Question:
Jitters - I need some up front this is what to expect stuff.
I am the type that needs to know what to expect and don't like surprises. I have my lap rny on Apr. 18th and have a few weeks to prepare mentally. On a scale of 1 - 10 and 10 being the pain of kidney stones or child birth...what was your level of pain upon waking up? Did you wake with a tube down your nose/throat? Could you sit comfortably? Sip water soon after waking? Did anesthesia make you grouchy? How much pain meds did you take and for how many days? I don't like pain meds.....give me hallucinations.....ewe! I have a fairly high tolerance for pain as I have crippling arthitis and restrictive lung disease. So, I am not worried so much about the pain, but would like to know what to expect. Much of my pain tolerance and coping is done with mental preparation. My bigger fear of pain really is the thought of having a major arthritis flare up while in the hospital. I don't do well if in bed for a few days. I quit taking arthritis meds about 4 years ago and have come up with different techniques to make up for it and a lot of it is mental. No I am not a flake.....I have just had so many reactions to the arthritis meds that I am done with them..... anything to expect that I have missed or tips would be appreciated. Thanks, Bob — Bob Has Disappeared (posted on March 27, 2005)
March 27, 2005
Hi bob, I am a bob too. See my profile it was designed just for you, lots
of details of immediate post op life. Feel free to e mail me
[email protected]. I am the vounteer Mod who cares for Q&A
— bob-haller
March 27, 2005
Hi, first off I didn't wake up with anything down my throat. My first
thought was"ok I am alive" My second thought was " was it
done open" fortunatly it was lap I had to ask the nurse that was in
there because I couldn't feel anything. I had no pain they give some pretty
good stuff I stood up about 2 minutes after waking up and called my DH and
checked checked on him and kids. gotta be honest though I think I scared my
little girl because I was so out of it I didn't know what I was saying and
when I realized I was talking out of my head I had to hang up, (They were
at a hotel and I kept telling her to go to her room and put a tape in the
vcr) I was confusing her so after that I walked the hall and did that about
every hour and half or so till I left the hospital. I took my pain meds
regular wether I was hurting or not because with the walking I didn't want
to hurt I was scared more of a clot and the gas pain is worse than the
surgery pain so the only way to get it out is to walk. The feeling of being
cutand the internal feels like You got punched in the stomach a few times
or did about a 101 sit ups just this uncomfortable tightness. When You
drink water or tea or whatever they serve you it almost feels like to much
at first and you can feel it go down remember to sip. The pain meds I took
the first day home the second day I got sick and the third day I realized
it was the pain meds.So I stopped them.No Problem. And I cought up on sleep
once home. Slept in my own bed no problem except rolling over (I didn't)
and setting down was worse than standing up(the action). And I have to say
adjusting to the new way off life was easier at the hospital Because the
regiman was set. You will do good everyone is differant, but the basics are
the same.
— Shell G
March 27, 2005
Hi Bob:
I woke in very bad pain. I did not expect it because I have had many
surgeries, and have previously been given enough medication before waking
that this did not happen. I instructed doctor to do such, but evidently
they preferred not to. I did not give birth naturally to any of my three
children, but experienced a long labor with the first. I would compare it
to that, but then you have no way of knowing what it is like. I guess I
can tell you this. I would not have had more children if I had to go
through labor again, but I would have this surgery again. I do not know
exactly how long the really bad pain lasted. I'd like to think they gave
me something strong immediately. The second day was bad. I did not like
the morphine pump. Luckily, my doctor had ordered some kind of shot what
worked miracles (I have no problem with pain medication). i guess demerol
once made me paranoid. I knew I would have no tubes or catherder sp?, when
I woke up because I asked. I have a low tolerance for pain, so would have
called first waking up a nine, second day about 8. I made sure I walked as
soon as possible...gas pain can be pretty bad, and this helps. I did not
sit for awhile. My hospital bed was equiped with a pulley. I used that
and help from the nurses to get up. My doctor did not allow liquids for 2
days. That was tough, but I did it. Protected my new little tummy.
