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New on here so wanted to say hi x

Hannah2 said:
Specific answers....

I was in 3 nights but could have gone after 2. First night was in HDU hooked up to lots of drips - saline, iv paracetamol, morphine and tramadol as well as anti sickness. Also had leg massagers that pump air in and out constantly. Noisy and annoying! Didn't sleep much the first night.

Woke from surgery in pain and feeling sick but they dealt with it really quickly. Main pain was around the drain which was very uncomfortable and I was much better when that was removed the next day.

Could move around/get in and off the bed the day after a lot better than I thought I would - could go to the bathroom on my own and walk around the corridor as well. Was still on paracetamol and tramadol.

The anesthetic wiped me out for a while so I just gave in and rested for quite a few days when I got home. I didn't take anymore painkillers at home as the soluble paracetamol made me feel really sick. i did t have injections every day, not everyone does - it depends on your surgeon.
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Im a tad worried about getting discharged the following day as that will less then 24 hrs post op but think unless there is any issues the best place for me is home as cant sleep in hospital. How comes you were in HDU hunny? is that normal for your hospital ? Im glad you got mobility etc really quickly and you could care for yourself as would hate my hubby to have to look after me lol xxx Does everyone have a drain or again was that just in your Hopsital or your case as they never mentioned a drain xx I slept loads after op last year for sinuses so like you i prob will be wiped out again.

Just noticed that you have the same goal weight as what was suggested in tier 2 as Im 5 3" ....no one has actual set me a goal weight or time etc when is that discussed?
 
Hannah2 said:
Few more things I found useful:

I bought sleep bras from Evans (crop tops) to wear as I didn't want to go bra less but one of the incisions is close to your bra band at the front and can be sore/irritate. I found them really comfy, they helped irritation/sweat under my boobs and gave just enough control/support without hurting scars.

V shaped pillow - found this v. Helpful to support me in armchair when I got home and also in bed to keep me in one position. Movement hurts in bed to begin with! Also gravity hurts when you turn slightly on your side - your insides pull/move position and it hurts so I found I could position the long bit of the v under my tummy to support it and stop it dropping down and pulling inside.

Soup maker - I bought one, didn't use it - let me know if anyone wants to buy one! Lol! Mines a cuisinart one from johnlewis, some people use them a lot but I ended up buying pots of fresh soup from Waitrose and blitzing them - froze in portions so I could just thaw enough for a meal. Favourites were tomato/red pepper, chicken, leek & ham hock and chicken and vegetable - I added an ounce of grated cheddar cheese for extra protein!

I bought lots of 100ml lock and lock pots from Amazon as they are the right size for me for a casserole or chilli etc - I batch cook and freeze it all in mini portions. Also bought a silicone mould for baby weaning and freeze things in that and then transfer to zip loc freezer bags.

For soups I found about 150 - 200ml was the right volume to have.

Have a water bottle ready and some small glasses - I had some child's plastic beakers which are around 200ml, that way I could monitor liquid intake. You need to sip sip sip to begin with and it will feel like you will never drink enough, but it does get easier. I wrote down everything for at least the first 4 weeks and also recorded how I felt after things and what worked/didn't work.

Peppermint tea is a must for settling tummy/ tummy wind and the wind after the op that they inflate you with - it really does help! I was really lucky and didn't have wind pain but it can be really bad. Walking around is the best remedy.

For purée stage I just made a beef and a lamb casserole with onion and carrots in and split them into 3. 1/3 I blitzed completely, 1/3 I took some meat/carrots out, blitzed the rest and then added small bits of meat/ carrot back (intermediate phase of solid reintroduction) and the final 1/3 I froze at it was. I also made cauliflower cheese and froze lots of pots! That is easy to mash with a fork but has the cheese for protein.

If your wounds are glued don't worry about feeling a lump under them or be suprised if a bit of thread sticks out - there is a stitch under the skin that will dissolve in time.

Oh yeah, should have said I found a stick blender (mine is a very cheap basic one) and a mini food processor very useful for blitzing larger and smaller volumes.

I had protein shakes before the op but couldn't stand them after as they were far too sweet - still can't tolerate them now! Too much artificial sweetener! Careful of store bought ones if you are bypass as they tend to have more sugar - I would advise staying around 5-6g sugar initially so you might be ok having a portion of a readymade shake a few times through the day to break up the sugar.

Oops got bit carried away there, was meant to be a quick post! Hope some of it is useful!
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Thats is amazing advise Hannah !!!!
Ive taken notes on amounts and Ive already got a camelbak drinking flask 750ml and ive marked the 50ml so I can keep an eye on it all xxx
I will get peppermint tea in for post op as this sounds a good tip xxx
I dont have a blender yet so that's a definite to get lol and the 100ml pots is also a good idea.

I do have a hot water bottle and lots of pillows to help with sleep but will batter eyes at hubby for a 'v' shape one :)

How much do you eat now Hannah is comparison to the beginning xx
 
My op wasn't until after 8pm so I didn't come round until after 10pm so I might have been OK to leave after one day if my op had been in the morning. HDU seems normal here in the NHS and at the private hospital, for the first night anyway.

I worried I wouldn't be able to shower, or bend over to wipe myself after the toilet, but it was fine - just had to take it slowly!

I think most people having the bypass have a drain, usually only in for one night. You should be able to check all this out at your apts pre op. I haven't been given a goal weight by my team, that was just a number I chose that felt like a dream weight to reach - I can't remember ever being 10 stone but I must have been at one point! Lol!
 
