Tips for the Newbies

Looking for any tips you can provide.

-What to expect the day of surgery?
-What to wear in the hospital.  Does it have to be a hospital gown?
-Common problems
-Things the doc doesn't tell you, i.e. gas, etc.

Share your experiences. 

Thanks all!

Top thing to take to hospital 

Chap stick!!

all the other stuff was non sequential

I wore a borrowed house coat cuz I didn't want to show my butt!!  You will have to wear the hospitla gown because you will have a IV and you will not be able to get anything else on. Also most hospitals will put these things on your legs after surgery that will inflate and keep your blood circulating in your legs.

You will have gas but it is not the same kind of gas you get now. When you have surgery your stomach is blowed up like a snow globe while they are working on your stomach so when they sew  you up all that excess gas has to go somewhere. The best thing to do is walk, walk, walk!!
You may have to sleep in recliner for several days when you come home.

Sip, sip

I documented a lot about my early experiences in my blog and you are most welcomed to read it.

The day of surgery the morning seemed to move by so slowly. When I went into the pre op area, the nurses came by to check on me and made sure that I was warm enough. The surgeon came by to see me and asked me if I was sure that I was ready to do this then he gave me a quick rundown of what to expect. After a few minutes he let me know that the anesthesiologist would stop by to see me and would give me something to relax if I needed it. Then he anesthesiologist came by and checked to see if I needed something to calm my nerves. Then he told me what he'd be doing when we went into the operating theater. They wheeled me in a few minutes later. I was surprised how small it seemed. They put the mask on and straped my arms down... I was in recovery the next thing I recall.... 

I was in recovery for a while and then went the ICU for the rest of the night. This wasn't because there was a problem; it was a part of the protocol at the time. They don't do this anymore at hospital that I used. Now, they have a dedicated baritric ward which is better. I was up off and on most of the night. Not in pain, but up. I had a pain pump and that really helped. I had a dry mouth and glycerin swabs were really appreciated because they wouldn allow any sipping yet. I got up and went for walks several times during the night and was transfered to the main floor the next day. I had a reaction to the morphine and was switched to a different type of pain medication to keep the itching at bay. When my pain pump was removed there was a glitch and I didn't get my oral pain meds in time and the pain got the best of me. We got it back under control, but it was bit rough for a while. I started sipping water and Boost constantly and kept doing so when I went home. When I had my surgery you had to have a Barium swallow test before they would let you go home. By the time my husband had his18 months later, they quit doing that routinely, so it varies from practice to practice and can change with the same practice as new ASMBS guidelines and data become available.

Everyone wears a hospital gown because of the IVs and they generally have you wear those slipper socks. Most programs have Bariatric Gowns available. I had my surgery in June and it was HOT. Unfortunately my room was hot as well, so a small fan worked wonders. Having chap stick was a big help. 

Generally, they don't allow you to go home until you are able pass gas and sometimes void. 

I was sent home with oral oxycontin and used one tablet that was it. Not that I wasn't sore, but I didn't feel the need for heavy duty pain meds either. I was very fatiqued and it took a while to bounce back. 

Wishing you all the best,

Thanks all.  As the day nears I find I'm getting more nervous and want to ensure I find out everything I can possibly find out prior so I'm not freakin' out.  I know there is vast amounts of knowledge out there from those who've walked the same path.