Post op day 3

Well I thought that I would share about my experience in case anyone was cuious. 

I had to be at the hospital at 5:15 for a 7:30 surgery.  I stayed up the night before because I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep at all.  Everything went smoothly although the guy that was taking my blood screwed up several times which was a first for me.  I have good veins on my right side and he insisted on taking from my left and putting the iv on my left.  I wonder if that really mattered or what.   I have terrible bruises from he bad work. 

While in the waiting room just before surgery I started to get very nervous and even cried some.  After such a long journey to get to that point I didn't thikn I would be that scared but I was. 

I can remember going into the operating room and laying down on the table them telling me how my arms will be put to the sides then I remember waking up in the recovery room.  While in recovery my first few minutes I was scared because I felt like I couldn't get a deep breath in basically because it hurt.  I was teling them I couldn't breath and they said I was fine so I ended up telling myself to try and calm down and try and fall asleep because it would go away which it did.  I just couldn't fill my lungs up because it hurt too much. 

I was in recovery for many hours till they finally got me a room.  My doctor came up and walked with me.  It hurt pretty bad and I hated it.  I kept telling my doctor that it sucked and he was laughing. 

The whole hospital experience was uneventful for the most part.  I was lucky enough to get my own room.  I was in a lot of pain the whole time and had to request pain meds several times.  The floor had many other weight loss patients oddly enough and I was the youngest.  lol The only really crazy thing that happened to me was after they removed the catheter I couldn't urinate.  So after like 8 hours of not urinating they had to scan my bladder and decided to put another catheter in to drain it.  That was not cool at all since I was wide awake and pretty much knew the nurse and PCA.  My bladder was very full though so I suppose it was a good thing.  But after that I couldn't urinate again so after another 8 hours of not going I had to get another catheter and again my bladder was full.  So thankfully after the second time I have been able to go fine by myself but that really stunk. 

Overall my hospital experience was great because the staff was fantastic.  Everyone of them were great.  I was very lucky that they were all so nice. 

I got home yesterday and I am not doing too great.  I am super sore.  I can find a postition that is not too bad but overall I am on the high end of being in pain.  I had prepared myself to be okay with the pain because I have had a child and thought that was not that bad but I was wrong because I am in horrendous pain at times.  Now that said I know this will still be worth it.  I am still happy with my decision but I feel sorry for myself that I read some people are just on tylenol post op and feel great.  That is totally not the case for me.  I haven't eaten anything and I am struggling to get my liquids in.  The pain is making me feel nauseated and the discomfort is all I can think about. 

I don't want to discourage anyone with my pain issues because I know from reading that my pain is apparently not all that common.  I had planned on trying to get back to my regular life some this weekend but I don't think that is going to happen unless I can go to the cub scout meeting in my bathrobe.  lol

Well that is all I can think of to share.  I would be happy to answer any questions if you have any.  And if you are post op with the pain I am having please share because more and more I am worried I am by myself in that boat.

I'm achy and feel like I've been hit by a bus. I have to take my pain meds too. If I stand up, it feels like my incision is going to open up. But other than that, i'm happy and glad I did it. I know the pain will go away soonn and it will just be a faint memory so that's what I'm looking forward to. LOL My binder is bothering me too. But I have really sensitive skin so I'm getting a rash from it. Congrats on your surgery and hopefully your recovery will speed up and be less painful.

Thank you for sharing your experience. As a pre-op I am interested in every detail!! Im glad both of you had uneventful surgeries!! Cant wait to join you!!!

awww Dar.....I hope you start to feel a bit better after a few more days. Idont know what it is like for you to have an open RNY since mine was laproscopic! You tough through it girl!!

Hugs
kelly

I'm sorry about your pain...did you have an open rny?  If so, just for a little gauge on pain...when I had my c-sections, by the fifth day most of the pain was gone...hopefully in a couple more days your pain will be gone as well.

I am actually had laproscopic RNY.  lol I know my pain sounds like an open procedure but nope it was lapro.  I did pose this question about my pain on the over 50 bmi board because my starting bmi was 57 so I thought that maybe it had to do with my initial weight being higher than many.  The responses there were all different.  One thing that I remembered was someone said that surgeons may have to manipulate your organs more than another patient so that could be part of it.  Right now though I am feeling the terrible build up of gas which may have been what was going on initially but I couldn't pin it down.  My hubby got me some gas x so I hope that it works fast.  I am up and moving a lot though too much more than all the other people on the floor where I was at the hospital.  When the nurse called me today I asked her if it was possible that I overexerted myself a lot initially and I am paying for it now and she thought that was a very possible scenario combined with the gas. 

I have to say though is anyone else here getting terrible bruises from the lovenox shots.  I am a bruiser to begin with but I was kidding that it wasn't really fair that I my arms were hurting now. 

All in all I am trying to hang in there I know for sure there will be a day when I will feel great and no matter what it is worth it.  I am just very envious of the people that feel awesome right now.  Well okay I am jealous I want to feel awesome too.  LOL

Again though for anyone preop I am more than happy to answer any questions.  Feel free to pm me if you prefer to ask privately.  I know I prefer to know the ins and outs of every little thing. 

{{{Hugs}}}, I am so sorry that you ar ein so much pain.  I think that we are all so different.  I pray that I do not have that much pain but if I do...well...it will be worth it!  Thank you so much for sharing!  Now what are these shots you are talking about?

The shots are the lovenox shots.  They are for blood clot prevention.  I thought that everyone came home with them.  I can't give them to myself so my hubby does it for me.  You have to inject it into the fat so in the hospital they showed him to put it in upper arm.  I have always bruised easy though so these make me look like I got into a fight. 

I have heard that some need it and some don't.  I realy hope that I don't.  :-)

they gave me hepparin (sp?) while I was in the hospital to thin my blood, but not since I've been home. YEP... lots of bruises. I'm an easier bruiser as well. My whole body looks like it's been in a fight. LOL