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How to prepare for surgery

dianeseattle

dianeseattle

Member
This is from our blog:

www.bariatricfoodsource.com

Blog Homepage

Here you'll find all of our popular blog topics including Bariatric Guides, Bariatric Recipes, Bariatric Brands, Bariatric Stories from Real Patients, and everything else you'll need for you Post-op Life!
www.bariatricfoodsource.com www.bariatricfoodsource.com

But also read MamaBear's guide to preparing for surgery:

Pre surgery buying

As everyone should know by now. I am having surgery on the 6th of May. And as a mother I had to figure out how to have my stuff and the boys. But I did it. Here is my list that I got to get me through 6 packs of protein shakes 3 packs of clear...
www.americanbariatrics.org

And Brenda's vivid memoir of the day of surgery:

My Surgery Day Experience

It was suggested to me that I share my account of surgery day here. This was my experience: Monday March 11, 2019 4am – Woke but never really slept, way too nervous/excited. Showered with a surgical sponge/medical soap that was provided at the...
www.americanbariatrics.org

If you don't know what to expect, ask questions of every single person you meet who knows something about this process. We love your questions here & most of them have probably been answered a dozen times by former members in posts going back to 2010. But don't be afraid to ask again.

They make you sign a form before surgery. The form indicates you are giving your INFORMED CONSENT to have your digestive system re-plumbed & re-routed. Don't sign that form until you know what you need to know. You can still have the surgery but get informed before you sign the form.
 
I just read Brenda’s day of surgery memoir and I know this is a silly question but...is it okay that some of that terrifies me? The catheter and the pain that comes with that, the not drinking any water for over 24 hours, the pain and the not sleeping. That all sounds so so terrible. How do you look ahead of that stuff and see the good things? I haven’t had the surgery yet so this all sounds so scary to me.
 
AnnieLuv said:
The catheter goes in while you are under so you don't feel it. It comes out when you are awake but I didn't have any pain associated with it. My Dr said no water 2 hours before surgery but I was allowed water in the morning, and then they get you to drinking right away after.
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You’re right. I think it’s just easy to get worked up over this stuff. Every surgery has these things associated with it. I think because I’m electing to do this to myself (aka not emergency surgery), it all seems much more intense.
 
whitneynlee said:
I just read Brenda’s day of surgery memoir and I know this is a silly question but...is it okay that some of that terrifies me? The catheter and the pain that comes with that, the not drinking any water for over 24 hours, the pain and the not sleeping. That all sounds so so terrible. How do you look ahead of that stuff and see the good things? I haven’t had the surgery yet so this all sounds so scary to me.
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Hi whitneynlee and welcome!

It is absolutely fine that some of the details I shared scare you. But I assure you that it really wasn't bad in my opinion, I thought it would be much worse.

As Annie said, the catheter is put in when you're out and taken out when you're high as a kite, still groggy from the anesthesia in the recovery area post-op. It's like you're in a dream-state at that time. I didn't even notice it, just recall being told it was being taken out.

I won't sugar-coat the pain when you first wake in post-op, it's pretty intense but as I mentioned, a nurse was right by my side, increasing my dosage of pain meds until I was comfortable. It may have only been bad for 30 seconds... time was a very abstract concept in recovery.

Not drinking was the hardest part for me. You're hooked up to IV fluids so it's not like you're dehydrated, you just have a dry mouth and feel thirsty. The swabs they gave me to dip in water did help with the dry mouth. They started off giving me 2 at a time but I'd ask for more every hour or so and they ended up giving me big stash of them.

You'll likely sleep like a rock that first night, most people do. Between the anesthesia still in your system and all the pain meds, it takes a very stubborn system to stay awake. But you know what? I had fun that night. I was loopy from pain meds and as I mentioned in my post, I was up walking the halls and joking around with the night nurses. I took my pain meds whenever I could so I felt pretty good. I brought my tablet so when I was relaxing in bed, I had stuff to do.

If you want a window into the good things, you may want to read my post from Thursday night (5 months, 2 weeks, 4 days after surgery):

Hi

I'm Tasha I'm new here and I'm really looking for support because I'm kinda nervous about egregious.. I'm about a month into the process and I will be having surgery in January. I have lots of questions and am viewing lots of info on here..it's really eye opening
www.americanbariatrics.org
 
Thank you! This helps so much. It’s easy to forget the pain is very temporary and the hospital does everything possible to keep people as comfortable. Reading the positive stuff is encouraging. I believe keeping positivity at the forefront makes all this easier. Keep anxiety has just been tough for me. I’m happy to hear everything went really well for you! It’s encouraging. Thank you for sharing your story.
 
whitneynlee said:
Thank you! This helps so much. It’s easy to forget the pain is very temporary and the hospital does everything possible to keep people as comfortable. Reading the positive stuff is encouraging. I believe keeping positivity at the forefront makes all this easier. Keep anxiety has just been tough for me. I’m happy to hear everything went really well for you! It’s encouraging. Thank you for sharing your story.
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Absolutely! That's why I love this site. :)
 
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