Questions about Surgury

Hi Everyone, I am new and in the process of being approved for surgury....just in waiting mode. I was wondering if you guys and tell me what I can expect on surgery day and afterwards. I know everyone recovers differently but any advice that you could give to set my nerves at ease would be great. Thanks Jen

I had my surgery last October. From a surgical standpoint things couldn't have gone easier. My issues are in my bed and i still struggle with that ALOT. It seems i'm challenged every day. I have been successful so far but anxious about the future. Make sure you have someone to talk to about it. Good luck.

Hi Beth, I'm also in the works for getting approved,so I was just reading some post. Can I ask you what you mean you struggle in bed? And what type of challeges you have everyday? Concerned, Kathy

There is too much to tell you via the computer so I would love to talk to you about it so please feel free to call me or I can call you. Just email me with your contact numbers and I will call and answer any questions that you may have.

Hey Jen - Although Terry M.'s not on the boards right now - that witch, she's in HAWAII, I know she'll be happy to tell you all about her experience with Dr. Averbach and St. Agnes. She looks wonderful, and has had no complications. She's also lost about 130 pounds since her surgery date. If you'd like to read about my experience with Dr. Von Rueden at GBMC and my year thereafter, which was great, scroll back to my First Year Reflections Post on 8/2/06. WARNING: IT'S LONG!!! Take care, welcome and let us know if you have any questions. Also, please feel free to join us for our get-togethers. We try to have socials every 6 weeks or so. Teresa (Tia)

Hi Jen. You are right, everyone's experiences vary quite a bit. Surgery went well for me. The recover period was quite difficult. I had a drain tube in for almost week. The tube really irriated my pancreas and caused a lot of pain in my upper chest and back, as well as dehydration. I was rehospitalized on my 6th post op day. I came home two days later and felt 100% better after they removed the drain tube. I had a difficult time with eating. I had a very small opening into my new pouch so if I dared eat anything that was not soup thin, it felt like it was stuck. I ate full liquids until about 3 weeks out and then went on to soft food. I didn't do anything pureed, I just chewed really well. I developed lactose intolerance and discovered that milk, protein puddings, shakes, cheese, yogurt, etc, upset my stomach a lot. I have sense overcome most of that. I can now eat cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt without any problems. I still don't drink milk or eat any kind of pudding/ice cream, even sugar free stuff. I don't really mind though. I do miss the milk but I'll survive. I felt like a human being after about 2 1/2 months. I didn't have a lot of energy, in fact, no energy for the first 2 months. I was not a big protein shake person so I probably would have felt a lot better had I consumed a lot more protein than I did. If you can find some sort of protein suppliment that you like, live on the stuff! You'll feel much better a lot sooner. Most people do very well after surgery. I had some minor problems but they were not terrible to go through. It was all worth it! Please feel free to read my profile. Hugs, Robin