Question:
What can I expect when I first awake from surgery
I am hoping to have RNY bypass around Sept. Oct. No date yet. What can I expect when I awake from surgery? In ICU what kind of machines will I be hooked up to and can my family visit. Will I be able to talk with them? Will I be on a ventalator? How long before I can get up and walk? I just want to know what to expect. — Angela H. (posted on June 26, 2003)
June 26, 2003
Every doctor does it different. You can only know by finding out about your
own doctor how and where you will awake. Mine doesn't put anyone in ICU. No
tubes at all. When I awoke in 2nd phase recovery I just looked up and
noticed the time. I felt like a million bucks.
— ZZ S.
June 26, 2003
My first thought when I woke up was "MY GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE!?"
It hurt so bad and I'm used to pain. (14 surgeries so far). My Mom and
sister in law were there. I was so tired and weak that I just said a few
weak, almost unhearable words and appologised and told them I did'nt want
to be rude but they could head home. It was funny as I actually woke up
after Mom took a couple of pictures (with flash) of me in the hospital bed.
I looked dead. Really. In my case, before surgery I always ask them to put
a foley cathiter in me (while I'm out). I can't pee for 24 hours after
general anesthesia so I know if this is'nt done I will have BIG problems. I
worried myself to death before sugery that I'd have a nasel tube.
Thankfully no! I did have a very small (in diameter) drain tube in my
stomach (next to my RNY scar). No big deal while it was in or taken out.
The second day post op, in the morning I started dry heaves... in that I
really wanted to puke. I was scared it would hurt my pouch. I finally
called the nurse. She came in and gave me a shot of something (?) and the
heaves stopped. I'm so glad I called her! I never had any visiters as it
would have been a 80 mile round trip drive for them. My hospital stay was a
living hell. NEVER AGAIN WILL I GET A SEMI PRIVATE ROOM. The roommates all
had the tv on, 24 hours a day. It NEVER was off. I'm not kidding. NEVER.
They would snore and the $%*@ tv was on loud. One guy pissed all over the
floor... when he was'nt doing it in my urine container. From now on I WILL
HAVE A PRIVATE room or NO SURGERY. I highly doubt you would ever be on a
ventilator once you are out of the OR. Unless you have some unforseeable
problems and that is'nt likely. Your family can visit "if they care
enough too". :( I expect if you are having an Open, you probally
will just want to sleep anyway. Sure wish I could have.
— Danmark
June 26, 2003
Hi Angela. I had my surgery about 4 weeks ago - Lap RNY. When I first woke
up, I was just aware that my stomach felt "tight". I asked the
nurse "Did everything go okay? Am I alright?" Then went back to
sleep. LOL I had no tubes or catheter. I did have a drain, which is just
too gross, but you get used to that as well. I was just sleepy and I
remember them asking me my level of pain - I told them I had to think about
it. LOL I didn't have a tremendous amount of pain at all -- just
discomfort and I do NOT have a high tolerance for pain. I also remember
telling them to give my pain shot to the "cry baby" in the next
bed -- some lady was hollering and crying. Well, I can't be held
responsible for being mean while doped up. LOL!!! I was up about 2 hours
after surgery and almost every hour after that for a short walk down the
halls, etc. Anything to be able to go home! You'll be fine, honey. Ask
your doctor if you're going to be in ICU and about the ventilator -- all
doctors are different. :) Good luck! Cheryl, Lap RNY -- -38 lbs.
— Cheryl M.
June 26, 2003
Hi, I am 6 week post-OP LAp RNY (down 46 pounds). What I remember MOST of
waking up was the terrible left shoulder pain which is somewhat common post
Lap due to the CO2 gas they fill you with. I had no abdominal discomfort
involving pain but it was uncomfortable trying to get up for my walking
that evening.
Day 2 the shoulder pain went away but then I had intense abdominal
discomfort kinda like you feel that churning after taking laxatives.
As uncomfortable as it all was, it was tolerable and not at any point
"scary"
— Ted D.
June 26, 2003
I had an epidural so I woke up just groggy but pain free. I had and NG tube
and IV's and thats it. You shouldn't have a venilator when you wake up. Ask
your Dr. if you can have an epidural. I loved it until they took it out the
day I was going home. Oy, then it HURT until the pain meds kicked in again.
But, what hurt me the most were the horrible gas pains and there is NOTHING
you can do about it except walk around. I got up to walk the next day. Some
people are up the same nite so it all depends. I had my PS done on March 31
and I was more worried about this surgery than the WLS since I wasn't going
to have an epidural and I heard that a TT hurts more! It wasn't as bad.
