Home from the hospital, yay!

Hello everyone! I had my Lap RNY on Monday Dec 12th, and last night I was able to come home from the hospital. I was scheduled for surgery at 12:30pm, they got me in on time, and the next thing I remember is being rolled into my hospital room afterwards with my mom waiting there for me. I ended up with 7 small incisions (just covered with tiny steri-strips) and the drain tube/bulb. I must say, it was a nice room. Two rooms actually. One had my (extremely uncomfortable) hospital bed, and a tv, etc, the other room was like a little lounge area with couches and another TV. Not long after arriving in that room, they had me on my feet, and just walked me a few doors down the hall and back. I was not allowed to drink anything until the next morning when they could test the pouch. But in the meantime I am amazed my arm didn't fall off given the number of times my blood pressure and temperature were taken during the night! I was NOT keen on the taste of the liquid they made me sip during the pouch testing. It was not at all like the barium I swallowed in the pre-op, but when it looked like I was going to be ill from the stuff, they gave me some of the white milky barium stuff. I tolerate that MUCH better :D So after a successful test of the pouch, I am on clear liquids. This hospital has a specific bariatric program, so they sent me things I could have- ice chips, water, broth, sugar free jello, and crystal lite. I loved the broth and the jello, but I really had to water down the crystal lite which was way too strong for me. I walked farther on tuesday, and rather fast too. I had to make an effort to keep up with the nurse who was pushing my IV stand. But it wasn't THAT hard to follow her. In general the hospital staff was friendly and considerate, but they were veeerrry slow/busy. My surgeon would write up an instruction (like, remove foley catheter *ahem*...) and it would take 3 hours to actually happen. The worst part of the hospital stay for me was the bed. I just could not find a comfortable position for my back and neck no matter how I adjusted it. So on Wednesday I managed 3 walks, and felt so much better that I was allowed to come home. They removed my drain before I left. At home I am just feeling better and better. I don't need any of my pain medication yet. The area around my incisions feels fine. It's just the rest of my body that feels like I spent too many hours at the gym. When I am sitting down, I feel fine. When I am standing and walking, I feel fine. But to actually go from chair to standing position is a challenge, as is sitting down. Taking a shower today was heavenly! I am doing my best to get all my liquids in and follow my doctor's instructions. I am thankful that I am able to keep everything down so far, though I do burp a lot! I know hydration is important right now, so I have been working on my water all day, along with some more jello, and some broth with protein added. I hope everyone who has had their surgery this week is doing well! --Emily

Welcome home! It sounds like you are doing very well in this process!! I wish you much success in you future!! Blessings, Jacquelyn

Thank you!

Hi Emily, my fellow 12-12'er. I am glad that you are at home and doing well. My hospital stay was awful. The bed was terribly uncomfortable and made me ache. The staff were slow to do anything they said they would do and didn't do some stuff at all. They were nice all the while being slightly incompetant. I didn't get liquids or food until my husband got a little abrupt with them. This was after hours had passed since they said they would be getting me some pureed food to eat. I wasn't allowed to go home until I had eaten pureed food with no problem, and it was very frustrating when they didn't bring it. Of course, everyone was blaming someone else, but in the end, the food service lady was probably right when she said, "these lazy nurses just don't want to do their job." I love being home! Home is great! I hurt going from laying flat in the bed to sitting up and slightly when going from sitting to standing, but all is going well, and I am getting better all the time. Gas has been the biggest nightmare, but infant gas drops are wonderful and help whenever the gas crops up! I would love to stay in touch with some of the people who had surgery the same day as me. I'll be looking for updates from you, hun.