Ok I need to know about your surgery

Thats true, I don`t know why I worry so much. Maybe its because I dont bounce back like I did when I was a few years younger. My husband watched that show with me and he heard them say 1 patient out of 200 will die and he had a fit. I told him I would be okay and not to worry, but secretly I am worried myself. But all this is helping me. I know I will be okay ( hopefully). Thanks so much Holly.

I'll be honest. I can't say there was no pain. I had some pretty intense pain on waking up in recovery. I asked for something and they got to me right away. After that, there wasn't much at all. I stopped the morphine pump after the first day. I was tender and sore on my left side for about 2 weeks. Not unbearable by any means but I was careful with that left side. I also had a problem I've only heard one person on this board mention... abdominal muscle spasms. This was extremely painful, like last stage labor pains. This does not happen to many people so you probably wont have to worry about it. A couple of days with a heating pad and resting more and I was as good as new. If you do have pain, don't be afraid to ask for something. They will give you something for immediate relief. Also, some of my pain may have been related to the fact that I can't stay in one position for long. Immediately after surgery, I turned onto my left side. I'm a side sleeper. Laying that way was probably more painful than if I had stayed on my back. I was constantly turning from side to side. Thank goodness for the inflatable air mattress under me.
People have different tolerances to pain. I always considered myself to have a high threshold but I did have some pain with this surgery. It wasn't as bad as I expected. I've had much worse. Kidney stones are much worse.
Don't be afraid and know that if you do have pain, the nurses will take care of it.
Karen

Thanks Karen, I figure I will have pain, but I am pretty sure I can handle it. I know I will have a neck cath and that  sounds rough but I know I can handle it. I lay on my sides too. I used to sleep on my back when I was about 102 pounds but since I gained the wait I sleep on on side or the other.  It wont be long now, May 18th will be here fast. Thanks for all of your help.

I DO NOT have a high tolerance for pain--but I once I got home, I didn't need ANYTHING for pain--it just didn't hurt. In the hospital they gave me the pca pump, so when I did hurt there it was taken care of quickly. As a former med-surg nurse--try not to "expect" so much pain, it'll only make it worse.  And if you do have pain, IT WILL NOT LAST FOREVER!

Ahhh,if one out of every 200 people die,that means 199! out of every 200 DON'T die! Remember,for every negative that comes up about WLS, make yourself match it with a positive. At least that way you will be getting a faie comparision.
Holly

It is always so much easier than you think it is going to be (except that dang Boot Camp class I took this week, but that's a whole 'nother story...eeeks).....

So, here's my two cents....I woke up from surgery & felt really good.  The worst part....nothing by mouth for 24 hours...my mouth was so, so, so dry.  I mean..it was nothing in the big picture & I kinda laugh about it now.  Once I could use those swabby things and swab my mouth w/water that was resolved.  I was up walking w/in a few hours of getting to my room. I had made up my mind that I was going to do that & I did it.  I made it to the end of the hallway & back & did that over & over.  Of course, I had my pump for pain meds & used it, but I had just had major surgery so, no biggie.

I felt great the next morning...was thinking I was pretty proud of myself b/c it was not that bad. For me (and like Bob said, I think...) the surgery gas (oh...and Denise can attest to this since she came and visited me at Centennial!!) was pretty crazy...it doesn't hurt, per se, but it is uncomfortable....you feel pressure & the sound of it bouncing around in you is nuts. I had never had abdominal surgery before, so that was kinda a shocker to me.  Day two/discharge day was rough, but that's cuz I did get a UTI that sent me back to the hospital for one night's stay & some antibiotics, but once that was cleared up I felt really good again.