Don't worry, your going to be just fine!
— Kris T.
June 26, 2003
I had open rny on 4/24/03. I also had my gallbladder out in 99. I was told
the level of pain would be about that of having the gallbladder out. Wrong.
I hurt like H@##, and I have a high tolerance for pain. THANK GOD for the
morphine pump and toridol and liquid loritabs. They were my best friends
(LOL!!).But the pain did get better, and after the first 2 weeks, was off
meds completly. Each doc is different. When I first looked into a doctor
for wls, I tt dr husted, and all of his pts had a central line put in, was
given a cathater, and spent the first 24-36 hrs in icu afterwards. He also
said he did a jp tube, and a tube directly into the new tummy as well as a
ng tube, and after he stepped you down, did a leak test, and started you on
liquids.He also had you on oxygen the entire time you were in. Dr Wright,
the doc that actualy did mine, only put in a ng tube which was removed the
2nd day I was in, and I had no drainage tubes or anything else except the
iv. The ventilator was removed before I woke up, and the cathater was
remvoed within 24 hrs. He also gave me some very wonder anti nausea meds,
as I had a very bad reaction to anestesia the first time around. I was up
and walking within 24 hrs, and they had theese funny looking air boots on
my feet ( I kept complaining because they made my feet very hot, and I
don't rest well if my feet are hot) that I had to wear whenever I was in
bed to avoid blood clots. I also had the normal iv's in me, and kept
getting bloodthinners every 8 hours until I left the hospital. What I can
tell you, is every doctor does things differently, and as my doc told me,
there is a lot of voodoo in medicine. Also, each person reacts to pain
differently. One of my firends that had his 3 weeks before I had mine, only
used his pain pump once, and didn't even fill his pain med script once he
got out of the hospital. Talk to your doc, and find out how he does it....
Good luck and God Bless!! 2 mos out, down 42 lbs
— mellyhudel
June 26, 2003
This gets said so much it's ridiculous, but I'll say it again... everyone
is different. My experience in ICU was I didn't want to be bothered, I
wanted my pain meds and sleep. You will be alert and breathing on your
own, and standing up at the end of the bed the very first day. I was in
ICU for 24 hours, then moved to a room. Trust me, you probably won't
notice when they are there much, you will be sleeping.
— Happy I.
June 26, 2003
Hi Angela, I woke up in recovery with oxygen, foley cathter, IV, JP drain
and an NG tube. I had some pain but nothing that had me crying out, a bit
of nausea form the anesthesia. As I woke up the asked how I was feeling I
told them about the nausea, then they asked if I had pain and gave me some
meds. The pain was tolerable. You will do well. MaryLyn open Rny 5/21/03
-40
— Kriola
June 26, 2003
from my experience, and mine only (since that's all i can go by)... the
first thing i remember, was the most extreme pain i have ever felt in my
life (and i have done natural childbirth). after that, i didn't notice
anything because i hurt and began to cry. there were 2 or 3 nurses by my
side, talking to me & telling me to relax and let my death grip go, (of
the railings on the bed) i was trying to brace myself, which made my belly
hurt even more!! ... they were telling me- give it a few seconds you'll
feel better in a minute... they put my morphine clicker thingy in my hand
and helped me press it. within seconds my pain was becoming less... i was
very, very sleepy and groggy!! (that is an understatment) i personally was
out of it, but i could still feel my belly pain. i moved around a little
and felt the catheter, and i had the nose thingy (oxygen) on. the nurses
were very nice and one held my hand for awhile, because i was crying... by
the time i was moved to my private room, i was in a lot better shape! no
more tears, and i worked that morpine button about every 6 minutes... i
have no tolerance for pain! i am a huge baby, so it is hard to say how you
will feel... i had open- may 19th 2003 (still fresh in my mind). i wish i
had the choice of an epidural, i have heard of that, but was not even
offered to me? good luck! (don't let my experience worry you, i am a BABY!)
but i wasn't expecting too much pain either, so many people i had spoken
with told me it wasn't that bad!! if you go in thinking of the worse pain,
than you might not hurt as much! thats my idea. Good Luck! i will pray you
come out safe and with little pain!
— heather S.
June 26, 2003
You probably won't end up in ICU at all, unless there's some reason they
think you need to be closely monitored.
I remember waking up in the recovery room and complaining that my back
hurt, of all things! I didn't feel any pain in my stomach at all at that
point, just that my back was sore from lying down on it for so long without
moving, I guess. They propped some pillows under my feet which helped
immensely. I did have a catheter in me (didn't even know it) which they
removed as soon as I awoke. That wasn't bad at all, it came out pretty
quick. I'm sure I had an IV, and I probably had an oxygen nose thingie,
but that's because I had pretty severe sleep apnea.
