I am new and looking for advice.

Hello everyone,
My name is Tanya and my surgery is on 10-28-10.  Wow just right around the corner.
I was wondering if anyone could tell me some things that would help out with afterwards.  Do I need to bring anything special with me to the hospital?  One person told me to make sure and bring chapstick.  After I go home, is there anything I should do that will help or hinder?  I thank everyone for their time with this,  I just want to make this whole process the easiest possible way cuz I think I'm kind of a wuss.
Have a Great Day!!

Hi Tanya,

I just had laproscopic Rny on 10/6,  I would agree with the chapstick because after the surgery you cant have anything untill they test the surgery to make sure it took .. so they have these swabs to swab out your mouth cuz it gets so dry.  The other thing i took with me was a mp3 player.  It was good for shutting out some of the hospital noise and trying to get some sleep.  if you have any heavy kinds of house work to be done around the house .. do it before you go ..  you won't be able to lift anything for a while.  Because the bariatric center that i went to is considered a center of excellence they have such the surgery down to such a science that i didn't have as much pain as i was thinking,  because i only had a total of 5 doses of pain med while at the hospital for the 2 night stay.  i read of some peoples pain and didn't have as much as that .. only one dose of vicodin since i have been home from the hospital.  I got my staples out two days ago and i have been following the directions given by the doctors so far and have been doing quite well. 

Hope this helps,
Be Blessed,

Jenn

Hi Jenn,
Thanks for the info, sounds like you are doing really well and are on a great start!  I also have another question for the ones who have had their surgery farther out.  I am very scared about the horror stories I hear about hanging skin.  Is there anything that I can do more than I already am to help with that before it gets to be to bad.  Don't get me wrong, I would deal with the skin issue anyday if it would make me more healthy in all the other ways this will but I was just trying to help it a little bit.  Thanks again for any info given!
Have a Great Day!!

Hi Tanya and welcome to the group.  Jenn had a lot of great ideas and I had a few to add.

I was told to stock up on protein powder, broth and that kind of thing so I wouldn't have to do any shopping right away.  The problem was that my taste changed dramatically post-op and I couldn't stand anything I had stocked up on.  That is a common occurence with post ops.

In my opinion, hospital beds are typically uncomfortable and you might find it easier to get some rest if you take your own pillow.

Start practicing now with your new eating habits such as getting in your 64oz. of fluid (that's minimum), taking small bites and chewing the heck out of your food.  I was told to get a child's sippy cup and baby spoons which I did but I never used them.  Personally, that was a waste of money for me but many find it helpful.

You are not a wuss!  This surgery isn't for sissies that's for sure.  It takes a lot of courage to make the decision to get this done and a lifelong committment to your new way of life.  You'll be fine.  Keep posting to the group, I have found a lot of support here and I'm sure you will too.

Colleen

Welcome to the group Tanya.  Jenn and Colleen had great responses.  Do stock up on samples of protein powders to use after surgery, your tastes may change and you do not want to have tubs of things that you can not tolerate sitting around.  My chapstick really came in handy during and after the hospital stay.  Bring your own pillow if you sleep best that way.  I need perfect dark for sleep, brought my sleep mask.  If you use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea, bring it.  The pillow will also come in handy for padding the seat belt for the trip back home.  I had a hard time reaching my feet to put on the hospital issued slippers, pack a pair of slip on slippers. Everything else I packed in my overnight bag was still in the bag when it came time to pack for going home.   Stock up on a few packages of broth, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles.  Have a variety of flavors of crystal light available.  Sometimes plain water does not set well.

Some days cold liquids go well, others room temperature.  Go with what your pouch demands.  In the pre op time, get used to getting in the 64+ ounces of fluid a day, daily exercise of some sort, even walking up and down the hall or up and down the stairs. Get yourself involved in a wls support group.  Members of the group may even share a sample or two of their favorite protein for you to sample.  Go over the instructions given out by your surgical team.  Get up every couple of hours during the day for a short walk.

Some folks stock up on baby food for the pureed stage, skip the baby foods. The amounts you will be eating, simply puree a little of your families food.  I ate fat free refried beans, yougart, eggs, sugar free pudding and my protein supplements during the week or two of pureed.  Even pureed meatloaf tasted the same as regular meatloaf.  The baby foods have no added salt and flavors that our adult taste buds have become accustomed to.

Most importantly, ask, ask, ask loads of questions, both here and at your pre op appointments.  Bring a list of any questions to your appointments.  I bring a list to any appointment where I want to have something answered.  Important things slip past my thoughts when I am reaching for the question in my mind. 

Today, start by changing to a smaller plate for your meals, take small bites, yes a baby spoon helps to keep the bite size smaller.  I use the salad plate and take small bites.  Chew each bite thouroughly, put the spoon or fork down between bites and enjoy your meal.  Taste the flavors and textures.  Celebrate the small steps you are taking each day to improve your health.

Hugs

You got a lot of great replies! I would like to add here to be sure to have several pillows available at home to use for positioning. I know i could not lay on my sides or tummy for a couple of weeks, and without the extra pillows to position with my butt was soooo sore. I fnally got smart and had some rounded up for me and it helped incredibly well with taking the pessure off the pressure points. I even propped some under one side or the other to kinda get the "laying on my side a bit" effect. Keep a cup of water at your side whereevr you are and sip sip sip (or crystal light). My first 2 weeks post-op water did not set well, but if I added in crystal light I did fine with it. I also pactially lived on Sugar free popsicles. they provided great flavor, and moistness for my mouth and were soothing on my throat, which was just a touch irritated due to the intubation during surgery.
Have all vitamin supplements at home and ready to take.

Hope this helps some. Your surgery is the day after my birthday! I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers!

Thank you all sooo much for the info.  It really helps a lot!!  So far I have all my clear liquid stuff for when I get home, chapstick, multivitamins and I am gonna buy my comfy jammies next week.  Wasn't going to buy any but the dr said to have something comfortable while there that are easy to put on and take off.  So my next question is... I see a lot about having all my supplements at home before the surgery.  What are all the supplements needed.  I have the multivitamin with iron and the centrum in liquid form.  I was told I would have to get a b-12 shot but what else am I missing?
Thanks again for all your help.  I think it will help me recover so much easier.