Hi, I am scheduled for my vsg on Jan. 16th. I am trying to make sure I have everything I will need post op in the house so I am prepared for whatever my arise. If anyone has any suggestions for what is helpful to have in the pantry or medicine cabinet pre surgery, I would be grateful if you would share that information with me. Thanks so much.

this is what i bought when i was shopping

SF jello

broth

cream of chicken soup

WATER

every flavor of crystall light known to man

protein

sf popsicles

sf fudgecicles.

gas x strips

heating pad

warm fuzzy socks

Ive been using most everything.

<ul>

<li>OTC Acid medication - Prilosec, Pepcid, Tums, etc.</li>

<li>liquid Tylenol and regular tylenol (No NSAID's like advil, aspirin or aleve can be taken afterwards)</li>

<li>A waist support belt like warehouse workers wear</li>

<li>broth (beef, veggie and chicken)</li>

<li>flavored waters (propel, etc)</li>

<li>Isopure PLUS Protein drink in grape and punch (I ordered it off of Amazon.com)</li>

<li>heating pad</li>

<li>soft comfy bras</li>

<li>PJ's that are lose around the waist or comfy sweats (the prettier the better - to make you smile)</li>

<li>A little squishy pillow or two to tuck around you in bed at night.</li>

</ul>

<p>Get your house clean and the laundry caught up before you go in the hospital. You won't feel like doing much for a few days once you get back.</p>

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<p>Go to your primary care physican and talk to them about what meds you are on, and how you won't be able to swallow a pill for a while afterwards and how you should take your meds. You may need both a pill cutter and a pill crusher. Some meds can be dispensed in liquid form. Have a plan for this - you don't want to be unprepared.</p>

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<p> </p>

Happy New Year! I would add the following:

Scale

Small containers (like the zip lock type)

Different types of broth ( I cooked my own ahead and froze it in small containers for ease of prep time)

water bottles with oz on side, I used these for protein drink measurement and ease

Loose clothes easy to put on

G2 - my favorite is grape

Once you graduate to full liquids:

split pea soup (this was my life line!)

I'm sure this is overkill, but here's my list of things I bought right before or after surgery (copied from a post I made about a week post-op.

• 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.
  
• powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >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. :tongue2:
  
• 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!!

Everything everyone said above is absolutely correct, and I just want to add one: comfy slippers or slipper socks to keep your toes warm! It is pretty common post op to be cold all the time (I write this from my desk at work in 4 layers and a puffy coat haha), and what got me through the first few days was def keeping my feet warm!!

Good luck, and you will do amazing!1

Hey there!

Im having surgery on the 17th- This post has been incredibly helpful! I look forward to going through the journey with you.

Thanks for posting and thank you all for the replys!

Lacie, I am also having surgery on the 17th. Good luck!! We'll be facing surgery and the post-op life at the same time.

The only thing I will add is to make certain that you know the conversion for your pain meds, or have a metric measuring spoon. Mine came marked to take 15mLs and I had no idea what/how to convert to tablespoons. Ask the pharmacist for the equivalent if that's how yours are marked!

I didn't get the one dose of pain meds I wanted after I got home because of this!

Lissa

This is such an informative post and all the suggestions are soooo helpful! i get sleeved on the 18th and i'm starting to build a shopping list. I'm so excited!! thanks for posting this!

This is my 8th day post op and drinking Water , and crystal light is very hard today ! The broth I can not stand , Jello was very hard to eat today any suggestions out there!!

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