Upcoming Gastric Sleeve

[Barb M]

As my surgery date approaches, June 1, 2017, I am wanting to get as much honest info as I can.

What is the pain/discomfort like following the procedure?

What should I expect as far as my emotional outlook?

I have had a few surgeries before and overall I recover easily, just concerned this time.

Thanks for any and all info.
Barb M

[Tommy1969]

Right out of surgery you will more than like feel discomfort from the gas so they will want you to walk up and down the hall throughout your stay in hospital and is important to walk as much as you can after you return home.

Have some GasX strips handy, they seemed to help me.

I was fortunate, aside from the gas, no pain or discomfort anywhere else.

You will only be able to sip sip sip fluids the first few days so plan on that, sip a little at a time and very often as you need to stay hydrated so you don't end up back in hospital.

You may also become constipated. Suggest having some miralax handy.

After that follow your surgeon's and nutritionist's instructions and you should be good to go. Certainly contact them if anything seems wrong throughout your process.

I am 3 1/2 months out and very happy that I did it with no regrets!

Best of luck to you!

[Barb M]

Thank you very much. My surgery is outpatient, if all goes well I will be home in the evening the day of surgery.

[RHDB]

The surgery really wasn't that bad pain-wise for me. I had a hernia repair surgery done that was much, much worse. My main complaint with this one was not being able to sleep on my stomach (I'm a stomach sleeper) for awhile but that is a given for anything like this. I walked more than the bare minimum the first day of surgery and I really think it helped with the gas and constipation issues = I had next to none.

As for emotional, it can be a little daunting. You will survive on the little amount of food that you can eat and will be okay. My biggest laugh and revelation came the first day I was home. I was heating up some broth for me and fed my cat a small can of Fancy Feast. It was then that I realized she would be eating more that night than I could. All I could do was laugh and go on for the day. Take it easy and don't push yourself too much the first weeks afterwards. You will think you can eat and drink more than you maybe should so don't try to push the boundaries. Your body will let you know what it needs and you'll need to listen to it for once instead of trying to make it fit in on a schedule. Some days I was so hungry and others didn't want to eat a bite. I just went with what my body was telling me and adjusted accordingly. Good luck!

[Barb M]

Thanks!

[bigdogluver]

I was in pain/discomfort from the gas, which happened even when I drank water. LOL. Actually pain from the operation was not that great and after 2 days, I didn't want or need pain meds. Since you have experienced pain, it shouldn't be that big of a shock to your system. I notice that people who haven't experienced surgery, a broken bone, giving birth, etc. do seem to be more overwhelmed by the post surgery pain.

Anyway, welcome and all the best on your journey!

[Barb M]

Thank you!

[Christie13]

Emotionally I felt fine. I was tired for about a week. My throat was sore from intubation. I could not get much down. The only thing tolerable to me initially was warm liquids or sugar free popsicles. I would drink broth, warm tea, and creamed soups made with nonfat milk. I would walk as much as I could. I napped...which is something I never do. The pain was minimal. I did take my prescribed pain meds like 3 or 4 times the first week and then never again. I also had to use my anti nausea meds 3 or 4 times that first week. I was only taking a tablespoon at a time of the creamed soups. I could not stand the sweetness of the protein shakes for at least 2-3 weeks post op. I went to soft/pureed food at 10 days instead of 14 because I needed something. Once I started that I felt immensely better. Just remember to sip frequently and walk frequently. Each day gets a little easier. And heartburn and constipation were an issue post op. Good luck. It really is a pretty easy recovery.

[Barb M]

Love the insight. Thank you.

[Shirl]

✨Welcome!✨

Hi Barb,

I was a Sleeve Gastrectomy outpatient myself. Best decision I have done to bring my life and health back on track!

