I’m five days post-op from the sleeve, and I wanted to give my perspective so far. The night in the hospital was the worst part. I couldn’t get comfortable, and they were bugging me about once an hour to take my vitals, give me meds, etc. The meds they gave me for nausea and pain made me drowsy so I just slept the whole time I was there. I couldn’t pee even though I felt pressure on my bladder, so they took the nausea patch off me, and eventually I was peeing like a champ.
By the next day, I was ready to go home, but I had to drink water first. Early that morning I told them to cut out the nausea meds, which helped with the drowsiness. They brought in two one-ounce cups of water, which were no problem. Then they gave me a 16-ounce cup of water that I had to finish before I could be discharged, so that was more of a challenge. Of course, that also meant I had to pee more. Once I was drinking water, they unhooked the IV, and now of course the nurse was nowhere to be found. I figured out how to unhook the other stuff so I could go to the bathroom on my own. I also knew my husband had to drive over an hour to the hospital, so I gave him a heads-up that I would be getting discharged, but the details of picking me up were uncertain, so that was a little tricky.
Eventually, I was discharged and got to go home! My abdomen was sore but I wasn’t in pain. Getting in and out of the car was a little tricky, and I walked slowly. I spent the rest of the day and night in bed mostly sleeping, although maybe only an hour at a time. I watched some TV throughout the day, then I spent the night waking up quite a bit.
The next day was considerably easier. I found that I could roll onto my side in bed fairly easily, but lying on my back was a little more uncomfortable. It was just tricky finding a comfortable position. I spent some time in bed and some time in the living room recliner. Hunger was minimal, and I found that Premier Protein Clear really helped keep me hydrated and manage hunger. I took off the bandages and showered, so I felt more like me finally.
Each day I’ve been slowly feeling more normal. Today on day 5 my abdomen feels sore, but there’s no pain. The incisions look nasty, but I just have to keep my animals from jumping on my stomach. I start full liquids today, and there’s a butternut squash soup I’m excited to try.
I’m down 22 pounds from my heaviest weight.
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