Incision - risk of coughing; breathing pain & fevers / diet, gas pain & taking pills

I'm sorry to post like this but I just got home from hospital yesterday and I'm already fretting. I figured I'd wrap this up all in one post rather than bog you guys down with individual ones. I'd appreciate advice on any or all questions. First I wanted to mention that my RNY (distal) was done on Mon. 5/21 at Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood, NJ, by Dr. Elliot Goodmn (with his senior partner, Dr. Hollup also in OR supervising). I also wanted to say that I could have sworn that I read all over this site that there would be NO surgery pain b/c you'd be so drugged up with morphine. WAS I IN FOR A SURPRISE!!!!! Now reading through this site post-op, I'm reading about pain everywhere, so it was definitely my mistake. I guess I wanted this surgery so bad that I was in denial. Anyway, on to questions: 1) My incision is only about 4" long, with metal staples. While in hospital, I discovered the wonderful pleasure of coughing (NOT!!!). I tried pressing a pillow on the incision, then coughing, then I just braced the isicion with my hand & coughed, either way, baby coughs. Dr. said that I can't be doing those baby coughs I was doing & to really cough hard, as painful as it is. I expressed my concern that I'd tear everything open & have my guts pop out & then who knows what I'd do to the stomach staples. He said the incision line itself is well sealed & that I must work through the pain. Question: HOW CAN YOU TELL WHAT ACTIVITY/MOVEMENT IS TOO MUCH FOR THE INCISION TO HANDLE? I still feel my guts will pop out from a cough. 2) Whenever I take a deep breath in, I get a pain at the bottom of my left rib, from the side to the back. I was also battlig temperatures while in hospital, so I was (still am terrified of getting pneumonia). The docs & nurses just kept after me to get up & move as well as to use that respirator incentives* thing, or whatever they called it, 10X every hour (*a plastic tube with a ball inside & a tube coming out the side, where you take a deep breat in & try to hold the ball up at a certain increaseable level for as long as you can). I'm doing these things he best that I can, but Q: IF I'M NOT COUGHING AS HARD AS THE DOC SAYS I SHOULD, WILL I STILL GET PNEUMONIA? IS THAT PAIN A SIGN OF PNEUMONIA DEVELOPING? Btw, I haven't had a fever since last night, which I quickly got rid of by Tylenol. Lastly, 3) On the 3rd. day in hospital, they started introducing Boost drink (from can) to my diet. No sooner did I start that & I started blowing up like a balloon from the gas. Pain was terrible, even at incision. I refused anymore & gas SLOOOWLYY wet away. They said to try Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed with 6oz. skim milk. I did & had same reaction. So now I'm just taking in diet jello, broth, tea & water. I hope to send hubby out tomorrow for some other protien supplement. HOW LONG CAN I GO ON JUST THE JELLO, BROTH, TEA & WATER BEFORE ANYTHING NEGATIVE HAPPENS? ALSO, IF I GET MORE OF THIS GAS, CAN IT RIP MY INCISION OPEN? One more Q: Last night, I had to take 3 of my diantin (anti-seisure) pills, plus I took 1 extra-strength Tylenol gel-cap for that fever I mentioned earlier. I took the Tylenol first & realised it was a little bigger than the ones they gave me in hospital & I felt it going down for 15 minutes or so. Then I tried to get the Dilantin down & only managed to get 2 of the 3 I needed before I felt terribly sick. I felt like I needed to bring the pills up & was really nausous. This lasted a short time & thought I heard & felt something pop on the inside, alittle to the left of my incision. I was too nauseous to continue with my liquids so I went to bed. This morning, I had to take 1 Prevacid (Rx-ed by surgeoun), which is practically the same size as the Ex-strgth Tylenol, plus 2 Dilantin. I had a similar reaction. Q: SHOULD PILLS NOT BE TAKEN IN ONE SITTING? HOW FAR APART SHOULD YOU SPACE THEM? DID I DO ANY MAJOR DAMAGE TO MY NEW STOMACH?

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