I need some pep talk

Well my surgery is only 6 days away and I am getting very nervous and excited. I think I really need is for someone to be straight with me about post-op. Never having a surgery before, I don't know what to expect pain wise and everyone who I ask about it is sugar coating it. I need the real answers so that I can be totally mentally prepared. Can anyone help??

I haven't had my wls yet but i have had 4 surgeries in my abdomen.. 2 c-sections and 2 laproascopies. (sp?) i can say that the pain from the gas that they put in you is worse than the accual "cut" you get, and the more i walked the better it made me feel, sometimes my chest would hurt like someone had hit me with a bat and when i coughed or sneezed but if i had a pillow and i held it to my tummy while doing any of those things it didn't bother me so much.. the pain accualy only lasted 2 days for me in all my surgeries, in fact my 2nd c-section i didn't even use pain killers, no tylenol no drip nothing, my insisions itched and botherd me more than the pain.. now going to the bathroom for the first time after any of my surgeries was hard and painful but that was only the first bm too.. my labor pains were accualy worse for me than the pain of the surgeries so that might give you a hint of how it was for me.. everyone is different and if you don't walk afterwards as best as you can it can get real rough just listen to your dr and the nurses they know exactly what to do, they are trained for all of that stuff and Belive in God that he will help you through all of this, there may be pain but the outcome of being healthy is so much more worth it think of things you want to be able to do when you get home and after you start losing.. like i said i haven't had the wls yet, im in the last stages so im praying i can get everything that i need and i can get my surgery by sept.. with lots of prayers i know God can help me accompli**** all God bless you and your in my prayers, please will you let me know how it went for you when you get home.. Paula

Everybody has different levels of pain tolerance. I'm a baby when it comes to pain (and I had four kids!). Yes it can be painful. The first couple of days it hurts to get out of bed. I was hugging my IV stand during my walks, because I was too weak, and it felt like my incision was pulling. I hated that stupid NG tube down my nose. It was uncomfortable and your lips and inside your mouth goes dry. They come in to make you do your breathing exercises, and that hurts. You can't reach to wash down below very easily, so I highly recommend you bring a wooden spoon so you can wrap a rag around it and take care of business. I even let my tech do it for me. Hey, it has to get clean! Even though walking hurts and makes you sore, it is the best thing for you. The more I walked, the stronger I got. You're going to learn that you have muscles in places you never thought you would. The good news is that you have pain meds. I had a morphine button I was able to use every six minutes. I got tired of the headaches it was giving me and the itchiness, so I quit using it. Then they gave me Lortab, and I felt great! I LOVE Lortab (a little too much, I suppose). They sent me home with some, and I had to force myself to quit taking it. When you get home (depending on how overweight you are), it is difficult to sleep in your own bed laying down. Even propping yourself up on pillows doesn't seem to always do the trick. If you have a big comfy recliner you can sleep in, it helps. That will last about two weeks. I've noticed that smaller people don't have this problem. Just come prepared that you're going to be uncomfortable for a couple of weeks post-op, and then you're going to feel great and move on with your new life. It's worth it!

Eileen; Everyone had a different pain tolerance and experience based on their body and surgeon. Read my profile if you want to know my experience (RNY was my first in-patient surgery). However, I'll tell you I had a more pain from a root canal in 1999 than I did from my lap RNY. I never had pain meds after 48 hours post-op and only used my pain pump to get in and out of bed for my walks. My advice...prepare yourself for the worst and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Prayers for a complication-free procedure and speedy recovery are coming your way! Blessings, Jennifer 253 / 159 / 137

Hi Eileen! How exciting for you to be so close to a start of a new life for yourself!You need to focus on that part of it and keep a positive attitude and try not to psych yourself out too much on the post-op pain thing. Everyone is different as far as post-op pain goes. The first day of it was hard. I felt like i was beat with a baseball bat from head to toe. Having a catheter in was a pain in the butt too. When they took that out it was a huge relief!! However, having to go to the bathroom was a chore because I had to have help to make it from the bed to the bathroom. I also had a cough from the anesthetic. My oxygen level was at 80% and was on oxygen for a few days. Just remember to breathe in the spyrometer that they give you and keep your lungs open with that and keep away the pneumonia. That was really painful was the coughing. Also try to get up and walk...alot. It helps get that gas out of your body and promotes healing..and of course with your oxygen level. I hope that your surgery goes well and you have a speedy recovery! Good luck!

I had surgery 6/26. The pain itself wasn't that bad, I was able to get pain medicine to help control it. But the first couple of days are rough. The good news is, once you are past that, it gets so much easier. After a week I was up and running around. Don't kid yourself, no surgery is FUN or EASY. My biggest discomfort issues weren't with the area I had surgery, but with the other stuff, tubes and drains, etc. Yes, it's probably going to hurt. Once you wake up, tell them you need medicine. Some docs won't give pain meds until you ask. It's nothing lots and lots of us haven't already done and you can do this too!! There will be a beginning, a middle, and then eventually the end of this surgerical process for you. Then you will be on your way to recovering and you can get going on your weight loss!! You'll be fine. A positive attitude will take you a long way. I'm sure you have done your homework. Stay upbeat and try to be a good patient while you are in the hospital (walking, etc.)! Best wishes, Michelle

I am the Queen of wimps, so I understand your worries. Just remember the hospital does not want you in pian either, it slows your recovery. And it is easier to keep pain under control then to let it get very bad and try to stop it. I had my surgery last week and went home in under 24 hours. The meds they sent me home on worked great. The more walking and moving you do the less pain you will have also because you will be getting the gas out.

I had very little pain - the gas from the lapro procedure and the dern hospital bed gave me the most trouble.. you can check out my profile for more. I had surgery Tuesday June 20th and was back to work Monday June 26th. I was in the hospital 2 days and on Friday was out running errands - Sat I worked my 2nd job for 4 hours and was in the pool swimming Sunday! I had no pain post-op hospital.... incision above my belly button was a bother - couldnt wear jeans for 2 weeks but otherwise all is well!

Hi Eileen - As you can see from the number of different responses you have received, it IS different for everyone. For me, I didn't have ONE second of pain after the surgery. The only real problem I had was the weakness I felt after about a week post-op. It took me almost 2 months to get to the point where I was able to shower without help. Now I'm stronger than ever and exercising like I should. I went back to work after 2 weeks and was fine, just winded a lot. Expect to be weak, but pain was, happily, never a factor for me. Good luck!