Hello to all!

Hello from Luke AFB here in Arizona. I am still fairly new to this military life and to AZ. I am preparing to go through surgery with no family or friends around. Not going to be easy to do with a small child I am sure. Anyone else gone through the surgery or process in the same way? I am glad to have found this website and hope to meet many new people on here.

Hi Robin, I'm in the middle of my process, and so far I've found this website to be a huge help. The more support you can get, the better. Do you know if your base has some support groups? Without any help around, I'm sure that could be a great resource for you. Anyway, the girls on here are great and have a lot of wisdom to pass down to us. Welcome! -Adrienne

I have wondered if they have a support group myself, but everywhere I have looked I find nothing. I keep looking. Thanks for the welcome!

Welcome to the board. It is very typical for military people to go through these things without family support. You will need some time after surgery to heal and won't be able to take care of your baby completely. You may find some people on base to help you with child care. Can your 16 yr old help when she is not in school? That would be a big help, but you can't put it all on her either. How supportive is your DH? You won't be able to prepare meals for the family for a while. I was really dizzy for the first 2 weeks and still dizzy for another 2 weeks. You need to be prepared for anything that might come up. In other words you need more help lined up than you think you will need jsut in case. I had to send my youngest to daycare once when I was sick. My DH had to work and I couldn't take care of her. Keep asking questions and we will do our best to answer them or at least give support. Diana

I had planned to have the surgery this summer while my 16 yr was here but she lives in Texas. She did not make the move when we did. She had only been in one school and did not want to move and now that I have lived here i am glad she stayed there. My husband is a great help when he is at home. Childcare around here is hard to find, there are waiting list everywhere. Maybe I better wait until I get some family close before i consider surgery. Thanks for all the input.

don't give up. You might find a young girl around that would love to come and play with the baby for a few hours a day. Keep looking. Get to know your people on base. You may have some young stay at home mothers that can help you out. The first 2 weeks are when you will need the most help. Is your DH able to be home for a few days? Diana

I know he will have to be home for the surgery day and days I will be in hospital. I got family coming towards the end of the month, she is a traveling nurse and will be at that hositpal so that may help. I love all the encouragement from this posting. Thanks to you all.

We are here to get and give support. I often wish I were closer so I could help on occasion. But, we are spread all over. I am good at throwing out sugestions. and sometimes one might actually work. I am really glad I had this surgery. I am a lightweight and I am a very slow loser, but losing is losing. I feel better already. Eventhough I am a lightweight, my weight has adversly affected my health. Keep looking you'll find the answers. Diana