1st day home from hospital, misery, total misery

Sorry to say, however, the first 30 days is rough goings.  These are things that may possibly help you.

1.  Stay ahead of the pain.  Most pain meds take an hour or two to kick in.  Don't take it when you realize you are in pain.  Take it continuously based on the instructions. 
2.  Coughing, sneezing can cause excruciating pain.  Take one of your bed pillows and gently press it against your stomach when you have to cough, clear your throat or sneeze.  I also did this when I had to ride in cars.  It is not a miracle fix, however, it truly does help. 
3.  Getting out of bed is tough.  Do you have a bed board?  I used it to my advantage to pull myself up with my arms.  Also, not sure if this will be clear to you (things lose tranlation when typing),, however, I moved the box spring about 4-6 inches to the left so that the mattress and the box spring were NOT evenly lined up.  When you get out of bed it was easier for me to place my foot on the box spring (vs the floor).  This way you can use your left left to anchor your body and then  use your arms to pull your body up so that it is easier to get out of bed.
4.  If you are a tummy or side sleeper, forget it for the first week.  Any time you get in that position you will feel a pull on your tummy.  After the first week you still feel a little discomfort, however, if you strategically place pills to the side of you, you can sleep on your side.  The recliner quickly became my best friend for the first couple of weeks.
5.  Very, very common to have zero appetite immediately following surgery.  Try your best to get in your protein and water, however, realistically speaking most of us did NOT come close to hitting the numbers set by the Nutrition that first month.  It is okay.  Just make sure that you don't get dehydrated.  If water is difficult to drink.  Try a few ice chips in your mouth and suck on them. 
6.  I relied on protein shakes for two meals and had a mushy meal for dinner.  Lots of protein shakes out there ... if you don't like the one you purchased, try another brand/flavor.  I found that they tasted better when made with milk -- plus that adds MORE protein.  Farmland has skim plus milk (fat free milk, however, tastes better and has more protein vs other ff milk).
7.  It is hard, however, get your body up and moving.  I had no energy and was nervous about attempting to walk the entire block so I just walked up and down the driveway.  When I got tired, I would rest.
8.  Some foods that I found easy to tolerate (soft boiled eggs) and ricotta cheese with a little low fat mozarella cheese and marinara sauce (nuke it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so).  It is delish! 
9.  Keep your mind occupied.  Walk, do scrapbook, watch TV, read a healthy book, play on the computer.  A busy mind will minimize thinking about the pain. 

I will not and cannot promise that tomorrow will be 100% better, however, with each day that passes you will feel mildly better.  Some days you will move forward and you may have an occasional day that you feel you stepped backwards.  You went through major surgery.  Let your body and mind heal. 

Hang in there.  I promise ... next month at this time you will be saying this is the BEST thing that I have done!!!!! 

I'm 11 days out and it does get better every day. Hang in there.

It will get better. Take your pain meds by the clock, not by the symptom. Don't try to tough it out. If your pain meds are not making things livable (which does not mean pain free, but just that, livable), call your surgeon's office and get better pain management. You absolutely MUST be able to cough and to breathe deeply or you are at risk for pneumonia. Let that be a guide to your pain management. If you can't stand to cough, it's not good enough. Grab your belly with a pillow when you cough, that will help too.

You don't need any food. All you need is hydration. Try different temperatures of stuff. Ice chips work for many people, or sugar free popsicles. Other people do better with warm stuff like tea (no caffeine; try some herbal tea if you drink that kind of thing). Something with a little flavor to it often goes down better than plain water.

thank you to everyone.  I am really trying to feel better but it is hard.  my parents bought me some raspberry sf popsiclesl.  delish.  i have been trying to eat at least 3 meals.  i had broth for breakfast, shredded chicken with gravey for lunch and cream of celery for dinner (gross).  tomorrow i will try a protein shake.  Oh, did I mention they had Hardees chicken for dinner?????  I could kill everyone of them.  As for the pain, it seems as though when I walk around it is worse.  I will never get in bed again until the pain lets up.  I took  a shower and put on a loose fitting sports bra and some granny panties.  i feel almost normal.  well thank you all again for the input.  I cant wait to be on the more positive side of this adventure.

It does get better...I swear. Actually weight loss surgery compared to some is a breeze. I've have several major surgeries and the one *I* thought I was going to die from was my back surgery. Took me a week to even get up out of the bed and walk. And then I could only manage three steps.

Take a pillow and hold it on your stomach while you cough, it helps. And take whatever pain meds you were given for now.

Liz