3 more days!
I am 3 days til my DS. i find myself So excited & completely scared at the same time. I've never even spent more then a few hours in a hospital and that's when i was very young. I am just asking for any last min advice from anyone on anything.
Hospital stay? Pain?
Questions i should be asking to doc or nurse?
Once at home how is the pain?
I very much appreciate it. Thank You
I had my surgery almost 2 weeks ago. The hardest but most necessary thing you can do for yourself is to get up and walk as soon as possible. The more you walk the faster you heal. At first you really have to push yourself. I would have the nurses come in and get me at certain times during the night just so I could get up and move. And second, have a lot of variety of foods for your liquid diet- it gets boring and the head hunger can be tough at times. I have learned so much from the women on this board . They are sage with experience and can help you in so many ways. I have come to them with a lot of questions and never have I felt like it was a stupid question.
Good luck on your surgery! You will do great.
Sharon
Hospital stay? 5 nights due to potassium issues and excess drainage of my JP tube. The doctors wanted to monitor both issues and both were resolved before my discharge.
Pain? Depends on the person's pain tolerance.
Nausea? I experienced nausea at the hospital and the nurses administered anti-nausea meds thru my IV. I did experience some nausea at home but it was alleviated by eating something. Sometimes the nausea was caused by my need to poo. Once the poo came out, the nausea was resolved.
Questions? I asked many questions at the hospital.
Best of luck on your safe and successful surgery and recovery! 
Vicki 
DS (lap) with Dr. Clifford Deveney. Cholecystectomy (lap) with Dr. Clifford Deveney 19 months post-op.
Has not weighed myself since 1/2010. Letting my clothes gauge my progress instead.
I stayed two nights in the hospital after my surgery. Technically could have gone home after the first night, but I got pretty nauseous and I was stubborn about sleeping instead of walking enough that first day - even with my husband there bugging me all day. Sometime through the second night the nausea passed and I was able to drink more. The second day I got myself on a strict schedule - drink, drink, drink, walk, short nap; repeat.
I had very little pain by the time I went home except when getting out of the chair. I didn't take pain meds after two days at home (only took it those two days at night to sleep). I have had quite a few surgeries, and I've always been lucky (or tough?) with pain levels.
Questions - not so much questions as seriously pay attention to the doctor or nurse who discharges you, and take notes. Also ask about over-the-counter meds you can take for things like gas, diarrhea, constipation,etc. They'll send you home with pain meds and nausea meds if you think you'll need them. If you go home with the drain tube (J tube), make sure you know how to care for it, when to shower, etc. I had to change the dressing around the drain tube a lot, so if you go home with yours in (probably will) make sure you the hospital gives you plenty of sterile gauze and tape.
Make sure you have your first follow up appointment scheduled with your surgeon and find out if they want you to keep track of drinking, eating, etc. to bring to the visit.
Once you're home - drink, drink, drink, walk, walk, walk - but rest when you feel like it because you will be TIRED. I ate a lot of sugar-free popsicles when I got sick of water. I also drank green iced tea.
Good luck - it's going to be so worth it!!