I am very happy I had this done. Am a little over three months out, and
have gone from 214 to 171.5. They called me a lightweight, but believe me,
my blood pressure and arthritis did not think that. Both are better...not
gone, but much better. Feel free to e-mail. Follow the doctor's orders
about food, water, and protein. They know of what they speak.
— lindarodham6
March 27, 2005
Bob , i am not going to lie and tell u it was a walk in the park but when
i first woke up from my lap rny i was in pain and i always keep my self on
the meds the first day but when i started walking around that is the best
thing for u . i didn't wake up with nothing down my nose or throat i could
sit very comfortable sipping water was ok . the anensthesia , it did n't
make me grouchy , then if u have high tolerence for pain u should do good .
i went through all the emotions right before surgery and right after this
is one great surgery thanks elizabeth
326/187/???
— lizzie72
March 27, 2005
Bob, I also understand the need to mentally prepare as much as possible.
While each person's situation will be different it does help to understand
what others have experienced.
<p>For me, when I awoke in recovery, shortly after surgery was done,
I hurt like heck. But as soon as I was awake and nurse saw me move even
the tinyest amount she aske me if I was in pain and when I shook my hear
she said she'd get the morphine going right away. That started to take
effect and I was at least no in constant severe pain. Some of it comes
just from your body going through this shock. The other came from my 442
lb body laying on that skinny surgery table for 2 hours or so. I had open.
I did not have any breathing tube or anything else foreign. I had been
forwarned that if I was having any breathing problems, I had significant
sleep apnea, that I could end up in ICU with a breathing tube, so I was at
least a little prepared for the worst. Fortunately it was never necessary
to go to those steps.
<p>About 45 minutes later I was rolled to my room and yes I hurt, but
only if I tried to move. LOL After about 2 hours the nurses were in there
"forcing" me to sit up on the endge of the bed. The surgeon had
told us this was his protocol, so again I expected it. Because I was so
large it was very painful to get up. I could not just roll to my side, I
had to roll a little and then shift my body onto my side a little more and
keep repeating this until I was fully on my side. While the bed was a
little wider than a typical hospital bed, for me to roll to my side in one
motion would have required me being in a double bed at least. It took me
10 minutes to sit up and yes it was very painful. They kept hitting my PCA
button to give me morphine to slightly tame the pain. Once I was sitting
up I got up out of bed and sat in a chair. I then walked a short distance
around the hallway. They did not require that much, but I figured if I had
gone through all that just to sit up I might as well take advantage of it.
I'm slightly paranoid of blood clots, so I knew what I had to do to help
prevent them. I was also being given Lovenox to help avoid then, but extra
assurance didn't hurt.
<p>From a pain standpoint that was the worst of my WLS. The next day
most of the pain I experienced was very sore ab muscles. I felt like I had
done 1000 ab crunches. Technically I could only imagine what that pain
would be like, because trying to do even 20 before surgery was a major
chore. LOL From the 2nd day forward, things just kept getting better.
Morphine give me headaches so I was minimally using it. They switched me
to liquid Roxicet (essentially Percoset) on the morning of the 3rd day and
then I got off the morphine. I went home with the Roxicet also. I was off
prescription pain meds by day 5. I have a horrible history with pain meds
causing severe headaches that I avoid them like the plague. But I also do
realize they serve an important role in the early days. It is better to
get moving and the pain drugs help facilitate that. I switched to extra
strength tylenol after that. It took about 2 weeks before I could get out
of bed without feeling those sore muscles, but each day it was less and
less. I slept mainly in a recliner after surgery for at least a month for
my long sleeping sessions, but would stretch out on the couch or in bed for
1-2 hour naps. It felt good to stretch out but if for too long a time I
would end up hurting more. I would sleep on my side with pillows held up
to my tummy. A lot of what I describe had to do with the fact I had open
and not LAP. Therefore I felt the need to hold my stomach a lot more for
fear everything would fall out. Or at least that's what it felt like. LOL
<p>My doc does not allow us to have anything through the mouth until
we pass our leak test the morning after surgery. Once I passed that I
could start to sip water and slowly increase as I tolerated it. I also had
to blow into a spirometer to clear out my lungs and got breathing
treatments the first 2 days to may sure I did not develop pneumonia. Again
this is SOP for my surgeon.
