DR Bell and Pain meds after surgery

Those of you that had Dr. Bell, is he stingy with the pain meds after surgery. From what I have been reading this surgery comes with a great deal of pain afterwards and I hate those doctors that think that you should suffer and bare it. In my eyes there should be no need to be in pain your first weeks out. Does Dr. Bell prescribe pain meds sufficiently or is he one of the stingy ones. Also does he use the blue liquid to see if your pouch is leaking before he closes you up? Lauren

Lauren, I think that you have some great questions but alot of them will be answered at either the support group meetings or definitely at your educational session with Dr. Bell. But to answer these particular questions I will tell you the Dr. Bell has no desire to see anyone in pain. He has you on the morphine pump when you wake up from surgery and also prescribes toradol (sp?) that is given through the IV. You are given a prescription for liquid pain medicine when you meet one on one with him for your pre-ops. You should fill that or have someone in your family fill it so you have it when you get home from the hospital. Honestly though I never took any of the liquid pain medication when I was at home. The most I took was some liquid tylenol for headaches which were due to low blood sugar but it took a while to figure that out....... I did really use the morphine pump in the hospital either. When the procedure is done laproscopically you have alot less pain, no inscisions to speak of etc. I was really suprised at how little discomfort I had. Now that doesn't mean that no one has pain but I didn't. As far as the leak test goes........Dr. Bell does one on the table and then another one with a barium swallow the next morning. Its pretty cool to watch. Let me know if you have more questions.......... Linda

Hi Lauren, I had my surgery 4 weeks ago today, and, like Linda, I didn't use the pain med when I got home. Bottle is still full and sealed. I used the morphine pump to try to sleep the first night in the step down unit, cuz it was noisy. Like Linda said, he checks for leaks on the table and the next day you go for a swallow test again before they start you on water and Ensure. Dr. Bell is a very compassionate doctor and works to make you as comfortable as possible. He's awesome! Good Luck. JA

Good questions Lauren, First of all, Dr. Bell is THE best - he wants to be sure we are comfortable and well taken cared of. Like the others said, you get the morphene pump - which I loved! Ask Linda or Kathy M. to tell you stories about me while I was on it I used some of the pain medicine at home, but not much. He gives you PLENTY - so not to worry. Also, like the others said, he does 2 leak tests, one on the table to check for air leaks and liquid leaks, and then the barium swallow the next day - just to be sure! Hope to meet you soon. God Bless, Kathy Bilodeau Lap RNY 12/3/03 -98 lbs.

Lauren: Like everyone else said Dr.Bell tests you 2x for leaks. One while you are still on the table and the second is the day after surgery. I had minimal pain. I had a morphene pump in the hospital and toradol thru the IV. Dr.Bell also gives you an RX for liquid Roxcette (tylenol w/Codene) for at home. I only needed that a few times. He really makes sure you are not in any pain. Since the surgery is done lap the pain is pretty minimal to begin with. Dr.Bell will go over all this and more when you attend the group meeting prior to getting your surgery date. Also the monthy support group meetings are also a GREAT place to get info and ask all your questions to other pre & post ops. Chryssie

Lauren: Dr Bell is THE BEST. I had surgery with him on 4/5. If there is ANYTHING you need, he'll help. He is compassionate, caring and attentive. Don't be afraid to tell him what you want or need. I had to call him the first weekend I was home because I was having a weird pain in my side. He called me back within 30 minutes and spent a lot of time making sure I was ok. As far as pain meds go, I didn't need them when I got home. I had two full bottles and only used about 1/4 of the first bottle. The rest got dumped. But don't compare yourself to me or anyone else. If you need the pain meds, take them. Do whatever you have to do to make yourself feel good and to heal. Don't hold yourself up to anyone else's standards. I only pass this along to try to make you feel better. If you have any other questions about surgery with Dr. Bell, don't hesitate to ask. My email is [email protected] Congratulations and good luck. It's soooooooooooo worth it. I've lost 92 pounds and I feel incredible. Mary Y