How did you feel post op e.g. like you had been hit by a mack truck or fine???

 I was sick and nauseous the first day after surgery.  I kept throwing up for a few hours from the anesthesia and pain meds. Once that was under control I walked frequently. I never got the really bad gas pain that everyone talks about. I did take my pain meds for a couple days after release when needed. However, I felt good enough that I went back to work 6 days after surgery.

Keisha

I had some gas pain for the first few days, and lingering pain at the drain site because a careless nurse jabbed it in too hard after draining it. But it wasn't terrible. I did not feel like I had been hit by a truck or that I had done 1000 sit-ups (I see people on these boards saying that about sit-ups all the time . . . who ARE these morbidly obese people that do 1000 sit-ups and know what that feels like anyway? Not me!). Anyway, here is how I did feel:

--I had to pee a lot the first few days because I was so pumped full of IV fluids

--I was groggy, tired, and out of it for a couple of days due to anesthesia, pain meds, surgery stress, etc. That gradually got better but I was still very tired and needed to nap every day for a couple of weeks.

--although I didn't have constant pain, my incision sites were tender so that if I accidentally banged into something or stretched too much they would remind me that they were there.

--the day of surgery and the first day after were the worst because that was when I had the most gas pain. not much after that.

Good luck to you, I am sure you will do great -- preparation is key and you have that down

Sorry for hijacking your thread a little OP, but I feel like my question doesn't really merit an entirely new thread. :)

Postops here - are any of you stomach sleepers? I always have been, and I'm not sure how I'm going to survive not being able to sleep on my stomach! How long before you could stomach sleep again?

I am also a stomach sleeper and it was a little more than a month before I could comfortably sleep on my stomach. I kind of propped myself on my side with pillows in front and back. I slept well that way.

I expected the worst, so I wasn't at all disappointed.  DAy 2 hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was very listless the first month, and drinking 64oz a day was a full-time job.

I woke up in the recovery room and had a little pain, but communicated to the nurses and they kept me comfortable. Once I got in my room, all was good. I had no gas pain, no stomach pain, but was very tired. When I came home, I felt like I didn't even surgery, other than feeling thirsty. I had a very good experience. Make sure you talk to the nursers and let them know when you need meds.

Better than I expected.  I was released from the hospital after 24 hours and never needed the prescribed narcotic pain meds at home. Just chewable Tylenol Jr for  the first week. returned  to work within about 9 days. Biggest issue was staying hydrated the first week or 2. Nothing dangerous, but enough to cause a bit of low BP and dizziness on standing. Solved with G2.