Every day I am extremely grateful that my surgery and recovery were uneventful! I went to surgery around 2pm and I was home by 6pm (granted I lived 5 minutes from the surgical center). They had me up and walking immediately, and I couldn't leave unless I drank a cup of water which I did with no issue. That evening I was instructed to finish one premier shake as best as I could. I had 24/7 access to a nurse had I needed it the services which I didn't.

They had me fill all my prescriptions a week before surgery, and other than the acid reflux prescriptions I really did not need the liquid pain medication. I took it only to put me to sleep at night the first couple of nights. Oh the meds I was taking One I had to dissolve in a teaspoon of water and the other open the capsule and poured content directly inmy mouth to swallow with water. Neither were fun.

The surgeon did warn me that I would bruise easily for the next month because they loaded me with an anti-clot medication.

I took a lot of precautions at home. Firstly, my daughter and I sanitized the bathroom and bedroom lol! (She came to stay with me for week as I lived alone, but she went home after a few days seeing I was doing really well. She did help get to walking 5-10 minutes at the hour the first couple of days, thanks to her I was walking 30-45 minutes straight by end of week. I was feeling well enough to get on my treadmill on slow pace at 3rd or 4th day. Secondly, I had enough bone broths, an array of already made protein shakes, and water to last me the whole week. Lastly, I stuck to a rigid schedule to take medications and sip either, water, broth or protein shake. So when I was not sipping or walking I was resting. I had no issues whatsoever with any of the liquids/foods I had other than getting bored of them by end of week! But I was a "good little patient" so I stuck to plan out of fear of hurting my newly sleeve tummy.

While I had zero complications, I was not free of discomforts specially when introducing more denser foods. I definitely experimented with my food stages, but introduced new foods one at a time and very slow. Funny enough I couldn't tolerate eggs or tuna for several months, but I did great on salmon and ground turkey. First month I stuck longer with the shakes, lentil or bean soups and foods I could tolerate better like Dahl, creamed spinach, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and miso soup with lots of tofu.

Feel free to reach out anytime.

Best of wishes for a successful surgery and speedy recovery!

[D618]

Hi there,
One of my good friends is having her surgery on June 1st too! I wish you the best of luck.
For me, I didn't have any gas pains and very little constipation. Mostly, I still had liquidy stools Liquid in, liquid out!
There was some pain after surgery, but it was mostly like really bad period cramps, and got better each day. I did have a lot of nausea and had to stay in the hospital for an extra day. It took me about a week before I felt like living again. I returned to work (as a receptionist) after two weeks.
Emotionally, you still may have some of the cravings for foods you used to eat. I still want to snack after dinner, so I still fight that urge! I try to find something else to occupy my hands, like quilting or sewing. A lot of people say they don't feel hungry after the surgery, but I did! LOL. Now, it's getting better, and I do get full quickly. I have to re-learn a lot, especially how to tell if I am full. Creamed soups and yogurt have helped me so much, they keep me full. Take it one day at a time.

[ghost_ryder]

pain/discomfort? emotional outlook?overall I recover easily

Everyone is different, most will tell you the pain was OK-personally I had a nerve clipped during surgery which caused more but manageable pain. It lasted for about a month but a managed and used a pillow to stabilize my ABS to stop the pain.

Emotional-it has been an emotional journey. You are changing you and people around you will begin to act differently around you. It is all in how you accept the change. you will become a focus of peoples attention and that is very hard. You will also begin to experience things previously not even considered. You will challenge yourself with new things and that will bring out a sense of pride. This is your time to be very selfish, it is time to think about you and only you. You are doing this because you recognize there is a problem. Eat what you have to in order to get well, exercise for yourself ignoring others needs because you have to in order to get well, get your proper rest for yourself in order to get well, by clothes that fit the new you in order to continue to get well, etc, etc - You are the most important person in this procedure.

Recovery- it all depends on you. As long as you get up and walk, drink your fluids, and get in your protein, you will do well. everything goes to making you healthier quicker. It is not to test your patience but get you to your destination.