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How Much Help Did You Need?



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How much help did you need post-op and for how long? My entire family wants to come and I can't think of anything worse while trying to rest and relax.

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I didn't really need any help once I was allowed to drive (after I stopped pain killers). I didn't take any once I left the hospital. I had my mother with me in case of complications.

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I wanted to be left alone. My loverly wife waited on me my first day home but stopped when she (finally) realized that I neither needed or wanted the extra care. PS, I am a TERRIBLE patient.

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I didn't need any help really but I had my housekeeper come for an extra visit to do stuff that requires heavy lifting (changing kitty litter) or a lot of effort (mopping, vacuuming). That was it. I would say don't have your family come. You should be up and doing things for yourself. Having other people wait on you will not help your recovery. If they want to help, tell them they can stop by for a couple of hours to do heavy housework (give them a list of exactly what you need done), or they can drive you to the store or something. Having a bunch of people getting in your way and wanting to chat when you should be focused on sipping Water or making a Protein Shake is IMO not beneficial. Good luck!

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I had my surgery on the 24th of October. I arrived at 5 am. Surgery process started at 7:30 and I was up and walking around around 1 pm. I felt really well once I woke up and was able to hold down sips of Water and watered down apple juice so they let me go home at 11 pm the same day.

As for help, my wife took 4 days off work but I really never even needed her assistance. I know everyone heals differently but I was moving well and could do everything on my own. I would suggest even if you do feel great let everyone help you as much as they want. Being pampered even if you don't really need it will help your recovery even more. Just don't forget to be up and moving, besides getting your liquids in it's one of the more important things you can do.

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I felt great. Also the 24th of October. Needed help from my friend to drive home. Stopped taking painkillers the first day home. Drove the second day. I was really up and around almost normally by a week later…but felt well enough by Sunday. I had my kids carry laundry baskets upstairs for me and take the garbage out. Little rats should do that anyway.

Have your family around if it will be nice for you. If they're not traveling a long way maybe have them on call just in case. Not everyone does as well as we did. I also had one of my friends deliver dinner one night, and that was lovely (but not necessary enough to engage the dinner chain in my town.) My family is far away, but I had let a number of people know I was having surgery. Other than giving one kid a ride the night I got home from the hospital, I didn't have to ask them for anything.

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Do you have kids? I think I could've taken care of myself easily. But you'll be low energy for a while. You wont be able to do much for other people until some time has passed. And you'll no doubt need some errands run for medicine and foodstuffs.

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For me, I needed the extra help.

I had my sleeve surgery on 10/24. I stayed in the hospital that night and on the 25th, I was released about 9 - 9:30 PM

I wasn't able to bend down to pick up anything off the floor, no heavy lifting, and I was on my pain meds for about a week or two. I couldn't sleep and I had to sleep on the couch to sleep on my back.

I'm now a month and two days post op, able to lift (milk jug weight or less), able to pick things off the floor, I can sleep in bed on my sides. I'm able to do things on my own again.

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My husband and I got sleeved together and I worried about taking care of each other. Turned out to not be an issue at all. We stayed in the hospital the day of, and the day after surgery when we needed the most help. After that, it was a non -issue. You need to be moving around to get things for yourself anyway.

I think you can take care of yourself just fine. But if you have pets, children etc., it might be handy to have occasional help with them.

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The only thing I needed help with was laundry. Leaning over the machine to pull out the clothes was right at my incision sites so I was unable to do that. Thankfully I had help with that.

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Wow! Thank you everyone!

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Wow! Thank you everyone!

I hope I don't offend u but change ur name........... Ur not a loser........

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Wow! Thank you everyone!

I hope I don't offend u but change ur name........... Ur not a loser........

I am a loser! I'm losing weight!

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I am a loser! I'm losing weight!

Lol..... When u say it like that............. I like it

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The only real help I needed was bending down to get my laundry out of the machine & carrying anything heavy. Which, honestly, BOTH could've waited until my incision sights felt better. But my husband mopped & that was amazing because he NEVER does stuff like that!!! lol I enjoyed it ;)

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    • LeighaTR

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    • Doughgurl

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      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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