New member saying hi

Hello! I live in Ireland and am the proud servant of two wonderful cats. Last year I completed my PhD, so after 4 years I finally had the head space to think about something besides my thesis! So now I have started the process and expect to have either RNY or VSG this summer.

I was on a public waiting list, but with the wait to see various specialists, it would be 3-4 years before I could expect to have surgery, so I decided to go private. I expect my insurance to pay for it, but even if they don't I will still go through with it. Fortunately, medical care in Europe is far less expensive than in the U.S.

I'm looking forward to the surgery, but not the pain afterward! I had my gall bladder removed years ago, and that was a piece of cake; I went to a party the next evening. But after watching hundreds of YouTube videos of patients right after surgery, I know this is going to be a lot worse.

Welcome!

It doesn't have to be way worse. I sometimes wonder if I had the same surgery as some people who had a bad recovery! I was walking my 85 pound dog on day 3, bending to pick up poop. And I didn't take any pain relievers after I left the hospital - I didn't need them. So maybe you're just a surgery champ and will be fine for this one too.

Welcome :)

I found the pain after VSG to be extremely manageable and tolerable. I think I took pain killers for 2-3 days and then just at night for a day or two and then I was great.

I had some pretty good pain but found out my doc does some extra stitching on the bigger incisions to prevent hernia. It was tolerable with meds. Congrats on your decision!

Hello and welcome. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery. I am five weeks post-op and mostly loving it. First let me say that I was not in any pain in the hospital or at home. They gave me a morphine pump in the hospital, and they really managed my pain. They sent me home with percocet, and I used them for two days at home and that was one in the morning and one at night. I moved to Tylenol during the day.

The hardest part was balancing trying to get all the protein and water in. I also would add Genepro protein in my food, which would cramp my stomach so I learned to be creative with my food by eating lots of cottage cheese, cheese, and anything else high in protein.

I feel great and in five weeks I'm down 32 pounds; however, where I'm struggling is with my vitamins. Trying to figure out if I'm having a deficiency or not. Other than that, things have been good and I'm so glad I had the surgery. It has already changed my life and it will definitely change yours for the better. Just stay positive and have a good support system around you that will listen to what you have to say, hear your frustrations, and help you. That's what has truly helped me.

Keep in touch and good luck!

I think people forget that everyone's body, surgery, and pain tolerance is different. Try not to focus right now on the impending pain, because that's just going to psych you out and you aren't going to know until you know. There seems to be a wide range Of "that was nothing" to "damn, that hurts."

I had one woman tell me that it was comparable to menstrual cramps...well I'm not sure what kind of cramps she has but she should probably see her doctor.

Now, it may be because I was 350 pounds the day of my surgery, but I had some trouble with getting on and off the toilet the first day because of leg weakness and stiffness. I had horrible gas pains the first two days (I walked at least 5 times a day) and taking deep breaths hurt. Around day 4, my pain was about gone and I felt fine (unless I tried to drink something too fast.)

All in all, it was NOT a bad recovery experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

:-)

Hahaha about the menstrual cramp comment. Since, yes, that's about how it was for me and, yes, I should probably see my doctor about my cramps ;) (But experience has taught me my doctor will handwave it and I'll be stuck continuing to have horrible cramps.)

I suppose I'm lucky, my cramps are never more than a mild annoyance.

Now, my wife had TERRIBLE cramps and we mentioned it to our OBGYN (we are in the process of artificial insemination, getting our ducks in a row) and after running some tests and a transvaginal US, she discovered she has PCOS.

Doctor said she's probably had it for years. Crazy.

Oh man I forgot to mention the gas. Glad you did. Felt nothing like menstrual cramps for me either.

I've had perhaps 5-6 surgeries over my lifetime and VSG was the least painful for me. My PS after WLS caused more discomfort (though also not as much as expected). I used the pain pump in the hospital the first day and part of the second (I had surgery at 3, so probably for about 24 hours). They gave me Toradol for the remainder of the second day and I went home early the next day with a prescription for Percocet. I never took any of them because I didn't need them.