I dozed on and off in recovery while waiting for a room. I was put in
MaxiCare, a step down from ICU. Again, this was because of the sleep
apnea. They wanted to be able to monitor my blood oxygen ratio and also to
monitor my heart and blood pressure regularly. This was actually pretty
cool because I had a room to myself. I had no drains, no other tubes, just
the IV in my arm, a little heart monitor box, and the oxygen which I could
remove at will.
Slept some more in my room and when I awoke, I did finally feel some pain
in my stomach but it really wasn't bad at all. Mostly, it just felt
"odd", not quite right. Also, my stomach was very bloated
feeling from the gas used in laprascopy and probably some swelling. When I
came down enough from the dope, I got up and walked the halls. Getting up
was hard though! I felt incredibly stiff and it was really hard to sit up
or lie back down. That was my major source of discomfort more than any
actual pain.
Also, at that time, my doctor didn't do the leak test until the next day
and I couldn't drink any water until then. I've never felt so parched in
my life!
I did have one moment of nausea that night when my family came to visit me.
I think it was a reaction to the anesthesia, though it could have been
morphine that they put in my IV (I didn't have a pain pump, just the IV and
I'm not sure what pain meds they used). I kind of dry heaved without
actually throwing anything up, and they put an anti nausea medication in
the IV and I was fine after that. I slept a lot on and off, couldn't stay
awake or concentrate long enough to read the books I had brought. I
wouldn't say I felt wonderful, but I really didn't have a lot of pain -
just difficulty getting to a sitting or standing position, like I said.
Once I was on my feet though, I could walk with no problem. When I left
the hospital, I filled the prescription for vicodin that they gave me - but
I never needed to take it. Everyone seems to have a very different
experience, but if you're worried about the pain, please know that for a
lot of us, it's REALLY not that painful at all. The worst part for me was
getting out of bed. I also remember feeling a bit sensitive to smells
during this time - I remember that the smell of a diesel truck made me feel
a little queasy. By the end of the first week, I felt a LOT better though,
and was going shopping and driving short distances.
— sandsonik
June 26, 2003
it was so traumatizing that I don't remember much of it :>) Seriously,
what I remember the most upon waking was this incredible thirst that didn't
go away for 24 hours -when I started snitching sips of water and ice.
Thank goodness that didn't cause any problems (and I do NOT recommend it!).
I don't remember much pain as I was well drugged, but I do remember
feeling very weak. Standing for very long (like to take a shower) required
a nap afterwards. Highly unlikely you'd be on a vent unless you had
complications. I was up walking about 5 hours after surgery. I know some
docs automatically put patients into the ICU. Mine didn't. Does yours?
Well anyway, best of luck to you!
— [Deactivated Member]
June 26, 2003
I was nervous about the "immediate after pains" preop too! My
experience was fine. All the tubes were removed prior to me waking up. The
first time I remember waking up, I was in pain and immediatly instructed to
press the morphine button... It worked wonders!! My family was there and
that was reassuring.... but, I really didn't feel like talking to anyone.
They get you out of bed within hours after surgery... don't fight it, this
will help you immensly! My surgeon told me exactly what to expect after
surgery... what tubes would be in me and what kind of pain I would be
experiencing. Make sure you have that conversation with your surgeon...
you will alleviate most of your fears! Best of luck to you!!!!
— teresa M.
June 26, 2003
I remember the nurse talking to me and telling me that my Mom, Dad and
Boyfriend where there to see me. I just nodded to them. All I could say
was it hurt and I thought I was going to throw up. He said not to worry he
would take care of that and a minute later I didn't hurt or feel sick. I
then remember waking up in ICU, just a percaution my Doc. takes, had
wonderful nurse who explained everything too me. My boyfriend was there
sitting in a chair beside my bed, I didn't feel any pain just some
discomfort because the bed was not the most comfortable. I had a catheter,
IV, drainage tube, heart monitor, BP cup (they kept me a couple of extra
days in ICU because of my BP). The next day I got to sit up in a chair
that felt very good. My best friend and her husband came to visist, so did
my Mom, Dad and Boyfriend (he said at a hotel near by because he couldn't
stay in ICU. But they let him visit as often as he wanted too) They moved
me to a regular room 2 1/2 days after surgery and felt much more
comfortable and was able to move around more. Asked it I could walk
around. They said I could do whatever I felt comfortable doing. I got up
and sat in a chair often and did walk around the hall some too. You'll be
fine. Just remember to breathe.
— Lora T.
