Hey everyone! My surgery date is July 25th and I am pretty much an obsessive neurotic planner/organizer. I have been trolling the boards to find a thread to help me make sure I have the items I will want/need for post surgery recovery. My doctor has really only offered me dietary restrictions and guidelines, but I can imagine there are best practices with things that were life savers for the healing process. What sort of things did you have during the first few days that you were SO glad you had? What were the items you wished you had? Any and all insight would be great!

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

@@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!!

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.

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 !!