Two things I wish I had done before I went to the hospital

I'm only 4 days out of surgery but so far I've found two things that I wish I had done before going in. I thought this is a good place to post them as these folks are preparing for surgeries this month. I wish I had.. measured my abdomen before going in. This doesn't seem like a big deal but I keep looking at it and it seems larger but I'm not quite sure. I know it's not unusual for it to still have some of the gas in it but I'd sure like to know how much of this is swelling/ gas and how much is me. Would have taken me 10 sec's to jot that down somewhere. I wish I had asked my doc which med's he might be sending me home with. I was discharged with a couple Rx's and now I've found that one of them needs preauthorization b/c it's something that's solubuable in your mouth rather than a pill. This meant one trip to drop of hte Rx, a call from the pharmacist to explain this, then another trip to pick up just two tablets to get me through the next two days while we wait for the pre-auth then another trip back for the remainder Rx. If I had known ahead of time I'd have called my pharmacy and asked if any of the Rx's would require pre-authorization, then I'vd have gotten the preauth in the hospital. I'm sure many folks have other ideas too, these two came to mind and I wanted to post in case they could help someone else.

I have few of these same small regrets too. I wish I had set aside some petty cash to pay for my Rxs when I left the hospital. instead my roommate had to drive me home, drop me off, go get my rxs and then bring them to me. It was more of a small inconvenience than a regret. I too wish I had taken before measurements!!!! I can tell my tummy is somewhat swollen. Last night my angel came by and she said she can already see a difference in my face getting thinner. I'm only down 12 pounds, but I can also fit nicely in the sleep t-shirts my mom bought me before surgery. They were slightly snug before surgery, but they fit good now....so I know I've lost inches despite my swollen tummy. Oh and I didn't stock up on enough skim milk for my protein drinks!! Do your grocery shopping now before you go to the hospital!!!

Monica, You're so right about the shopping. My surgery was 7/20 so my husband took this wk off to help me. I was certain I wouldnt' need it but he insisted, and am I glad. He's been the one running out for food, Rx's etc. It'd be so much more difficult doing this on my own. I'm on full liquids now and last evening I made a "creamy veg soup" It tasted great but just standing and making it was hard, I should have done that before too. In a nutshell, I underestimated the help I'd need and overestimated how much I could do. I have had a c-sect before and recovered faster from that but there's so much more going on here with thinking about food. Seems that's all I do, read my books, keep my food journal, look for ways to get my water and protein in. Good luck to you Monica, sounds like all is well.

It's hard for me to admit I need help too, but I do. Especailly in this process. Which reminds me...LISTEN UP pre-ops! If at all possible, have someone stay with you overnight at the hospital at least for the first night after surgery. I didn't think I would need such a thing, but I did. My angel was gracious enough to do this for me. She's awesome. The morphine and the anastethetic gave me the worst nausea and dry heaves ever. I couldn't move without becoming very sick. This made getting up to pee a painful and very uncomfortable procedure. My angel helped me disconnect all the equipment attached to me, get me up, and get me to the poddy. Then helped me get tucked back in. When I needed help it was right there and I didn't have to wait for the nurses to get to me. Something to think about, I'm glad I had that.

Here I am telling hubby you dont need to spend the night... LOL I think I will tell him to spend just this one night... LOL He was very good about this when I had my gallbladder out. Great list guys... I just shopped... Some people have told me to make sure you have Gas-X at home and liquid tylenol. So I went to walmart and got some of that today too.

I would suggest having your prescriptions filled at the hospital pharmacy before you leave. I didn't think of it the nurse suggested it. I will always be grateful. I got the medication I needed and didn't need to make any additional stops - it was great! I am a single mother of a 7 year old and had surgery 7-18-07. My mom stayed with us for three days and then took my daughter with her for three more. She is coming home tomorrow. I don't know how I would have handle her energy on my own. Today was my first day back to work and it was nice to only worry about getting myself ready for the first couple of days back. Asking for help is very important. It was hard for me to ask but I have been amazed at how much help I am getting... house cleaning, laundry, and yard work.

I did this, but I wanted to remind the pre ops to make arrangements for you pets for a few days. I have four small dogs, and they would have been a hassle for the first couple of days.

I have surgery on August 15th and really appreciated the suggestions!!! I hadn't thought of liquid tylenol or gas x strips!!! And I also told hubby he didnt have to stay the night with me - Thank you!!!