Newbie - tell me about surgery

I had the lap band in 2004, and just didn't lose the weight.  I'm down only 20 lbs from my highest.  Yesterday I went for a consult for a revision to RNY and I'm feeling 99% sure I'm going to do this.  I have the following questions and would really appreciate hearing about your experience.

1.  Did anyone do this outpatient?  My surgeon offers it in patient at a hospital with an overnight stay, or at an ambulatory surgical center.  I'm self pay and there is a big price difference.  My mom is also a nurse and can keep an eye on me, take vitals, rush me to the ER if necessary.  I'm only 36 years old and am very healthy other than being 120 lbs over my ideal weight.

2.  Tell me about your surgical experience from the moment of waking up and for the first few days.  How was the pain?  How much were you able to get up and move around?  What was your post op diet?  Did you regret it right after surgery?  

3.  Do you think I could manage taking only one week off of work?  I have a desk job, and a great boss who would let me work flexible hours the week I come back.

4.  The small risk of death scares the crap out of me.  Any words of encouragement to make me feel better about this risk?  I have a 5 year old and can't imagine messing up his life by dying.

Hi Go.... You can find a million answers to these questions with the search icon at the top of the screen.  You may find this exact post verbatim :)  I use it a lot while I am waiting on folks to answer.  I am so happy that I had RNY last march and wish I had done it sooner ...

Scarlette

Yes, a search of the forums will bring you tons of info, but here's the scoop from my point of view!

1. I was inpatient for 2 nights. Simply the time required for prep, anesthesia, and recovery will be a long day. Remember, although the incisions are small, the procedure is BIG. Also, I was slow to wake up from the anesthesia and required some adjustment of pain medication in the hospital so the overnight was a must. As for the option of being rushed to the ER - remember that the first person to see you there would not be your surgeon. I understand the financial stress - but wow, I'd err on the side of caution here. See what your surgeon says - he or she does this all the time, and they can help you make the best decision. 

2. No regrets for me. Not one! As I said, my wake up was a little slow so I was put on oral (liquid) pain medication in the hospital vs. the IV pain medication. I was in the hospital 2 nights. My doc (and the nurses) enforced a LOT of walking during the day and gentle stretches (side to side) to alleviate gas buildup. Mostly I was walking, sipping, and dozing during my hospitalization. I threw up once - common after anesthesia I guess. And like any surgery the sign that all is going well is the ability to (excuse me) pass gas. I lived 90 min from my hospital so it was a long drive home. Went home w/ a prescription for pain medication which hubby picked up for me. I was tired when we arrived! However, I only needed the prescription pain meds for about 24 hrs after arriving home. The doc recommended children's tylenol melt aways for pain and those did fine - you do have to do the math to get an adequate adult dose however! Post op I was on liquids for the first week or so - tracked it all so I knew how much I was able to consume. I didn't hit the (huge, it seemed) protein target the first couple of days but gradually built up to it. It is important to walk every day once you are home as well - my surgery was in the summer so I walked round and round our culdesac several times a day. Within a week, I was able to attend church and ride along on short errands. 

3. With flexible hours a week off might be do-able. I took 2 weeks, and also had a desk job at that time. However....be sure you have someone to take care of EVERYTHING at home for you because your endurance won't be what you expect. If you go to work, even for a reduced day, that will be IT. You will also need to plan time away for follow up appts. w/ the dr. 

4. Honestly - the risk is higher for your child if he or she grows up with a morbidly obese mom who may live a shorter life because of all the co-morbidities that can - and almost assuredly will - develop as you get a little older.  There are actual surgical morbidity percentages on line that are incredibly small. Remember that when you read the boards here, you often read a skewed view because people tend to post when they have a problem. You can get a free access to the New England Journal of Medicine on line for 30 days - try there, or search in Google Scholar for some medical journal info. We do have some folks here with medical background and they may have some "actual" numbers. But the risk of death comes with living, I guess. For me, the quality of life has far exceeded the risk when it comes to my surgery and weight loss. 

Best of everything to you!

1.  No, I stayed 2 nights in the hospital and was glad of it.  I had a pain pump for the first 24 hours.

2.  I woke up and felt pain -- but not unbearable.  The pain ranged from a 3 to 6 at the worst.  I was up and walking the same day.  The post op diet was clear liquids until discharge, full liquids for 8 days after that, pureed for two weeks, soft diet then solids.  NO, I never regretted anything.

3.  I went back to work 10 days after surgery on my feet.

4.  The big risk of death from obesity is far greater overall.  Every one of my co-morbidities is gone and I am an even better mother now.

I had Dr. Williams for my surgery.  

1.) I would never do this outpatient and I'm lucky I didn't as I had complications.

2.) I was in pain for longer than most since I ended up having a kink in my sleeve, so I had an RNY the following day.  I was in the hospital from Tuesday through Saturday.  I was able to get up and move around right away.  He will give you a binder with your post op diet.  I did regret it briefly right after, but as soon as the weight starts dropping, that feeling disappeared quickly.

3.) I took off 3 weeks but could have gone back after 2 weeks even with the complications.

4.) I did not have a fear of dying.  

Good luck.  When is your surgery?

I think I'm going to schedule it for September, as I need to scrape together about $3,000 more (if I do outpatient.  With an overnight stay, I need another $7,000).

Were you happy with Dr. Williams?

I sent you a message.

My surgeon does many gastric bypass surgeries outpatient, and says at my age and weight it is what he recommends.  However, he said that if I want to pay an extra $4,000 for peace of mind, I can do it at the hospital and have a one night stay.  He said I would be sent home with specific aftercare instructions with symptoms that if they occur, I need to go to the ER.  He said out of the hundreds of bariatric surgeries he's done outpatient, this has only happened once.

Please please do a lot of research before having RNY. I had it. I had a large incision so was in hospital for 4 days. BUT there is sooooo much more to it than the surgery. Your life as you know it will change. It's not thefact you can only eat small portions it's what you eat , when you eat. Malabsorption of vitamins. See at nutritionalist who is familiar with RNY. I would do it again in a heartbeat but friend you need soooo much more reaseach. I wish you the best