Explain your hospital stay please!

[sleave31st]

Hello, I am getting sleaved on July 31st. Could you please share your hospital experience. What kinds of meds did you have to take, different things they made you do etc

thanks

[purplelace70]

Where are you having surgery done? That makes a difference.

[sleave31st]

In Florida at a center of excellence hospital.

[EarthAngel71]

OK - I went in on a Thursday, was operated on 11 am that day and awoke in recovery with a drip in my forehand which had three ports and one on my hand - one of which was attached to a pain pump. I used it a few times over the next couple of days, but by Saturday, I was on liquid panadol (my own choice as pain was negligible). On the Thursday night they took some blood and I had a sip of apple juice. Largely I slept. Friday morning, I showered, but hospital staff escorted me to the shower and insisted they stay in the room - I didn't care - not like me at all. The lady offered to rub down my back afterwards, and I can't tell you how sweet and comforting that was, i felt like i was at my grandmothers again, now that is going back over 30 years!
I had to keep my TED stockings on until the Sunday, but the drip was removed on the Saturday (I think). I walked around the hospital for entertainment from Saturday, needed nurse assistance to go to the toilet on the friday, only because my drip had to come with me, but by saturday I was plugging and unplugging the machines myself. From Friday I was on thin fluids, including apple juice, milk, icecream and soup. I had a daily shot of heparin? I think it was, in my tummy every day until and including Sunday. 9am Sunday I went home!!!
I had no nausea, pain was minimal, didn't understand the gas pain that people talk about. My bowels moved on the Saturday, and that was explosive! That continued for almost 2 weeks - never ever think its just gas!! I think I had an excellent experience....the biggest thing was just sipping liquisd - I would hold them in my mouth and warm them, nothing tasted as good as a cup of tea though - that was pure joy!

[yuyi79]

I had to show up 2 hours before surgery to hospital, they make you wipe your belly with some cleansing cloths @ home before you go to hospital, once there you register, they make you change into gown, give you those knee high constricting stockings for circulation and some booties to walk around in if you have to use restroom. They do make females pee in cup for pregnancy test before surgery which was hell since you can't drink anything after midnight so that was hard but they did start IV to fill bladder to make that process easier. Nurses come and talk to you to explain procedure and doctor should as well. After surgery you should be in recovery until you are assigned room. You will have very bad dry mouth and i was not allowed to drink or consume anything but they did give me a little sponge on a stick that i was able to soak into ice chips and just moisten my mouth which helped a lot. I was on morphine but not a drip, i had to call the nurse if i felt pain and they would come back and administer it in my IV. I had these inflating cuffs on my legs again to prevent blood clots, Not unconfortable just a bit warm. They did put a catheder in so you don't have to get up to use restroom. That evening i was asked to walk around the floor so as to avoid blood clots. They gave me walker to use which was great because i did need that extra support. Next morning i was fine walking around without walker but did have my husband with me incase i needed support. I was admitted in hospital for 3 nights and on 3rd day no longer had morphine shots but rather liquid codine. Second day i was able to have broth and juice but could only sip very little and suck on ice chips. Pain is pretty strong first few days and it's not so much the incisions but inside. Take pain meds until you feel comfortable. Once home i took liquid codine for maybe about 3 days then only for 2 more only at night to sleep as i toss and turn and it hurt a bit. Pain was completely gone after about a week except tenderness when i would cough or sneeze or have hiccups which you do get often after surgery. It's not so bad. Your throat will be sore from the tubing they use in surgery but nothing you can't handle. I kept walking twice or 3 times a day after surgery and it was great. I hated just laying on the hopsital bed, it makes you more stiff. Stay motivated, inspired and strong and you will be fine. After i left hospital i was prescribed liquid codine, some antacid pills i have to take daily and of course keep taking birth control if you are on it. They ask you to take chewable vitamins, calcium, and your b 12 for one month then you can take pill form afterwards. I have 3 tiny incisions maybe about half inch or smaller, 1 about an inch long and the bigger one is about 2 inches or so. All were sown shut and taped, again the incisions were not that bad and have never bothered me except for some itchiness. I do admit the pain i felt right after surgery in the recovery room was pretty intense but thats what the meds are for. When i left hospital pain was tolerable and not bad at all. Good luck.

