Surgery Without A Support System

Hello - I have just started the 6 month journey towards weight loss surgery. Truthfully, I'm still not sure I will go through with it. One concern I have is the post-operative recovery period. I am single, live far away from my parents, have very few friends and I work from home/alone. I am sure my mother would come stay with me for a week during surgery, but after that, I'd mostly be on my own.

Is it possible to recover/adjust without a good support system in place?

Thanks for your input.

-Christine

I live alone with an 85 pound dog. I had friends drive me to and from the hospital and one stayed over the first night I was home to make sure I was fine. I was totally okay and never needed anything. I even was walking my dog and bending to pick up dog poop on my third day post op. I worried too, but it was pretty easy to do it mostly alone. Good luck!

I had surgery Thursday. You'll need someone to drive you to/from the hospital and maybe a bit of help at home for a day or two if you're sore and taking pain meds, but you should be fine after that. I've been doing laundry, dishes, etc on my own. I only have some difficulty bending over to pick things up off the ground, and I was given a 15 lb lifting restriction.

I was totally on my own post op except that a friend drove me home from the hospital .

It was fine honestly- recovery takes some time but if you get the medications you'll need beforehand and have a variety of liquids and purée foods and shakes on hand you'll do great.

I'm glad your Mom is willing to help you though :)

Thank you everyone for your replies and support. It sounds like it can be done!

Other than having some post op complications with keeping fluid down, I was fine after surgery. When I finally got home, was doing dishes, laundry, etc. I just made sure I didn't lift over my limit. When I talked to the doctor' office, they told me that I could drive at one week, IF I wasn't taking the liquid codeine pain meds. (I only took it once in the hospital and once out of hospital (the bumpy ride on the way home bothered me).

We are willing to do the emotional support part, but you should do just fine without physical support. just have your "fluid stash" ready. You know, the shakes, etc. to consume when you come home. (Oh, try the Tropical flavor SF Popsicles. They are KILLER!!)

Oh goodness, YES. I had to shoo away my helicopter family members. I wanted nothing more than to be left alone. I did appreciate some help getting in and out of my tall bed, but could have probably done okay with some steps or many will just choose to sleep in a recliner for a few days (or weeks). Other than that, I was a-okay on my own. You will need someone to take you home from the hospital and you won't be able to drive until you are off of pain meds, but that's pretty much it.

If your mom is supportive, definitely have her come and stay. Also, check your insurance to see if any home health care is covered. I was happily surprised to see that I have that coverage. I don't know if I'll need it once my husband returns to work, but it's great to know it's there. Good luck!

You should be fine - I had someone with me the first night I was home (required by my surgical center) but I was totally fine. Follow your directions to the "t" - get up and walk as soon as you're allowed at the hospital (usually once you're back in your post recovery room and you've been "checked in" by your floor nurse).

Keep getting up and walking at home - I would set my stove time for ten minutes and just shuffle around my apt for that long then set it for an hour when my ten minutes was up. That got me up hourly and by the second or third day I was doing most of my walking around the apt complex - not fast but walking and feeling pretty good! I had a lift limit of 15 lbs for the first few weeks, then it went to 25, for a few more.

One thing I'd recommend is that a week or two before your surgery you purge your home of the foods you shouldn't be eating after weight loss surgery. Don't fall for that idea that just because you're eating healthy your family and friends shouldn't suffer. It's YOUR house, keep it "clean" and keep yourself on track - plus it won't hurt anyone to eat healthy whole foods for a few days. The first couple of weeks are so critical to healing and your nerves are cut so you can't really FEEL when your little pouch is full. Keep a digital scale on your counter and measure and weigh everything before you eat. Have some pre-portioned recovery friendly foods ready for you when you get home! I had a bunch of sugar free jello and no sugar added yogurt (actually I bought a few big containers of plain Greek yogurt and stirred in some of the low calorie water flavors that they sell like Mio). I also had RTD protein shakes, cream soups, powdered protein (unflavored whey isolate powder could be mixed into the yogurt, soup, even cut into jello cups!) I stocked canned tuna (actually the packets) ricotta cheese (mixed protein powder and flavoring into this for sweet or savory foods), canned re-fried beans (clinic's suggestion - mixed in protein powder and it did taste nice)... You will have non-hunger, old bad habit restless eating urges and it's critical that you have options that will HELP you heal and lose weight as you work through your "head hunger" issues. Being alone as you recover will make some things easier (not having someone there to tempt you to eat unhealthy foods) but it can also be lonely and make it tougher to avoid the old eating coping mechanism for boredom and general stress.