Bloated / pain / liquids
I had my surgery last Friday, June 12th. I was in a lot of pain in the hospital and they never really gave me enough pain medicine. I was a revision from a lapband to RNY, but I did have the lapband taken out 6 weeks prior. Still when the surgeon did the RNY it took over 3 hours as he said I had a lot of swelling and scaring. I don't feel tons of incision pain, but I keep feeling this sort of internal bloating type pain. I wake up feeling this pain. I have a little pain med left, but I keep rationing it..afraid I'll run out and the doctor won't give me more. It's hard for me to get all my liquids in. My urine is so dark and strong smelling. I am 36 and I've been quite emotional. I just want to sleep all day. It's hard to wake up, take my vitamins and regular pills, drink my fluids, do my exercise, and still be able to stay awake. Right now I want to take pain meds, but am afraid of running out. I should go back to bed..had to get up to help take care of my 13 month old daughter who's diaper overflowed and she needed to be cleaned up and fed. My wife had RNY and is trying to be hard on me, but I need compassion. Yes I need to move more and push fluids, but I also need a hug. I feel worried as I need to be read to go back to work in around a week.
I'm so sorry you're having a rough time. I wish I could give you a hug. A couple of things; first, you have to get your pain under control. You're not doing yourself any favors rationing your pain med. Take it as needed. Second, don't worry about exercising your full program this early. Take several walks a day to help with pain, but don't try to be superman. Your body is HEALING. You have to take care of yourself. Let the wife get up and care for the baby right now. You need to, HAVE TO take care of yourself. And third, you MUST drink your fluids. I'm 8 mos out and it's still very hard for me, I understand your pain. Sip your water all day and I guarantee you will feel better! Try other liquids if water is too hard. I can drink warm liquids much more comfortably than cold, so experiment with warm tea or other liquids. Tell the wife to remember you had major abdominal surgery one week ago!!!
Take care and best of luck to you. ((Hugs))
A few thoughts....
First, rest is a must. You've had major surgery and your body needs to recover. Listen to your body.
Water is a must. Truth: Dehydration will land you right back in the hospital. Drink water. If your eyes are open, take a sip.
If you mean walking when you say exercise, be sure to get a little bit of movement in a few times a day. That's it for now. Gotta keep the blood flowing post op, but...Nothing dramatic!
(I wonder if some of the bloating you feel might be gas. Try standing and turning gently from side to side 10 times, a few times a day. My doc recommended this to prevent gas build up and relieve what may be there.)
Take the pain meds. If the pain gets ahead of you, it's hard to catch up with it. If the pain is unbearable, call your doc. You must be close to your post op check up anyway, so maybe you can get in a bit early. You will need a really good assessment to determine if you can be cleared to return to work. Be honest with your doc about the things you describe here.
Remember that even though the incisions are small....the internal work is major. Don't push too hard. Honestly? Don't do things you might regret. Everyone's journey is unique and your wife might feel like you need a little tough love - but the truth is, you're a week out of surgery.
Best wishes as you continue to recover!
I really appreciate all the responses. It feels good to be reminded to take care of myself. I think I've been too hard on myself. I've been pushing myself too hard to avoid pain medicine, too hard to make myself walk too far this soon after surgery. I've also been doing way too much with picking up and caring for my daughter when I need to let my in-laws and wife carry my load for the time being. I feel encouraged to have you all check in with me. Thanks.
I know exactly how you feel. I'm guessing your pain is gas pain. That is what I had and I could hardly get out of bed. My whole tummy was just tight and any movement hurt. I called my surgeon and he told me to take my pain mess every 4 hours. I did just that and used them up,but by the next day I was feeling much better. I was really tired but much better. You'll build your energy back up. It will come over time. Good luck!
