hi again! today marks day 5 post-op so i thought i'd send an uodate here and explain what i've been doing that's been working well for me (so far). if anyone has any questions dont be afraid to ask!

pain:

edit: more clearly explained where my biggest incision was!

so far my pain has been pretty low/bearable! the most pain i've felt is when im due to take a dose of my meds, and even then my pain will jump from about a 1/10 to a 3-4/10 (on the pain scale) at most. a lot of the pain and discomfort is concentrated at my biggest incision, which is located on my stomach under my left breast. still some very slight discomfort when taking deep inhales, but compared to day 1 it's been waaaayy better

there have been times where when the pain DOES come back, that nausea will follow. for that i've just been taking one dose of zofran and that has also helped immensely. have not thrown up yet or felt the genuine need to (knock on wood!)

i have also been using ice packs the hospital gave me which have been a life saver as well.

medications:

i'm on a rotation of 5mg oxycodone every 5-6 hours and 500mg motrin every other 5 hours. it has really helped not only keep the pain at bay but has made functioning as a human being just easier over all.

i also have been taking stool softeners with the suggested dose of miralax powder for adults once a day since the day after i came back from the hospital and i've had 3 different bowel movements thus far with no issues. still gassy and burpy but that's to be expected.

foods/eating:

overall i have been keeping it safe and have had no issues. the foods i've been able to ear with no problem so far are:

• chocolate pudding
• rice pudding
• applesauce
• apple juice
• lorna doone shortbread cookies
• peanut butter sandwoch crackers
• toast (plain and buttered lightly)
• mashed potatoes
• peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• protein pasta noodles in chicken broth
• fruit smoothies (with oat milk, water, and honey)
• oikos protein shakes

i also listed them in order of when i introduced them through the week, where the lower the list the more recent they are. i plan to introduce oatmeal and grits soon as soon as this weekend, and then add more "solid" foods like rice, tuna, and cookies veggies next week.

i also have been drinking a SHIT TON of water. one part because i need to and the second is because of the stool softeners snd miralax powders. ice cold water has reaallly helped with my nausea as well.

conclusion(s):

my recovery has been going very well so far and i makes me confident for the next few weeks to come. i was actually able to go up and down the stairs successfully yesterday! it was slow, but i did it lol. my mobility over all has improved significantly too, from sitting up, laying down, getting up, and walking. which reminds me, make sure to walk!! that helps with digestion and stiffness in the body too. i mostly just pace in the same spot around my house.

i've also been journaling my progress and having that has helped me keep things in perspective. it's nice to have a record of how im actually doing and keep track of where im at vs. where i was. i also plan to take it with me when i meet with my surgeon again for a follow-up.

so far im happy to say that i don't regret it and these past few days have really showed me that my anxiety was worse then the surgery itself.

i wanted to share a follow up from this post i made just last night to say that the surgery was a success and to give a little walkthrough of what happened for me for those who wanted an update and to hopefully ease the mind(s) of those who have a surgery soon or have already had one around same time as me.

im going to by best to provide details without being too long-winded, but that may happen anyway. again, im new to reddit so im not too privy on etiquette with long posts 😭

i also want to add i'm a 29F (non-binary/any pronouns) and 350 lbs. my weight had little to no impact in the overall surgery which was a concern of mine. i'll also make sure to answer any comments i get too just in case anybody has questions! okay, time for the real big blurb:

pre-op/prep:

• arrived around 9:30am, was taken back around 10am. they got my weight, height, current medication(s) and medical history. only tricky part was providing a urine sample to test for pregnancy (shy bladder havers rise up ✊🏽) but i was able to give a blood sample and it was fine.

• next i was given disinfectant wipes - six for each section of my body (2 for each arm, 2 for my legs, 1 for my neck and stomach, and 1 for my back/backside) and changed into my hospital gown. i also had a soft, sticky pad for my tailbone to aid in any discomfort while laying on the bed(s). it really helped with my comfort!

• once the IV's were in, i was able to hang out with my partner and my mom, and during that time we all were able to chat with the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses assisting. everyone was kind, attentive, gentle, and answered any and every question we had for them. the surgeon himself also not only discussed safe foods and such risks and what his plans were for said risks, but was very assuring in doing so. he really made sure to cover his bases and then some with me.

surgery/wake up:

• was taken back to the OR. once they had me all set up, all i remember is them putting a mask over my face and then waking up (which was what i was told here on reddit and irl). i was given 4 incisions.

