Hi folks,

Having vertical sleeve surgery Jan.18th. My hubby has travel plans for Saturday 1/21. I originally had a girlfriend (GF) staying with me for that first week but she has backed out. My hubby is concerned about taking off (for 2-3 weeks).

Were you able to pretty much take care of yourself during immediate post-op? I've gotta lot of GF support ... people popping in & out, etc.

I figure if we're walking right away it can't be too bad.

Anyone feel like they really needed someone to 'fetch' things and/or help with positioning / transitioning, etc.

I also thought it would actually be a good thing that my hubby wasn't around eating regular foods ... I've even heard that the smell of food can make a post-op person nauseous, is that true?

Simply ... how much pain were you in after surgery and how easy was it to take care of yourself?

Thanks for your time.

Yes, if you get it done laproscopically then it is no trouble at all to care for yourself. I did feel very dizzy when I got out of bed so had to sit down where I was standing immediately. My stomach was really sore so the pain medication helped quite a bit. I kept it in the fridge so it tasted much better and even started thinking of it as a sugary treat. I had the surgery on Tuesday and went back to work the following Monday. I have a sit down office job so the doctor approved the quick transition.

The smell of food did make me sad because I knew I couldn't eat it but never made me feel sick.

Everyone has a different experience but as Moonsiren said, if you are having Laproscopic, you should be fine to take care of yourself. I had my surgery a little over a week ago and by the 4 or 5 day post-op I was feeling pretty much back to normal. There was no abdominal pain getting up, down or changing positions in bed. Just take everything slow and get lots of rest.

I basically took care of myself. I like that I could get up and walk around. I didn't have much pain, just gas. You have GF's that can set things up for you. Maybe one can spend a couple of nights with you if possible.

You should be okay. My only concern would be if you are still on pain meds, because you can't drive while taking them. Otherwise, you should do fine with friends helping out a little bit.

Good luck!!

Lissa

Line up some friends that you can count on if you need a ride (or get the number of your local taxi company) and some that can pick stuff up for you at the store. I wanted a few things post surgery (second night gown, soy milk) that I didn't have at home.

Lynda