Questions about being prepared for after surgery.

Thank you so much. I'll certainly get a wedge pillow!!! 

I too hope it flies. I'm so ready. 

Here is what I wore to and from hospital.  I had a few and they work well, about $20 on eBay 

I had no issue wearing pants when I left the hospital but they were soft knit ones. I did have a hard time with the bra due to the top incision location for a few days. I did mainly water and protein shakes for the first several days at home.  I hated the sweetness but I couldn't tolerate the smell of the savory broths. For me it helped to thin out the protein shakes by pouring them over ice. 

I got a stretchy Genie-style bra which is what I wore to and from the hospital.  I was OK with stretchy pants and an oversized T-shirt.  Definitely get the pillow for the ride home.

I will say don't take much to the hospital.  I took all sorts of stuff, because I'm a worrier and an over-packer.  I used VERY little of it... my toothbrush/paste, chapstick, and my smart phone is really about it.  They will have pretty much anything else you need.  I was too out of it to read a book (and I'm a voracious reader), so I played around on my smartphone and watched TV, pretty much nothing else.  My doc had me drinking clear liquids as soon as I wasn't groggy anymore from anesthesia, so I didn't need the Biotene mouth spray stuff.  So hubby ended up carting all of that stuff I packed around and then back out to the car without it being used.

At home, I found that my tastes had completely changed, and the protein powders I'd so carefully taste tested and chosen pre-op, I couldn't stand post-op.  Thank goodness the Premier Protein was tolerable to me, or I don't know what I'd have done.  I got completely sick of the sicky-sweet after about 2 days, though.  I did boullion with protein powder to mix things up.  I also found that the Syntrax nectars (I like Roadside Lemonade) freeze up in ziplock pop-ice style bags I found on Amazon really well, and that helped me stay hydrated and get  a little more protein in the early days when it was a fight to get enough fluid down.  I'm allergic to Nutrasweet so I couldn't have sugar-free popsicles, but if those had been an option I'd have eaten the crap out of them.  So my advice is don't stock up a lot of anything, but keep a variety of options around based on your approved list because it can be unpredictable what you'll want post-op.

As for clothes after, I did find that a lot of my clothes got ridiculously big VERY fast... not in the first couple of weeks, but by 4-6 weeks I was having serious wardrobe issues.  Luckily I was able to closet shop quite a bit, as I am a bit of a hoarder.  LOL.  I am about out of my smallest pants on hand now, though so I am going to make up some drawstring maxi skirts to get me through until my weight stabilizes, because I am sheer hell to fit in pants, and I don't want to do it over and over as I lose weight.  Of course, everyone loses differently when it comes to clothes, so it's a lot of play it by ear, I think.  Resale shops are your friend.  :)  

Since most of my bras were getting pretty tight, I was able to work with them for a long time, along with a few of the stretchy Genie-style, and only recently had to brake down and buy a couple of new bras.  I will say the new(ish?) Jockey bras are awesome.  You have to send off for a fit kit (It's like $20 or something, but you get that back on your first order) but the way it's set up makes it SUPER easy to find EXACTLY the right fit, and the bras are VERY comfortable.  (For reference, I was a 44D and am probably about a 36C now, but the Jockey sizes are nothing like normal bra sizes, so I'm not sure - I just know I'm a bit smaller volume-wise.)  But I'll definitely be using these at least until I'm at a stable weight, then I might branch out some for fancy foundations, but the Jockeys are likely to become my staples from here on out.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! I am 7 days out. I wish I would have read some of this before lol. I over packed big time for my two day hospital stay. The only things I used that I brought were toothpaste and toothbrush, chap stick and my comb. Wore the same dress in and out. Hubby carted everything else out unused. Keep us posted how you are doing. Best wishes!

We'll be waiting for you on the loser's bench!

I wore pj's and elastic waisted jeans for a week!

I remember not wanted to put on my dress pants because they hit my incisions.

Take care

-Jan

The thing that help me that I wish I had gotten ahead of time was a binder to support my abdomen. The large incision was extremely painful until I put it on and the pain almost disappeared after putting it on and more important, I could get in and out of my low profile bed without help.

I got a compression top with a built in bra at Target and  I wore it for two weeks.

This post helped me a lot. My surgery is scheduled the 24th and I feel like I'm now scrambling for information even though I did a lot of research before. It's just nerves, but I'm glad to hear other peoples experiences to get an idea what to do for myself. 

Good luck with your surgery!!

Thanks for asking these questions! I'll be having my surgery the day after you and I'm starting to panic a little bit. I'm not quite sure where to begin with the all the information I have swimming round my head lol