Just Curious

I'm planning surgery for the beginning of January.  I meet with the surgeon middle of December to get things settled but I'm worried about my recovery time and how I'll be feeling.  They've told me 2 weeks but will I be able to go back to work as a night shift labor nurse after only 2 weeks.  Is there nausea afterwards? Am I going to be puking like I've heard some people do with other bariatric surgeries.  I've had a lot of friends/family do the RNY or the band, but no one with the sleeve yet.  Totally going through with it either way (just need some nerves calmed) but its so far away and my husband and boss have been asking a lot of questions lately that I can't answer. TIA

2 weeks will be plenty of time.  I felt fine following surgery except the evening following my stay in the hospital.  I  was sick and vomited bile but never again.  I was never that uncomftable and went to my family reunion 1 week after surgery where I participated in games.  My vsg was what easier of a recovery than I ever expected. Good luck 

Sadly no one can really tell you how you'll recover.  Some people have more pain and need to be on painkillers longer than others.  Some have super easy recoveries.  Some people have complications.  It's sort of a crap shoot.  

I'm an OR nurse and took 6 weeks off because we don't have "light duty" at my job and it requires lots of heavy lifting. I've never worked in L&D but your patients are ambulatory so as long as you can avoid lifting greater than 10 lbs, you should be fine. 

I only had nausea the first day, or if I try to drink water too soon after I eat (30 minutes is recommended but I find that I need a good hour or more). I haven't thrown up other than my first day post-op. 

Good luck to you! You'll find this board to be a good resource. Don't hesitate to use the search function as many questions have been asked an answered. :)

I've gotta agree with what everyone else has posted......everyone is different.

I threw up once and I think it was from whatever anesthesia was left in my system.....since then the only time I've ever had a problem was one time when I forgot to take it slow and I gulped some water.......it was a big wake up call.....didn't throw up, but it hurt....and I haven't done it again...learned that lesson really fast.

Best of luck on your journey!

There is no telling how you'll bounce back. You shouldn't be vomiting unless you eat too much, too fast, or something you shouldn't be eating.

But one thing you might not avoid is lifting. NO LIFTING anything over 10 pounds for at least 6 weeks. Some docs say 8 weeks.

You'll also be tired for quite a while. By the time you get out of work, you'll be dying for a nap.

This IS major surgery.

Im i reading correctly? you have lost over 200 lbs ? 

Yay nurses!  I used to tutor APA for nurses in grad school:)

I went back to work after a week and a half.  I work in crisis intervention so not much lifting, and I have absurdly high tolerance to discomfort.  (I didn't even take any painkillers).  

I think nausea typically results from a few things.  Some examples: narcotics, food intolerance, eating or drinking too quickly, or a complication.  Being a nurse, I am sure you are aware if there is a surgical complication there will be other signs too (tachycardia, etc).  Leaks and bleeds are basically avoided by going slow with sipping and introducing things, and surgeon vetting.  Don't eat weird purees to be safe, I'd say.  I got a bit more adventurous and I paid for it with nausea.  I also have a super sensitive stomach, and being picky about eating made this much more apparent.  Just be sure to introduce things one at a time so you can determine if anything is making you nauseous.

The biggest issue is adapting to not eating during two weeks when you are around stuff.  My biggest problem was because I am in healthcare, well, there is like food everywhere.  The crappiest food imaginable.  The doctors and nurses here are overwhelmed with it from drug reps.  People always bring stuff in.  Forget lifting and physical crap, that was the biggest hurdle for me.  I think the biggest benefit to weeks off is that you can adjust at home to not eating and avoid food stimulus if you want.  That's highly variable, though, as some of us don't care.  I clearly had food issues...I was watching Food Network an hour after surgery in the hospital unfazed while NPO for 24 hours - I'm weird, okay, lol.  However, I made it and was able to resist.  These days I pretty much can ignore eating all day if I need to, though I do not unless emergencies occur.