Nervous about surgery, advice?

I'm having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, along with the duodenal switch, done on Tuesday.

My surgeon said that I might have a hard time swallowing pills for a little while.

I've been thinking about this since then, and growing more concerned. My antidepressant pill is not a "horse pill", but a pretty good-sized oval pill. I cannot stop taking it, so now I'm wondering if I cut it in half can I take it that way? But, essentially, it will still be the same size in my new stomach after swallowing both of them...

I'm also wondering how long it was until others felt comfortable drinking protein shakes after surgery?

I'd really appreciate others experience with the first few days after surgery. I'm getting very nervous.

Thank you. -Katie

All the programs are different, some people have protein shakes right away, liquids were never a problem for me but you just sip initially because of the restriction and swelling.

I also had no issue with cutting pills in half, it's what my doctor recommended - cutting them in half helps get them through the initial swelling and restriction, it's ok once you swallow them that are the same as if you didn't split them, in fact that's a good thing! The only thing I would recommend is confirming that your particular med is not impacted if you cut it in half (i.e., having it in two pieces impacts how it's metabolized). I think that's only an issue with time-release meds but I am not a doctor or pharmacist!

Be sure to follow your plans rules on the food progressions and don't be afraid to go slower if you need to (but don't go faster, they have the stages for a reason).

Good luck and don't stress too much before Tuesday; you'll be on the other side of surgery in no time!

Thank you! Yes, I have reached out to my psychiatrists office to ask if it's okay to cut it up, or even cru****

I appreciate your response.

When I cannot get pills down, I take them with a teaspoonful of applesauce. I do split them if they are large and if the doctor says it is OK to split them.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! I had a modified DS in July.

I second what was said about following plans and progressions based on your doctor's advice.

My personal experience is that it wasn't so much the pills I had problems with, it was being able to drink enough at one time to get them down. My practice had me taking pills within a couple hours of surgery. I had a pretty big Tylenol a few times and started taking the Omeprazole almost immediately. They should also review your entire list of medications with you to understand what you need to do for each of them. If they don't, I'd recommend asking.

On protein, I had to sip protein (and water) for five hours to get discharged from the hospital. The shakes were hard for a while due to small stomach, swelling, and thick protein. It took a lot of concentrated effort those first few days to meet goals. It's time consuming but worth it to avoid dehydration.

Best of luck to you!

Hi Kamafu

Don't worry about being able to swallow your Anit-depressant pill.

You can always bit into it and let it dissolve under your tongue.

But maybe check with your doc first.

That's what i do. It doesn't taste nice - but it's a super easy way to take them

:)

Please don't compare yourself with other people. It's your journey, nor someone elses.

It is not a problem to take the pills after the operation; the only thing you should be concerned about is compatibility with the medical preparations you?ll be taking after the operation (if you?ll need them). However, you have nothing to worry about if you have talked about this with a doctor, and he said it would be okay. Talking about protein shakes, the same situation.