Settledownnow
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2015
- Messages
- 1,071
I had my ventral hernia and abdominal wall reconstruction surgery on Tuesday and came home on Friday! Everything is going really well and I was released a couple days early. I was so happy with my choice of surgeon and hospital. The surgeon was able to get my basketball sized stomach completely flat.
I was in surgery for five hours and went through a very painful recovery period. I would say the pain was on par with the RNY to DS conversation or perhaps even more intense. The first night I threw up blood twice which was very frightening. My breathing was very low and I needed oxygen for the first two days. I had a morphine pump and other pain meds and by day three the pain was under control and I was in recovery mode.
The surgeon was fun when she came in the room after surgery. She did a fist pump in the air and said, "I got your stomach flat, yeah!" and she also was able to remove the scar left by my feeding tube from the RNY/DS procedure (my special request). My stomach was so stretched out she needed to remove a lot of skin. I have my belly button and a tidy looking incision with staples that start below my belly button and up to my breastbone.
Pain is still there at home, but manageable. My labs after surgery tanked. Hbg, hct, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are all low now. I gained 16 pounds in fluids! All of my pants are tight. My blouses fit without the big basket stomach! I'm wearing a binder for at least two weeks or as long as I needed it. It feels much more comfortable to wear the binder than to be without.
I was in surgery for five hours and went through a very painful recovery period. I would say the pain was on par with the RNY to DS conversation or perhaps even more intense. The first night I threw up blood twice which was very frightening. My breathing was very low and I needed oxygen for the first two days. I had a morphine pump and other pain meds and by day three the pain was under control and I was in recovery mode.
The surgeon was fun when she came in the room after surgery. She did a fist pump in the air and said, "I got your stomach flat, yeah!" and she also was able to remove the scar left by my feeding tube from the RNY/DS procedure (my special request). My stomach was so stretched out she needed to remove a lot of skin. I have my belly button and a tidy looking incision with staples that start below my belly button and up to my breastbone.
Pain is still there at home, but manageable. My labs after surgery tanked. Hbg, hct, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are all low now. I gained 16 pounds in fluids! All of my pants are tight. My blouses fit without the big basket stomach! I'm wearing a binder for at least two weeks or as long as I needed it. It feels much more comfortable to wear the binder than to be without.
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