Post-Op Questions

Hi Everyone: I have a few post op questions.. How long should I expect to stay in the hospital ? How long will I be off of work ? I am usually out on the field doing apartment inspections but I thought I should stay in the office after surgery and do desk work for atleast a month or so ? But how long should I expect to recoop at home before I can return to my desk ? Are there special things I should do before I go to the hospital ? Things I need to bring with me or have waiting at home ? I have all kinds of questions running through my mind Thanks in advance ! Jen Marchand

Jen - Typically you are in the hospital right around 3 days give or take a day depending on how you are doing and the requirements of the hospital. You will be incredibly weak much of the time right after surgery. Your body is putting all it's energy into repairing the "damage" from surgery and you are starving it while it's trying to heal. So you will likely wake up a week or two out and feel fabulous and think you're going to seize the day. Then you get out of the shower, dry your hair and promptly go back to bed and sleep for 4 more hours. It's normal and you should listen to your body. You'll have a couple hours here and there where you will feel fabulous and even be able to go shopping. But you will tire easily and you'll want to nap...and you should. I went back to work at 8 weeks out. I am a dispatcher and sit the whole shift. Even still, I got really tired half way through my shift. It wasn't unbearable but it was taxing. And I realized that it was a good thing I didn't force myself to come back earlier. Thing is, you can always come back early if you find you are feeling great. But it's hard to go back out on medical leave if you find you came back too early and need more time. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. I would not plan on doing any physical wor****il at least 6-8 weeks out. You can only exert so much energy when you are taking in so little and get away with it for very long. Hope that helps! Dina

Dina gave you great advice. She is right in that you need to understand that reduced stamina is a normal and expected part of healing, and you will heal better and faster if you listen to your body and allow rest time. The first week I cleared the deck - as in my kids and dogs and husband expected nothing of me. They picked up my dropped magazines and fetched my popsicles when needed. Your kind of dealing with your incision healing, having your bowels getting going again, moving very gingerly, for me still taking my paid medication. I know others haven't needed to take any at all, but I took it consistently that whole week. It worked great and was never in any real pain. If you need it use it, because I have been told that you heal better when your pain is managed. The second week I was getting dressed, driving my kids to the places they HAD to be, making my own little meals, etc. I do remember at the end of the second week I still was very sore inside when I rolled over in bed or did anything that allowed gravity to take a pull at my insides. Still took a couple of naps daily. I already was feeling better than I did pre-op. I think the hospital stay with all of the I.V. fluids and the complete absence of any unhealthy junk is like a detox. I couldn't believe how much better I already felt. I don't work outside the home, but I couldn't imagine putting in a full day before the one month mark. I was doing lots, but to actually be in the workplace with less of an ability to go lay down and rest if you feel like it would have been hard for me. I think the desk duty will be wise. You will probably will be thinking "I could be out doing inspections" but you will be soon enough, better to take it slow. The only things I used out of the stuff I brought to the hospital were my two really comfy feather pillows (with an extra set of pillow cases because you sweat alot - not white so they stand out from the hospital's pillows), my chapstick, toothbrush, hairbrush and blower and a little bottle of good smelling shampoo (for that second or third day when washing your hair is hard but worth it!). That ugly hospital issue gown really works best. I ended up wearing the nightgown and robe I brought for the ride home. I wasn't ready for pants and a bra, and who cares if your in your jammies. Good luck to you. Keep asking questions and we will try to give an answer that helps. Patty

Hi Jennifer! Everyone is different I checked into the hospital on a Tues morning and was released Thurs morning. Things to bring with you: chapstick, pajamas or robe, slippers or warm socks, and your own comfy pillows. When you get home, the only thing you'll need to have ready is the right food (of course, a mortar and pestle is nice to have so that you can easily crush your pain medication!). I returned to work on my 13th day post-op. I sit at a desk, but also walk around quite a bit. I think the first few days were a bit tiring, but by the third week post-op, I was almost 95% back to normal (I'm just a month out and am now at 98%). If I had it to do over again, I would have returned part-time that first week, then moved to full time the week after. So, ideally: two weeks off, one-week part time, then onto full-time. As far as special things to do before your surgery? Start changing the behaviors that lead to the surgery. For me, it was eating fast food for lunch, going out to dinner every weekend, eating dinner and hour before bed, eating high-fat, high-calorie foods, eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream while working on my homework, etc. Changing them now is much easier than changing them after your surgery. Also, start an exercise plan NOW! Join a gym or your local YMCA so that you can begin boosting your metabolism, lose some weight, and make it a habit! Good luck! Charity