BUT... don't tough it out. Call the doctor, even more than once a day, and detail your problems so s/he can offer you some alternatives.
I had a full open procedure in 2007 when none of the sleeve and other quickie and small-scar surgeries existed. He made a deep 7" incision from my navel to my sternum and also took the gallbladder. I stayed in the hospital 3 days. The doc prescribed cherry-flavored liquid codeine. I pretty much slept for two or three days, assisted by my roommate when I needed to get out of bed, then took a swig of the painkiller and went back to sleep. This sort of recovery is not recommended today, but it worked really well for me. I had great aftercare, and was recruited for a 7-year University of Washington Medical School study and my case was documented in the national RYGB research results. A big plus was the UW put me up in a delux hotel and ran tests on me for two days. One of the nurses got bottles of chewables and gave them to me. They were pretty bad, way overflavored.
the many people like me who participated in one or more studies really promulgated the entire science of bariatric surgery, including movement and diet. we also had a support group, but sitting there postop was like being a freak in a zoo. the pre-op crowd sat mouths agape, staring at us. Dunno what they were looking at, since we didn't bring "before" pix.
there's a lot more to this transformation than we might know when we're getting ready to sign up. that's why this group is so awesome.
