Things I Wish I Knew Before Abdominal Surgery

Recently, I had a minor abdominal surgery to insert a G-tube and remove Ladd bands. It was done laparoscopically, meaning that small incisions were made in my abdomen to insert cameras. This prevents fully opening my abdomen, allowing for a safer surgery and shorter recovery time. A G-tube is a type of feeding tube where a hole is made into your stomach and the tube is inserted in your abdomen. Eventually, the tube will be converted to a GJ-tube, which adds an extension into part of my intestine. This allows me to obtain liquid nutrition since I cannot eat the way most people do. During the surgery, they found Ladd bands, which is abnormal tissue that was compressing my intestines and attaching to my liver. These bands were removed, hoping to alleviate some of my symptoms.

I was told I would recover quickly and easily from this surgery, but that is not quite what happened. Here is what I wish I was told before the surgery.

1. PAIN

I was under the impression that the pain would last about 2-3 days. Because it was originally planned that I would be admitted overnight only, I thought that meant that the pain would go away pretty quickly and I would be okay once I got home. Boy was I wrong. I ended up being in the hospital for a few days, taking morphine and Tylenol whenever I could. Taking pain medication is not something I normally do, so I avoided them the first day. Lesson learnt. Then even when I was discharged, the pain was still significant for about a week and a half.

2. "DENTED" ABDOMEN.

During my first dressing change, I looked down at my surgical site and saw what I can best explain as a "dent" or a "fold" in my abdomen, which freaked me out for a minute. I later learnt that this was very normal, and it started going away as the site healed.

3. PASSING OUT

The first time I tried to go to the bathroom, I felt incredibly sick and nearly passed out. I did not expect this and it scared me a little. If I had been warned, I would not have tried to go to the bathroom and back on my first try. Rather, I would have started with just standing in place. After it happened, the nurse told me that what happened was very normal.

4. POST-OPERATIVE DEPRESSION

Having a procedure under general anesthesia can cause temporary depression, whether the procedure was major or minor, with or without complications. I felt very guilty when I experienced post-op depression and did not understand what was wrong until my friend explained it to me. I wish that I had been told that it is a very normal occurrence so that I could have prepared myself both mentally and with helpful resources.

If you are expected to have surgery soon, these may be some things to keep and mind and ask your care team about before your surgery.

Note: This is not medical advice, please speak to your care team if you have questions and/or concerns.