I need a reality check...

Hello!  It is coming down to the wire and I have surgery in a week and a half!  Yikes!  For those of you that have recently gone through Lap RNY, how long was the recovery time?  I think that I am vastly underestimating how long it will be until I am functional.  I have surgery on May 7th and on Monday May 12th, one of my sons has appts at Alexander Center in Eden prairie that will put me there with him most of the day.  Am I even going to be able to drive 5 days out?  I have had a c-section and gallbladder surgery, but when I went home from those procedures, the babies were being taken care of in the NICU.  Now when I go home from the hospital, I will have 5 four year olds to take care of.  I do have help lined up while I am in the hosital and the first weekend I am home, but after that it is back to normal.  Am I going to be able to do anything the week after surgery?  What am I in for.....Please, the truth...

You will probably be very tired and need a nap every afternoon for the first couple of weeks.  I felt fine, didn't need the happy drugs or anything after about day 3, but I took a 1/2 dose at night to help me sleep.  With your brood, you will probably be EXTRA tired!  Do they nap at all anymore?  You may want to sleep when they do if you can! 

Sending up a prayer for your boys to be EXTRA GOOD for you while you're recovering!  And for your recovery to be exceptionally smooth 

As long as you are no longer on prescription pain meds, you should be able to drive.  I stopped my pain meds on day 4.  I did tire very, very easily though, for the first week and a half or so.  I napped every day, sometimes a couple times a day.  At 2 weeks i was great.  Returned to work full time, 10-11 hour days on 3 of my 5 workdays.  You will have lifting restrictions for many weeks, might want to call and check on what those will be.   good luck to you!

Hi!  I have 3 small kids and was "on my own"(back to normal schedule) after the first week.  I too was tired and napped.  I took advantage of the time when my DH was home to REALLY rest up.  The toughest part for me after the first week was making the kids something to eat.....the smells made me gag and once in a while I would havehead hunger and or old habits that I had to deal with(such as wanting to take that last bite of food on the kids plate...never did but mentally it's tough). Not sure how 5 of the same age will be tho!! Hope that helps! HUGS!!!

I had surgery on March 17 - I was only in the hospital overnight - I felt pretty darn good and able to move around within about 3-4 days.  I was teaching again by that saturday (i drove) - I didn't even take pain meds once i left the hospital.

Best of luck and you will probably bounce back pretty well - hell you put up with 5 little boys - so we know you are tough :)

 

linda

 

HIJACK Linda Ann?   FOSTER???  That's YOU???   Holy buckets, woman - you don't look at ALL like your previous avatar!!  I mean - you looked fine in that one, but in this NEW avatar? You look F-I-N-E!!!!  wowowowow!!!! 

Thanks Darla - i got beat up at swapkins for not having a new picture posted. So Meridee took one for me. 

 

Linda

 

I had mine on 4/8 and bounced back pretty fast. I was in the hospital 2 days and off pain meds in three days. I was pretty tired that first wee****il I started on pureed foods and could take vitamins. Then I perked up. I go back to work tomorrow although I could have easily gone back last week.  Good luck

I spent one night in the hospital- about 32 hours actually.  I took pain pills once when I got home.  Crushing them up didn't seem worth the effort so I stopped.    I was walking my dog short distances by day 3 and went back to work (a sit down job) by day 7 (I drove).  You get kind of tired and weak but besides a little gas, I had no pain.  Getting my tubes tied was more uncomfortable then the lap RYN.   Five years old seems old enough to understand that you don't fell good- from my experience I think that a few days with some help  should be enough.  Good Luck!