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New on here so wanted to say hi x
- Thread starter Angeline
- Start date
FeeBee
Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome 
If you look around the forum you'll find lots of posts from other bypass patients. Some diaries are only visible once you've posted 50 times though so if you look for the word association posts they're a good way to bump your post count up
Maybe start a diary of your own too? It's a great way to keep a note of your journey and ask questions. I went back and read the start of my diary a few days ago, seems quite lot longer ago than April now!
Anyway we all ask each other questions all the time so hopefully it you post someone will be able to help
If you look around the forum you'll find lots of posts from other bypass patients. Some diaries are only visible once you've posted 50 times though so if you look for the word association posts they're a good way to bump your post count up
Maybe start a diary of your own too? It's a great way to keep a note of your journey and ask questions. I went back and read the start of my diary a few days ago, seems quite lot longer ago than April now!
Anyway we all ask each other questions all the time so hopefully it you post someone will be able to help
Angeline
Active Member
Hiya,
How long were you in for? what is it like the few days after operation and how long did you feel tender for? Im so active that this is the bit im not looking forward to as not a rest person lol !!!!! Im not looking forward to the needles each day.....eeeeekkkk!!!! So many questions lol!!!!
Angeline
Active Member
Hiya just a quick question....Im having a bimbo moment and cant find a section to write up a diary....where is it or do you mean just write up a diary xxx ttfn xxHello and welcome
If you look around the forum you'll find lots of posts from other bypass patients. Some diaries are only visible once you've posted 50 times though so if you look for the word association posts they're a good way to bump your post count up
Maybe start a diary of your own too? It's a great way to keep a note of your journey and ask questions. I went back and read the start of my diary a few days ago, seems quite lot longer ago than April now!
Anyway we all ask each other questions all the time so hopefully it you post someone will be able to help
Some diaries are only visible once you've posted 50 times though so if you look for the word association posts they're a good way to bump your post count up
Please don't use word association to bump up your post count @Angeline, as your a new member all of your posts are going straight into moderation so I have to approve them. Its much better to contribute and build them up that way. We want to make sure that any new members are genuine and are prerpared to offer mutual support.
If you want to start a diary thread you could start a pre op one for now, then I can move it for you when you've had your op. Select forums from the tabs at the top, look for pre op diaries and start a thread
Good luck on your journey
Angeline
Active Member
Please don't use word association to bump up your post count @Angeline, as your a new member all of your posts are going straight into moderation so I have to approve them. Its much better to contribute and build them up that way. We want to make sure that any new members are genuine and are prerpared to offer mutual support.
If you want to start a diary thread you could start a pre op one for now, then I can move it for you when you've had your op. Select forums from the tabs at the top, look for pre op diaries and start a thread
Good luck on your journey
I was taking on advice but didn't really know what word association was or meant ..I was being polite so no need to worry as still don't know what it means lol xxx Im so techno phobic that it will take time for me to work my way round things and the site...I can get lost in a circle
that's why my Geography teacher at school advised me NOT to take Geography lol!!!!I will try and have a look at pre op diaries and start a thread or keep my own diary as this seems a good thing to reflect on throughout the journey xxx
Angeline
Active Member
I know you were hunny...it was wasted on me as Im so backwards with technology...thank you all the same xxxx
countrywench
Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome .. we are a good bunch on here so don't be scared to ask anything . Someone on here will know the answer or give advice ..
Xxxx
Xxxx
Hannah2
Well-Known Member
Hello and welcome!
There is lots of advice scattered about for pre and post op. Most useful info I had includes (in no particular order)
Take a pillow with you for the car journey home, you can cuddle it into you and it helps stops movement in the car
If you have a gastrograph/swallow leak test after the op (in addition to the test they do with blue dye in surgery) the liquid they use can give you wind/ the runs and this can happen as early as 20 min after - if you have wind it might not just be wind - it hit me at 4am after I had the test at 6pm and luckily I managed to get out of bed to the toilet! If I hadn't have been warned I would have had an accident as I wouldn't have realised.
The LRD scared me, I was convinced I couldn't do it but it is amazing what our minds will allow us to do if we really want it! I also posted a lot on here and the support I got was invaluable. I highly recommend stating a diary
Will post more if I think of anything later....
There is lots of advice scattered about for pre and post op. Most useful info I had includes (in no particular order)
Take a pillow with you for the car journey home, you can cuddle it into you and it helps stops movement in the car
If you have a gastrograph/swallow leak test after the op (in addition to the test they do with blue dye in surgery) the liquid they use can give you wind/ the runs and this can happen as early as 20 min after - if you have wind it might not just be wind - it hit me at 4am after I had the test at 6pm and luckily I managed to get out of bed to the toilet! If I hadn't have been warned I would have had an accident as I wouldn't have realised.
The LRD scared me, I was convinced I couldn't do it but it is amazing what our minds will allow us to do if we really want it! I also posted a lot on here and the support I got was invaluable. I highly recommend stating a diary
Will post more if I think of anything later....
Angeline
Active Member
Hannah2
Well-Known Member
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!
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!
Hannah2
Well-Known Member
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 anaesthetic 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.
ladilindy
Active Member
I was in hospital for 2 nights and then had another 2 nights in the hotel before travelling home. I was up and about the morning after the op, in fact, the physio came to make sure I was moving around. The day before I came home I was able to go for a walk in the local area...tiring but made me feel so much better. I travelled back from Belgium by Eurostar/taxi/coach on my own with no problems, the hardest bit was the taxi as black cabs are not the smoothest vehicles to travel in. I never have a problem with needles but was a bit daunted by doing them myself...it was fine.
I didn't have any wind pain luckily and was able to sleep on my side from the beginning...I just scrunched the duvet up under my belly. I never needed any pain relief after I left hospital...in all honesty I didn't need the last dose of paracetamol they gave me.
Lynn x
Angeline
Active Member
Thanks for sharing hunny....as you can tell Im a tad worried still and I think I need to chillax a bit lol xxx Its good to know you werent in any pain after the operation and that you traveled well. Your right about those black cabs...they arent the smoothest lol!!!! I am quite worried about the needles but im sure i will get over it ...well i will by the end of 14 days of them :-/ eeeeeekkkk!!!
