Wife of a New Sleeve Patient

[Wifey217]

Good morning...

My husband had his surgery yesterday
The Surgery went well with only a little discomfort after and no pain meds until last night which I had expected.

Thankfully in just a few minutes of reading some posts from these very brave and determined men & women I've become more aware of how he may be feeling and how I can help him get through.

Glad to be here.

[ghost_ryder]

Best of luck to you both.

[sraebaer]

A supportive partner is so helpful! Have him rest for at least a week. I basically sat in a recliner that whole first week, in front of the TV with my drink on a table next to the chair. Don't eat junk in front of him early on. Walk with him, starting slowly of course. Now hubby and I are both big hikers, going to Glacier for a week of hiking next week. Our dates are hikes.

Then at 6 weeks he will probably be able to eat all foods. My hubby is the best cook ever, and we typically follow the rule of 2. Our dinners are a protein and veggie. The options are endless! The internet is the place to go for recipes. Try new things, I had never eaten scallops or tuna tar-tar before surgery, now they are favorites. When you go out to eat, sharing a meal is always fun, as the portions are huge to start with. At Twisted Fresh, we get the tacos, he eats 2 (with the chips and drink) and I eat one (with no chips or drink). At a pizza place we get a small pizza, I eat one piece, he eats what he wants, and we take home any leftovers. It's easy and fun.

Your support will mean the world to your hubby, and you will have an active, fun new life to look forward to. Good luck!

[Treva]

A supportive spouse is key in this surgery, I am very blessed with a very supportive husband. When I came home from surgery he went on a diet and changed his eating habits and has kept me on the right track. We exercise together and share meals when eating out and it really helps me to stay on track and make the healthier choices especially now that I am 4 months out and can eat whatever. He stays on me about vitamins and protein and it helps so just stay supportive and protein and water are the essentials believe me I still struggle with them. Good luck to you both.

[sraebaer]

Sounds like we're married to the same guy Treva! We're lucky! (I only get a little mad when he says, "You're going to eat THAT?" or when he yells at me for snacking before dinner with,"I'm making dinner, don't you know the size of your stomach?!"

[PleaseSleeveMe]

Wifey217, Your DH is lucky to have a partner like you! Thanks for being supportive of "the patient" on your journey! In turn, you will be rewarded with a much happier, healthier husband, and I'm sure it will make your marriage much richer and more enjoyable!

Congrats to your DH for a successful and smooth operation, and congrats to you on embarking on this great new life. You are a star for being so supportive.

[vlyoung]

that's kindof like me but its me getting the sleeve.

[Wifey217]

First, I want to thank you all for the warm wishes today...I wasn't expecting all these wonderful replies (I'm new to this).
The day after surgery update....

I rushed to the hospital this morning after my DH called home letting me know he was having pains since last night when I left. He was uncomfortable but had no idea it was so terrible. Besides surgery discomfort, he was also suffering with nausea and feeling bloated that was also causing him real pain. They were already dealing with his issues when I got there but nothing was helping. This continues all day. The doctor came to check in and had the IV pain meds removed and later gave him something that was better for his stomach. I'm sure you know of the meds that he is taking but not sure if I can say what they are here....
He finally had some relief with the nausea but the bloating and pains from surgery still remain till tonight. They got him out of bed to walk around for a bit...I hate To watch him suffer but there wasn't much I could do but try to soothe him.
* Rewind to yesterday, he sipped a drop of water and it gave him spasms in the stomach. Today, after they removed the IV pain med, he was given 2 oz. of chicken broth and luckily he did well with it.
Tomorrow he is supposed to come home but at this point I'm not sure.
This morning they checked to make sure the staples were in tact and to my relief, everything was in place.

Thank goodness!

I know he will make it though this but will I ?????

[PleaseSleeveMe]

Hi Wifey,

I can't speak to exactly what your DH is going through, but I can tell you that my entire first night in the hospital I was vomiting pretty much non-stop (except when I could get the pain meds to knock me out... but then I would wake to the sensation of needing to vomit again).

At 3am my first night in the hospital, I was vomiting and finally with help made it to the bathroom; when that finished, I thought I was better and they had me walk around again. Another wave of nausea hit and I had to stop in the middle of the hallway, grab a wastebasket and vomit into it... meanwhile I urinated all over myself, the floor, everything. It was awful -- humiliating and demoralizing. And of course, vomiting when you've just had 85% of your stomach removed is extremely painful, so I was in a great deal of pain from this, constantly. The night passed without me getting any sleep or holding anything down. I soiled myself many times. I truly believed that this might be persistent for... how long? Days? Weeks? A month? I wanted to cry but didn't have enough energy (or excess fluids) to conjure any tears in my eyes.

After much begging on my part, I got my amount of Zofran (anti-nausea meds) increased and administered through IV. I also backed off on the pain meds, which I suspected were adding to the nausea. The following night was better, and by the morning of Day 2 I was consistently holding down small amounts of liquids (no more than 30 mL at a time; about 400 mL total in half a day). I was discharged later that day.

So simply put, my first 24 hours were hell, but I pulled through it.

Fast forward: I'm 6 days out now and practically turning handsprings. I'm walking, driving, eating/drinking, showering, all with minimal issues. I was dancing around my bathroom folding laundry this evening while singing "Mack the Knife." I can't believe how much better I feel in such a tiny amount of time!

IT WILL GET BETTER.

A veteran sleever sent me a PM the day of my surgery and for my first couple days home I had their words written on every surface I could see:

BREATHE.
SIP.
WALK.

Easy does it. Breathe, sip, walk. It will get better soon.

- PleaseSleeveMe

"Now that Macky's back in town..."

[Wifey217]

Hiya PleaseSleeveMe,

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry you experienced that !!! And I was thinking my other half was going through trauma
On the flip side I'm excited to hear how fabulous you are doing at only day 6!!!! Congratulations on this wonderful accomplishment . This news is so encouraging and I hope he has that to look forward to.
I can't imagine what his condition will be on day 6 but I'm just the type to worry and feel bad when someone I know is in pain. When he comes home I will show him all the posts from this website he will be amazed... I'm so glad I found it !
We have a wedding on July 10th, I hope he's dancing like you are.


Wifey217~~*