The day of and after surgery- What to expect?

Hi everyone! Please help.

I am going around  in circles with fear/doubt/anxiety about what kind of pain I am going to feel next week. I don't know why I am so nervous. Maybe because on my last surgery (for eyes) I was told that I wouldn't have pain, just minor "discomfort". I didn't think much and was in great spirits. Well the next day I literally was sobbing from the intense pain and thought I was going to die. I guess I don't have a high "discomfort" threshold. For me, I am SO glad I had PRK eye surgery now, but the week following I thought I was literally in hell and had hot coals for eyes burning through my brain, I just wish I had been better prepared.

What was it REALLY LIKE the day of your surgery and the next day? What emotions and feelings did you have? Were you in severe pain ? Other than walking what helped? Is the gas pain just gas pain or hellish almost unbearable pain?  This might be TMI- but can you wipe yourself after surgery? Bend?

I see some posts on here from a few days after surgery, but not many right after. I know- you are in the hospital- but I would like to hear more first hand accounts of the hospital experience to put my mind at ease and at least be somewhat prepared. Any feedback of what it was like for you would be greatly appreciated. Anything you can remember. I know it's easy to forget once you are weeks out, but please try! I would be so appreciative to know anything relevant or somewhat surprising that you wish you had known prior or prepared for.

On a side note- I now *hate* the word "discomfort". Ha!

Thanks everyone!

I know how you feel.  I didn't sleep a wink the night before surgery.  The day of surgery is pretty rough but thank the good Lord for drugs :).  The pain is not unbearable and doesn't feel as bad as hot coals in your eyes.  I had pain in my shoulders from the anesthesia but I probably didn't walk as much as I should've.  The worst thing about my hospital stay was being continually interrupted by nurses but I know they were just doing their job.  You won't get much rest except for several hours after you get into your room you will be pretty drugged up.  I had no trouble wiping at all, the hardest part was doing all of that stuff with the IV.  Just make sure you tell the nurses about whatever you need & they will take care of you.  Also, I recommend you have someone stay with you through the whole thing.  My husband stayed with me & it was VERY HELPFUL!  The time will go by quickly & you will be home before you know it.  Best of luck to you & keep us posted!!!

 

Thank you SO much dianna0912! Your response really helped to put me more at ease.

I'm glad to know it isn't "unbearable" and that I can wipe myself. I know it seems trivial to ask, but I don't want to worry about that stuff. Pheww! I do have both my Husband and my Mom that want to be there. I just have to figure out how to tell my hubby that I'd honestly rather have my Mom. Nothing like a Mothers love right? ;) I'm almost 30 years old but my Mom and Dad still have that superhuman power to immediately calm my nerves and make me feel like it's all going to be okay.

Thanks again!

Diana

I haven't had the VSG yet but have had lap band surgery and gallbladder surgery previously.  The pain was bad-especially in my stomach area with the incisions.  I could walk to and from the bathroom and wipe but showering the 2nd day out was hard and painful.  I didn't mind the nurses most of the time-they'd come and do their business and usually I was out of it due to pain meds/sleeping (I can sleep through anything!).   With both surgeries, I was in a lot of pain for the first week or so. Slowly after that it got better and by a month out I was about back to normal.   With that being said, I have no fears of going in for my next (and final hopefully) surgery which will be a revision from lap band to VSG.  In fact, I'm kind of looking forward to a week of rest afterwards when I go to my parents' house and let them take care of me while my DH and some other family members take care of my house and kids for the week:)  Pain meds were great, lots of rest, got up and walking as soon as possible, etc.    It's the kind of pain that you sort of forget afterwards of how painful it really was.     

On a side note, DH's 79 year old grandma had gallbladder surgery a few months after me and left the hospital just a few hours afterwards and felt great!  That was definitely not my experience!!!!  Everyone is different.

Thank you Dreamofpeace!

That was a great account of your past experience and I think that mine will probably be similar knowing that I can't really handle pain well. So sad! It's encouraging to know that despite the pain you are going all in for the revision. And that's so cute that his Granny was so brave and healed quickly! I can only wish to feel that good after!

Thank you!

Diana

I was ready to go when I woke on surgery day. I had some minor nerves, but I had passed the panic stage a few weeks prior.. I felt ready.

Right after: I woke with absolutely no pain because of epidural narcotics that were used in addition to general anesthesia, the bad- I'm intolerant of narcotics! I soon hit nausea for about 36hrs until it wore off.. It passed. 

Pain was moderate, I'd put it at about a 3-4 most times. Day one was easier (epidural was still working) day 2 I was more sore.. Getting up was not fun the first day or two, but I only needed a hand to help pull me to a more sitting position.. I had no gas pain at all. No issues wiping. Bending over to pick something up was not an option for a few days! I was doped on the anti-nausea meds and foggy brained too.. which made time fly by. I was given strong NSAIDs for pain, no narcotics, and I had no need for anything much stronger.. after the third night I was ready to fly home, and had no issue other than walking the terminals made my abs feel like someone punched me (sore/pulled muscle feeling.)

