I’m learning a lot from reading others posts and also learning that sometimes doctors don’t 100% prepare us for our return home I’m thinking it’s because they don’t know first hand what it’s like to recover from WLS? I dunno, whatever the reason it’d be nice to have this post to refer to when I’m post-op (I’m getting roux en y gastric bypass)

So, give me all your best tips for recovery and necessities. What did you need and wish you had readily available? Thanks in advance!!!

A recliner if you dont have one. I had surgery on the 18th and i have yet to be able to sleep in my bed.

A Walking cane helps a ton with getting up and keeping your balance.

I had very little pain to speak of (many of us don't), but getting in and out of bed could be a challenge - for the first few days I felt like I'd done a thousand crunches when getting out of bed. I didn't have a recliner, but I just had a ton of pillows propped up behind me so I wasn't lying flat. It did help. After I had my first plastic surgery (which was much more painful than my RNY), I bought a wedge pillow. In fact, I'm still using it, three years later. That may have been helpful after my RNY, too.

I didn't have a recliner, but I did have a wedge pillow and slept on my back, which I don't normally do. It was hard to get up out of bed and the wedge pillow helped.

I would have liked a belly binder because when I was walking around my belly moved and my incisions hurt. Some surgery centers provide these.

Also, I would say to have your house clean and laundry and dishes done because it will be hard to do these right after surgery.

I found it easier to get my fluids in when I kept a water bottle right in my hand or right next to me on the couch.

Good luck!

2 hours ago, liveaboard15 said:

A recliner if you dont have one. I had surgery on the 18th and i have yet to be able to sleep in my bed.

A Walking cane helps a ton with getting up and keeping your balance.

This, this, this.

I needed the cane for about a week, mostly for going from sitting to standing. It's really nice to have something sturdy to push off of. Go to Walgreens and get an extra sturdy cane.

I also needed to sleep in the recliner for about 3 months after surgery. I am a stomach sleeper, so it wasn't until I was completely healed that sleeping felt comfortable. A comfortable recliner was a necessity.

For most other things, play it by ear. You don't want to stock up too much on foods because a lot of people experience a change in their taste buds after surgery, so you don't want to have a fridge full of protein shakes that you hate.

On 04/29/2022 at 12:53, lizonaplane said:

I didn't have a recliner, but I did have a wedge pillow and slept on my back, which I don't normally do. It was hard to get up out of bed and the wedge pillow helped.

I would have liked a belly binder because when I was walking around my belly moved and my incisions hurt. Some surgery centers provide these.

Also, I would say to have your house clean and laundry and dishes done because it will be hard to do these right after surgery.

I found it easier to get my fluids in when I kept a water bottle right in my hand or right next to me on the couch.

Good luck!

I don’t even have my surgery date yet (doc said end of May early June) but I’ve already started to organize and deep clean because I know how I am when I sit idle I think of all sorts of things that need to be done. I know that won’t be possible after surgery so I’m doing those random things now hahaha

Seems like the general consensus is recliner. Which I have thankfully! I also have a Tempur-pedicure mattress that inclines!! We barely use that feature now but we added it on when we first bought it 3ish years ago because I was pregnant and subsequently nursed both babes since then. So it was very convenient! So glad I’m able to utilize it again!

16 minutes ago, Edmira said:

Seems like the general consensus is recliner. Which I have thankfully! I also have a Tempur-pedicure mattress that inclines!! We barely use that feature now but we added it on when we first bought it 3ish years ago because I was pregnant and subsequently nursed both babes since then. So it was very convenient! So glad I’m able to utilize it again!

Yea we have an adjustable bed and don’t really use my side but was glad to have it post surgery. I had very little pain post op. Left hospital early taking only Tylenol but getting up and down from bed would have been a challenge without having the head of the bed adjusted up. For future readers that don’t have an adjustable bed the bed wedges mentioned earlier are a close second to this and have helped me in past surgeries.

Recliner, cane/walker, step stool for getting into bed if you're short like me (I have to jump up onto my bed otherwise). If you're sent home with JP drains, I found it helpful to get a badge lanyard and clip a laundry bra bag onto the lanyard and wear it around my neck and place the drains inside. It ensures not accidentally dropping a drain which can cause pain. And this helped so much with showering. I also used a binder around my tummy and a grabber tool for picking up things off of the floor so I wouldn't have to bend over to avoid putting pressure on my incisions. A lot of these recommendations I used during my recovery of my tummy tuck. So it may not be helpful for just wls.

Last year I bought a adjustable bed because I though it would help me to breathe better in bed. I had not thought that I would be getting the RNY in the future. I am glad I have it now. It will help. Recliners are great for sleeping in too. Mine used to double as a bed many many night when my reflux was a huge issue.

I didn’t use a recliner or binder either. Was sleeping in my usual slightly twisted side position almost from the beginning & had no trouble getting up & down.

Your recovery is very individual. You may have lots of gas pain or no gas pain. You may experience surgical pain for a couple of days or a week. You may get around easily or experience muscular discomfort. You may have days of diarrhoea or be constipated.

Make sure you have your post surgical over the counter meds at home ready before you go to hospital. Imodium, gasX, pain meds (not NSAIDS), anti nausea meds, electrolyte drink, etc. Some surgeons give you your scripts for your other meds (PPI, opioid pain meds, anti nausea meds, …) before your surgery others after.

Throw in an extra set of underwear & sleepwear just in case you stay in for an extra day. It’s often nicer to be in your own sleepwear. Disposable underwear can be handy too in case you do experience diarrhoea (it can happen unexpectedly & be messy!).

Have a couple of different brands & flavours of protein shakes, broths & cream soups. After surgery, some things, temporarily, just taste awful. Get in some green or herbal tea. I found warm drinks very soothing to sip.

All the best with your surgery & recovery.

No recliner but I second the wedge. I had one handy due to years of gerd, and it made me so much more comfortable when I got home from my revision. I didn't like my hospital bed at all.

This is an awesome thread!!! I don't have a recliner or wedge, but I was thinking I would sleep propped up in my favorite spot....my loveseat. I have a cane already, so I'll keep that by me. And I always have a drink at the ready at night.

I found lemon ginger tea to be very comforting in the week or so after coming home. It also made a tasty chaser for the nasty liquid meds.

Can you arrange some help around the home for the first week or so (especially since you have small children)? That would be a godsend. Otherwise, I second having some different kinds of clear fluids available - I drank vegetable bouillon a *LOT* in the clear liquids phase. And herbal teas - plain water was so samey and I liked warm fluids much better than cold for those first couple of weeks, and seemed to be able to drink them more steadily. Best of luck - I think you're doing this at a fantastic time - my only regret re WLS is not having done it 15 years earlier so I could do more things with my children when they were small.

This is a wonderful thread!