Final countdown

Just found this forum today and I'm starting to have some surgery anxiety... figured I would post here and start making some friends  :)

I'm 37 years old with a wife and three young kids (6.5, 5 and 1.5).  I'm about 5'9" and weigh about 335.  My RNY surgery is June 11th.  I'm feeling pretty good about everything but I'm also a little OCD and haven't had surgery since I was 10 years old.  The anticipation is definitely getting to me... how bad does it hurt to get an IV; what will the anesthesia be like; will I have a drain when I wake up; a catheter when I wake up... etc.  I'm sure these things are all normal questions but I also figure that you all have some answers.

Welcome! Every surgical team and hospital are different, but I can at least answer about my own experience. Your doc's clinic can give you more specific answers.

The IV didn't hurt any more than a blood draw, and I didn't even feel it once it was in. The only bad part of anesthesia was feeling nauseous when I woke up, but they gave me lots of phenergan in recovery that both helped the nausea and knocked me out until it was out of my system. By the time I was fully awake up in my room, I wasn't nauseous at all. I didn't have a drain or a catheter during or after surgery. A friend of mine had to be cathed temporarily because she wasn't able to urinate on her own after surgery, but my doc doesn't cath anyone by default.

Good luck with your upcoming surgery!

My experience:  The IV didn't hurt at all, anesthesia was fun, you just lay (lie)?  there and think about Aruba and the next thing you know you wake up in recovery all fixed up.  I didn't have a drain or a catheter.  You may have some initial regret of "poor me" but that will quickly dissipate once the weight starts falling off :) Good luck!