Quick Question -- preparing for surgery content

what did you do or not do that you wish you did to prepare your house, family, errands, anything else that helped you prepare so u didnt have to do so much during recovery. i have some ideas but i want to make a througho list and make sure everything i could ever think of is taken care of. we live in a small 2 bedrom apartment so i dont think i will have my aunt clean once a week for me to save money. but anything u can think of let me know what worked for you or didnt work. :) will be back to add to posts other people wrote later. 3 weeks til we go for sinraunce approval.

I made sure ALL the laundry was done so I wouldn't have to worry about it for a while.  I'm 9 days post-op, and still haven't needed to, although it's getting to be time - I'll have to make my daughter bring the laundry down to the basement when she comes inside.

I cleaned the house, including cleaning out the refrigerator, and made sure what I needed to cook immediately when I got home was handy.  I actually bought new sheets and fixed up my bed nice :-)  I went to the library to make sure I had things to read while recovering.  If you start your vitamins immediately (I don't; not for 2 weeks), you should buy them in advance.  

You don't live alone, right?  If so then you should be fine.  I've been able to do most everything that has been necessary, but for some things (moving a box of Christmas stuff which I'm still packing up, bringing bags home from the grocery store) I've been happy to have my 8 year old around.  Even the cleaning; the only restrictions I have are lifting, pushing, and pulling: i.e. no vacuuming or mopping, but I am quite able to dust, put things away, wipe the windows and mirrors, clean the bathroom, etc.  If you have someone to come clean, go for it... but I wouldn't stress out about it - when you divide the chores, you just need to rearrange them (this week, my daughter vacuumed and I dusted, which is opposite of normal).

I got any major cleaning done that I wanted to have done.  My hubby carried the laundry baskets up and down the steps for me.  I did the light things and he did the heavy things.  His job to wash dishes, so no difference there.  No carpets here, so no vac to deal with.  I let some of the cleaning slide until I felt better.  Include your daughter in the light housekeeping, she can be helping mommy heal up that way.  Hugs

I did my laundry but I regret that I didn't leave the house spic and span before surgery.  You get a lot of visitors when you come home from the hosptal... so a girlfriend volunteered to clean my house for me when we found out the troops were coming.  I feel bad that she had to go through that, though I was grateful.  

I left all the bills paid and the rent ready to go too.  I am really glad for that because I felt very muddle headed the first two weeks postop, like I couldn't concentrate on anything or be bothered with hard thoughts.

I bought protein, water, and two pairs of sweatpants at Walmart (just my size brand), one for going to the hospital, and the other one to motivate me to throw them on and move around postop.  I got them in a 5x and on my surgery day they were snug, and now they are really loose so that's a thrilling thought.

You might want to buy a ring guard for your wedding ring if you can so you don't have to think of that later or risk losing the ring.  On the first sign of it being loose you can put the ring guard on instead of letting it fall off.

I can't think of anything else prepwise.  I think it's good to take a nightgown or two to the hospital so you're not walking in their fugly hospital duds and feel more like you once you shower and have to do the walking.  And having my copy of WLS for Dummies made me feel good because I kept looking through it with my questions.

thanks for the help! I really dont think i will have any visitors after surgery but who knows. i cant stand a messy cluttered place so i am already starting to clean every knook and crannie. i am worried about having to put my daughter on the bus every morning even as soon as i get out of the hospital. i think thats the book i am buying - the dummies one. i never thought to bring my book with me! i am going to find out if i can bring a pillow with me. and as far as a ring guard - we paid extra so i can get my ring sized as many times as i want for free. ive gone from a 9.5 to a 7.5 since june.

How far is the bus stop? If it is right by your house, it will be a great way to get in a bit of a walk. Just leave a little extra time, for a slower paced walk.

Wow.. your ring size has really changed already! Glad you can keep downsizing at no charge! Wish we could get a plan like that for our clothing! hahaha!

I hear that about the clothes -- at least the jeans LOL.
the bus stop is right outside our apartment and on cold days we wait inside when i dont have school. was just worried about being super tired or not being alert enough to be up for an hour or two with her. im sure ill be fine though. i cant believe how much my ring has changed either and wonder what it will end up being in the end. it was like 100 bucks for the plan we when bought our rings but because i wouldnt stop gaining weight... plus we always do it just in case. why pay 40 bucks to resize each time if you dont have to.