Anything I should do to prepare when I come home?

[Irish Fan 1]

I am having surgery on Wednesday. I have looked at some shopping lists and bought the food on some of the lists, but is there anything that I should do to make my return home easier? I would be interested in hearing what makes it easier to come home so I don't have to send my husband out with a list. Any tips, thoughts, and ideas would be appreciated.

[losingwait 1]

Protein drinks ( something you like, you will be drinking a lot), Water, crystal lite mixing powders, no sugar Popsicles, comfy pjs, extra pillow for tummy, gas x strips, chewable Vitamins, a pill crusher (if you need it), prescribed meds.

You will sleep a lot , drink a lot and walk as much as you can to help with gas pains.

Best of luck to you!

[mina 27]

I bought the chicken and vegetable broths and spice them to taste and put them in the freezer so I wouldn't have to do that when i come home. I also got those Asian Soup and just strain them for the broth cause I got tired of chicken broth lol.

[ER New 2]

Lots of Water bottles, that way you know how much you are drinking...

No baby foods ! Yuck !!!!

Good luck.....amd remember, no matter how bad you feel in any given day.....it will get better and you will eat one dsy

[Disney 20]

Well I went through a TON of chicken broth. It went down so well since it was warm/hot. By the time you can move on to another phase of the post-op diet, you will be feeling like getting out and about and can get what you may need after that.

Good luck

[Irish Fan 1]

Hey thanks everyone. Very good advice. I forgot the SF popsicles and the gas x. I bought some of the Unjury Protein mixes. I mixed one with some Decaf coffee and it was pretty good. I came across this glass shaker at TJ Maxx with measurements on the side and a clamp type top. It was like $5. It has an added plastic piece that helps break things up while shaking. I also ordered a personal blender made by cuisanart on Amazon that is like a magic bullet that will help with protein shakes/smoothies. There was a $20 rebate so it was only like $40 (after mail in). Would've never thought of straining Asian soups...that is a great idea.

[Escape_Pod 358]

Here's the list of things I bought before surgery, or in the week since:

• Pkg of 100 1-oz plastic medicine cups - I used these in the hospital once they started me on liquids. The nurse would pour me 4 at the start of an hour to work on for that hour. It was really helpful to get in the habit of sipping and not try to swallow too much at once. The hospital sent me home with extras, but I had gotten a 100-pack at Amazon for under $3. I think they're pretty handy to have in case your hospital doesn't use them.
• Step stool with handle - our bed at home is REALLY high, and this was an essential. Think about what might help when you're trying to get in and out of bed, up and down from a recliner, or a couch. It will be hard for you to bend or twist. Getting up from laying flat is pretty hard and can be pretty painful.
• A bunch of cocktail forks and tiny spoons (I got a 12-pack of "espresso spoons" on Amazon for under $20). I haven't used the forks yet, but the spoons have been great for taking SMALL bites of Jello, yogurt, Soup, and other things on my post-op full liquid diet.
• No sugar added juice - the post-op bariatric liquid diet in the hospital was truly awful. I'm not used to using a lot of artificial sweeteners, so the crystal light was pretty awful. I don't know what kind of Jello that was, but it seemed to be 5 times as strong and have 20 times as much food coloring as regular sugar free jello. I thought my tongue would be orange for a week. Fortunately, since no-sugar-added juice was on my surgeon's post-op Clear Liquids diet, the nurses were fine with my husband bringing them in. I honestly don't consider myself a picky eater, I can manage most of the Protein shakes, but the juice was essential. I also had him bring in good quality chicken broth - I was fine with the hospital broth by day 3, discharge day, but the first day post-op it tasted like liquid salt. I was blessed to have a husband who was there by my side every moment, and a microwave he could use down the hall.
• unjury chicken broth Protein supplement - you're going to get REALLY tired of sweet Protein drinks.
• Electric mug warmer - whether it's the chicken broth or a Protein shake made into hot cocoa, something hot is a nice change, but it can't be over 130 degrees to begin with, or the protein curdles. Anything that will keep that mug hot for the hour plus it will take you to sip it is REALLY nice.
• Some kind of insulated travel mug - I make up a cold Protein Shake with milk for Breakfast or lunch, and again, if it's going to take me an hour to drink it, I'd like it to stay cold
• Extra ice packs - you're going to be sore, and it's really nice to be able to ice incisions and your swollen tummy. Honestly, my favorites are these "Kimberly-Clark Stay-Dry Ice Packs, Large" that I snagged from the hospital where they're considered single-use, so I figured they'd toss them when I left anyway. I have 3, and I've constantly filled them with ice cubes for the past 10 days. Unfortunately, at least on Amazon theyre EXPENSIVE because you have to buy a 50-pack. If you can request an ice pack now and then while you're in the hospital, maybe you can come home with some too.
• Small whisk - I've found this to be pretty essential for mixing the Protein Drinks. I wish I'd had 3 or more small whisks so I could toss them in the dishwasher afterwards.
• *** Liquid Tylenol *** - I happened to have this on hand because a friend told me she didn't need the narcotics after she got home, and this is what she used instead. There's an adult version that I can't find at the grocery store, but is easy to find at a decent-sized drug store. I ended up with a Migraine the evening I got home that wasn't controlled by the narcotics, and spent several hours fighting hard not to throw up. A call to the nurse confirmed it was ok to alternate liquid tylenol with the narcotics I have (be sure to double-check yourself though, some of the prescription narcotics contain acetaminophen, in which case it definitely would NOT be ok to mix). I was desperately glad to have had it on hand, and now that I'm off the good meds, I'm using it for occasional pain control.
• My diet once I got home from the hospital is full liquids for two weeks, including milk, yogurt, jello, and cream Soups, as well as the clear broths and juice that was ok on Clear Liquids. So, I've gone through a lot of skim milk. Jello and yogurt make me a bit nervous because they're so thick, so I haven't used those much. I've used quite a bit of chicken broth for thinning cream soups. I also have a clear mushroom broth that means the cream of mushroom actually tastes different than cream of potato, cream of chicken, etc.
• Both a pill crusher, and a pill-splitter. Some of my meds are large enough I'd have to swallow them in 8 pieces if I split them, but the Nexium is small enough I can just split it, which is a lot more palatable than crushing it and trying to choke down the powder. It's hard to get a good mouth rinse done if you can't swallow more than an ounce of Water at a time!
• Clothing-wise: slip-on shoes for going out for those important post-op walks, and I've pretty much lived in my yoga pants. I'm still pretty swollen, and my waist is still considerably larger than it was pre-op. Jeans are out of the question. Also, a nice warm robe and slippers. Used them in the hospital for my walks, and I've been FREEZING now and then since I got home.
  