I'll go find a post that was very helpful and put it up here.. It's basically a blow-by-blow of what you may experience.

Here's a very informative post from Elizabeth N. :http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/4265423/PRE-OPS-Never -had-surgery-Heres-what-to-expect/

The purpose of this thread is to address the expectations of people who have never had abdominal surgery with general anesthesia. It's not specific to any WLS procedure, just to the experience of surgery. My reason for this thread is that I keep reading really ridiculous posts from people who are like 24-48 hours postop who think they should be back to normal and see evidence of weight loss on the scale and in the mirror. 

Um, NOT realistic. I would like to think that the hospital and surgeon people would educate folks on this stuff, but I know they don't. So, let's educate please. 

Would people please chime in here and tell about what happens the morning of surgery when you check in and get prepped? My experience was a little different from the usual because of my severe medical situation at the time, so I don't want folks to go by my details on this. Bascially: You'll show up at the hospital, sign lots of papers, change into surgical attire, get blood drawn, IV port started, fast interviews with several medical people, and get herded into the waiting line for your OR room/team. Chances are you will have to say goodbye to the people who accompanied you to the hospital and then still hang out on your gurney and wait for a while. 

At this time, if you want happy juice so you remember nothing, you will have mentioned this to anesthesia people at your preop evaluation, but you can still ask for it now if you start to freak. Do NOT lie there on your conveyance and just endure fear/panic/misery. SPEAK UP. 

You will either be wheeled or asked to walk to the operating room. Some people find walking into the OR to be pretty wild. Control freaks like me think it's great LOL. I don't want to give up any control I don't have to until the last second!  If you get happy drugs they'll wheel you in cuz you'll be too stoned to maneuver. 

You MIGHT remember some of this: In the OR you will be asked once again your identifying info (compared to your bracelet and their written stuff), what kind of procedure you're having and that you consent to this whole spiel. You'll get on the table, which will be cold and uncomfortable. At this time, THINK about what will help you to lie there paralyzed for hours with a minimum of misery. Do you have a bad knee/back/hip/shoulder/elbow/neck? SAY SO. Insist on getting your bad joint supported with pillows or towels or whatever, cuz you're gonna be there a long time and you will not automatically change your position like you do when you're asleep. 

If you have limited range of motion somewhere, like your neck, demonstrate your range of motion to Anesthesia Dude and say in plain English what the limits are. They will listen and try to accomodate. They LOVE IT when people tell them stuff that will help them make you less miserable later. 

Somebody will stay at your head and talk to you and say goodnight. You might remember getting a mask on your face and being told to breathe deeply and relax. You might feel suddenly drugged/dozy for a moment. The next thing you will know--and it will seem like no time has passed and that loss of time will be a little weird--someone will be shaking you awake and telling you it's over. (You will very likely not remember any of this either, especially if you had happy juice.) 

You can use Google to find a total demonstration of everything that happens in your surgery with as much live or cartoon detail as you want. I will skip those details except to say in general: The general anesthesia involves drugs that render you unconscious, paralyzed, devoid of sensation and amnesic. Look up general anesthesia for more information if you want it. The anesthesia team will do EVERYTHING for you except run your heart and your brain, basically. Anything the paralytic drugs stop, they do, like breathe for you. This is why you must be intubated and have a catheter during surgery. 

You will NEVER receive as much focused, professional, carefully, absolute attention in your life as you do when you are under anesthesia. It's just about the safest place on the planet to be. You are at greater risk of being hit by a car than you are of dying under anesthesia. Probably the risk is higher of your house collapsing on you than of dying from anesthesia, but I haven't actually SEEN those stats lol. 

Once your surgery and anesthesia are over, you will be wheeled from the OR to the PACU, post anesthesia recovery unit. There you will be lovingly attended by your very own PACU person and a hell of a lot of equipment. Various people will be bugging you about how you feel, telling you to breathe, asking you your pain level, having you move your feet, etc. You will have pressure cuffs around your lower legs and these will inflate/deflate. You might be damned cold. This is cuz the OR is about icebox temperature, and because of the effects of anesthesia. COMPLAIN....about ANYTHING that bugs you. Trust me, your complaints give the folks valuable info and they can and will help you. This is NOT the time to be brave and suck it up. This is whining time. 

If you are happy as a clam and higher than a kite, SAY SO. This is also valuable information. 
By all means tell everyone your life's story, that you love them, that you will make them filet mignon, have their baby, whatever. They LOVE hearing you talk. It's good for your breathing and it entertains them. 

