a two year veteran ..any questions?

Just want to cheer you on and encourage you if your date is coming up for surgery. although everyones surgery is different, I can tell you of my experiences and my husband who had his almost two years ago. I am no longer diabetic, my health is good and I eat small portions still and feel completely satisfied. Was it worth the pain, fear, and emotional rollercoaster? Absolutely! Her are a few suggestions I hope help: Take mouth swabs with you. You will be very parched and on no liquids for the first few hours, so the swabs help lubricate your lips and mouth. Drug stores carry them or order from the online store here. Get someone to give you a neck and foot massage. Very helpful. Expect the worst pain to be the removal of the drainage tube. I rate that a 10 on a pain list of 1 through 10. Only lasts a few seconds, though. If you are not getting good nursing, complain to the hospital administration. They usually have a hotline for complaints posted in the room or a hallway. I tried to get a breathing treatment for 24 hours until I used my cell phone to call the hotline at 9 PM. Thank God I did. They were there in less than 30 minutes and said my breathing was dangerously shallow. (asthma). The head of pulmonology gave me the treatment himself. Nurses are overburdened, underpaid and speak very little english. The night nurses are the worst. Get someone to sit up with you the first few nights. Get a back scrather. You can't reach at all for a few days. Get a pillow to hold on your tummy for coughing. Buy baby wipes to clean your butt and don't be afraid to ask a spouse or loved one to help. Yeah, I know... but the reaching is painful. Decline the morphine if you can stand it, or ask for something else. It constipates way too much. Drink lots of liqiuds. It really does help. Walk several times a day. You recover faster. Don't be afraid to vomit at least once until you get used to eating small amounts. It is usually mostly phelm and is rarely more than two table spoons. You will get immediate relief. Oh yeah, enjoy getting weighed and buying new clothes. Watch the faces of people who haven't seen you in months. Expect to not recognize your own reflection in a mirror after a few months. Expect flatulence; it is a small price to pay. BTW, I lost 135 lbs. I put back on 20 and have been holding for a year without doing anything special. I want to lose the 20, but I will accept the way I am. From a 5X to a 16/18 ( I am tall) is pretty amazing. Good Luck!

WOW!!! You have given me so much advice. Thank you so much. My surgery is scheduled for next Friday, Aug 3rd. I am getting very nervous. I am more worried about what will happen after than about the surgery itself. But I am learning from more and more people that it's not going to be as bad as I think. But that I MUST follow my doctors orders to a tee or I could have complicatioins. I wasn't planning on having anyone with me when I came home from the hospital but you suggest I do?? I did tell a friend she may need to be here with me to remind me to sip sip sip and to walk some with me. I just don't want to be sick and have a friend her with me. But I guess that is a true test of friendship isn't it.LOL My brother had shoulder surgery in college and his best friend stayed all day and all night with him. He held his head and he threw up from the anesthesia. We knew then that he was a true friend. I have never heard of mouth swabs. What exactly are they??? Will they let you just rinse out your mouth to get that dry thickness out of your mouth??