Then, over the next two to three weeks things were up & down.  You have your good moments & your bad moments just like being obese.  When you are obese sometimes you feel like crap & sometimes you feel okay....same as post-surgery.  For me, the pain on my left side (not really my left side, but to the left of my belly button) was the worst.  It started out sorta dull, but it got bad.  I have a pretty high tolerance for pain (or thought I did!!! lol!), but that pain was really, really hard for  me.  But, so many others have breezed right through it...I wondered if it was because I had a baby just 23 months prior & two right before that & my ab muscles were prone to injury from being so stretched out w/pregnancy.  I don't know, but there were many times where I couldn't get up or down by myself (& I am pretty active--have never had to have help getting up & down or w/anything....) and the mornings were the worst.  But, I took my pain meds & got through it.  Looking back, it was a very, very, very small price to pay for what I got in return.

Now, I am seven weeks out....my big issue right now is my own fault...I am eating bites that are either too big or I am eating too fast & I am getting food "stuck" a lot.  It does hurt...the pain in your chest is bad when that happens, but that's really my own fault.  The rest is just annoying---frothing, excess saliva, etc....ug. 

So, that's my true story.  I would do it again in a second.  I don't miss the control that food had over me.  I feel like I am in control now & eating clean & healthy & exercising & getting stronger every day.  I never questioned my decision to have surgery after surgery....I did, however, question if I had researched all the post-operative issues well enough because the UTI was bad & the side pain was bad---but never the actual surgery.

I am going to live a long and happy life (God willing!) and get to see my kids grow up & become the great people I know they are.....that is worth giving up everything & going through anything....

You are on you way!!!  Be excited. Stop worrying.  Find your peace.  xo, Micheala.

Micheala keep up with your "stuck" problem stricture appear usually around six weeks out. I've had two simple process they knock you out dilate the stricture send you home no biggie.

I also question the statistic 1 in 200, I've always heard 1 in 1000, but that being said don't look at the National statistic look at your weight loss centers stats. Vandy has done several thousand with one reported death and that was a botched surgery done else where the patient was sent their, they were not successful in saving the patient (this is my understanding). C'ya Bob

Thanks, Bob...this "stuck" thing just started around my 6 week appointment.  Interesting.  I can eat as long at they are tee-tiny little bites & I am sure not to drink anything (I tried to wash something that was stuck down w/a sip of Crystal Lite and OMGoodness...it was so so so painful...ug****ep food & water down.  I did throw up one time when a few bites of eggs were stuck, but mostly it just hurts like the dickens & then goes down.

I talked to Dr. Houston about it at my 6 week & he said it would get better.   Come to think of it, he said it wasn't a stricture unless I was throwing e'thing up (I think that's what he said)....

How did you know you had a stricture?

Like you I thought it was me not eating slow enough, not chewing enough, to big of a bite. Foods just the week before I tolerated I was getting the foamies. So I made a appointment took my food journal (I noted each time I had problem). By looking at my journal they were sure it was a stricture. So they took me right up to surgery knocked me out, dilated my stricture woke up and visited Bamabob who just had his WLS.

I was VERY worried about the whole surgery.  I even told Paula (PDSmiles) that I want to change my mind and this was WHILE they were getting me ready to wheel me into the OR!!

I had my surgery at Baptist.  They were great they explained the procedure and took very well care of me.  I would be suprised if Centenial did not do the same.

All the nurses and Doctors, etc will do everything that they can to keep you as comfy as they can.  If you hurt any while in the hospital please take advantage of the pain medication.  They will not allow you more than you will need.  (I knew when I would get the meds because the machine would beep when it would allow the meds, and would not if it was "too soon")  I did not use the whole amount that they put in the machine.

When I went home really the only discomfort was getting up and down, but nothing that was horible.

The site that they use to insert the instruments will have something that looks like band-aid.  The best way for me to describe the mild pain is like if a cat scratched you, so nothing major.

I will tell you a story.  The only thing that I absolutly HATED was the cathater that they inserted.  It would get caught on everything.  When the nurse removed it it hurt.  I don't know how it is for a woman, but this hurt, well more like sting, but really bad.  There was a point that they were worried that I was not "producing" enough and was wanting to put the darn thing back in.  I told them that that was NOT going to happen and that they needed to call my doctor, because it WAS NOT GOING BACK IN!!

They put me on an IV and that helped and I was fine.

You will be fine, they will take care of you and will not let you "hurt"

Good luck!

Michael.