Getting sleeved Nov. 9th. Just curious what kind of things that you purchased to help you for after your surgery and what things that are not really necessary? I have heard of things like 2oz & 4oz bowls with lids, someone mentioned a cup warmer (they said because it takes so long to eat that it will keep your Soup and stuff warm), etc... Any suggestions of must-haves???

I'm gonna add this because I see soooo many folks having trouble with constipation. Wheat germ, flax powder or psyllium powder. A tsp added to a shake, yogurt or applesauce should help keep you regular.

Thanks BLERD, I didn't realize that. I'll put it on the list!

A digital food scale with tare function. Inexpensive but soooooo handy. I'm over a year post-op but still use it daily. I use 2 oz cups with lids pretty regularly, too. I never had issues with eating so slowly that I needed anything to keep my food warm, so the cup warmer would have been wasted on me.

I got myself a Magic Bullet. It has really helped with making shakes and then moving onto the mushy stage. I found my regular blender too big for grinding up 1 ounce of anything.

CJ

I would ask the doctor to write a script for colace (stool softener)and omeprazole or a PPI (acid) at discharge. Better to practice preventative care. It's good to have several water bottles available as well.

Buy yourself some colace.

I bought an immersion blender for shakes, soups and such.

Have plenty of protein powder, broth, Popsicles and jello on hand.

I would ask the doctor to write a script for colace (stool softener)and omeprazole (gas) at discharge. Better to practice preventative care. It's good to have several Water bottles available as well.

Omeprazole is for stomach acid.

Some things i bought and tolerated prior to surgery i couldnt stomach after. I have purchased multiple protein powders i couldnt stand as well as broth that i couldnt get down. I just purchased a tasteless protein powder that mixes well and you only need 1tbs to get in 30g. Genepro from amazon.

I would ask the doctor to write a script for colace (stool softener)and omeprazole (gas) at discharge. Better to practice preventative care. It's good to have several Water bottles available as well.

Omeprazole is for stomach acid.

woops. typo let me correct.

Thanks everyone. I am making my list of things to pick up before my surgery.

I'm only two days post-op so take my advice for what it's worth.....just a dude making through the first stages.

I anticipated that my pain would be more from abdominal hernia repairs than the actual sleeve. It proved to be correct. This was my third abdominal hernia repair so I had an idea of what I'd need.

I bought a big & tall leather recliner for the surgery. It is much easier to stand up from than getting out of the bed.

I have three memory foam body pillows for the bed. They will enable me to stay elevated which makes getting out of bed much easier.

I have a lighter body pillow that is resting across my abdomen while sitting in the chair. It is warm and supportive.

New Balance slip on athletic shoes have been great. They go on and off as easy as Crocs but offer much greater support. No hands needed but foot comfort is guaranteed. Makes doing those laps much easier.

I borrowed my Son's Anker remote battery for easy recharged of my cellphone in the hospital. White one charge it has given my iPhone 3 full charges. Kept my phone within arm's reach and charged.

Loose fitting gym clothes.

Yeti cup (big one). Keeps your ice Water cold all day, all night. Makes it obvious that you are drinking the right amount of water.

A good supply of pre-mixed Protein shakes. You're not going to want to be shaking up powder-ice-water concoctions while you are sore. The pre made type have been easy.

Chewable supplements is a no-brainier.

As a tall guy, I wished I'd installed tall toilets in my house. Sure would have helped make it easier with this tender hernia.

Have someone take you home from the hospital in a tall SUV, van or pickup. Much more comfortable than having to go low in a car. We used a friends Honda Pilot instead of my wife's Maxima. Was a smart move. Made the ride home much better.

Pets police. We have active little dogs that will jump into your lap without warning. Keeping the body pillow over my abdomen safeguards against them hitting a sore spot. My wife gathered up all their toys and put them out of reach so I wouldn't be tripping over them.

Protein powders for that second week. I have a nice variety to mix up once I feel up to shaking the bottle.

I have some of the flavored tuna in foil packets for when I'm able eat real food.

I have a set of crutches and I use one for climbing stairs and standing up. YMMV but I need the support right now.

Flonase nasal spray. I'm getting a blast in each nostril every 12 hours to prevent sinus draining that could lead to coughing or sneezing. I don't want anything like this to occur while this hernia is healing.

Also, I loaded the freezer up with meals that the rest of the family could make with ease. I do a lot of the cooking-grilling and enjoy it, but I'm off duty right now. ????. They can fend for themselves fairly easily.

That's all I can think of so far.

Unflavored protein, sugar free popsicles, soup, broth, pudding and jello everyone says but I didn't eat either of them, I drank lots of powerade zero, I will say that I bought way too much stuff...wasted money on things I couldn't stomach for the life of me, like the clear isopure drinks, couldn't do it, down the drain....

Thanks Dub, and everyone, for taking the time to write all of this. I am feeling more prepared everyday. Can't wait!!

Curious does anyone use Pure Protein natural whey chocolate? And do you like?

Sure. To take to the hospital, I bought Biotene spray (for dry mouth), and Gas-X strips (for gas help, no swallowing needed). For after, I bought shaker bottles in colors I love from Blender Bottle, as well as pretty/functional Water bottles (I use Thermos Intak style.) To go with my Blender Bottle I have their "Go Stak" containers, which I use for carrying my many pills and Vitamin chews. I pre-load them each week and pop them into my bag when I go out.

I also tasted samples of tons of Vitamins, and ordered those in advance, which I was expected to do, but still some people don't. *grin*

I'm looking over my Amazon history. OH! I know. Two kinds of "PackIt" brand lunch/freezer bags. These have freezer gel packs built into them. The "sandwich" size is exactly big enough to hold two Premier Protein shakes, and the "mini lunch" size is big enough for three. I used these to make sure I had my own food with me so I could go out after surgery, because I like the pre-made shakes *cold*, not room temp. :-)

Foodwise, I had many kinds of sugar-free liquid available so I would be able to find something I was okay tasting. I also needed little containers of no-sugar-added applesauce, because that's what I had to use to take my omeprazole pills with -- open them up into a little spoonful of applesauce.

And speaking of spoons, I bought myself a tiny spoon -- it's a salt spoon -- to eat things like pudding with, because I was taking bites too big. :-)