Post Surgery Home Care

[SamBwaR3 62]

Okay, my wife is trying to get a heads up on how much time she will need to take off to be home with me after the hospital stay. I know everyone is different but any insight for me to give her...

Thanks in advance,

Sam

[JamieLogical 8,710]

You should be able to fend for yourself when you get home from the hospital. You should be able to get up and down (slowly and maybe a little painfully) on your own. You should be up and walking a little every hour that you are awake. You should be able to take care of all your personal hygiene needs yourself. If your wife wants to take time off beyond the day of your surgery, that is nice of her, but not necessary.

[wilson33 2]

I had my surgery march 14th and I went back to work on the 21st I was really doing everything for myself on the 16th I was just moving a little slower than usual

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[honeybadger 21]

Are you able to get around by yourself? I think that may be the largest issue in determining how long you'll need an assistant handy.

If you're ambulatory, you may be able to handle things on your own after a day or two at home. My surgeon seems to think I'll be okay after the first day at home.

I guess he's planning on giving me some good pain killers!!!

Edited April 8, 2016 by honeybadger

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

Unless you have an underlying medical condition then you should be able to take care of yourself. You will be able to go to the bathroom and shower/bathe as normal. The surgery is a breeze. They made me take a shower on the morning of day 2 before being released. It's no biggie.

[Valentina 2,642]

Hey, Sam.

Are you having any additional surgery/procedure done other than your WLS? I- remember reading your posts about climbing flights stairs while at work and practicing your "sipping", so I'm thinking that you should be "A O K" by the second day after surgery to fly solo.

Hell, I drove myself home from the hospital. Do I recommend that? NO! , But one has to do what one has to do.

You got this, Sam. You are motivated and have a super good attitude.

See you on "The Losers' Bench", my friend.

Prayers going up.

[cindyw41 761]

You can't drive while you're on pain meds. I took pain meds 1 week post op so 1 week for her to help you would be sufficient.

[SamBwaR3 62]

Thanks all!!

I am physically okay other than being fat!!

I have worked 4 hours on a broken foot, 6 on a ankle woth a hairline fracture and drove myself home after my vasectomy while I had the broken foot and was in a cast with my broken foot sitting g in the passenger seat of the wife's car. (That was freaking fun)

Okay, so just a couple days then. Thanks all!!

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[amandastearns 79]

My wonderful husband was kind enough to take the first week off. I didn't need him, honestly, but it was very nice to have him there for company. Also, it was nice to have someone to walk with. A day or two just to be safe but after that you'll be fine!

[Barry W 336]

I didn't use the heavy pain medication script they gave me to take home. When getting in and out of bed, I was quite uncomfortable for the first two weeks, especially the first week. Other than that, I was basically okay, and I live alone. I went back to work the third week (desk job), and I worked shortened days.

[SamBwaR3 62]

My Water bed ought be a blast to get put of then.

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[taramarie523 116]

My husband is taking a week off but I have 3 small children so he's really staying home to take care of them so I can take care of myself.

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[Kindle 8,667]

My Water bed ought be a blast to get put of then.

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I spent the first 3 nights in a hotel bed, but came home to my waterbed just fine. My stomach muscles were sore, like I'd done a zillion sit-ups, so there was a kind of rolling technique I had to use to get out of it. The ache wasn't bad enough to need pain Meds, just more of a weakness.

....nice to hear I'm not the only one who still sleeps on a waterbed. Actually sprung a leak two weeks ago and had to replace the mattress for the first time in like 10 years. NO ONE carries them so I had to order it online and paid the express shipping. The worst part is it took 5 days to get up to temperature!

[SamBwaR3 62]

Kindle, we LOVE ours and can not sleep on anything else. Ours is a soft sided waterbed. It orignally had individual tubes but when we moved 2 years ago we bought a new king sized motionless bladder. It is even better !

Yes, it sucks that No one carries the things and you have to order online with out getting to test the different levels of motion on the mattress before buying them.

We are in Florida and haven't ever used a heater on ours. It stays about the ambient temperature of the house.

In the winter time we put an old comforter down between the sheet and mattress pad. I took a king comforter and cut it down do its the size of the mattress and then sewed it back up. Then we just put the fitted sheet over top. Works like a champ!

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[Kindle 8,667]

I've still got the full wave, queen size hard sided waterbed I bought in college back in the 80's! Prior to that I slept in a twin hard side since I was in 6th grade. And living in the mountains of Idaho, I've got mine set at a toasty 90 degrees . Needless to say I freeze whenever I have to sleep in a regular bed.

I lived in FL for awhile in the early 90's and my boyfriend at the time couldn't stand the heated mattress. So we turned the heater off on the bed and I had to put a thick comforter, like you describe, under the bottom sheet on my side of the bed.

Hey, we could start our own waterbed lovers WLS support group!