I, too, had my surgery at Tufts. I woke up in pain and the pain pump was there for me. You won;t wake up in the OR - I remember the nurse coming to me and telling me to relax. I did and that helped. And, again, the pain pump will not allow an overdose so every time you think you need pain meds, PUSH IT.

It was tough getting up and walking.  The biggest thing I remember is the dry mouth. The swabs helped some but I brought Biotene mouthwash with me to the hospital. It really helped. I remember asking the nurse if it was okay and she asked if it was swallowed. TOld her you just swich it in the mouth and she said it was okay.

Good luck with your surgery! I look forward to welcoming you to the loser's bench - it is a great place to be.

Well, I already had the hotel room - booked at the Tufts rate because due to the time of year, they had that rate available.I was glad just to get over to the hotel and not have to stay in recovery.

And, I was real happy just to get the surgery done and over with. There was no space in the schedule in the next few weeks and I didn't want o t have to deal with the pain anymore.

Ahh, yes - St. E's was the other hospital I was thinking of that did the VSG! Thanks Flower =)

Thank you Kate.

Everything was a blur at first to me too ... I woke up in the PACU and kept saying I had to pee really bad .. they kept telling me go ahead, just pee (didn't realize I had a catheter in LOL) and I was so afraid I was going to pee my pants haha!

The pain the first night was pretty bad, I couldn't get comfortable and kept pressing the pain button. Granted, the medication is on a time release so no matter how much you press the button you won't always get it (damn it! lol)

The second day the pain was much better. The first night and the most of the second day the nurses will have you up and walking around your room or the hospital floor... this is absolutely crucial that you get up and walk. After that the pain subsides a little. I didn't have much pain when I went home. You will be sent home with a rx for painkillers too, don't worry.

At home I was in pain the most when I tried to go to sleep. I always sleep on my side so it was difficult to do that because of the incisions. Also, I would sink down into a big comfy chair to watch tv and when I would try to get up that would hurt a lot. Everyone is different for pain. I know some people who never even took one painkiller after surgery and then I know others who took them all. I did take mine, but had some leftover as well (boy those came in handy with I came down with a case of the mumps lol.)

Best of luck on your surgery and I wish you a speedy & non-painful recovery