alone after surgery

[fotofem 0]

I'm being banded on July 29 and will be returning home alone. What should I have in the house to help me along for a few days till I can get out again?

[Hollins2003 0]

I was just banded on July 2nd and I would recommend having someone there for a couple of days to help you. I relied on my partner for a lot of help with life tasks after surgery. Bathing, bathroom, Protein shakes.....The hardest part for me was getting up and down out of bed/chair and moving things. So, if you can, have someone there to help you.

Otherwise, the things I used were:

bottled Water (lots of bottled water)

Protein drinks

comfy PJ's - I needed something with elastic in the waist because my stomach was so distended after surgery.

Good LUCK!

Edited July 13, 2008 by Hollins2003

[Sades 4]

Make sure you are stocked up with liquids that you will drink in the first 2 weeks (I assume that's what your dr says). Did your dr give you a list of what you can drink in those weeks? Eg, broth, Protein Drinks, juices. If you look up post op diets on this forum under food & nutrition, there will be a list of things you require. I believe it is in a sticky thread.

[Sades 4]

This is it...

LapBand food Stages Lists Suggestions

[Sades 4]

Go to the home page and click on Frequently Asked Questions (NEW!) to the left of the page. You find a heap of information there.

[bjs 0]

Hi..

Just a few suggestions would be lots of sugar free items such as italian ice,fudge pops, ice pops. Broths such as consumee, Soups which you can strain and just drink the broth.Teas/coffee (iced npw that its summer)Apple sauce,stage 2 baby foods. Anything soft and mushey. The second week I was ableto have mashed potatoes real thin and mac cheese which the mac was over cooked and real soft.

Good luck

[AmyWA 0]

I just wanted to jump in and share my personal experience. I was banded this last Monday (7/7). I did it completely by myself...and it was fine. I'm the type of person who just likes to recover alone. Friends and family are great, but I didn't have to answer a barrage of questions about how I was feeling, etc.

In all honesty, there was more pain than I anticipated, but it was mostly confined to getting in and out of bed and rolling over. I thought to myself every time 'would it be easier if someone was here to help me?' and the answer was no. It would have been just the same except someone else would be there to share in the agony..and to some people that's very important in times of sickness. It was no easier when the nurse helped me out of bed after surgery.

I'm not saying doing it alone is for every person. A lot of people NEED to be nurtured and coddled when they are sick. If you are not one of those people, you shouldn't have any problems if you stay on top of how you're feeling and make yourself move around. My family offered to fly to where I was, and I declined because I would rather have them come when I could enjoy them.

I stayed in a motel and just made sure I had different liquids, gas-x strips and a heating pad. The heating pad was the key I'd say. And, of course, fill your prescriptions BEFORE surgery.

My loved ones were able to support me by email and phone just as much as they could have supported me in person in those first few days. And I didn't have to worry about anything besides getting well.

And it's not like you will be bed bound. Getting up and moving around isn't FUN...but it's recommended. And I say the sooner you get back to doing things yourself, the quicker your recovery will be. But that's just me.

Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions. Congratulations and good luck! :biggrin:

[LibbyS 0]

I think it is doable alone. I would go to the grocery and drug store and buy everything on your stage 1 or 2 diet. I did that and went through the box of sf Popsicles in 2 days, so if you know you like something buy several. Fill your prescriptions, get your Vitamins. I live in a 3 story house and had no problem getting up and down stairs. Rolling over in bed is hard and picking up dropped items on the floor. My mom had back surgery and has a little thing she can use to pick up things. I wish I had that, but managed without it. I wasn't alone, but didn't bother my husband too much. He went to the store for me several times.

Two days after the surgery I drove myself to the store and to the gym and did the elliptical for 30 minutes.

I did have to call the dr about some digestive issues and he recommended I pick something up at the store, so it was nice to have my husband to do that.

[Northwest_Nance 0]

I also did it alone and had no problem. Everyone is different physically and emotionally, so I can only speak for myself. I had surgery at 1:00 pm, was home by 5:00 pm, and alone by 5:30 pm. I went out for a walk that evening. I did wake up in the middle of the night feeling more pain than I expected, which could have been alleviated if I'd taken my pain meds before I went to bed.

All I needed to have on hand was my liquid diet, my pain meds, and my cell phone! The Gas-X strips and the heating pad that a noter mentioned above, are also very helpful.

[armywife4life 0]

I had no problems doing things by myself. The pain was tolerable, and even though my husband was here and could of helped me i took care of myself. Main reason is you have to move, and keep moving and for myself personally i get kind of pissy when im not 100 percent so putting my husband in the line of fire was not going to be ver nice LOL!!

[fotofem 0]

thank you all so much for sharing your experiences with me. i'm going to buy a heating pad, since I don't have one, and make sure to have gas x in the house! other than that, it sounds ok to me. I will have a friend bringing me home from the hospital so we can fill prescriptions on the way. it's good to know that others have managed without help. i'm at least coming home to my house rather than a motel, so that will be comforting.

[SanDiegoSusan 1]

I did it alone. You have to have someone drive you home from the hospital - trust me you will be impaired. And I would have a safety person who you can call in an emergency and who will check on you if you don't contact them each morning and evening. But I hate having people around when I don't feel good and I certainly didn't want anyone hovering around me after surgery.

I stock up with Water and all the fluids I would need for the first two weeks. I also have ice and heat pads that worked well, lots of Gas X, and several clean sleepshirts and sheets. A friend helped me the first night by feeding the dogs and getting my stuff set up (the very helpful drugs) and I was lucky in that the first night I could sleep in my bed.

I used a body pillow to sleep the first night (and everynight since.) I sleep on my right side with my left leg draped over the pillow which has meant a great night's sleep each night since surgery. I am not sure how well I would have slept on my back.

Good luck!

[fotofem 0]

thanks for the great advice! and aren't you doing well? congrats!

[amonroy 0]

I did it alone also. My husband is in Iraq right now so I thought it would be the perfect time to get this done. My advice is to have plenty to drink, Protein drinks, and your pain medication. I was fine and even drove to the mall 2 days after my surgery. Good Luck.

[mshooper 0]

Like many of you, I did it by myself too. I have 10 yr old twin boys who I had stay with a friend for a couple of days because I didn't want them to see me at my absolute worse and scare them. My mother flew in the night I came home from the hospital but honestly had to do more for her than myself.

A girlfriend picked me up from the hospital and we filled prescriptions on the way home. I made sure to have sugar free popsicles, Water, chicken broth, and carnation instant Breakfast (oh and some milk) there at the house. Honestly, having to get up to get my own things gave me a little exercise.

Now, 8 days out of surgery, I feel great, starting mushies, and my kids are back home driving me nuts. It almost feels like normal LOL.

I'll be going back to work next Monday. You'll be fine, hon.