June 26, 2003
After they gave me the "happy drugs" in the holding pen, I dont
remember a thing but I'm told I joked around going to the operating room :)
When I woke up I was back in the holding pen but a different nurse was
there. She asked me did I need pain meds before I even opened my eyes. I
said no. I then asked when surgery was gonna start and was told it was done
and I'll be going to my room soon. I did not hurt at all just a little
sore like how you feel when you work out really hard. I turned down pain
meds for several hours and only took them so they would stop asking me if I
wanted them(us southern girls dont want to offend *g*). I cut up with
friends and family when I got to my room and even took a walk around the
halls just a few hours after surgery. No tubes except for a catheter that
I didnt even know was there until I wanted to go walk. So yes for me it
was no worse then getting my teeth cleaned but my friend who had WLS a
month before me thought she was gonna die she hurt so bad. Please dont
worry, they will take good care of you and if you are in pain, it wont last
long. Good luck and take care. ~Sidney~ Open RNY 10-23-02 down 100+ and
counting
— Siddy I.
June 27, 2003
I think my experience was one of the better ones! When I awoke in the
recovery room, I only had an IV, a catheter in my bladder, oxygen on,
thromboguards on my legs to massage them and prevent blood clots, and a
pulse oximeter sensor clipped to one finger. It was like waking up from a
good sleep. I really had no pain, and had to feel around my abdomen to
make sure they actually had done surgery! (Lap RNY) I kept drifting off to
sleep again, and then my oxygen saturation would drop, an alarm would go
off, and I would start taking deep breaths to bring it back up. I was
pretty sleepy for awhile, and they eventually put an oxygen mask on me,
which helped keep my saturation up. I was extubated in the OR, so I don't
remember that, and I had no drainage tubes. My husband was allowed to come
back and stay with me as soon as I was awake. I was taken up to my room a
few hours later. No need for ICU! I had a Morphine PCA, so I could give
myself a small amount of pain medication - I rarely used it! My room was
more like a very nice hotel! Beautiful view of the city, shiny wood
floors, a little table and chairs, a small refrigerator and TV/VCR, nice
big bathroom, etc. I was well cared for. I was only in for two days, but
it was a great experience. Never really had a lot of pain! When the docs
would ask me if I was having pain, my reply was "No more than I would
expect having my digestive tract rearranged!". The sooner you get up
and get moving, the easier it gets. My surgery was late in the day, and I
was in my room about 9:00PM. I even had a small sofa in my room that
coverted to a bed, and the nurse asked if my husband would be staying -
they would make up the bed for him! (I had him go home.)I was up at 9:00AM
the next morning, and whisked to radiology for my leak test. That was fine
so I started getting a pureed diet.My IV and catheter were removed, the
oxygen was taken off, the thromboguards were off since I was up and walking
the halls1 I went home the next day.
— koogy
June 27, 2003
As others have said, every doctor does things slightly differently, but I
woke up with the epidural that they had placed right before surgery, my IV,
an NG tube, and a foley catheter. My first conscious awareness post-op was
extreme nausea, and as soon as I told them this, they ran anti-nausea meds
in my IV and I was fine. No nausea after that. My pain level was well
managed with the epidural and I slept off and on for the first several
hours, drifting in and out. But by 6 PM (my surgery was at 9:30 AM), I was
out of bed walking. Many blessings on your journey. Robin
— rebalspirit
June 27, 2003
Interesting, the different stories from post-ops. I have had several
surgeries and this one was a piece of cake. I must be masochistic but I
like the first 24 hours after a surgery when you have that wonderful pain
pump full of morphine. Its peaceful sleep to me, just hit the button once
and drift off to sleep, wake up to sip some water, and hit it again, back
to sleep. No pain. I did get up 6 hours after surgery to go to the
bathroom and that was a little painful. Lets just say I was walking
hunched over, was dizzy and sweaty and glad to get back into bed. But
overall, the worse was day 2 when the trapped gas from the lap surgery hit
me big time!! Yow, now that hurt!!!
— Cindy R.
June 27, 2003
I did not wake up until 9 hours later and as soon as I woke up they took my
cath out, checked my vitals, then had me get up to walk(I walked alot). I
was on the morphine drip for 3 days and when they took it off for the last
24hrs I was just in so much pain and I think my body was withdrawing. They
had me shower the 3rd and 4rth day and before I could leave I had to eat sf
jello, broth and a sf popsicle and had to have a bm. This was the hardest
thing I have ever done, but it was worth it:o) Good luck to you!
— Sandy M.
June 30, 2003
Thank all of you for your post. They make me feel alot better. Thanks for
posting.
— Angela H.
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