Hi all, my RNY bypass surgery was Wednesday, June 3. The one thing I wish I would have know going into it was how much pain I was going to be in immediately afterward. I have had several abdominal surgeries and have gone through the usual and expected pain associated with these surgeries. My God, did I hurt after this one. Once I found the happy button to the PCA, it was much better, but for the first 4 days, I had much more pain than I was anticipating. Today I am just "sore" so maybe I have turned the corner. I would still go through it all again and knowing it would be painful wouldn't have kept me from the surgery, it would have just helped me to mentally prepare for it. I am definitely feeling fairly miserable right now but I know that with each passing day, things will improve. Any advice on eating, activites, etc that anyone wishes to share with me would really be appreciated.
Had no idea the surgery would be so painful
- Thread starter LDM
- Start date
gzar
Member
Drink water, drink water and then drink more water. Now that you've finally drank 1/8th of what you should be drinking, drink some more. It seriously makes a huge difference in bowel function.
Sometimes it just takes a little stimulation to re-awake your bowels. I used a dulcolax suppository and while my first product wasn't much more than mucus, later in the day I had a bonafide BM. It is also incredibly important to stay hydrated for proper bowel function. Right now, us newbies are not getting any fiber in our diet and the protein shakes seem to add to the constipation.
The constipation is the worse lol. I do miralax 2-3 times a day, smooth move tea helps, I've done ex-lax too. Milk of magnesia makes me want to vomit. Drink lots of water and walk a lot!
I am happy to report that on day 6, I feel pretty normal. I walked 6 blocks to one of our rental properties, puttered around a few minutes, and walked back home. I went slow, but I felt amazing once I cooled down (Dallas is really hot this time of year). I thank all of you who put up with my post op whining. I just had never experienced that level of pain after a surgery and it took my by surprise.
I just had my surgery on the 19th. This surgery was my 14th surgery and a majority of them have been laparoscopic and I will definitely state that the pain was very intense and a lot more than I expected. I honestly have only had one other incident where I was in more pain than that and it was because I didn't have pain med while during a medical procedure because there was not time. I was not given a PCA after surgery and was in pain until I left the hospital due to the fact that I could not get the pain under control while there. When I went home I was able to take my pain medications with in safe limits in a better manner to control my pain. I understand what you are saying though no one warned me that it hurts and how bad it hurts. I had two procedures though and that could be why mine was so bad as I had a nissen and roux n y at the same time.
on the horizon
Member
opuslovett
Member
So glad that you are feeling better! I had a sleeve done on 5/26/20, so my procedure was nowhere near as intense as yours. I opted not to ask for pain meds while I was in the hospital, and I never took the ones that were prescribed after the surgery -- I just don't like to medicate if I can help it. So I may have struggled through the pain longer than I should have. However, I found - as you have - that getting up and moving around actually helped the pain subside. Weird as it sounds, the pain that kept me from wanting to move actually went away faster when I started to move!
canecorso81
Member
How are you feeling today?
I am feeling 90 percent better! No pain at all. Still trying to learn the cues of both being hungry and being full. Started back to work on Monday and that has really helped to engage my mind and give me purpose. My job keeps me so busy, I don't have a lot of time to think about it. The metallic taste in my mouth has greatly improved and with that, the nausea has gone away. I am riding a stationary bike 30 minutes a day for about 5.5 miles, today was day 9 in a row (a fact I am very proud of). Things are really looking up and tomorrow I get to start eating regular food, I am very excited. I have no regrets and since June 3, I have lost 35 lbs!
canecorso81
Member
Wow!!! That is amazing!! I am so happy for you. It's so good to hear the good stories. 
I wish that I read this thread prior to my surgery about the BMs. Today, I had my first one since Sunday night (6/28). It was painful and to top it off there was blood. I ended up having another one and thankfully there was no blood. I had called the on call Doctor after the first one and was told that it could be from the surgery and to watch and see if it continued or not. Thank goodness it was just in the first one. I had the RNY and had exhibited zero pain and didn't have to take any pain meds while in the hospital.
I am a month out from my RYGB and I still have problems with constipation. That is because I am eating mostly protein with very fiber, so until I am able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables (3 moths post surgery) I am adding miralax to my morning coffee, which once a day is not enough to give me diarrhea, but it does keep things from becoming a brick. Glad you didn't have any pain. Everyone seems to have a slightly different experience. Good luck to you!
It is amazing to see how the pain varies from person to person and what they experience with the BM functions post op. I do not have a high pain threshold and was practically in tears when the nurse tried to find a vein for the IV. She just kept on probing with the needle and couldnt get a vein then tried in my forearm to the point where I actually yelled f#%k because it killing me.