How I felt after VSG Surgery

Hello fellow VSGers!

So I am 4 days post surgery and I have been lurking/searching to see where I should be by now. BTW, I really do not like the search feature for OH. Admins please do something better. But anyway,  I just trying to gage if what I am feeling or not feeling are normal. I had a more clever title for this post but figured that I would make it what it would look like if I searched on it

--After surgery, I hated sleeping in the hospital bed
--The test they make you take in the hospital, they stuff they make yo drink for it tastes like Dawn lemon scented dish detergent liquid. **no I have never tasted this so I don't know what it tastes like but if I had to guess it tastes just like the liquid stuff. There were bubbles that adds even more to my theory.
--I did everything that I had to do in the hospital to make sure that I could come home.  Because I could not take it one more night in the hospital. Although I initially though that 2 nights would have been perfect. But after that first night, I made sure that I left what I came to leave and that I had everything I needed to come home with me and went home.
-- I haven't been able to sleep, comfortably for extended periods of time.  So I have a question, how long did you use the narcotics prescribed by your doctor and when you stopped did you use anything for the pain?
--I have been doing well with my liquids and even being doing with my mom here cooking around me. But I want a surf and turf meal! So I have decided that my first mushy meal will be a crab cake, Yum!
--I have a gurgle in my stomach it is like a musical instrument. And the poop is liquid (I expect that) but What's up with all the noise and the movement Anybody? Can Anybody help me figure out what is going on.
--I have been walking but I do feel like a hamster walking around the house in a circle. So I take the steps and tomorrow, my mom and I have plans to go to bed bath and beyond and to the grocery store. So that is an action packed day. I will be sure to take it easy and Thankfully my mom Super Dr/Nurse Mom (that's her new tittle) won't let me do anything too much.

That is all that I have for my first few days. So VSGers tell me about your first few days and if you can answer my questions (the ones in red) that would be helpful. Thank you all for your feedback

You will be uncomfortable sleeping until you can turn like normal in the bed.  I didn't use narcotics after 2 or 3 days.  Narcotics have an adverse effect on my system. You may want to get gas x for the gurgle.  It is probably acid.  Ask your doc what to take for it.  Most of the pain I felt was gas and the largest incision.  I have a high tolerance for pain so I didn't take anything else.

Mushy is not a crab cake.  It is soft food and has to be chewed really really well. Chew chew chew!

Keep walking and drinking.  14 is the majic number.  You will feel normal at 2 weeks.

I did not sleep a single hour in the hospital. I was so uncomfortable and my back was killing me. Not even morphine could make me sleep.

That didnt get better when I got home - i didnt sleep more than an hour or two a night for the first 5 days. I pretty much went into a lack of sleep induced psychosis.

I used the narcotics for a week. I dont know why - i wasnt in pain but didnt want to risk it. I wish I hadnt because in hindsight, it probably contributed to my "i wish i was dead" constipation and BMs.

The stomach is swollen, lots of healing going on. Gurgling is very normal.

Be grateful for the liquid poops - its is 10000000 X better than the alternative.

I am 3 weeks out and I took the pain meds pretty regular through about 4 days. I did stay 2 nights in the hospital. My first 2 days were pretty rough with 30+ hours of vomiting and dry heaving). After that, I just did liquid tylenol during the day  and pain meds at night through the first week. Then I started sleeping pretty well without pain meds.
As far as everything moving around inside, that is from the gas they pump in your abdominal cavity during surgery. It's annoying and a little painful sometimes. I guess it was about a week to 10 days before it really started to clear up for me. Your doctor probably prescribed an acid blocker. Just make sure you take it and also gas x strips do work.

I also went to a department store and then to walgreens on about day 6. I was OK but I did over do it and didn't feel too good for a couple of hours so just take it easy.

Hope that helps.

That sounds about like my first few days.  Except, once out of the hospital I immediately slept like a pro.  Didn't really need pain meds after the 2nd day.  I mostly dealt with nausea and vomiting.  Almost 3 months out I still have problems with the nausea sometimes. 

I took the narcotic pain meds for a week around the clock, and then another week at night to sleep. I had more pain than I had anticipated, and moving was difficult for me. I usually have a high pain tolerance, but for whatever reason, I was in pain. My surgeon was wonderful and told me to continue to use the pain meds so I was comfortable. I had NO problem "getting off" the narcotics once the pain stopped. The pain went away, and I didn't need the meds, so I stopped taking them. No problem; no issues.

The noises are wonderful, arn't they -- Mine eventually went away, slowly....after a couple weeks, and once you start eating they come back and visit as you get to each new stage of foods !

Welcome home, and welcome to the loser's bench. Oh, and taking a walk outside a couple times a day will help you get tired, and a tired body WILL eventually sleep.

I had surgery the same day as you and got off the morphine after the first day they switched me to some oral pain meds, Sleeping in the hosp was a mess someone was in an out all the time, I could have slept but they wouldnt let me i went home after being there 2 nights and sleep pretty weel. I dont take anything for pain during the day but do before bed because its nice to be pain free and relaxe.

Good sleep seems to help the best

Good Luck

 I loved my hospital stay. The morphine pump was marvelous.  My DH stayed the night with me (he's the best!!!) and set his cell alarm and got me up walking every 3-4 hours, including nights.  I think that made a huge difference in my recovery.  I actually never felt pain, just discomfort and that bleary-ness from the drugs.

I thought the leak test stuff was kind of tasty - bitter like a good Italian drink, Compari.  (OK, I'm weird)   A day or so after being home, I discontinued the pain narcotic as I wasn't feel really pain and went for the liquid Tylenol.

DH took me to a mall and we walked a bit - kind of like a little old lady hunched over, but it felt good to get out of the house.  Walking every day has been a huge part of the recovery deal.  Now I'm at the gym (started at 2 weeks).  I walked the elliptical and the treadmill.  I'm working toward a 3 mile hour and lifting light weights.  This is the best thing I've ever done for myself!!  

I'm always shocked with the horror stories I read on these boards.  When I had my VSG, I had only a tad bit of nausea the first 36-48 hours, but zero pain and no other complications.  In fact I never used any of the pain medications prescribed for me to take home.  My surgeon does the leak test while he still has us under anesthesia in the OR, so I didn't have to drink that nasty stuff...lucky me!  Also, my surgeon said he presses down on the stomach after he takes the cannulas back out and before he closes the incisions, to get as much of the gas out of the peritoneal cavity, thus avoiding that painful gas right after surgery.  I told friends that had it not been for the 5 little incision scars, I would not have known I even had surgery.  So, other than the vitamins required after VSG, the only other thing I take is occasionally some Miralax if I feel the start of any constipations issues.

I had a relatively low BMI at just 38, and I have lost just over 50 pounds.  I would like to lose another 20 pounds and I have a good chance at doing that.  But even if I don't lose anymore weight, I will still be happy with the VSG as maintaining this weight is easy and my problem pre-surgery wasn't with losing weight, it was with keeping it off after losing it.  (Like many of us here, I was a master at weight loss, but a failure at weight maintenance!)  Now I eat as much as I want, it just happens to be only a fraction of what I used to eat and then I'm full.

Good luck with your weight loss, I hope you lose every bit you are wanting to lose! 

 Oh I hope to be as lucky as you!  I am BMI 39 with about 70 lbs to lose.  Thank you for sharing a great outcome!
Dawn