Question:
I would like to hear from some people that had open RNY

I know what they do on the inside is the same surgery, I would like to know how some of you did recovery wise and time to recover and if you have advise for me and tips, I am a single mom of three boys and one of them will be two in a month and I know he cant lay on me and I wont be able to hold him I dont know how I will deal with that but I will protect my tummy from him he's very ruff. I think they should give me a sedative now for my nerves. any advice is appreciated, thank you Melinda    — melindameyers (posted on August 1, 2005)

August 1, 2005
I did not have children when I went through the surgery but I was a wimp on pain. I carried a small pillow for about a month so if I had to cough or sneeze it would help me hold stomach down so it didn't hurt too much. I also would suggest help getting in and out of bed for the first few weeks. Your stomach feels open and does bother you when you try and do a roll over to get out. It took me about 3 weeks to get out of bed myself. But I have to say I am glad I did it that way vs sleeping in chair....I think it helped build up stomach muscles. You will also need some help with showering....lower end that is. Its a toughie to bend heck it was a toughie before the surgery. When you are tired....rest...you will need it. Recovery time can be cut by not over doing. Make sure you do those breathing exercises after surgery for a week or more....helps with that coughing a whole lot! Drink in the beginning and get into a schedule. It will help you a lot!
   — dcox94

August 1, 2005
Melinda, I am 3 years Post- op w/ Open RnY. Even though the open was more painful I would rather have it than the lap just because I feel they can check everything out better. As far as pain yes you are going to need a helper for the first few weeks. Depending on your size getting up and down is rough. I was really big almost 400 lbs and just the act of gettind off the couch herniated the surgical site. Yes you are going to have to be careful with your little guy for at least two weeks. I think the most of my pain was gone after the second week. If they give you a binder ware it relisgeouly it actually makes you feel better. The snuggness of it helps you feel like its holding you in better. Carrying the pillow is a good Idea too. Coughing, sneezing, and laughing can be a bit painful. Bending is almost impossable for the first week. You will need someone to help you wash and wipe downstairs. My surgeon gave me a long pair of tong looking things to reach down there to wipe and wash in the case I dint have someone to help, so it is not entirely in consevable that you could do this on your own. After the first week I think you will have the biggest part of the pain gone. The next few weeks it gradually lightens up and permits more movement. Just remember if you are really big be careful getting up and down to prevent tares. Jo 375/160/140
   — Jo_Michalko

August 1, 2005
Melinda I just had my surgery in January 2005, I had very little post op pain after the first couple of days it just felt like I had done to many sit ups and was sore. I did not take any pain meds after I was home. The worst pain was getting out of the chair I recomend one where you can push yourself out of the chair, using the stomach muscles is very sore the first couple weeks then nothing. As far as the kids I would just have them sit beside me kinda on my hip as long as they didnt push on my stomach it was fine. Good luck on your new journey!!
   — kmnae

August 2, 2005
For nerves/sedation, you should probably talk with your doctor.... Benadryl (diphenhydramine hcl) is often used as an anti-anxiety drug (as well as a sleep aid for insomnia). It's available over the counter, is available in generic, and is non-habit forming. The usual dose is 25-50mg. It can make you drowsy so if you do try it, make sure you know how your body reacts before doing anything that requires concentration. Best wishes, Sid
   — mrsidknee

