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Your support person

anjelikaj

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anjelikaj    2

anjelikaj
Posted

I'm wondering how long would you normally need your support person with you after surgery, or what did your doc suggest? I'm trying to figure out how long my support person will need to take off of work. Thank you :)

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KindaFamiliar    3,867

KindaFamiliar
Posted

Support person?

What is this support person of which you speak?

I spent three nights (op Wed - out Sat) in hospital after the op and then a week at the coast by myself...

I would actually have been ok to go back to work on the Monday but had already organized the leave...

There's a fair chance you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll be up and about..

Also, bear in mind that I was sleeved at 560 pounds so I was not what you'd consider 'mobile'...

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anjelikaj    2

anjelikaj
Posted (edited)

Support person?

What is this support person of which you speak?

I spent three nights (op Wed - out Sat) in hospital after the op and then a week at the coast by myself...

I would actually have been ok to go back to work on the Monday but had already organized the leave...

There's a fair chance you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll be up and about..

Also, bear in mind that I was sleeved at 560 pounds so I was not what you'd consider 'mobile'...

Wow! That's awesome you were able to be up and about on your own!

The program I'm in suggests that you have a "support person" to help you with recovery. :)

Edited by anjelikaj

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KindaFamiliar    3,867

KindaFamiliar
Posted

I see...

Well, I'd say you could have someone around for a week or ten days...

I guess it'd be helpful in the case of something going awry...

I do sometimes forget how lucky I was/am with my sleeve...

Yeah, I'd say you'd be pretty much out of trouble by ten days or so...

If in doubt, ask the people who provided the original information...

I'm sure they'll happily let you know what they have in mind...

All the best to you...

And congratulations!!!

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Bufflehead    6,358

Bufflehead
Posted

I had no support person and did not ever need one. I just made sure that I had done all my household chores requiring heavy lifting and exertion before surgery, and had someone come to change the kitty litter for a couple of weeks (I wasn't allowed to lift anything as heavy as a bag of kitty litter).

Frankly I would not have wanted someone hovering around me . . . plus being active and self-sufficient is good for recovery IMO.

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jennaggie    43

jennaggie
Posted

My husband took a week off. He was with me for 6 days after surgery. I wanted him longer though lol. I was a weird case. Pain didn't go away till exactly one month after surgery. I took 3 weeks off of work and I'm glad I did. Good luck!

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jane13    2,256

jane13
Posted

My husband actually took off the day of surgery (Wednesday), Thursday and Friday. I was in the hospital until Thursday afternoon. So really he could've only taken Friday off. My son was unemployed and was in/out if he could find a side job. I was off the following week (bored to tears).

Like KindaFamiliar I was up and moving and could've gone to work that Monday but I had already scheduled it off so I stayed home :(

I walked a lot, drank Water and ate Protein.

Against my hubby and sons protests I also moved stuff from our big storage shed into our house. We were having a modular home built and it was being completed while we lived in a 25' RV. We moved in 10 days after my surgery. I was toting plastics garbage bags of small items into the house and watching the contractors finish up. Had a pool - couldn't swim, wasn't allowed to mow the yard, dog would've dragged me if I walked him (didn't want to pull any internal stiches). I had to stay busy, I was blessed that I had an easy recovery :D

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goplay94123    576

goplay94123
Posted

Yeah - I live by myself and took 3 weeks off but had friends to call if I needed something and i was ok - kitty litter was my issue as well (I divided it into 1 pound zip locks before hand so i could handle :) I was itching to get out to the store by day 3 or 4. I work a ton so the alone time and downtime for me was great :) I did have a friend come over the first day I was eating something for moral support though!

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anjelikaj    2

anjelikaj
Posted

Wow! Thank you, everyone for all the info your shared! It seems that every situation is different. I have 3 kids who need to be driven all over for sports and school. I think if someone could just handle that, I should be ok? lol Thank you again! ️

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kaitlynm    335

kaitlynm
Posted

I didn't have a support person either. I couldn't wait to get out of the hospital so I practically ran from the room to my friends car. I had someone take me to the hospital and they stayed through the surgery to talk to the Doc, and then someone pick me up and bring me home. I went for a short walk the following day. I also drove the next day. My Doc said I could drive as long as I wasn't taking the pain meds. Luckily I didn't need it.

Can't say that will work for everyone, and I'm pretty independent and have a high pain tolerance. Just my story.

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Christinamo7    4,042

Christinamo7
Posted

my husband took two days off work - surgery day and the next day, then was his weekend. He had FMLA in place in case I needed him more, but I didn't. He was prepared to stay in the hospital if needed, but I didn't need him. :-)

I pray your recovery goes as well as mine has. I was up walking when I got in my room, 10 minutes every hour I was awake, helps so much with the gas.

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Go To Topic Listing POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

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    • LeighaTR

      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!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

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      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
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    • Alisa_S

      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

        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

      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

        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

      CaseyP1011

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

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