Oh BTW everyone in the world will be bugging you to BREATHE and COUGH and it will suck because your belly got blasted. THAT you must suck up. Your one major task in life right then is to breathe deeply and often. If it hurts too much to breathe, whine loudly, but BREATHE while doing it. REMEMBER THIS,. do you hear me? DEEP BREATHING IS IMPERATIVE. You gotta get the anesthesia out of your person, you gotta get the crap out of your lungs, you need the oxygen.....BREATHE BREATHE BREATHE. Trust me, you do NOT want post anesthesia pneumonia. Look it up on Google, get scared and BREATHE. 

After a while in PACU, you will get removed to your room. IMNSHO remembering this (which I do, from multiple surgeries) is a bummer, because it involves moving and getting bumped even by the most careful of orderlies. Motion on post anesthesia belly is nauseating. Getting bumped with slashed belly hurts. Close your eyes, take a shot of your pain meds if you have a pain button and try to go unconscious for this. Use brain power to black out for this ride if possible. 

You'll arrive in your room. Depending on how your surgery went and how stoned you are, you will either sit up and step from gurney to bed or you will be transferred by personnell. Both methods suck but for different reasons. I cannot recommend a preference. 

Your bed will be ******g cold. New people will arrive. There will be lights and noise and annoyance. You might welcome or resent the activity, and you may or may not remember any of it.  Follow instructions, whatever they might be, with all the zest you can muster, for obeying your instructions will lead to going home sooner AND to feeling better faster, even though you might not be able to imagine it at that point.

For me, my instructions were to lie there and shut up, basically :-p. Okay, not really, but I was in ICU and had major medical **** going on and nobody knew what I could do for myself because I came in to the hospital on oxygen and barely walking. So I got treated as sicker than I really was and it was a miserable experience. Most of you will be dragged out of bed and told to walk, pee, etc. DO IT. Yes it will hurt and yes you will be cranky. DO IT ANYWAY. It's good for you. 

Depending on your procedure, surgeon, medical condition and protocol, you might wake up with: a catheter between your legs, NG tube in your nose, oxygen in your nose, drains in your belly, peg tube aka feeding tube in your belly. You WILL have some kind of IV port going, could be a basic vein in arm, a port in upper arm, chest or a central line in your neck. 

(Central lines are da bomb. You can get an eggplant sent through those suckers and you'd never know. Do not resist a central line. They get put in when you're out and held in place, usually in your neck, by one or two stitches. The scars are miniscule but resemble vampire bites, so they are cool looking. Central lines free up your arms and you don't get bruised to hell because they go in deeper veins.) 

Regarding the tubes: Chill. They are your friends. The catheter means you don't have to haul your miserably sore ass out of bed immediately for two tablespoons of pee--and trust me, with all the fluids they are pumping into you, you will have LOTS OF PEE. Catheter removal for women feels like removing a very soaked/lubed tampon. Sorry guys, dunno what it's like for you.

Belly drains: Also your friend. They get fluids out of your surgically traumatized gut that would otherwise hang out and hurt and maybe cause infection. Ignore them unless you have to go home with them. Then treat them as your friends and follow your care instructions. Really, they are no biggie if you expect them and just do what you have to do.

Jtube/feeding tube: The way to not get back in the ER with dehydration from hell. LOVELY invention. USE IT to make sure you get tons of fluids, your protein drink, etc. Be glad it is there and use it to get stuff in that will help you heal faster. When drains and J tube come out it will be WEIRD but only minimally uncomfortable unless they stick to your skin. Then they will pull and hurt a bit. It's okay. They are your friends. Attitude is imperative to enduring them and using them well.

Okay, I've gone on long enough. Someone else's turn to explain what belly surgery is like please :-

 

This description is spot on, and interesting since I remember nothing post-surgery until I was actually in my bed.  I am sure thought I was one of those babbling patients.  I remember clearly wanting to tell the dentist (whom I had never met before) that I loved him when he was extracting a cracked tooth and I was under nitrous oxide.  It was blissful.

I completely forgot about the incentive spirometer.  DO IT.  Deep breathing isn't fun, but I feared 3 things from my hospital experience:  leaks, bood clots, pneumonia.  I only had control over the last two.

I had surgery a week ago. I woke up in pain but they gave me something quickly. The Morphine PCA was great and controlled my pain well. I was walking the night of surgery. I was very sore especially in my incisions. I thought it really hurt to wipe. To bend over was actually really painful IMO. Using my abdominal muscles in anyway has been pretty darn painful until today and I'm now 8 days post-op. Luckily I had NO gas pains at all. That was my biggest fear. I am a RN and I see first hand how debilitating they can be. My best advice is walk frequently and good distances. Don't hold in any gas or burps. Let them rip use your pain meds regularly and on time. Use ICE on your abdomen. Strangely I wasn't given ice in the hospital and used it religiously when I got home for 5 days and it made a world of difference. Everything hard in life is worth a little pain. You will be fine and everyday will get better. Good luck!