August 2, 2005
I am 2-1/2 yr PO from open RNY. I wanted LAP but at a 65.3 BMI no surgeon in WI would touch me. Now a days I most likely would be able to have it LAP, but not then. I do not regret having it open. The pain was bad, but they had me on a morphine pump for the first two days and then switched me to liquid Roxicet (basically Percoset). For me the pain was acceptable because it was not stabbing pain. It was like extremely sore muscles. I referred to it as how I would feel after doing 1000 ab crunches. Granted I've never done 1000 in my life. LOL Now I can do 30 before any tightness starts to arise. Before surgery about 5 and I wanted to pass out. <p>I went home after 3 days and was off narcotic pain meds by day 5. I then switched to extra strength tylenol for a few days and then only took it at bed time to help me relax and sleep better. I went back to work part time after 2 weeks. I slowly worked up to full time over the next 3 weeks. I live close to work so I was able to go home for a while a rest if I needed, which was a huge help. Having a very understanding boss made it much easier to come back early. He made it clear if I needed to leave it wasn't a problem. One day I went home for lunch and laid down and next thing I knew it was 4:45pm. I called him right away and he was cool about it. Just said he figured I fell asleep. If you have a supervisor who won't be understanding then do not go back too early. <p>I had incision healing problems that totally took 4-1/2 months and a 2nd surgery to resolve. I had 3 small holes in the incision. Two healed out within a month, which is typical. The third one would just not budge. It was about 5 inches deep but only the diameter of a pencil, so the top kept closing up. At 10 weeks PO the surgeon went in and found I had some dissolveable stitches that did not dissolve and it kept irritating the tissue. Once they were out things healed up within 5-6 weeks. While this sounds horrible, it really wasn't a big deal. I had to pack the openings, but it did not prevent me from working. I do not need to do any lifting in my job. I could have whined about it, but it wasn't going to make it heal faster. <p>The bottom line is my surgeon wanted me off the table as fast as possible and that's how he felt safest. I do not regret having it open. It took a few weeks before I could get out of bed or get up without pain, but again it was mostly a sore muscle feeling. While it hurt, for me sharp stabbing pains is much worse. You will survive and you will be so glad you had WLS. <p>As far as your son, he will need to realize mom is sick and hurting. I have 3 large dogs and somehow they sensed something was wrong. They did not try to jump up on me etc. They were happy to see me, but behaved much better than normal if they had not seen me for 3 days. Keep a pillow handy any time you are sitting down so you can grab it quickly in case you need to protect your tummy. Also show your sons the bandage on your tummy so they know you are hurt there and that they need to be very careful. They don't have to see the scar, just the bandage. Even a 2 yr old understands what a bandage means - an owy! I would definitely suggest some help for 1-2 weeks after you are home, so that you don't need to deal with the kids much. My mom stayed with me until I was 2 weeks PO and then took my two youngest dogs home with her for another week, just so I didn't have to deal with all three. It all worked out great. It was just a short time. I was pretty much back to normal by 3 weeks or so.
   — zoedogcbr

August 2, 2005
My open was a breeze compared to my lap gallbladder surgery years ago. The gas from the lap caused me intense pain. The open was just tugging. But my doc didn't cut muscle when he did mine - I think some doctors may go horizontal or otherwise cut muscle which can hurt. Mine was incredibly pain free. I took no meds when I left the hospital. As for the kiddo - I had a 2 year old when I had my surgery. When I got home, I sat down and he climbed up on my knee. I let him come to me and he understood he couldn't get all wild on me. I showed him my "owie." He was about 2 1/2 though - a little older than your little one. The problem wasn't with him though - it was with me wanting to pick him up and all. I have to admit I wasn't always good and that I did "help" him up on my lap a few times. I also will note that I wore a binder which helped tremendously. If your doc doesn't do binders, buy one on your own and use it. It helps reduce the tugging and pulling and the chance of hernia. And back to the kiddo - just let him come to you and let your family pick him up when needed. It wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be... Dina
   — Dinka Doo

August 2, 2005
I had open/ Rny almost 2 years ago now. Will be 2 years on the 11th. It was the first surgery I have ever had..and very painful. I had problems with the pain meds in the hospital...so came home on just extra strength tylenol and I did fine. I agree with everyone that said you will need help. I needed help getting up and down and doing personal care for my lower half. My husband took a week off after I got home...but was not here 24/7, he still went into work and left me for a couple hours at a time. I worked on walking farther and farther everyday and that helped immensely...helped get my muscles built back up. I am a massage therapist..so took me longer to get back to work then most..since I need my abdominal strength to work. I would reccomend abdominal massage for anyone who has open...to help with the scar...but not til after at least 3 months post op. My scar is stil there but I have some places where you cannot even see it anymore. It also helps with the elasticity in the skin. good luck with your surgery and I hope that everything works out. My daughter was 6 when I had my surgery, so she just had to learn to not hug me so tight..and climb up on me when watching tv like we used to do.
   — AjAngelll