Surgery is 5/18...what to take & have at home....

Hi everyone! I am having my RNY on 5/18 at Legacy. I am excited for it and have been completing preparations for my time away from home and recovery. (I have two young boys, ages 2 and 3.) I have been keeping a list of what I need to take to the hospital and have at home for recovery time. If any one has any other suggestions, please let me know. What to take to the hospital: Toiletries Clothes House slippers Back scratcher Chapstick Meds & vitamins What to have at home: Protein shake powder Flavored water & Gatorade Pill crusher Recliner : ) Meds & vitamins Also, those of you who have had little children, do you recommend that they come to the hospital? I would love to see them if I am there for several days, but they might want to climb all over my stomach (aka SORE AREA!!) and also not be ready to leave without me. Thank you so much to everyone who posts on here, you are all very helpful and inspring. I can't wait to join the losers bench like some of you...: )

Sounds like you have a good list going on. I dont think you need your vitamins at the hospital but check with your dr. Also you may want a book or magazine to read and maybe an MP3 player or something along those lines to drown out the noise at night. Also at home make sure your flavored water is not carbonated. I made that mistake and almost took a good drink of one before I realized it was carbonated. Gatorade has a lot of sugar usually so be cautious of that (crystal light is a good alternative). As for the kids.. my son was 6 months old when I had surgery and I did have my husband bring him to the hospital after my surgery. He did great and just sat at the end of the bed between my legs and played. He wasnt there long but I was so glad to see him. Since your kids are old enough to talk to I think they would be fine just as long as they know to be gentle. They will enjoy walking iwth you in the hallways pushing the iv thing around so I say sure bring them by for a visit once or twice a day. I know I missed Noah so much while I was there. Good luck... Tara

Thanks, Tara!! I was going to bring my MP3 player. I got a new one for mothers day...wore out my old one exercising!! : ) I actually got propel, I was thinking Gatorade, but it is Propel, which is a recommended drink. I love Crystal Light, too. When did you have your surgery? How have you felt? How much have you lost?

Hi Kristal, I had my surgery Dec 6th and have lost 75 pounds so far. I have never felt better. Just an FYI... check your propel for sugar and if it has some just take is SLOWLY!!! Thanks and good luck Tara

Congratulations Make sure you have one of those shower heads that are hand held a life saver belive me. good sam is great at having giving you your meds i didnt have to bring mine. actually less is best if you ask me. defenatly a back scratcher and a small pillow for the back of your neck is a good thought. Oh yea I have a big 14 year old dalmation dog, as bad as any young kid i tell you. I had 3 pillows on me at all times one on my stomich and one between me and anyone or dog that sat next to me ( my reclyner is a love seat) and one under my feet. I tell you the pillows saved my stomich more than once and I didnt have to panic any time any one or dog came flying at me. I am sure the boys will forget so just be prepared with pillows in hand to protect the sore spots. also go to the store and in the inconstince products there is a product called control. they are presonal wipes they are pre moist and medicated. I dont knwo what I would have done with out them. remember wipping yourself is going to be a chalange for a little more than a week,, you will need something to help to reach the hard to reach areas and the wipes really help. they do not fall apart like TP does. OH they are not flushable I used a soft hair brush wraped the wipes around it and it gave me the few inches to reach what needed attention ( if you know what I mean) this is also where the detachable shower head comes in handy along with washing and rinsing those hard to reach areas. the other thing a recomend when you get home pre measue orpre crush your pills. I used the little medication cups they give you to drink out of at the hospital ( save them all) have some doses close by where you sleep. ( of corse be careful of the kids) I found it hard to get up if I had overslept my meds but If I had a dose next to me I took it and just stayed down for 20 mins until the meds kicked in then I was comfertable to get up and move about,,, eat,, potty, walk a bit. It also helped me at night when I didnt want to wake people up to help me to have what I needed right next to me. I suck at asking for help. If you have to crush your meds I found that crystal light was the best thing to mix it with and then do a small crystal light chaser to wash the taste out. Its funny even as bad as it taste when your body knows it will bring relif the taste dosent seem so bad good luck sweetie. Congrats again and we are glad to have you on the other side Kel

Thank you Kelley! You are such a source of inspiration and advice on these boards. I do have those shower heads on our showers, I learned after my first c-section how much of a life saver those were!! I figure the recuperation for this surgery will be much like the recovery for my c-sections. I will definately have the pillows handy...I remember those were a must after c-section for coughing and such. I hadn't thought of a neck pillow, I will definately take one of those. Yesterday I went to Walmart and picked up a pill crusher, chaptick, and a couple other indicentals. I also stocked up on the propel (even more!), bottled water (hate the tap water!), tomato soup, broth, etc. I had a laugh when I was standing at the counter getting ready to pay and I saw all this propell and water in my cart. At 2-3 oz at a time, I figured it'd take me months to get through it all!! hahaha.... Thanks for the reply and helpful tips!!

Hi there this is victoria I met you back in Dec At the clinic. I am so happy to hear you have a date. My coworker had the lap band done last week . I meet with dr Jan on the 21st:)

Hey Victoria!! I thought you were ahead of me in the process?? Did something happen to have you have to take more time? I hope everything is okay! Yes, I am excited formy surgery....tommorow I start my liquid diet, so tonight we are celebrating my son's 4th birthday (his birthday is the 21st). Let me know how your appointment goes!

Hi Kristal! Congrats on your upcomming surgery The LESS you can take to the hospital, the better. They have to inventory everything so don't take your wallet--that's a REAL hassle. I wouldn't worry about slippers--they will have nonskid heavy socks for you to wear. Don't worry about clothing other than what you wear in and a change of underwear. Other than that, a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and whatever make-up you may want is all. They will already know what meds you are taking and will provide that for the couple of days and the vitamins aren't a concern for a few days. Definately take something to read--although you may be a bit out of it to actually read. Careful about that Tomato Soup. ALWAYS check labels. It is very high in sugar. Get some low sodium chicken broth. You will be amazed at how good it it when you haven't eaten for awhile . Also I reommend getting some of the low sugar "Activa" yogurt so that you can start replacing some of the good bacteria in your system. As for the kids at the hospital---OF COURSE! You don't want to be without seeing them. Just remind them constantly that Mommy is hurt and can't have them on your lap for awhile. Good luck Kristal. Look forward to seeing you on the losing side of life! Trisha

Hey Trisha! Thanks for the advice and words of encouragement. I haven't really got scared yet, but I have also been keeping my self busy getting everything in order. (I am a planner!!) We celebrated my son's b-day tonight so I could have pizza and cake with him...his birthday is actually next Monday! : ) Tommorow I start my liquid diet which I am NOT looking forward to, but hey, I will do what needs to be done! : ) The tomato soup was one of the items on Legacy's list of foods in the first two weeks. I was excited b/c although I hate tomatoes, I love tomato soup. I asked the Legacy Dietician about the acidity of the soup and she said it wouldn't bug my stomach....I will go easy on it if I do have it, though! Thanks for the the tips and support! I am going to have my hubby update everyone using my profile, probably Saturday or Sunday. Hopefully I will be home by then, too! : ) : ) Kristal