Question:
I am two days post op and I'm kind of concerned...
I woke up in the hospital this morning, and my hand that had the IV in it was swollen. After a few hours and me going home, my hand is still swollen. Is this normal? Also, my stomach is still killing me which is making it hard for me to know if it's my stomach feeling full or just my incisions hurting. Any suggestions as to how to get the pain away? — nubiangodess624 (posted on July 27, 2008)
July 27, 2008
Every day you will feel a little better, but just stick to the diet, get up
and walk and plan your excerize that you are going tob e doing in two weeks
and sip 100 oz of water each day. IV arms swell from the amount of liquid
that you have taken during and following surgry. See how it looks in the
morning, and if still concerned call the discharge nurse, your your
sergeons office. The insision on the left huets for a few days up to at
least a week after surgery. It is where the cameras, tools and staplers
are inserted during surgery and they dtitch your stomack to your adabon
wall there as well. Goive it some time.
— William (Bill) wmil
July 27, 2008
Swollen area around IV's can happen. Some initial pain can be seen from the
surgery too. Pain meds are normally prescribed for the first couple of
weeks post op. you failed to mention if you had OPEN or LAP RNY. Smaller
incisions from LAP should not hurt. Sometimes the staples can
"bind" or the steri strips over them can irritate the skin too,
causing a rash. DAVE
— Dave Chambers
July 27, 2008
I don't have anything much different to say than Will really as he is
always a good source of information.
I am pretty impressed that you are just home and have the where with all to
get on the computer. When I got home, I wanted fish anesthesia (a wrench
to the head) and my recliner.
Your hand: it is common to have some swelling after surgery from the IV
fluids and the trauma from the surgery itself. The IV could have
infiltrated and some fluid actually leaked out of the vein and under your
skin if it is swollen larger than your other hand. If so, elevate it and
place a warm, wet cloth over it several times a day.
Of course your stomach is killing you, you just survived major surgery.
Your belly filled full of gas, your stomach carved up, plumbing reconnected
and sewn back up. You should expect to feel rough for a while. I know you
probably are asking yourself "what have I done" which is common.
Just try to take comfort in knowing that each day will get a little better
from here on out. Take your pain meds, do your deep breathing exercises
every hour, walk walk walk to get the gas bubbles up and out and try to
take it easy.
If you feel like something is not right, contact your surgeon right away...
they are always the best source. We can give advice from our own
experiences and jobs (I've been an RN for 22 years), but we are not to
replace them.
Good luck and feel better,
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
July 27, 2008
I'm 18 days post op. I remember when I came home, the hand with my IV in
it was VERY swollen, that took a few days to go away. My stomach was also
very sore and hurt. I couldn't sleep in my bed and ended up sleeping on
the couch so I could get up to use the bathroom. I think it's normal what
your feeling and it WILL get better day by day, you'll notice the
difference when you wake up in the morning. If you think you're in too
much pain, just call your doctor's office just to relieve your worried.
Best wishes!
— Kar708
July 28, 2008
yeh I had both hands swollen for a while after surgury it well go down and
so well the pain just keep walking it hurts now but the walking helps it go
away faster I am three months out and doing great trust your own body it
well tell you what you need, be strong you can do it....
cathy berry
— bratta
July 28, 2008
The day before I left the Hosp., with my IV still in the back of my hand, I
woke up and it was all swollen, so they just removed the IV. The next day,
the day I left the Hosp. The swelling had gone down. They said it was from
fluid leaking out. Besides the insistions in your stomach, during surgery,
they blow your stomach up with gas. It might be the gas disapating that is
causing the pain. That's what happened to me. A mild pain reliever seems
to help, like liquid Tylenol. Good Luck, Paula B.
— paulajaneb
July 29, 2008
Could have been that your IV was going bad. I am a nurse in a hospital,
and when that happens, we remove the IV and elevate the hand. It goes down
after a while, depending on how much fluid escaped into the tissue. If
warmth or ice makes it feel better, do that. You should have been
prescribed some pain medication, by all means take it and take a nap. They
do alot of manipulating through those tiny holes, and it is going to hurt.
Good luck to you, I have surgery a week from today!
Penney
— penneynurse
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