I'm so happy! Today I had a bisalp (Australia). I don't have insurance and it cost $4500 at a private hospital.

Some details about today:

Hospital: Arrive 5.30 for 7am start. I woke up at 8.30 and left at 10. Nothing to note about pre or post op but comment any questions :). The hospital staff were so nice, I dealt with over 10 people and each one was super friendly.

Drugs: Have taken 4 doses of 400mg ibuprofen when I felt like it. Have some stronger drugs the anesthetist prescribed but haven't needed them yet.

Pain: Dull ache/stiffness in my lower abdomen. I have been super aware of using my abdominal muscles to prevent damage to my incisions, so I'm very stiff but by choice. Incision on my belly button is the most tender but least sore around it, the one above my pubic hairline is the most sore around it (but not bad at all) and the one above my hip is not noticeable. No gas pain but I did have slight shortness of breath maybe from gas pushing on my diaphragm. When this happened I concentrated on taking a deep breath and it was fine.

I'll update with more recovery details if anyone is interested.

UPDATE DAY 2.

Had on-and-off sleep last night, but I didn't feel pain. Just excited and pretty well rested from chilling out all day, so couldn't fall back to sleep when I woke up. Took some paracetamol at 4am as a spot on the back of my hip was bothering me, probably from lying down all day and night.

I woke up feeling great, like the incisions had sealed up overnight and my muscles felt tighter (in a good way). I'm still being careful with twisting or bending my abdomen but it doesn't feel as fragile. Had a shower today and the incisions held up fine as they have a waterproof covering (see comments for more shower info in one of my replies).

Pain: Overall the pain today has been like I had a hardcore ab workout yesterday. It feels tight when I cough or laugh. The belly button incision is tender but not painful and the other incisions are fine. No pain from the gas although I have felt some shifting in my abdomen, and a bit of pressure against my diaphragm (but I have been sitting up in bed which might be contributing to that feeling).

Drugs: Nothing yet besides the paracetamol at 3am! I'm amazed that I have three holes in my tummy but such minimal pain. Okay update to say I took a few more doses of paracetamol in the evening, the cold was making it feel a bit sore.

UPDATE DAY 3.

Slept through the night until 8am which is better than most non-post surgery nights for me. So good, no pain and I woke up sleeping on my side which mildly freaked me out until I realised there was no pain. I am still getting random shifting/bubbling feelings in my abdominal cavity below my diaphragm, guessing it's the gas moving around.

I probably won't update for a few days unless anything changes. :)