Scared, really scared - ThinnerTimes

Kim W · 10-27-2007, 07:36 PM

I am scheduled for gastric bypass in 10 days. I can't seem to think of anything else. I feel like I'm bothering the doctor's office with questions. "Don't worry, everything will be fine." just is not doing it for me! Can anyone shed any light on if your surgery included catheters, when you could get up and walk, nauseau for the anethesia, drain tubes, GOLIGHTLY???

fisher1000 · 10-27-2007, 07:53 PM

It's different for everybody, hun, but you're in a good place. This forum is the best source of info I've found and just looking through recent posts should help ease your mind.

As far as your specific questions:

I didn't have a catheter,but some people did. As for walking, well, it was about 5 hours after the surgery was over. They really want you to walk as much as possible, and after laying in one position in that hospital bed, you'll be grateful to get out of every now and then!

I had no nausea from the anesthesia, but the pain medicine after I got home made me a little loopy, but not nauseas. Evidently, at one point, I was under the impression that my wife was in a parade and I kept waving at her. (This was in the middle of the night!)

My drain tube came out on the third day, others on here had them for a week or so. Either way, it's just a nuisance, it doesn't hurt.

As a matter of fact, my major pain was my back and my butt. It hurt far worse from laying in one position than anything else. My incision site was tender for a few days, but that pain subsided very quickly. (In under a week.)

I'm not going to tell you not to worry, because I know that's the last thing you want to hear. But I will tell you that so many of us have been through it. All of us worried before we went in and drove ourselves crazy with the "what ifs," but we're all on the other side now and know that most of the worrying we did was for nothing.

Just know this is a good place to ask questions, to rant and rave, and to find a caring shoulder. You're in the right place physically, even if you're mind still needs some time to wrap around what you're about to do.

Take care!

-Mike

MiladyB · 10-27-2007, 08:01 PM

Welcome Kim. Your doctor should be answering all of those questions for you. It really is his respondsibility to make sure you are well informed. So don't be afraid to ask.

Doctors are different so I can only share with you my experience. In regards to a catheter, I had one. They put it in during surgery so I never knew it was there until I woke up. They removed it the next morning. I had one little drain (JP drain) but my surgeon doesn't put one in everyone. I had some oozing from the pouch during surgery so that is why it went in. I only had that over night too. They removed it the next afternoon. They had me up walking within 4 hours after returning to my room from surgery. Pretty much once I was awake enough they had me up. I walked every 4 hours right on through the night. Which is standard orders from my surgeon. I was pretty nauseated from the anesthesia but that is me. It just really makes me sick. I let them know that before surgery so they started pumping drugs in me before I even woke up and then in recovery room. It helped because I didn't have any more nausea after the recovery room. I didn't have to do the bowel prep pre-op, only nothing to eat or drink after midnight, but I had been on a 2 week low fat, low calorie, high protein diet pre-op.

Are there any other questions you were wondering about?

Other things I can think of is that I did have an IV and a pain pump (so I could give myself my own pain meds). They took the pump away the next morning. I had to wear special foot things that pumped up to help my circulation. They put them on before surgery and wore them until I was up walking more. I had a shot pre-op too that was a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots. I also had that after surgery until I went home. I was discharged about 24 hours after surgery but most people on here seem to be in the hospital 2 nights. I did have my RNY done lap. Only other tube was oxygen over night. It was placed in my nose. I also had to wear a little thing on my finger that lit up that recorded my oxygen concentration.

Please don't be afraid to ask questions...and answering them with, "don't worry, everything will be alright." really isn't enough. So insist that they let you know what to expect. It is their job.

lward76 · 10-27-2007, 10:25 PM

Hi and welcome to TT!! You will find lots of help here with no doubt!! First I want to say i was in the hospital for 2nights and 3 days and I had my surgery done lap, I did have pain pump "morphine"

but they took that away the next night and then they were giving me perkicets, I too had a cathater but didnt know till the next morning and it was no bother and didnt hurt and I had JP drain for 1 week and no that didnt hurt when they took that out either just more pressure than anything and a bother for a week but better safe to be there i guess!!! Also, before your surgery please make sure you get your diet list from your doctor some are on liquids 2 weeks some only 1 then move to the next stage but that is up to your doc not us!! I know your nervous we all were at some point in time hell i still am some times and im 6 1/2 months out, just all the what ifs!! But that is just me!! I would hope to see sometime you put up your progress on your signature we like to see "losers"!!!! Anyway good luck with everything, and hope you have a safe recovery and that you will have someone there to help you out if needed!! IM sure that others will give bettter advice than me but that is how i was!!! Good luck hon!!! Laura

jerseygrl684 · 10-28-2007, 11:35 AM

its funny.. i had the sameeee questions... but i figure it'll help with the nervousness if i dont know.. yea the whole catheter thing. NOT HAPPENING. lmao.. you are going to have to drug me to get that in.

you guys help a lot.. and fisher's right, this is the PERFECT place to rant rave cry and bitch, because we all understand

good luck!!! I think i'm nov 15th.. i got pushed back 3 days.. ill know defin. tomorrow lol

Claire-in-Texas · 10-29-2007, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiladyB

Welcome Kim. Your doctor should be answering all of those questions for you. It really is his respondsibility to make sure you are well informed. So don't be afraid to ask.