• the surgery itself took about 2 hours total, and then it took me an additional two hours to wake up from the anesthesia. upon waking up i actually started crying (which is normal!). i was also just super woozy and could barely keep my eyes open for at least an hour.

• once i was more lucid, my appetite had already came back and i was given apple juice, water, and some shortbread cookies which i kept down with no issue.

• when i felt comfortable enough, i was helped out of bed and then wheeled out to our truck. i was able to get in with no issue and the ride home itself was smooth.

being home/pain follow-up

• once i was home and in bed last night i pretty much slept through it all. the only time i woke up was to use the restroom to pee.

• a lot of where the soreness and tenderness is focused around where my biggest incision is (located on my left side under my breast) but its not unusual pain. overall the pain has been manageable because im on a rotation of motrin and oxycodone. i also just started miralax today to help with the constipation too because i was told that can be a problem.

• i'm also happy to report that i am currently dealing with no shoulder pain! i know that was something i was warned about so i wanted to share that detail

current day/conclusions(s)

• woke up with no problem and again, able to pee with no issue. hardest part is getting out of bed and sitting on the toilet/getting up, but that is to be expected. i have been making sure to walk a couple laps around my house until i get dizzy, then i would just lay back down again.

• gas hasn't been a problem either so far - i've definitely been burping more compared to passing gas though. sometimes i get gassy cramps here and there but it ebs and flows - doesn't stay for long. i've also been making sure to take nice, deep, stable breaths.

with all that being said, im doing just fine right now. i also received a follow-up call around an hour ago (9am EST) to check on me and ask them questions. they reassured me that i should be okay to eat whatever i want just as long as it isn't oily, greasy, or spicy (which i already haven't been doing much of anyway). im still gonna take it easy either way.

i wanted to finish this off by saying thank everyone who responded to my first post and shared their stories! reading them helped calm my nerves a bit, and so i hope my post does the same for others 💕

like i've seen others say, my anxiety way worse than the surgery itself. while there will be pain and discomfort, i will take this over a risk of another attack any day. im also very grateful for the nurses and doctor's that took care of me. i doubt they're reading this, but shoutout to them!!

hello! this is my first post here after lurking for quite some time and im relatively new to posting on reddit, so bare with me here. sorry if this gets a little wordy.

im getting a laparoscopic cholecystectomy tomorrow morning. i trust the surgeon and was actually referred to him after having an attack in october of last year that sent me to the ER (it was my first time in an ambulance too, so that was fun *sarcasm*).

im nervous and have never had any major surgeries, and i've never even broken a bone! the most i've had done have all of my wisdom teeth removed, and i wasn't even put under for it. hell, i've never been put under, period. when i had met with the gallbladder surgeon, he was able to look at my med records and said himself not only am i pretty healthy all around, im also young and so my recovery should be smooth. even so i'm still nervous, so much so i cried to my partner about it (they consoled me of course)

for the record, i'm a 29 year old woman with hypothyroidism (i take levothyroxine for it, its helped a bunch and my thyroid levels are stable now). i'm also 350lbs, and when i brought up worried about if my weight would impact anything, he reassured me it would not be an issue, which actually makes sense since this surgery is for weight loss and weight management anyways.

i currently work a part time job about 3 to sometimes 4 days a week that requires me to be pretty active (nearly 7-8k+ steps per shift) along with lifting somewhat heavy boxes sometimes. i already put in a request for 2 week leave and was told it will be approved as well.

edit: i also wanted to add my partner and mom will be with me, and my mom used to be a nurse so i know i'll be in good hands all around but that worry is still there

im just seeking reassurance overall and had some questions for anyone willing to answer:

• what was your experience pre and post op?
• how was your recovery from the first week onward?
• did you stick to a specific diet or list of foods, or was that even a concern?
• if you did stick to a specific diet for the first couple to a few weeks, how soon did you transition back to just eating whatever, if you did?
• what to expect after surgery/in general

hopefully i worded myself well here and again, apologies if this is too long-winded!! thank you to whoever is reading this, if you are lol