<p>While the pain was bad, it wasn't any worse than I expected so it
didn't get me down or make me feel sorry for myself. I had a pretty
positive attitude about it all. I knew that it was all for a short time
and the end result would be oh so worth it. I have fairly significant
Fibromyalgia and severe osteoarthritis in my knees. The week before
surgery was hell. They made me quit my anti-inflammatory meds and I found
out just how much they had been doing for me. So I was really reading
after surgery, as normal pain meds never did much for it. However, what I
found was that I awoke with no symptoms of these problems and I felt great
related to the symptoms for about a month. Then the Fibro started to flare
up. I was allowed to go back on my Bextra in order to keep me moving. The
surgeon did it reluctantly but realized there was a fine line here. Since
I was eating well he told me to break the pill in half and put each piece
into chewed food before swallowing. It worked fine and did not create any
stomach issues. I found after abour 4-6 weeks of taking the meds things
had settled down enough that I could go without the Bextra again. Wasn't
symptom free, but to a level of pain I could deal with. I will never have
a pain free again in my life, that I know. So I have very high tolerances
of certain pains, but sharp stabbing pains are still hard for me to deal
with. I took another 4 week dosage of Bextra at about 5 months PO, to keep
me moving while on vacation. I now find at 25+ months PO that I don't need
any sort of pain meds or anti-inflammatories on a regular basis. My knees
did get horrendous at about 10 months PO and I ended up trying synvisc
treatments, which didn't do a lot. I then went back to cortisone
injections in the knees with better results than I had seen in about 5
years. I had actually gone about 3 years with no injections. So now I am
using the injections as needed but trying to space out as far as possible
and trying not to exceed three in a year. so far so good.
<p>As scary as all of this is, the surgery and anything you go
through will be worth it. I thought I had prepared mentally for the pain
after PS, but in the pain category it was about a 20 on a scale of 1-10.
When I awoke from my LBL I could not believe the pain. Not so much from
the cutting and surgery but from how tight my skin was. It burned like
unbelieveable. But there again I survived that too. I went on to have 2
more PS's. The pain was horrendous at times, but all worth it in the end.
So just keep focused on the end goal and you will get through everything.
I don't consider you a flake, just a person that feels being as prepared as
possible will help them deal with whatever comes their way! Good Luck!
— zoedogcbr
March 27, 2005
Hi Bob. First of all, congrats on your surgery date. My hospital
experience was uneventful, for which I am grateful. I had Lap Rny on
12-2-04. I don't remember waking up, only being in my room with my husband
and nurses. I don't remember having a lot of pain either, which was good.
As far as during my stay, for me, the pain never got above 3 or 4 on the
scale. I did have the PCA and tried to hit that when I knew I was getting
out of bed. The pain I did feel was more aching than actual pain. It felt
like I did a ton of stomach crunches and pulled muscles in my belly. My
surgeon doesn't use tubes so I didn't have to worry about that. Please
remember, probably the best advice I can give you, make sure you walk alot,
do your breathing exercises and have a good, positive outlook. I really
feel like attitude and state of mind help us heal just as much as walking
and breathing. Go into this realizing you aren't going to be pain free and
ride it through. I was sent home with liquid percocet and only took it for
2 days. I had a six hour drive home so the ride was tough but other than
that, each day I was quickly back to my routine. I was given clearance to
return to life as usual after my two week follow up, keeping in mind my
surgery was done lap. Best wishes for a safe, speedy and uneventful
surgery and again, congrats! Feel free to email me if you have any other
questions!
— Stephanie W.
March 27, 2005
Bob,
My pain after surgery was about a 4 and that was more because of a headache
than anything else. I kept pushing my morphine drip trying to get rid of
my headache and it kept getting worse, and finally I told the surgeon about
it and he said that the morphine was GIVING me the headache since I was
prone to migraines. So as soon as he took me off the morphine and put me
on something else, the migraine went away and I was up walking the halls.
I had no tube down my throat, I could sit up but was very sore. I could
even turn on my side and sleep at night which I know a lot of people say
they can't do that. I came home after two days in the hospital and took no
pain meds after I was at home. I've had no problems since. I think I have
answered all your questions...oh, after waking after surgery, you can have
nothing to eat or drink, then the next day, you can have ice chips, then
they let you start having some clear liquids. Good luck to you, I'm sure
you will come through with flying colors. Let us know how you are doing
after you get home.
