One thing that surprises me about people's reaction to the operation is that so many do not seem to expect any pain. Is this because those people have had no experience with previous operations? I have had several operations and I know that, while some were definitely worse than others, there is no way that a surgeon can cut into your flesh, mess around with your insides and then sew you closed without some form of pain.
Pain medication only works so far, and I think many people don't realise that for the first 12-24 hours after any surgery, the anasthetic and pain killers given in hospital are cushioning the pain effect to a high degree. These wear off at the same time as the pain factor is lessening due to healing, however, it is often on day 2 or 3 after surgery that the most pain is felt.
I am due to be banded in 12 days and I am fully expecting pain to be a part of this - that is a price I am willing to pay. If the price turns out to be less than expected, that's great! I'll have gotten a bargain! If it hurts more than expected, that will be a bummer but I've had some pretty painful operations and have a fair idea of what to expect.
I don't get how some people can expect to have serious surgery and walk away from it pain-free. | 