  Less essential, but nice to have:
• Double-wall thermo espresso shot glasses - these definitely more optional, at this point I use the mug warmer, but I would have used them in the first few days when I was still portioning out 1-2 ounces at a time to sip on.
• Extra measuring cups - I mix up 8 oz milk and a scoop of Protein Powder in a measuring cup, it's nice to have extras so I can throw them in the dishwasher.
• At this point I'm mixing all my Protein Shakes with milk for the extra calories - that will stop as soon as I transition to purees, but without that I wouldn't even be getting 500 calories / day. Unfortunately, that means the chocolate isn't very chocolatey. Some unsweetened cocoa powder added in makes a much more satisfying hot cocoa. Variety is KEY!
• A bunch of sample packets of Syntrax nectar in a variet of flavors. They have things like lemon tea and fuzzy navel. I mix these occasionally with Water when I can't stand the thought of another milk-mixed protein shake. BJs Bariatrics sells an 11-pack I think of sample sizes and you can pick which 11 flavors you want to try. I'm planning to make sure I have a bunch of these in my desk when I go back to work too so I can get my protein supplements in between meals.

Whew - hope that helps! Good luck to you with your surgery!!

[Escape_Pod 358]

Oh, one more thing, a quick-read thermometer. You want to be able to tell if you're running a temperature, and if so, how high, just in case.

[TheButterfly145 9]

Vitamin Water zero has been my friend. I have been halfing it with Water because it's too sweet on it's own. I was stunned to find that things I thought were just right the evening before surgery were suddenly WAY too sweet. I have had to remake a bunch of my stuff I had prepared so don't buy too much af any one thing or you may find yourself having to store it for a while. I have heard that your tastes may change every few months or so.

The chicken Soup and anything warm really is easier to get down than the cold stuff for me. I started making my chocolate Protein shakes with hot water and having 'hot cocoa' for Breakfast. It's much better that way post-sleeve.

[lolasmom 3]

Wow these are some great lists! Most of these things fall into the " stuff I wish I'd known before surgery" category for me. The only thing I can add is a tip that was extremely helpful for me and for those that came to my house to help me out a bit. I made some homemade Soup (I made split pea because I wanted the Protein and fiber) pureed it in the blender and froze it in ice cube trays, popped them out when they were frozen and stored them in a big plastic container in the freezer. Two cubes is about two ounces, and they thaw and heat in the microwave in about ninety seconds. I didn't have to worry about opening cans, mixing milk or Water in it and there was just my little bowl and spoon to clean up. Hope this helps! Good luck with your surgery!!!!!