Newbie here! Three days before surgery!

hello all -

i'm new to this site as of today and i'm hoping that this will be another support system through this journey i'm on! RNY is Monday at 7am and i've lost about a pound a day on my two week pre-op diet, which is encouraging.

would love your perspective on what to expect the first week after surgery......

suggestions of packing for the hospital stay?

worst part of the surgery before you went home?

were you hungry the first week out while you are on liquids only?

pain levels post surgery?

immediate exercise (walking) - how long per day is too much?

anything advice for week one?

Thanks!

Meredith

Hello! And congrats ?

I had my surgery on Wednesday (the 1st) and as of tomorrow I will be moving on to full liquids which will include yogurt, creamed soups, etc. I was also told to drink 1/2 to 1 full protein shake a day.

the hospital stay, to me, was super easy. I went on at 7 and was released the very next day at 10:30 or so. Being I. The hospital was fine. I was up and walking within a few hours after surgery and the nurses as well as my surgeon were extremely impressed. The pain didn't get bad until being at home. The gas pain, at times, have been absolutely unbearable. I have been using a heating pad constantly and walking around every few hours. Sipping liquids as well to make sure I stay in top of things. Before surgery getting 32+ ounces of fluids were so easy... now not so much. But I have an alarm set to go off every 15 mins unless I'm sleeping.

I brought the clothes I had on, a robe, slippers, and toothpaste w/ tooth paste. I literally wore the hospital gown the entire time, and went home in the same clothes I came in. I brought my computer with me and would play a show that kept me happy while in recovery mode.

Pace yourself, and don't over due it. I have been sleeping on the couch since being home because my bed is too flat.

Also when the gas pains get unbearable I use gas x, heat up my heating pad and lay on my left side. For some reason it helped a ton.

thanks so much for your reply! we are just one week apart in surgery date - we should keep in touch on here!

I'm all for it! Feel free to message me or anything. Love having somebody who understands

Congratulations! Great ride this is. I am almost 6 months out so not a vet, but:

I had a hard time in the hospital with nausea. Once that resolved, I did great. Rest/sip/walk is the mantra that I was given by veterans on this forum.

I packed very little. Did not need a gown for the hospital. I did pack a loose dress for the ride home, and slippers. I did need my phone charger, some chapstick, and I use a cpap so that.

No worst part of the surgery. It was a lifesaver for me.

I am six months out and still not hungry. Head hunger is another thing entirely. It was hard in the beginning to get enough liquid and protein because I did not want to eat or drink. But, very important to do that. 60 ounces of liquid as soon as you can get there, 60 grams of protein as soon as you can get there were the guidelines given to me. Yours may be different.

I used pain meds for a couple of weeks at night in order to sleep. I used dilaudid in the hospital as needed. I used Tylenol liquid at home for a few weeks... highly recommend finding the liquid version as the pills are really terrible when crushed. Don't know where you live but the Walgreens by me had it.

Walk as much as you can, which will help with getting rid of the gas they pump you full of. In the hospital they encouraged me to walk four or five times each day. I think they wanted me up to a mile/day at four weeks out. I have two very bad knees, so that did not happen, but that was the goal.

Log on, ask questions, use the search box to look up info (there is a LOT of info on this forum). Make sure you get info from your surgeon or center regarding vitamins, when you transition from liquid to pureed to soft... and good luck!

One more thing I thought of. I used an abdominal binder, which was SO good for me. Not all surgeons use or recommend them, but I had a lot of pain with the big incision upper left tummy where most of the tools went in, and for the first 6 weeks it helped really a lot with that pain. You can find them in a lot of pharmacies in the durable goods section. Just a big white elastic wide belt with velcro at the edges.

Ditto to what Cjonorcas said!

I did not use the belt but wish I did!

Make sure what ever you wear in hospital and going home is very baggy and comfortable.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery.

For me (I had my surgery 4 months ago), it went well. I had surgery at 1030 am. I was in pain and felt nauseous after, but the hospital staff was amazing. They gave me meds and I literally slept ALL day!! I would wake up occasionally and had ice chips until 730 that night. After that I was great. I never ended up using my pj's but used my slippers. The only thing I didn't bring but could have used was my pillow

just make sure you have your protein powder ready some broth etc.

Maybe tmi but have some recommended stuff on hand in case you get constipated. That was God aweful for me and started about 5 days after surgery.

To quote a great person on these boards, Grimm would say sip sip sip get in your liquids.

Expect to be tired lol. But all in all good luck and keep us posted

I had my surgery on February 22 this year. I'm now on puree foods. I didn't use a thing in my suitcase except my slippers, toothbrush, phone with charger and my book. I made sure I had clear broth ready at home with less salt and sugar free juices. Diet jello was also a nice treat. The 4 oz cup took me three days to eat on the first one. You aren't hungry for sure. Pain is manageable with the meds. I had surgery Wed. then didn't use anything after Friday afternoon. They had me up walking by evening as well. It felt good. Worst part of the surgery were the surgical unknowns, but overall it wasn't bad at all. You'll know your limits as you feel tired etc.

RockstarG

I had my surgery on Tuesday and am mending well. I packed way too much stuff for the hospital because I basically just used the gown and slipper-socks from the hospital so I didn't need other clothes. I did take a fuzzy robe and that was nice to wear when I was walking.

I really didn't have much pain but alot of that was helped because my surgeon uses a nerve block directly to the incision until I went home. Now I'm just using my meds to be sure that I'm comfortable to sleep. The only thing that really hurts is the incision pulls when I stand up straight and get up and down.

As for walking, just to 5-10 minutes at a time for a while and your body will tell you what you can take. Just listen to your body. Stay moving but don't overdo it.