Question:
Will I wake up with tubes in my nose? I'm having a lap RNY.

Do you have to have the Nasal Gastric tube if you have lap surgery? I have heard horror stories about the tube.    — carlaburkhalter (posted on April 5, 2004)

April 5, 2004
Carla, I had Lap RNY 2/3/04. The only tube I woke up with was my drainage tube. It was nothing like I thought it would be.(much easier!!) Good luck with your up coming surgery! Jodi
   — Jodi H.

April 5, 2004
Hi, I had lap rny last year and the only thing I had when I woke up form surgery is a drainage tube in my belly, so I believe it just depends on your surgeon on what he does and your breathing after surgery ,good luck to you!
   — Melodee S.

April 5, 2004
Carla, Normally the NG tube is removed once you get into the recovery room. You will be so out of it at that point that you won't know if they pull the tube out of your ear, and whats more you won't care. I also had Lap surgery done. You may have a bit of a sore throat but nothing you can't handle. Good Luck and Have a wonderful Peace about what you are doing it is a Gift.
   — danagates

April 5, 2004
Carla- I woke up with the NG Tube in and the nurses took it out the day after surgery. It wasn't that bad, but it felt a lot better once it was taken out! =c)
   — nmanny76

April 5, 2004
Five of us in my family have now had lap RNY with the same surgeon. We all woke up in the Recovery Room with no tubes/no drains. A bladder catheter and a naso-gastric tube were placed as soon as we were asleep, and removed before we woke up. Different surgeons have different preferences....this is a question to ask your surgeon at your pre-op visit.....that way there won't be any "surprises". Best wishes!
   — Diana T.

April 5, 2004
Mine was placed after they put me under and stayed in for 24 hours, until they did the barium swallow for the leak test. Then it was pulled. It really isn't that big of a deal. You can feel it at the back of your throat, and when they took it out it burned my nose a little (felt the same way as when I get water up the nose!) Talk to your surgeon about his protocol.
   — Ali M

April 5, 2004
I never knew if I had a nasal tube. I didn't have a sore throat either. I did wake up with a jp drain and a catheter and I had lap. I had the catheter until the next morning when they knew I was up and walking around and the drain stayed in until the following Monday (I had to go back to the dr. and have it removed). I also was on oxygen the first night because they didn't think my oxygen levels were high enough, but I know that not everyone has that issue.
   — Christy L.

April 5, 2004
I had Lap RNY. I never knew I had a Nasal Tube. It was removed before I woke up. I did have a catheder till the next morning also. No complications and I have done wonderfully. Hope you have a Great Experience.
   — CAROL LEE

April 6, 2004
Ok. I didn't have tubes in my nose that I am aware of. However...after a second surgery (had a complication) I woke up with a tube down my throat. It was very scary. Especially since your kinda high on the drugs and unaware of what's going on. The best thing to do is IF (most likely, any tubes will be out before you wake up) anything is in your nose or throat...TRY NOT TO PANIC. It will just make it worse! Just try to focusing on breathing deeply. I recall freaking out then my doctor told me to just calm down and breathe. So I did. In and out...as long as I kept thinking "breath in breath out" I was fine, didn't freak out. It wasn't painful or anything...just scary. After they were sure I was breathing ok, they took it right out.
   — Renee B.

April 6, 2004
Okay, so yes I woke up with the tube and did the unthinkable ... I pulled it out before they could stop me. Please, if you get one, listen to the other posters and try and be calm. Can't really say if it was unpleasant, but guess it must have been because I pulled it out. My doctor was extremely mad and upset with me, to say the least. But, I survived.
   — lindabaptiste619

April 6, 2004
I was rather concerned about this proposition too. My dr. assured me that I would have an NG tube but it would be removed before I woke up and I wouldn't know a thing about it. My anaesthesiologist, just before surgery, said the same thing, however, adding that she had to wait to remove it until I "began to wake up" but that in her profession there were so many states of consciousness, that this would still rank well on the "unaware" scale. So anyway,my first post-op memory is waking up coughing while they removed the tube. Yes, I was aware of it and remember it, but other than a little cough, it wasn't bad at all. Over before I knew what was going on, and it wasn't unpleasant or freaky as I'd feared.
   — christied

April 6, 2004
I just had the lap. RNY on 3/8/04. They told me they'd remove the NG tube before I was fully aware and they were right. I don't even remember them removing it or anything. No worries. I blew my nose the next day and had a little dried blood in my nose. I guess that was from the tube, but if not for that, I'd not even have known about it. I really wouldn't worry at all about it.
   — Lee Ann B.

April 6, 2004
I had the tube in until the day after my surgery. It was not a huge deal except it made my throat REALLY sore and it was difficult to swallow. After they took it out my throat felt immediately better. It was just a little uncomfortable when they took it out but all in all, no biggie.
   — Michele P.

April 7, 2004
This is one question that only your surgeon can give you a definitive answer to. I had lap and in my case woke up with an NG tube that stayed in until later that next day after I had an upper GI leak test (in which the barium was put through my NG tube instead of having to swallow the contrast)and that test came out okay. For the 24 or so hours that the NG tube was in I was not allowed anything by mouth. The tube was not pleasant, my nose and throat were extremely dry and stuffed up, but I survived. In the whole scheme of things it was no big deal.
   — Kristen S.

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