How did you prepare for PS???

Hello.  I am having PS in 9 weeks and wanted to know if anyone would share how they prepared for surgery:  Nutrition, Vitimins, Exercise and your home supplys?

If you would share, I would truely appreciate the insite.  I am trying to get things in order.  I would like to lose 10lbs or 5lbs, but more concerned with being in the best shape I can be and in the best nutritional state so what you got???

Thanks

Nutrition and vitamins were pretty much the same, except I increased my iron-rich foods since I am anemic.  I researched the highest iron-rich and best absorbed foods and found that animal sources are the best.  Everyone told me spinach (which I ate every day anyway) for iron, but from my research it is high in iron but also contains an enzyme that limits aborbtion.  

Exercise was also the same - then again I was training for a half marathon that I scheduled for right before my first surgery.

Home supplies - I discussed what I would need with my ps.  Medical supplies were not so much a worry as I was given a lot of what I needed from the hospital and from my ps on follow up visits.  Once I knew what they gave me, when I needed to buy more, I bought similar to what they gave me - abd pads, 4 x 4 gauze pads, paper tape, etc.

What I also made sure of was how my home would need to be set up and made sure it was set up before I left for the hospital - the recliner, toilet seat riser (for the second surgery where the thighs made it a necessity).  For my first surgery, I slept in a recliner and for the second, the recliner wasn't comfortable for my thighs so I slept on the sleeper sofa - as it was on our main floor and low enough to get in and out of easily.  While I slept I had to block off all ways my cat could get on me.  He likes to curl up on me and there was no way his 8 lbs would have been comfortable on me.  I did not need a surprise in the middle of the night.

I also made sure I had a lot of low sodium foods on hand and did some cooking prior to both surgeries to make sure that meal prep was minimal so that DH was saddled with a lot more work. 

For all my stuff that I needed within arms reach, I had set up - tissues, place for my water, ginger mints, notebook (very helpful to keep track of when you take your meds and when you talk to people while you're on pain meds; also took it to follow up visits to write stuff down - again because of the pain meds).  I also kept a pack of thank you cards next to me so that when people sent things, I could take care of the note right away.  Having my laptop near by too with a lap desk that kept it raised off my thighs helped a lot too.

A digital camera - I had DH take pics every day.  If there was a problem, I could email the pictures to my ps as well as documenting the process.  It helped to see the progress day to day.

Thank you Lisa!!   Lots of good information.  I think I am obsessing a bit and see that I am on track with what I thought I needed to do to prepare.  You have some great ideas, so thanks.  I have two dogs that love to jump and walk...have to plan for them.  Maybe I will talk them to my father's for the first week or so as not to worry about them.  Anyways, thank you again. 

I suck with keeping up with  my water intake, protien and vitamins :/  I went in 2 weeks ahead of surgery for blood work.  Said all my levels were low :( and that I needed to take a multi vitamin (which I already knew) as well as an extra Vitamin C.  I'm thinking the Vit C is to boost my immune system for surgery but just know, it's all important!  Ever since, I've kept up good on my supplements!

If you up your supplements prior to surgery, when you do your pre admission testing with the hospital and your pre op with your surgeon, make sure you tell them everything you are taking and the dosage.  I actually bagged up everything and took it with me (which they appreciated since there were so many).

If they tell you to stop taking anything at a certain point before surgery - stop taking it as they direct.  They don't want you to take anything that would act as an anti coagulant before surgery.  The first thing that comes to mind in terms of supplements is Vitamin E. 

If you get a sick (cold, etc) and decide to take something OTC - clear it with your ps first.  I made that mistake and realized it the night before surgery.  I took everything with me to the hospital and made sure that my ps knew, the nurse knew and the anesthesiologist knew.  They all had to clear me to make sure that nothing would interact with the surgery.