My surgery is March 23rd. I start my two week liquid diet Tuesday. Everytime I think about it I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and very anxious. Mostly, I worry about not being able to complete the pre-op diet. I also worry about taking care of my 18 month old after the surgery. How long will it be until I can lift her? What did you do to survive the pre-op diet?

I'm a teacher. Do you think I can get away with not telling anyone at work? lunch duty for 30 minutes everyday might suck - then again, school food isn't all that appetizing. :biggrin:

I know I need to change my mind set . . . I just don't know how. Help!

Hi....

Sorry you are a nervous wreck. I was too, but I did a lot of research and have talked to several people who are on this journey as well. That eased my mind a bit. I also have complete confidence in my surgeon and feel at great ease with her and her staff. I have been told I can not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for a month. I don't want to do any damage while my stomach is healing.....I 'm having the surgery a day after you. If you haven't done a lot of research or attended any support groups, doing that may ease your mind. I have no children so I can not answer that for you....

Take Care and Best of luck to you...

Meg

I understand your anxieties--but would like to reassure you it will be okay.

First, you can get through the preop diet. It's not fun, but it's doable--none of us have yet perished from it! Just adopt the attitude that failure is not an option, and you'll be golden.

As for caring for a toddler---well, that's trickier! But you've got a couple of things working in your favor. First, your daughter is more mobile now than she was---so instead of lifting her into your arms or lap, you can tell her, "My tummy hurts and I can't pick you up, but I will sit down on the sofa, and you can climb into my lap." Toddlers her age are developing empathy, so this is actually a good thing for her, developmentally. Having her be your "helper" is also a good idea.

Your doctor's instructions may vary from mine, but I had a lifting restriction for 4 weeks. As a mom, I'm pretty sure I could have managed this with an 18-month-old. I was good for the running-around part of parenting almost immediately---a couple of days of downtime, and I was good to go (though sore and more easily tired). If you can devise strategies to minimize lifting, you'll be a-okay.

Best of luck to you! My surgery is this coming friday, and im a nervous wreck also! I have a two year old son, whom im concerned about lifting and taking care of.... Im going to take it easy and try as hard as I can not to lift him, but i know it will be impossible to go the full 4 weeks without doing so. I had to lift quite a bit after my c-section because my husband worked over the road, and was never home. It healed just fine, you just have to go about the way you lift things differently. No bending over, you will need to work more with your legs.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Thanks for the advice everyone. I feel a little more calm today.

Mears06 - My husband works nights so I don't have any help getting her ready for bed or up to take to the sitters in the mornings. I'll never make it 4 weeks, either. But I'm sure it will work out somehow. I know it will all pay off in the long run. She needs me to be healthy and I want to set a good example for her. She is my inspiration! Good luck Friday. Keep us posted!

Megg40 - I have been doing a lot of research lately. You are right - that does help. Do you start a pre-op diet Wednesday?

BetsyB - Good point. She IS going through the empathy stage. I can think of this as a learning opportunity! :biggrin:

It really helps to have people to talk to that are going through the same thing and people who have already been through it. My husband is trying his best to be supportive, but he just can't truly understand it. I have only told two other people. Think I can get away with keeping it quiet until the surgery is over? I don't plan to keep it a secret. I just don't want everyone else's two cents beforehand. (By everyone else, I mean friends & family. NOT you guys. I definitely want YOUR two cents. lol)