Small children after surgery

Hello.  I will be having a revision to RNY the week after XMas.  I'm trying to prepare mentally and physically for what will be my last surgical attempt at losing weight.  Im determined to be successful.  I had a lot of reflux and minimal weightloss with my band.  Im anxious about RNY and I've been researching like crazy. 

I want to know how those of you with small children handled them after surgery.  I have a 1yr old daughter who is extremely attached (I think it goes both ways lol). I do have temp full time support for the week following surgery, but I know that I will have lifting restrictions.  Just curious as to how you handled it.  Thanks for your input.

Indy

I inherited a baby who was born 3 days before my RNY. I didn't have full-time custody for the first 2 months, but I did go to the facility to hold, feed & bathe her every day. My experience is more of handling an infant instead of a toddler, and I know how heavy/clingy toddlers can be.

I would say that post-RNY you should set up a lot of couch cuddle time, with her next to you. Be honest with her on a child-like level. Explain that you have a bad boo-boo (maybe even show her a bandage on you) and tell her that she has to be careful, but that her hugs and kisses will make you feel better. You won't be able to lift her for awhile - it's definitely not recommended and can cause problems. While you have help get your daughter into the routine of NOT being picked up, and show her how she can help you, like climbing onto the couch or bed herself for a diaper change.

Hope this helps!

excellent suggestions. My twins were 2 almost 3, when I had my band placed, and had taught the one to do that. The other is disabled. It worked out well. Have respite coming for that one when my bypass is done daily for a while.

Teri

Thank you for your response.  I just look at how active we are now and how she loves being picked up sometimes.  I know we will get through it, but just the thought of not holding my lovey for weeks is daunting, but I know its for the best!

You poor thing!  I don't have kids of my own but I do have a 1 and a half year old niece and a three year old nephew.  To be honest with you, the revision surgery was (in my case) a million times worse than the original surgery and 10 million times worse than the lap band.  I had my original bypass in 2005, lapband in Feb of 2010 and RNY revision on the 15th of November.  I couldn't even think about picking them up on Thanksgiving, and actually am thinking I still wouldn't be able to pick even the little one up without some sort of pain.  

This is a rough rough surgery.  I wish you the best.  Had I knows on the 14th what it was going to be like I would have never done it.  I'm not trying to scare you, just making you aware that it's not going to be easy.

Best of luck to you! 

May I ask what made your surgery so difficult?  Was it pain, complications, etc.? Also, why have you had to have so many surgeries, I'm just curious and still weighing my options.  I hope things start to get better for you soon.

I deal with pain very well.  I have a high threshhold and rarely ever complain.  However, I have never felt pain like this in my entire life.  I have never been in labor, so I can't compare it to that, but compared to 7 other abdominal surgeries that I have had, it was freaking torture.

My gastric bypass in 2005 started the ball rolling for me.  In July of 2005 I had the bypass.  Everything was going well until May of 2008 when my gallbladder had to come out.  At the same time, my surgeon found internal hernias and adhesions that he lysed and removed.  What a relief!  Then, September of 2008 my appendix ruptured and had to be removed.  Also at the same time were the internal hernias and more adhesions.  Those are typical for any person who underwent surgery though.

Over the course of the next 2 years I began to gain a little bit of weight and was also diagnosed with degenerative ulcer disease after much testing due to excruciating pain in my abdomen.  The ulcers would go away and come back on their own.  My diet had to bearing on when they decided to reappear or go away.  I was on a whole slew of medications to try to control this but nothing ever really worked.  In February of this year, 2010, I decided on a band over bypass revision.  So, I had the lapband installed.  Keep in mind the ulcers were still there.  In May I had a pelvic laparoscopy because of lower left abdominal pain, which ended up being ulcerative tissue in my sigmoid colon (diagnosed not by the laparoscopy but by colonoscopy). 

This past September, I began vomiting bright red blood, which was indicative of the ulcers now being perforated.  So, the lapband was removed at this point and the ulcerated tissue "repaired" for the time being.  Fast forward to November 2010...after being hospitalized at least once a month for at least a week at a time, I had the ulcers removed and what I guess would be considered a revision and all was good with the world!!  That is, until I developed a hernia, infection and internal hernia right after surgery.  So, my surgeon had to go in another time 2 weeks later to fix everything. 

Thinking back, everything was a piece of cake, including the very last and final surgery.  It was that one ulcer removal/revision that really was horrendous. 

I'm starting to feel a little bit better everyday, but it's still hard to do much. 

OMG that sounds like a lot for one person to endure.  I sure hope you get well soon and start to feel pain relief as well.  Did you have any problems before your initial surgery or are all of these issues a result of having the gastric bypass.