Doctors are different so I can only share with you my experience. In regards to a catheter, I had one. They put it in during surgery so I never knew it was there until I woke up. They removed it the next morning. I had one little drain (JP drain) but my surgeon doesn't put one in everyone. I had some oozing from the pouch during surgery so that is why it went in. I only had that over night too. They removed it the next afternoon. They had me up walking within 4 hours after returning to my room from surgery. Pretty much once I was awake enough they had me up. I walked every 4 hours right on through the night. Which is standard orders from my surgeon. I was pretty nauseated from the anesthesia but that is me. It just really makes me sick. I let them know that before surgery so they started pumping drugs in me before I even woke up and then in recovery room. It helped because I didn't have any more nausea after the recovery room. I didn't have to do the bowel prep pre-op, only nothing to eat or drink after midnight, but I had been on a 2 week low fat, low calorie, high protein diet pre-op.

Are there any other questions you were wondering about?

Other things I can think of is that I did have an IV and a pain pump (so I could give myself my own pain meds). They took the pump away the next morning. I had to wear special foot things that pumped up to help my circulation. They put them on before surgery and wore them until I was up walking more. I had a shot pre-op too that was a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots. I also had that after surgery until I went home. I was discharged about 24 hours after surgery but most people on here seem to be in the hospital 2 nights. I did have my RNY done lap. Only other tube was oxygen over night. It was placed in my nose. I also had to wear a little thing on my finger that lit up that recorded my oxygen concentration.

Please don't be afraid to ask questions...and answering them with, "don't worry, everything will be alright." really isn't enough. So insist that they let you know what to expect. It is their job.

Ditto to all that Beth said - I had VERY similar experiences, and I agree with what she said about your surgeon having the responsibility to answer all your questions. However, we are here for you, not as professionals but can speak from our experience.

You are in such a nervewracking time now - we can all relate to that.

Welcome to the TT Board! And the very best of luck to you!

moosie · 10-29-2007, 06:55 AM

Well, I had a catheter for a few hrs. I walked as soon as I could which was roughly 3-4 hrs after I was moved to my room. I had 2 drains, one removed at 1 week post op, the other 2 weeks. I did have meds. for nausea and I felt motion sick everytime I lifted my head for about 2 days.
It sounds worse than it actually was. I slept a lot the first couple of days except when I was up walking.

Nyn · 10-29-2007, 12:31 PM

Hi there. Please don't be afraid to ask questions -- here or with your doctor. If they get annoyed then they aren't doing their jobs!

As for my experience: The day before surgery I was on a clear liquid diet and had to take an awful laxative solution. So gross! But I was so excited for surgery that the day passed quickly.

Yes, I had a cathetar for a few hours, which I was grateful for. That might be strange to hear, but for the first couple of hours you don't want to have to worry about bathroom or anything. You're mostly falling asleep every few minutes in the first hours. They put it in when I was already knocked out in surgery. Getting it taken out is not fun, but very fast.

I did not have any drains. I was up walking probably 4 hours after surgery and kept getting up to walk every few hours until I left 2 days later. I received shots of blood thinner regularly the whole time. And strangely, though I've never been diabetic, they tested my blood sugar regularly and I even received a shot of insulin right after surgery and from what I remember (was very woozy) the nurse said sometimes surgery throws your blood sugar off

Other things going on was having my vitals taken all the time, and having to manage my pain. From what I hear on the forum here, many people have very, very little pain post-op. I was not quite so lucky. My surgery was done laproscopically. On the left side of my abdomen, where my doctor went through the muscle with all the big tools, he pulled it tight with a stitch putting it back together. This ended up being very painful for me. I had a morphine pump at first, and then later the nurse injected a pain med into my IV when I would request it (and belive me, I did). They sent me home with liquid Tylenol, which did nothing for me, so later they gave me a script for liquid Vicodin, which was much better.

As for the IV, the nurse put it into my forearm so it didn't get in the way on my hand or in the crease of my elbow. I've had IVs many, many times before, but that was my favorite location I've ever had one. I also had those round sticky circles all over my body where I was hooked up to wires connected to the vital monitoring machines, and a thing over my finger measuring my blood oxygen, I think?

Immediately post-op, I had bad nausea my first day back home, and then just mild nausea sometimes after eating. It is only now that I am on almost all solids that I am finding more things that make me sick, but we all go through that as we advance our diets.

I know you are scared, and this experience is not a walk in the park. There are annoyances, soreness, strange emotions, nausea, sometimes the nurses are great and sometimes less so, and weird needles and tubes. But none of it is something you won't be able to handle. Just wait and see! You might surprise yourself with your inner strength. And the weight loss results are definitely worth it! I feel so much better already!

MILA · 10-29-2007, 12:48 PM

No catheter for me. Never did have any nausea either. I was up and walking within a couple of hours of being put in my room. I was encouraged to use the morphine pump as needed. The pain meds helped the breathing exercise and walking a lot (both keys to successful healing/recovery). Other than the usual nuisance of being stuck in the hospital for a few days, having a drain, and being hooked to IVs, monitors, etc, my experience was not that bad. Make sure you follow your docs instructions and walk, sip, walk, etc. Get out of that bed and move.

You will do fine. Good luck.

Jeri · 10-29-2007, 01:12 PM

I'm having surgery tomorrow...catheters are no big deal so I don't care if they catheterize me. I've been catheterized w/ out having surgery & it doesn't hurt. So please don't worry about that.

Your drs office needs to be availble to you for any question..that's part of what you are paying for.