ago and he said he knew that it would not be easy with the shoulder pain he thought I might have. I attributes it to the hernia repair. (My hernia was larger than a baseball) Anyway, things are starting to calm down in the shoulder. I cannot take pain meds so it has been a long two weeks. Screaming pain every time I swallowed (even saliva).

I never even felt my incisions. Eating is going great. Doc put me on soft foods last week and tomorrow I start regular. I am eating about 1/3 cup of food three times a day and I am full. Not much hunger between meals. I can already say that I think this is one of the best things I have done for myself. I am down over 60lbs (includes pre-op diet). I am so happy and can already see the difference in my outlook on life.

Hope everyone is doing well and recovery quickly. To the last of the June Jazzies.....Good luck in surgery today and God Bless.

Wow Apples, you are doing great!! Over halfway to goal already!!! You just might be the first June bug to reach the goal!! Awesome!!

As for pain and hernia repair, I had hernia repair, but minimal pain. I took a pain pill the first night, but I think it was more for sleep than pain. I had no gas pain whatsoever and really pretty much breezed through it. My biggest complaint was how tired I was, I took an afternoon nap every day for almost 3 weeks. Must be the age thing and harder to bounce back. I'm now on solids and feeling wonderful. Off b/p medications already, slowing starting to workout, my incisions are about all healed. I still see some glue (no stitches) and think it's a matter of that coming off, the incision looks healed behind it, but I don't want to pull it off.

Just think at the end of today, we are all post op.

Yeah, I can finally add myself to the POST OP crew!! Got into surgery around 7:30 this morning and got home around 5pm. Everyone was so sweet and made me feel at ease. Coming out of surgery was a little scary but the morphine got me through!!

I stopped by 7-11 on the way home and picked up a crystal light slurpee and it's been a God send!!! I need to make a protein shake sometime tonight to see how that works. Really looking forward to getting to the mushy stage!!

The gas pains in the shoulder are not fun but tolerable. I can totally understand how someone could mistake gas buildup in the shoulder as a heart attack. Getting up and walking around or just standing helps get rid of it pretty well.

So glad to be home and banded!! ~Tai

Edited July 1, 200818 yr by tai68

Hi everyone, I thought I would check-in. I am 17 days post-op and down 25 pounds since my surgery! I am sooo excited but seem to be at a stand still. I am trying to have patience and just work my way through this plateau but it is so hard. I upped my exercise routine and added extra brisk walks throughout the day but the scale will not move...UGH!! I have been doing the stairs at work and am hoping that I am adding muscle mass and that's why the scale isn't moving but it's still upsetting. I have to stay strong and not get discouraged by every stand still...I know there will be many more!!

Hi everyone, I thought I would check-in. I am 17 days post-op and down 25 pounds since my surgery! I am sooo excited but seem to be at a stand still. I am trying to have patience and just work my way through this plateau but it is so hard. I upped my exercise routine and added extra brisk walks throughout the day but the scale will not move...UGH!! I have been doing the stairs at work and am hoping that I am adding muscle mass and that's why the scale isn't moving but it's still upsetting. I have to stay strong and not get discouraged by every stand still...I know there will be many more!!

You have lost 25 lbs in 17 days? That's awesome. I don't think that's a plateau. I think that's freaking fantastic! I know that first week or so after surgery we see that scale dropping like crazy every day and we get really excited. Then it stops, for me it was when I hit mushies. I thought oh no, I'm not losing anymore. But, you know, the body is sitll recovering. It's in shock from surgery, the rapid weight loss, etc. The goal in this first 6 weeks is to heal, more weight loss will come, for me it was after i started solids but at a much slower but still good rate. Hang in there it will happen, but please don't get discouraged with 25 lbs in 17 day!!

Hi all,

Glad to see everyone is doing well. I am so glad to be done with the surgery, which was 6/30. My gas pains are pretty intense, which makes it hard to take anything in. The more I try to drink, the more bloated and uncomfortable I feel. I am doing plenty of walking to help get rid of it.

I think I am going to make some hot mint tea. My grandmother use to make us hot tea when we had belly aches and that usually helped a great deal.

