Tips for early days/weeks after surgery?

I'm excited and nervous! In 5 days, on 11/20/13, I'm going to have my DS!! Does anyone have any tips to make the early days/weeks easier? 

much appreciated! 

Alicia

Make sure you have all your proteins drinks and vitamins on hand before you go to the hospital.

Stay off the scale. There will be a stall early on that's going to frustrate you so just stay off the scale for a while.   

Drink your water! It's going to be really easy to get dehydrated during the first few weeks so just try to drink as much water as possible all the time.  

Good luck! And wishing you a speedy recovery!

Thanks, Amy! I have 2 months of vitamins and about 6 weeks of protein shakes stocked up as well as 7 tubs of chicken/flavorless protein powder. Do you think that'll be enough to start? 

Should be plenty! You should be feeling completely back to normal within 6-8 weeks. :)

If you can do the protein, great.  If you can't don't worry about it and just stay hydrated.  Dehydration will get you in trouble faster than anything else.  Drink/sip constantly, whatever goes down well.  It does not matter at all what it is and it doesn't have to be calorie free.  Just drink and don't stress out about anything else.

Thanks! How long did you struggle with getting fluids down? When does it become easier? 

I never imagined how hard drinking could really be. I'm about 3 1/2 months out and can just now take normal drinks of water and consistently get 64 or more ounces of water in per day. Just keep sipping and water should be your main focus for a while. I barely got 20 grams of protein in for the first week or two because I just couldn't drink enough fast enough to stay hydrated and get protein in. It gets easier with time.

I'm so excited for you! You will discover its an awesome journey. There may be some bumps in the road but enjoy the ride! There is no greater feeling than being able to feel yourself shrinking, crossing your legs, wearing smaller sizes, sitting comfortably in a  chair, being able to get down on the floor when you need to and being able to get back up(thats a big miracle for me!!!)

The one thing I found and still struggle with is hydration. I found that I don't like plain water now so I have to put lemon or lime slices in my water- just me I guess but I had to have my husband run to the store and get lemons after I got home just so I could get my water down. Its weird I know but I need to have my water cold with something in it.

I also found that having something comfortable to sleep in helped a great deal. A friend actually lent me her craft matic bed that goes up and down and that really helped but a good recliner would be great too. Its next to impossible for MOST surgery patients to lay in their bed for the first little while as their stitches heal from surgery. It took me about 6 weeks before I could actually lay in my own bed but I also had some extra work done. Others can do it sooner.

Good luck- wishing you a speedy recovery on the other side~ Keep every one here posted on how you are doing. There some very wise people on this board with sage advice that helped me tremendously!

Sharon

Right now I like my water room temperature and bottled. It'll be interesting to see how my water tastes change. So, if I don't have a craft matic or a recliner, do you have any suggestions for sleep? 

Try to have lots of pillows on hand so that you can fluff them around you for support. Do you have a friend who might be willing to lend you a recliner for a few weeks?