[yuyi79]

Oh yeah i also had the shots in the belly as well every day while in the hospital to prevent blood clots but i didn't feel a thing. On day 2 they removed catheder and measure your urine to make sure everything is okay.

[EarthAngel71]

I forgot the inflatable cuffs!!!!!!! they were hilarious, but I didn't have a catheter thankfully!

[sleave31st]

Thank you for all the detail. That was exactly what I was looking for. I have used my surgeon before and I think she felt like I was pretty knowledgable about the process already so she didnt go into much detail. I also have to have a hernia repaired so Im afraid thats going to make the pain or recovery worse.

[sleave31st]

Thank you, this information is great. Trying to understand how the process works is helping me stay calm

[PKnorr]

The only time I had pain was from the recovery room to my room where they hooked the morphine into the IV. I think I had morphine for about 24 hours, then they switched me to the liquids. They walked me to the shower, but didn't stay in with me, and I had no catheter either.
The nurses were so nice.
I didn't know I was given the "juice" to go under, I was talking and then I was saying how much it hurt on the way back to my room. You will sleep a lot that first day.

[LMS]

Got there at 6 for 7:30 surgery. Registered they walked me back to pre-op. Changed into gown and socks. Wanted to do a urine sample for prego test but I had just has one on Monday and it was Friday so one I told them they used that test. Then they ask about any meds or food. Then they come in take your temp and BP then insert an IV in your hand and start fulids.

Then I could hear the Docs being announced as they checked in for the day. I had the WLC nurse come down because we missed our last appointment she went over eveything again to see if I had questions she had it her self from same Doc so it was good talk to pass time. Then the anesthesiologist comes in to meet you explains who will be in there and what they will do. Tells me when I wake up there might be a cpap device on my nose helping me breath so do not panic (well that was a nice thought I did not like that when I woke up). Then the Doc came in and went over everything again and I was 1st so there was not a long wait over what was planned.

Then the surgerical nurse comes to take you away you say your good byes they roll you towards surgical room. He explained it would be cold but they would get some warm blankets real soon. Rolled me in there (PS that hallway not fancy or like what you see on TV...lol) put the bed next to table then had me move over (it was easy thank god I was able to do on my own.....) layed there before I knew it blankets on my legs and "this will help you breath" and I was out. They then get you positioned and wait for doc he does his thing then they roll you into recovery.

I woke up saying I could not breath of course I could cause I was yelling it! =/ I had panic attack I guess cause of that cpap on nose, they removed it and I just kept saying it hurt. But not sure if it really did or I was scared. Kept saying LOUDLY WTF did I do to myself then I could hear others coming out then they must have gave me something for pain cause next I woke up in my room. (Somewhere I do kinda recall them trying to ge the gown on me and me not raising my arms but somehow they got it on).

I woke up in my room and bitched how hot it was and shortly there was a box fan that was HEAVEN that night. For some reason that side of the floor was very warm. I slept the whole time told hubby he could go. I did not even turn the TV on that day. I had an pain pump that I could push, no drain no cath. then they would give me stuff in IV for nausea (di dnot have any but to prevent it) and sometime that night or next morning shot in stomach for clots. I had the cuffs on legs too. I am tall and put my feet on the end of the bed and it would give a foot massage too so that did not bother me at all.

They come in every 4 hrs wanting you to walk. Sometimes I would get up on my own cause I had to go to bathroom. I walked on my own the 1st time then with help the 2nd and 3rd time. I did not get the walking did nothing for me but at least went to bathroom everytime so that worked. Would brush my teeth each time too.