I have also been using a heating pad, but had to quit using it on my stomach bc it left me with some red marks around my incisions. So using that for back discomfort only.

Well take care everyone. Will be checking in regularly to see how everyone is getting along.

Sincerely,

Stephanie

ok no one seems to be in a lot of pain. i had my surgery on monday. it is wednesday and i am in a dreadful amount of pain. it hurts so bad. i walk and i do gas x and i have no relief. am i just a total wimp?

ok no one seems to be in a lot of pain. i had my surgery on monday. it is wednesday and i am in a dreadful amount of pain. it hurts so bad. i walk and i do gas x and i have no relief. am i just a total wimp?

No I just think everyone is different. Every surgeon maybe a little different in technique. Mine said he tried to suck out all the gas before closing and evidently did, not once did I have any gas pains, however several years ago I had another laproscopic procedure and the gas was awful. I think every body is different and everyone has a different pain threshold as well. Hang in there, it will get better!

ok no one seems to be in a lot of pain. i had my surgery on monday. it is wednesday and i am in a dreadful amount of pain. it hurts so bad. i walk and i do gas x and i have no relief. am i just a total wimp?

Not at all. Or if you are I am too! Only close to three weeks on did I not feel ANYTHING. Even last weekend I felt a bit of a pull around the port when doing housework. I finally got to the point of no serious pain about 5 days afterwards. I finished to liquid vicodin when people were saying they didn't take it at all!

Everyone is different. Some say they feel like they did a bunch of sit up, others, like me, felt like they were punched repeatedly in the stomach and then stabbed with several swords. And I am the woman who didn't think a c-section was that bad!!

I am feeling much better today. The gassy feeling is finally now starting to break up, which is a big relief.

Msmaurany,

I have a very high pain tolerance. Tuesday evening and Wednesday, I thought I was going to die. I too felt that beat up and stabbed feeling, but now it is starting to fade a little. I didn't want to appear weak to my fiance, because he was against this from the beginning and he probably would have just been mean and said I asked for it. All in all things are slowly getting easier. I can't wait to shower today. I could have yesterday, but just hurt too much.

I am more than halfway through my pain meds and will keep taking them. I tried to be strong and just take regular tylenol, but the pain was just too bad.

Hang in there; it will get better.

Sincerely,

Stephanie

had my surgery june30th not having gas in the shoulders just pain and bloating especially in port area but feeling alittle better today

thanks everyne. now i dont feel like such a freak lol. today is a little better gas wise but the soreness is still there. im just worried i wont be ok mondy and i have to go back to work on monday. hope everyone has a good 4th

It's odd...today is day #4 of recovery (if you count surgery day) and I have to say the discomfort is probably higher than it was yesterday or the day before....but I'm guessing that by this point in time, ALL the anesthesia is out of my body and I am truly feeling what has been done to me.

It feels like I've done a gazillion sit ups and then been sucker punched in the stomach a few hundred times. The gas pains in the shoulders comes and goes. I am having a hard time getting used to the bloated feeling that comes after I've finished a protein shake or glass of crystal light. I'm really hoping that goes away soon!!

The other thing I seem to feel is a bit short of breath...that it is a challenge to get in a full deep breath w/out feeling it in the pit of my stomach and a bit of tightness in my chest. The doctor told me that the anesthesia may cause fluid in the lungs and to do breathing exercises. I'll be glad when this part has passed!!

Weigh loss wise....well, not an ounce. But I know that realistically the chances of having a loss the first few weeks is limited. Can't say I'm not disappointed but this is where patience will come in handy.

Hope all you other lovely Jazzy Junes are doing spectacular!! Happy Fourth of July to all!!

Tai,

Please keep up with those breathing exercises. The Fluid buildup can cause pneumonia and that is not the effect we are wanting. With all the pain and trauma to the abdominal area, we tend to not take in as deep a breath as we should and our activity is decreased. This causes the build up. Along with the breathing exercises, this is where walking is also important, as well as taking in those fluids to keep those secretions thin.

I have been doing mine about every 2-3 hours, because that is what we usually do at work with our kids that have abdominal surgeries. The first time it made me cough, I though my gut was going to split, but out came this thick phlegm. YUK!!!!