Pain levels

 I'm still preop I'm booked in for July 26th and I'm just a bit curious about the pain- I know everyone is different- but is it the pain from the incisions etc that people are talking about or is it where the stomach has been removed- I realise this is a bit of a daft question and Iv had abdominal surgery before, emergency c-section,band in and band out and I'm just trying to get an idea of what I'm looking at.
The three surgeries Iv had I was off pain killers by the second day, third day with the band out because there was a lot of digging in scar tissue- also Iv seen talk of binders my dr said not to bother but if it's going to make life more comfortable  I'm inclined to go there!

Thanks 

I can only speak from my own experience 6 days ago.

Once you're in recovery and awake the discomfort is there and it's pretty substantial. They have blown you up like a balloon, the anesthesia has added its own special bloat, and if you're like me, your back is kiling you from lying on a gurney for a few hours. Oh, and the incision sites are sore as hell.

The night after surgery was the worst. The nurse wakes you up every hour to make sure you're still alive and remember your name. You are parched beyond belief and can't drink a thing. I moaned pretty much all night until about 4am when I was finally left alone and got about 3 hours of sleep. That was indeed the long, dark teatime of the soul. I just remember thinking, or possibly saying out loud "Oh God what have I done? It's irreversible! It's IRREVERSIBLE!!" 

The next morning was much better mentally. Still horribly discomforted by the bloating and the incision soreness. The nurses kept telling me I could push my pain button every 8 minutes but it wasn't really pain per se.

Once the anesthesia starts really getting out of your system and you can walk around safely I HIGHLY  recommend doing so. It will speed your recovery, get the gas moving and make you feel a little more human.

Once I got home the only pain has been, again, with the incisions. My doctor gave me a prescription for hydrocodone syrup but I haven't taken any.

YOU CANNOT TAKE IBUPROFIN FOR PAIN RELIEF!!

 I was off pain meds day 3.My main incision was sore longer,but it was not painful, just sore enough to remind me take it easy on the lifting kinda like my c-section.I had a binder not sure it helped anything but after wearing it 3 nights,I found it hard not to sleep without it, not sure if it was a comfort thing or psychosomatic.I used my binder for about 3 weeks.

 Awesome thanks for the reply's

Comeundone your weightloss is awesome I hope I can do that well- I have a few failure issues after the dramas I went through with the band, even though I know it had to do with how it was initially placed and then the fact it had slipped(unbeknownst to me) I'm working with a psych on this in my lead up to surgery.

My pain threshold is generally pretty high so I'm not sure why this is so stuck in my head at the moment.

I'm 10 days post op. I think it ended up being a little more painful than I had anticipated. I've had my gallbladder out and recovery was worse than that. My pain was more inside, I think where they took the stomach out. It felt more like muscle pain, like I'd done 1000 sit ups. Just sitting normally wasn't too bad but getting up and down or rolling over in bed was the hardest. Each day gets much easier. Take your pain meds if you need them. One day I thought I was going to try and take liquid tylenol instead and by the time I could take my real pain meds I was in tears bc I hurt so bad. Walking around does help and I think doing the spirometer is a big help too.

 The first 2 days were the toughest.  Day 3 I stopped taking the pain meds.  The pain was no worse than just sore muscles from doing  hundreds of sit ups.  My problem was just the nausea, I had that every day for the first full week, now that has passed I feel 100% better.  Best of luck to you for a speedy recovery.

 I honestly don't hardly remember anything about the day of my surgery!  Lol. Just some discomfort when walking my laps....soreness mostly!

 I only took one dose of pain med at home after an overnight stay @ the surgical center....managed just fine with my heating pad...was back at work on Monday after surgery on Thursday....it was a little uncomfortable getting up and down....I had only 1 previous surgical experience which was a hysterectomy which was a very easy recovery for me too...so maybe I just have a high tolerance, don't know....but don't work yourself over it...get up and walk as soon as they will let you, its the only way to get rid of the gas pain which was the worst part for me....but was gone by the early evening of surgery day...