Lynn H.
— lharp66
March 28, 2005
Bob,
Congrats on your surgery date! You will be so glad when you cross over. You
can check out my profile if you would like, but I am going to e mail you so
I don't post some big long answer on here!
Angela (252/150/130)
— Angela T.
March 28, 2005
Hi,
I have to tell you that I woke up with very little pain. No tubes down my
nose or throat, but on oxygen and IV. I work at the hospital with WLS
patients and I find the ones that do the best are the ones that get up and
move. The more walking that you can do, the better. I also wonder if the
morphine that they give most patients isn't the cause of allot of nausa. I
had delaudin and no nausea (I am allergic to morphine). I didn't use it
much as I didn't feel I needed it. I walked so much that I started a light
work-out at 2 weeks. I have lost over 100" in 13 months. I am a
support group leader and I can almost tell which patients are going to have
a problem before they ever go into surgery by their attitudes. If they
offer pre-op classes, make sure that you are there as the more prepared you
are, the better that you will do. If they have support groups there, start
going now and ask questions. I have been told numerous times that having
the knowedge of what to expect makes all the differance in the world.
Research and reading about what they are doing is excellent. Ask your
doctor all the stupid questions that you can think of. They prefer that
you do that because they want you prepared. Each doctor does some thing
differant, so nobody can really tell you what he/she is going to do but
them. I have had gall bladder, 3 knee replacements, shoulder replacement
and this was a walk in the park in comparision!
Good Luck - The next year is going to be one of the most exciting years of
your life! Document it for yourself. You will be glad that you did!
Judy Harris
— jk_harris
March 28, 2005
please go to my profile. BUT remember mine was OPEN and yours will not be.
I have had a MAJOR surgery done laproscopically. I did well. Went home in
18 hours and never had the first problem, BUT with the WLS I had many
problems. My main concern for you is the fact that you already have pain
daily from arthritis. I have severe fibromyalgia and the doc DID NOT
control my pain. A few errors occured within the first 2-3 hours. The nurse
did not hook the PCA pump up to me...it ran out on the floor as I screamed
for "something, anything for pain." JUST BE SURE AND DISCUSS PAIN
CONTROL WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN. I could not get the Heparin or Torodol that is
usually given after surgery because the doc nicked my spleen and I bled
out, so I couldn't take anything that might thin my blood. I know you will
do just fine, but you sound like me...if I know what to expect then that's
all I need. The unexpected is what throws me off. Good luck..and again
please read my profile.
— debi327
March 28, 2005
Are you having the open RNY or the lap RNY? I had the lap RNY and didn't
experience much pain at all. On a scale of 1 to 10, the highest level of
pain I had was a "4". I was on Lortab 5, which seemed to be all I
needed. I only took it for 3 days, then didn't seem to need it after that.
I was walking within 2 hrs of surgery...short distances, but I walked. I
didn't have problems getting up. Anethesia made me feel worse than the
actual surgery. I was really tired and groggy from it. After a few days, I
seemed to be over it. I tired easily the first week. The drain tube in my
left side was a bit of a pain, but it was out in 5 days. After that came
out, I felt 100% better.
— csanchez1111
March 30, 2005
Dear Bob,
First let me start by saying good luck and health to the begining of your
new life change. I underwent open ended RYN about 18 mths ago...since
loosing 162 pds went from sze 24 to a size 4 jeans tiny now people cannot
believe I was ever heavy...It was by far the best thing I have done
formyself kept loosing and gaining...I now run 6mi a day at a gym 2 times a
day(guess you could say i'm a little obsessed) but all kidding aside it was
not as bad as expected morphine in the hospital then home w/pain pills..I
was exercising a month later... although have had to undergo hernia surgery
twice that was my only complication..I am now consulting w/plastic surgeons
to undergo adomoplasty(tummy tuck) heard that is painfull...best of luck my
friend don't be nervous you'll do fine sincerely lisa
— Lisa C.
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