Community post

For afterwards, get up and move as much as you can. The air they fill your belly with can cause weird discomfort in your shoulder, and moving helps your body absorb it (gas pills may also help). Using a pillow with gentle pressure against your belly can be helpful when getting up from a laying position.

thanks :) hopefully the gas pass goes quick enough

Take stool softener daily - had severe constipation afterwards - extremely painful - giant turd ripped my insides on day 3 and caused bleeding - ingesting a little extra 'good oil' may also help.

Take it gently at first. You will heal quickly, but don't overdo it.

Yoga before op helped - couldn't stretch properly for a good few days as you have to let it all heal - perhaps 2 weeks. A bit longer before I could do an abdominal twist again.

Vitamins/ lots of healthy food before op should help with healing.

Make your first meal a bland one just in case it comes up!

Bring peppermints/ peppermint tea with you to help with trapped wind as nurses would only give tea/ water. Have clean bedding at home, hot water bottle, pain killers, jug for water, TV/ books - if you don't have an en suite toilet, stay with someone who does for the first 2-3 nights. I went every hour the first night. Stairs would have been horrible to deal with when you're already in pain.

I second what Mammoth said about the stool softner, you'll be happy to you did! I also recommend drinking a ton of water, more than is comfortable...it will help move the gas out of your system quicker. The gas I'm referring to isn't like fart gas, I mean the CO2 they use during your surgery, you'll still have some trapped in your body, which causes terrible pain in your shoulders!