Next morning I was woke up early to find go go to the leak test. Got in chair and went to do that. The taste was not as bad as some say but the after taste was horrid. Nurse ordered "lunch" juice popcicle, broth....the popcicle was the best and juice could not finish much. Then Doc came in during Saturday afternoon rounds said test was good, blood was good and I could go home. (the leak test is pretty cool you can see it as it goes down your body to stomach).....so called hubby he came and took my stuff to car then they released me I came home and went to bed. Stayed one night.

I wore robe home did not feeling like even getting dressed. I found if I used the extra pillow on my side and layed not flat the gas passed good for me. I slept 95% of time only turning TV for a few minutes. I thought I would want someone there and why it would have helped me to get in and out of bed without waiting for nurse I did not want to have to stay awake so told him it was ok to leave. I just like to to my own thing when I dont feel well.

Good luck with your surgery!

[karina]

My mom had the gastric bypass done at Palmetto hospital which is also a Florida at a center of excellence hospital. They had warned her before surgery that she was going to wake up with a tube down her throat that they left there for about 20 minutes. They had told me she was going to be in recovery for around 4 hours, 7 hours later she was still there because her room wasn't ready. Once she got her room the nurses were changing shift so the new nurse had no idea what was going on, she was feeling some pain, so I went to request some meds, and they took like an hour because she was trying to figure out what was going on. Then I told my mom she had to walk because I knew how important it was to start walking, once they saw us out of the room is when they told us "now is when she is walking, she should have started walking a while ago", which pissed me off since before she was in recovery and with no pain meds, and nobody bother to tell her to walk, if I wouldn't have been there she would have gone to sleep before walking. The next day it got a lot better, the nurses knew what was going on, and were very accommodating when we asked for stuff like a fresh gown, because the one that she had on had blood on it. She also did a swallow test, and afterwards she was able to "eat", so they gave her jello, chicken broth, crystal light and a bottle water. The dr. went to visit her once a day to check on her, and I was able to stay with her the whole time, her room was private with two beds so I was able to sleep on a bed. They cleaned the room every day, and did a fantastic job, they really cleaned everything so that was very good. After that first night, everything was smooth.

[sleave31st]

Thank you this was so thorough!

[sleave31st]

Thank you, Im sorry your mom had such a ruff experience in the beginning.

[SECRETSLEEVE]

I got to the Hopital at 7:30 in the morning and met the owner of the hospital, I had to wait a few hours cause they had no rooms and were waiting for someone to leave. About 3 hours later, they hooked me up to an IV drip, the whole time the owner of the hospital was talking to me. Then they put compression binders on my feet and legs. I met with the anestisiologist who asked about my history with anestesia. About 40 min later the doctor was there with his team of 3 Doctors. They had me walk to the surgery room, I got on the table and they had me breathe in from a gas mask. The next thing I remember was walking up and being the most neausious I have ever in my life. For the next 48 hours A nurse would check on me ever 2 hours and inject a pain medication, medication for be not to be neaousious, and an antibotic at 11pm. I spent 2 nights in the hospital. Had my own room and bathroom. One complication I had which was from a lack of walking was a partically collaped lung. I had to start breathing activities and walking. I was running a fever. Over the next day it cleared up due to prayers and me walking and taking deep breaths. Then before they released me I had to drink 8 ounces of blue dye which tasted like soapy water. Then the doctor checked my drain 2 hours later and no blue so no leaks. Then I got dressed I went to an xray machine where i gulped down a clear gross tasting liquid and then got to see the xray of my new stomach which was tiny. Then they took me off IV. Dr. Gave me pain med to take every 8 hours. antibotics to take for the next 7 days, a gel to take a sip of everyday which he said would make me heal faster and juice and gateraide 2, to drink for the next 2 days. Then I left. I brought with me gas-x strips which helped a lot. That was my expierence at the hospital.