Hannah2 said:
My op wasn't until after 8pm so I didn't come round until after 10pm so I might have been OK to leave after one day if my op had been in the morning. HDU seems normal here in the NHS and at the private hospital, for the first night anyway.

I worried I wouldn't be able to shower, or bend over to wipe myself after the toilet, but it was fine - just had to take it slowly!

I think most people having the bypass have a drain, usually only in for one night. You should be able to check all this out at your apts pre op. I haven't been given a goal weight by my team, that was just a number I chose that felt like a dream weight to reach - I can't remember ever being 10 stone but I must have been at one point! Lol!
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Ive used this goal weight at that is where the BMI chart said I should be but no one has mentioned anything......I like setting my own goal lol xxx

Ive worried about toileting bit too....ok its not glamorous but us ladies do have to think about that bit xxx

Do you know I will have to ring the nurse up on Monday as we never discussed drains, HDU or anything like that....we talked about drip, gown, pick ups, capabilities at home, injections, anti sickness and dry mouth ...we didnt even talk about bras or knickers for op!!! I got hooked on the injections as i dont mind injecting others if needed but me...um noooooo!!! Its not on my hit list of things i would volunteer for lol xxx hence i think she spent time with me then xx

Maybe we were having too much of a good time talking about the rest but I have loads of questions now lol xxx
 
I got a cheapish v pillow and cover from dunelm mill - did the job but don't think it would be very good for long term use.

Knickers for the op - I had to wear paper knickers but they had bariatric sizes - some hospitals don't but you can wear cotton knickers - they will get stained with iodine though - so better to ask and find out what they want you to do.

The toilet thing really really worried me but I was fine.

I didn't have injections for this op but I did after a knee op a couple of months earlier - the first one I couldn't do so my OH did it, the second one took me 30 min to do myself as I got myself in a bit of a state about it but once done I realised it wasn't that bad after all and didn't have an issue. We had to use alternate sides of the stomach each night and make sure you don't rub the area after injecting - it does sting but if you rub it, it makes the bleeding/ bruise worse.

You will be fine!

Food wise I still have about 200ml soup. The 100ml pot of casserole/chilli is enough with a few/small amount of veg and a couple teaspoons of potato maybe - some meals I can eat it all, others I can't!

I haven't tried bread but can eat fajhitas/tortillas - they do mini ones and I can eat 1/2 to 3/4 of one of those depending on the filling (eg chicken, tomato and cucumber with a smear of mayo). One of my favourite lunches when eating solids was Heinz beans & sausages with some grated cheese for added protein. I have all 4 mini sausage and about 2/3 of the beans from the small can.

I eat off a side plate so I can regulate my portions, sometimes I get a little burp or a gurgle to signal I am full, other times I don't know until after I finish eating that I have eaten too much, which then hurts, so it is best to limit portion visually. You have to get used to listening to your pouch and stopping when it tells you - sometimes even finishing what is on your teaspoon is too much. I found it hard to have to leave the tiny amount of food on my plate, when there was only a small amount to begin with!

I can eat more than I did to start with but not much more, that is also because I limit it. I was very tentative at first especially trying new things as I had a few bad experiences where things got stuck and I had the foamies - not pleasant, but you have to push yourself to try new things. I had issues with chicken initially but I am lucky that I am ok with chicken, beef and lamb now, as long as you chew really well it should be fine.

Make sure you don't eat and drink together!
 
I was last on the list because I was the only WLS patient that day they planned to keep in which surprised me but it seems being discharged the same day is quite common. There's certainly others here who didn't stay in.
They also planned for me to be in HDU the first night because I have a complex medical history and tend to be a bit unwell after operations. Definitely try and talk to your team so you're as well informed as possible. My dietician called me up the week before and ran through it all, it was a lot to take in but overall I did feel better knowing :)
@Hannah2 has given you loads of great info too so not much for me to add but good luck!
 
Oh on the eve of my op I can safely say I'm a tad worried but trying to calm myself down to a panic xxx I'm packed and I just need a few magazines for the morning. I'm now first in so 7am at the hospital here I come xxxxx
 
Angeline said:
Oh on the eve of my op I can safely say I'm a tad worried but trying to calm myself down to a panic xxx I'm packed and I just need a few magazines for the morning. I'm now first in so 7am at the hospital here I come xxxxx
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Good luck for tomorrow Angeline, everything will be fine.. just keep telling yourself the next few days will pass and within a few weeks you'll feel brand new!

Keep posting and let us know how you're getting on. Will be thinking of you

Gaynor xx
 
Angeline said:
Im a tad worried about getting discharged the following day as that will less then 24 hrs post op but think unless there is any issues the best place for me is home as cant sleep in hospital. How comes you were in HDU hunny? is that normal for your hospital ? Im glad you got mobility etc really quickly and you could care for yourself as would hate my hubby to have to look after me lol xxx Does everyone have a drain or again was that just in your Hopsital or your case as they never mentioned a drain xx I slept loads after op last year for sinuses so like you i prob will be wiped out again.

Just noticed that you have the same goal weight as what was suggested in tier 2 as Im 5 3" ....no one has actual set me a goal weight or time etc when is that discussed?
Click to expand...
HDU was standard practice at my hospital for WLS (and any other surgery for the morbidly obese).

I had a drain. I think it depends on the surgeon and how the op goes.

I couldn't wait to go home once I was off HDU where the care was good, on the second night because the nursing care was dire as they were so short staffed. I could look after myself at home better on my own! At least there I could get my regular medications and have a shower!!
 
Hope everything has gone well xx
 
I hope you are safely through the op @Angeline and either ready to come home or already there resting and recovering x
 
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