Wondering if anyone stayed home alone right after surgery?

[trudyjo 22]

Hi everyone, I'm revising from a lapband to a sleeve and I've been planning to have a friend stay with me after surgery for a few days. Lately, I haven't been getting along with this person as well as I have previously and I'd prefer to not have him stay in my home but I don't have anyone else that could come and stay with me. Just wondering if anyone else went home and immediately began taking care of themselves? I also have 3 dogs that will need to be taken care of. What are the challenges I should begin planning for??

Thanks so much for any advice.

[Texasmeg 568]

Hi everyone, I'm revising from a lapband to a sleeve and I've been planning to have a friend stay with me after surgery for a few days. Lately, I haven't been getting along with this person as well as I have previously and I'd prefer to not have him stay in my home but I don't have anyone else that could come and stay with me. Just wondering if anyone else went home and immediately began taking care of themselves? I also have 3 dogs that will need to be taken care of. What are the challenges I should begin planning for??

Thanks so much for any advice.

The most difficult thing for me was getting back up after laying down. It was even tough getting out of a recliner (mine might be difficult to operate!) with weak abs. I probably could have taken care of myself except for that. As to the dogs - do you need to walk them? Walking is good, but large dogs could be tough to manage.

[DestinClair1983 72]

I don't know how I would've been able to be by myself right after surgery. I couldn't bend, twist, lift greater than than pounds. I also have a dog, and I'm not sure how I would've been able to safely pick up and place the Water and food bowls. Also, I needed help getting out of bed for about a week or so because it was very painful changing from a laying to sitting position when I tried to do it by myself. Also, showering was another issue when I tried to do that by myself, because of not being able to bend to wash my legs and dry them without being in pain. I'm guessing some others might've gone home by themselves and have been okay, but I think it'd be pretty difficult.

[trudyjo 22]

My dogs are very small and don't have to be walked (although they LOVE to go whenever we can). I have a scooper for their food that I could use to fill their food bowl with and a pitcher that would allow me to pour Water in without bending too much, but it would probably splash a bit. I'll have to think about getting in/out of bed and/or chairs..... Hmmmm...

[Kindle 8,667]

I spent the first 3 days post op shopping and walking around in TJ. My sister was with me but I wouldn't have had any problems being by myself. My stomach muscles were a little sore but not debilitating. I drove myself home from the airport (5 hours) on day 4 and plowed my driveway with my ATV on day 5. I had no pain and no problems showering, getting in and out of a waterbed or taking care of 3 dogs, 3 cats and 2 horses. I used a pitcher to fill the Water bowls because they are thick, heavy ceramic bowls and I carried a couple hay flakes at a time rather than a whole 1/2 bale.

But as you can see, everyone has different postop experiences. You may want to have a friend "on call" to come by and help if you find there is something you can't do, but you may not necessarily need someone to actually stay with you.

[JerseyGirl68 1,172]

I stayed home alone and managed fine. I did have visitors come by and helped with little things, but no one needed to stay. Everyone is different, so I can't say how you will react to surgery. I couldn't lift the garbage out, or carry large loads of laundry. It might be a good idea to have someone check in on you and keep your information (meds, doctor's numbers, etc) handy, just in case.

Good luck !

[SlowlybutSurely 73]

Everyone is different. I live alone and had no pain and I went to TJ for my surgery. I say keep that person on reserve just in case you're sore post-op and need a little assistance but hope and Pray for the best. Keep in mind though that you won't be able to lift anything heavy so I carried my laundry to the washer practically piece by piece. Better safe than sorry!

Edited February 11, 2014 by BamaBoo64

[dlc0963 22]

I came home after two nights and three days in the hospital. I had arranged for a friend to stay with me but after 2 hours at home with her I asked her to leave. All I wanted to do was be home alone with my three boys (of the feline kind). I was fine and actually happier. After a few days in the hospital I was happy to be home among my stuff and in my bed. I did have a neighbor available just in case but I never needed to reach out to her.

[sassypants 674]

i was pretty much alone my mum waking me up at 6am to jab me with my anticoagalante shot i had to do for 10 days after i was discharged, 2 new theroses one of tea one of Soup and off she went.

she works till 8 and is in bed at 10 so not alot of time inbetween for help.

wasn;t allowed to bath and could only wash down for a certain amoutn of time what i did was put garbage bags over a chair as its fabric that was put in one of the baths and i would just sit on that to wash then eventually shower.

i had major back knee and hip issues so standing even for 5mins wasn;t a option for me.

if your up and about you don;t really need help, if your not really up and about you can do things to make it easier for yourself to still not need anyone.

if you would rather not have him stay you can work around it maybe get 30mins of help a day from someone rahter than a houseguest.

[trudyjo 22]

Thanks so much everyone, your thoughts and suggestions are truly helpful. I'm starting a list of challenges and how to handle them for the first week or so. Keep your recommendations coming! I appreciate them all!

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

1 night in the hospital then rested 2 days and went shopping. No pain, just soreness. Just took it easy two days. Not supposed to lift, but no problem feeding and watering the dog. I think you will be surprised how easy this is compared to what you expect, at least I did. I am 66. You will be on liquids so no need to fix meals or do anything, so I would rather be alone than have someone in my home I wasn't getting along with famously. You could always have him "on call" for emergencies LOL! Good luck!

[Sassy Pants1 186]

Surgery on Thursday. Home on Friday. Spent Saturday and Sunday on my own. No issues for me. Getting up and down was uncomfortable, but I just moved slow and I was fine. I did not need any help.

[taylokat 180]

I also had no issues being alone. I actually enjoyed the peace and quiet!

[DirtyHarriett 94]

Have your meds and food/juice/broth/protein, etc home when you get there and a way to get in and out of bed or recliner.

The other things can wait a bit until you feel better. Have your charger so you don't have to bend over. Slip on shoes for walking, etc. I only needed help with leveraging myself from sitting in a deep couch. Zero abdominal strength...

You should not need a caregiver.

[Bufflehead 6,358]

I stayed home alone and was glad for it. The last thing I wanted was people getting in my way or me feeling like I had to entertain them. I just wanted to have peace and focus on my job -- getting my Water, Protein, and walking in.

I had my housekeeper come for an extra visit to change the kitty litter and do the heavier house cleaning but other than that I needed no help. If you don't have a regular housekeeper and like your house nice and tidy, you might consider having an agency come in for a single visit, or allowing your friends to help by taking an afternoon to mop, vacuum, scrub toilets, etc.

I have three cats and a large dog and had no trouble taking care of them. My dog loved all the extra walks she got -- walking is so good for you in recovery! I had to keep reminding myself not to pick up my largest kitty as he is over 10 lbs, but I managed to do fine with some close calls. Good luck to you!