How do other patients handle this situation?

My surgery has been scheduled for 7 am, which means that I will have to arrive at 6 am. Leaving the house at 5 to get to the hospital is not a problem at all.

My dillemma is childcare. What do other patients do when they have early surgery? I don't have any family here to come to my house at 5 am to watch him, and his daycare doesn't open until 6:30 am. My husband COULD drop me off, then drive an hour to take our son to daycare, then drive an hour to return to the hospital, but there's no way he would be able to do it and be AT the hospital while I am in surgery. (I'm assuming that a family member needs to be present while surgery is performed, correct?)

I'm just looking for some help brainstorming ideas. I cannot imagine my husband and three year old son staying at the hospital from the time I get there at 6 am, until the time I am out of surgery, but no other ideas are coming to mind.

I asked if the surgery could be scheduled a little later, but it wasn't possible.

I can't possibly be the only person whose been in this situation. Does anybody have any ideas?

How about asking one of your son's friends parents if they can help you out that day? You can use the gallbladder or hernia repair surgery excuse if you don't feel like sharing about WLS.

Ann

I'll have to ask around. None of my stay at home mom friends have kids who get up that early, so asking them to set their alarm to wake up before 5 am to watch my kid is asking a LOT. It's definitely a good idea though. I'll start asking around.

I would ask the hospital if it would be possible for your husband to leave and come back. I believe the issue with having someone with you is that they are not going to let you drive yourself home. If this is the case, your husband could drop you off and come back.  I understand that it would be an inconvenience for all involved, having your son get up early and your husband doing a lot of driving that day, but it's a one time event. I am not in favor of lying to others to elicit there help. If you can secure a babysitter that early, I would tell them the truth.  I appreciate that you may feel a little uncomfortable being upfront, but if you are going to trust your precious child with someone, certainly you can trust enough in them to tell the truth. A good person at heart would never, ever think any less of a person taking charge of their life and getting healthy, and they certainly would think more of you, you are your child's mother. A child deserves a healthy parent.

All of my friends know I am having the surgery, so I don't have any reason to lie about it. I just don't know anyone well enough to ask them to take a day off work to help me.

I have a neighbor who is sometimes able to work from home. If she isn't travelling for business that day, she might be able to be here for a few hours.

Michelle, I didn't mean to insinuate that you would lie. It was suggested by someone else that if you didn't feel like sharing about wls you could lie. Try to give the hospital a call as a last resort to see if they need your husband there the whole time. I wish you the best of luck in figuring this out. It's disappointing that they were not able to push your appointment up a little later. Here's another thought, just a thought, what about staying at a hotel close to the hospital and walking over in the morning and having your husband meet you after he drops your son off at daycare? I'm brainstorming!

That's a good idea- lots of people stay in a nearby hotel before the surgery. It sure would make it nicer to be able to sleep a little later.

I still have over a month to figure things out. I'm glad that I've gotten a few good ideas from everyone here. It will all work out.

My C-sections were always first thing in the morning.  I usually had someone come and spend the night.  Do you have a teenage babysitter?  Perhaps asking them to come and stay on the couch that night overnight and watch him the first half of the day---after your out of surgery Dad can come home?  I know that my teen babysitters would jump at the chance to make some extra cash and are young enough not to be put out by something like that---and it would be summertime, so no school issues! The other thing we did was bring them to friends at 5am.  Most friends that love and care about you really don't mind doing that.  Is it inconvenient?  yes....but when you care about someone---thats what friends are for! 

Good luck

Mic helle

check to see if your hospital has back-up day  care. Some in boston do. Also, check via your/your husband's employer for back up daycare.  Another thought is to hire one of the daycare providers to come to your house at the 5 am , and then have the gal/guy take your kids to daycare with them when they go to work.  I've seen that before..even when folks aren't having surgery. Joan

Thanks for all the suggestions everybody. The first idea I had actually worked out. My neighbor will work from home that day, so she can stay at my house until my husband can get home to take our son to daycare after my surgery.