Things you wish you had post-op?!

What are some things you wish you had your first few weeks of post-op or things you wish you knew if you could go back?

My surgery is FINALLY getting closer and I'm trying to prepare mentally & physically for post-op :-)

I'd love to hear your suggestions!

So, don't prepare tooo much. You may find that your taste changes after surgery. I made sure I had some shakes on hand and plenty of popsicles and sugar free pudding and jello and my yogurt, all of which were allowed on my plan. I had surgery on Tuesday, went home Wednesday. Friday of that week I worked from home 6.5 hours. Went grocery shopping late in the day (made the family carry stuff in). Went back to the office on Monday for a full day. (I work from home most of the week and in office Monday and Wednesday).

It was way easier than coming home with a new baby - so I don't know what to tell you. Do make sure you follow your team's instructions for post-op - it seems all the docs have different instructions for folks. The key difference is while you are in the hospital walk as much as you can to move that gas out. That was where the majority of the pain was. Every time they came in to check my vitals I walked a lap or two around the floor.

Everyone deals with pain differently - so this was my experience. Going back, I'd have never bought that big tub of unflavored protein. It's still sitting in my basement 2 years later, never opened. I still love Premier protein drinks, particularly caramel mixed with iced coffee and some ice in a blender - its like a frappucino.

You will probably have a good week of wondering why did I do this, and that's entirely normal. The first two weeks seem to be the hardest. But my only regret was not doing this sooner in my life.

Thank you for your response!! You and I are very close in our surgery weight and I am definitely looking forward to progress even during the hard weeks :-)

The hospital gave me an abdominal binder, but had they not I definitely would have wanted to order one. It was an amazing help and I probably wore it a little longer than most.

If you have a good support system, don't over-stock on shakes and such. My taste changed drastically post surgery and the shakes I had enjoyed previously were barely tolerable.

Be prepared to rest well but walk around to help ease the pain. Get a good timer, or become familiar with the one on your phone/watch.

Stay off the scale for the first week. The hospital will pump you full of fluids and vitamins and you may leave the hospital weighing more than you went in. This is completely 100% normal. After that I weighed in weekly rather than daily (you'll drive yourself crazy.)

Follow the doctor's orders. This is so important. Don't start testing your limits or pushing yourself too hard too fast. You are having major surgery and the healing is so so so crucial.

Take your measurements and weight and keep a journal whether it be in your phone or elsewhere, but it's so fascinating to watch the progress. ( I use the baritastic app but use what YOU want.)

These are just my personal observations. I'm just over 6 months post VSG and it's already been life changing.

Don't have unrealistic expectations from the scale - you will be full of fluids. Also the binder is key - I bought a post-partum belt and used it for 5 weeks! Good luck!

I recovered at my parents house so I had the benefit of having someone around to help if I needed it. The only time I actually needed them was upon fainting when I tried to shower straight after coming home from the hospital. I was planning to stay with them two nights, but I found I could not sleep in a normal bed for almost a week. Instead I slept in their recliner. If you do have to sleep in a bed, some pillows to prop you up may help.

All I needed that first week was a water bottle, meds, protein shakes, a good book, and my favorite movies. I would sip water and protein shakes all day and get up and walk around every 60 minutes. Walk and drink, drink and walk, walk and drink.

I went through buyer's remorse pretty hard, but after a few months started feeling better. Now I feel awesome. This forum certainly helped. Wishing you well!

I had surgery almost 2 weeks ago now. I was well stocked with various protein shakes, veggie broth, sugar free jello, teas.

I found after surgery warmer foods were more soothing going down. I scavenged around the house for more pillows to use in bed, because it's really uncomfortable to sleep in any position other than on my back and I needed pillows under my legs and head and more to prop my back up at an angle. I wished I had an abdominal binder.

Maybe get your house extra clean before you go, partly because it will be nice to come home to and partly because it will be hard to pick anything up off the floor for a while!

Make sure you have a good pair of walking shoes. Ooh and maybe a Long shoe horn so you don't have to fold yourself in half to tie them.

Pay any bills, respond to the emails, tidy up your desk. Make it so you can just focus on you when you first get home.

A few things that ended up being really helpful to have on hand:

• A suction-cup grab bar for my shower, since I was kind of wobbly
• A very loose housedress to sleep in, since PJ pants rubbed against my incisions
• A heating pad for my incisions, especially the big one where they pulled my stomach out
• A large variety of things to drink-- tea, SF lemonade, crystal light, Mio drops, etc.
• Lots of warm sweaters and blankets, because I found that I was very cold after surgery