I am 51 and have never had any other surgeries.  My two daughters are adopted.  The most I'd been through before was having my wisdom teeth removed.  I am writing a long, detailed, blow-by-blow of my first few days since I am only out 8 days and can still remember it pretty well.

Monday 8/29/2011

I was very nervous a week or so before the surgery, but I got very calm and I know I actually slept the night before.  My surgery was scheduled for 10:30 a.m., but it was delayed for about two hours because of the surgeon not finishing as soon as scheduled for the previous surgery, and technical issues with the hospital's brand new computer system (they couldn't get use logged in on time).  This was not fun because you cannot drink after midnight on the night before, and I was pretty darn thirsty after 12 hours.

I went into prep and had the IV put in and a heparin injection.  That is a blood thinner and is used to help prevent blood clots.  It burns, a lot like a bee or wasp sting, but subsides about a minute after the injection.  This was the only slightly unpleasant thing in prep.

They wheeled me in to the OR, and I exchanged a few pleasantries with the team.  They put an oxygen mask over my face and that's the last I remembered.

I was not in pain at all when I woke up.  I was groggy and only have a vague memory of what was said to me.  As I came to, I felt so relieved that everything went well.  I had a catheter in, which was new for me, and saw I had a drain attached to the outside of my gown.  They got me up to walk - twice that night if I remember.  I was in and out of sleep.

I didn't have any pain when I was lying still, but getting in and out of bed was painful.  The incisions burned like hell when I twisted, especially the large incision on my left side.  I had a small pillow I brought from home that I held against my left side that really helped when I moved or walked.  The pain subsided pretty quickly once I was up or back down in the bed.  If I wasn't moving, nothing hurt.  I never had *internal* pain or nausea, and I fell in and out of sleep. 

Tuesday 8/30/2011

The bed was very uncomfortable (for me at least) and when I woke up the next morning, my back hurt worse than anything.  I am not used to sleeping on my back, and I was desperate to get out of bed.  They got me up (still sore and burning), I walked several laps around the area, then I sat in a reclining chair.  I never got in the bed again, and slept Tuesday night in the recliner.  It was much more comfortable and easier to get up and down from.  I had been on Dilaudid (an opiate), but it did seem to reduce my oxygen levels (shallower breathing), especially when I was sleeping, so they switched me on Toradol (an NSAID).  This worked great, and no more oxygen issues.

They started me on water, one ounce every hour, no more.  I tolerated that great.  That's all I had on Tuesday.  They did my leak test while I was still under, so I didn't have to do anything else. 

They took the catheter out after 24 hours.  This was scary, but turned out to be no big deal.  Once the catheter was out, the fluids made it necessary for me to pee every 1-1/2 hours or so.  Get up out of the chair or sitting on the toilet was painful, meaning the incisions burned.  Wiping was painful, because I had to twist a little bit.  I had no BMs in the hospital.

I never had any pain when drinking, or any should pain from gas in the abdominal cavity.  I was able to walk just fine as long as I clutched my little pillow to my side.  I spent a lot of Tuesday reading, walking, peeing, and sipping.  No pain except when moving.

Wednesday 8/31/2011

I felt tons better by Wednesday.  Going to the bathroom was much easier (thank goodness, since I was going all the time) and they advanced me to clear liquids.  I tolderated two meals of clear liquids, drank the requisite amount of water and was ready to discharge.  My final fear was... removal of the drain.  The surgeon came in, talked to me, then BOOM, pulled it out.  No pain, just weird feeling.  I was able to get dressed and it felt wonderful to be unthethered to the IV.  Right before I went home, they gave me a Percoset, which was SUPER and I didn't have much pain at all going home, except for getting in and out of the car.

Thursday on

At home, I have been sleeping in a recliner, because getting up and down still bothers my big incision.  I am going to try the bed tonight.  I took a few Percosets after I first came home, but I switched over to Tylenol which works GREAT and I feared constipation.  I had a cup of decaf coffee on Saturday to get things moving, that worked great, and so far everything's good in that department.

I am not having any problems with liquids or proteins, no nausea, reflux, anything.  It has been really easy.  I am 8 days out now, and the incisions only burn if I bend to twist too far.  It might twinge when sitting down or standing up, but not the burning pain.  If I try to pick something up off the floor and don't squat enough (try to bend too much), it burns again, but stops as soon as I stand up.  Each day is better and better, and I am pretty sure I could go back to work tomorrow if I had to (but I don't! Yippee!).

Hope this helps!!