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I was in minimal pain when I was discharged, but the drive home was pretty uncomfortable. My suggestion is to have a pillow for the drive home, to lean on/into for comfort. Sitting up in a vehicle, as opposed to lying on a slight angle in the hospital bed for a day, was not the most comfortable. And the gas pains can make you uncomfortable, as well. I really didn't have too much gas pain, but some people do, and pretty bad. Having Gas-X on hand would be a good idea, just in case.

If you can, purchase your post-op 'foods' a day or two before your surgery, that way it's already there when you get home. I didn't have to leave the house to get anything, so that was nice, because like I said, driving or being in a car was not comfortable. Also, you won't need it right away, but there are websites that you can order from for Proteins, so that will even save you trips in the future. I use BariatricChoice.com and powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury.com. Lots of choices, and I haven't had anything yet that's tasted crappy.

I have a recliner and I slept there for about the first 2-2.5 weeks. If you have a comfy couch, you can always prop some pillows up to help. sleeping in my bed wasn't happening. I could lie on my right side for about 3 mins, left side about 3 seconds at first lol. Eventually, I slept on my right side in bed, about 2.5 weeks post-op. Now I'm 4 weeks post-op, and I'm fine on either side.

Bottom line... Whatever foods you'll need for approx 2 weeks, get them ahead of time. Whatever you enjoy for comfort, make sure they are readily available and clean. I think I've been pretty lucky thus far, but I've heard others had been in a lot of pain, especially due to gas. I didn't need ice or heating pad, or Gas-X, but it's better to have it available, just in case.

Best of luck! Welcome to the Loser Club (soon)!!!

<3

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Loose clothing.

My surgery was outpatient and I wore a longish dress and sandals -- nothing else. I especially didn't want anything around my abdomin.

Plan to walk 5 times a day to keep your stamina up, even if it's just 2 minutes each time to start. Set your timer so you know when to walk again.

I rented DVDs of some HBO TV shows and watched episode after episode after episode - it kind of helped me psychologically (I won't go in to explaining that).

I kept a notebook of what time I took the pain meds and what time I could take the next dose. I found that helpful.

Sipping Water will help keep clearing things out of your system.

And it keeps you getting up regularly, too.

It's a time to focus exclusively on YOU.

I learned a lot during those two long weeks of Clear Liquids. One big one was to not be afraid to be hungry.

I wore dresses during my whole recovery time so there was no pressure on the incisions or on my tummy area.

It's important to follow all the doctor's orders and to not start eating any different, early. Let your body heal all the way. It will pay off.

One thing that happened to me was that I got in the habit of eating the exact same things all the time. I put extra unflavored Protein in everything I could, I ate a lot of dairy (like pudding - which could handle having the protein added). Eventually, I became lactose intolerant. After that I became gluten sensitive

So, try to vary what you eat and don't over-do any one item.

Get in the habit of sitting down to eat only what is on your plate or in your bowl...and put the correct portion on it. Remember - you can have more later if you want!

So many bad habits and issues I didn't realize I had, came to the fore. So be patient and understanding with yourself, but change those habits.

You've gotten lots of great answers to your question from people on here!!! I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses.

Im glad to hear you are planning in advance and trying to address things before hand. You'll be glad you did.

~hiddn

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@@betchaican Thank you so much for the wisdom!! I have come to the terms that my recovery may be longer than I had anticipated, but I promised myself I wouldnt rush it.

I started my pre-op diet on Monday, and it was ROUGH on day one..but each day that passes is easier and I notice my cravings are lessening. Thank you to EVERYONE who shared their input on this thread. You have all helped alleviate some of my fears and help me get my checklist completed! Every day that passes I am getting more and more excited!!

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I was banded on the 15th and am using a normal,heating pad on my belly, and my Homedics shiatsu pillow for my back and shoulders.

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Take in to the hospital, a BIG bottle of cool Water, a chapstick and lifesavers, for the horrible after surgery cottonmouth. I slept on our comfy couch for 1 week, no recliner needed. I did need help getting off the couch for the 1st 3 days, then was mostly fine by myself. Used the mild pain meds and heating pad for 1st 2 days, then i did'nt need them anymore. I went back to work 1 week after surgery. Im glad I did the laundry and grocery shopping ( and Christmas shopping !) before surgery.., My hubby was and is a huge help, the only thing I would do different is prepare some casseroles/pre cooked dinners for my husband so he would'nt have to take care of me and cook too. Good luck on your surgery, best decision I ever made !!

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
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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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