Hi all! I'm curious about how much help is needed for ADLs right after gastric bypass surgery. I know everyone is different, but I'm interested to learn about different experiences so I can better plan. TIA!

I live alone & had no issues at all. Just did any chores (laundry, dishwasher, etc.) slowly & carefully & took my time - I had all day to do them ?. Had no trouble sleeping in my bed, getting up & down, showering, though I also did it slowly & carefully to ensure I didn’t pull anything. I have a cleaner who comes once a fortnight & she does the vacuuming, floor washing, etc. leaving me to do basic upkeep in between. My neighbours took my bins in & out for a couple of weeks because of the lifting restrictions. I grocery shopped at the end of week 2 to get yoghurt & a few other necessities for the purée stage. I asked the checkout staff not to overpack my bags as I’d had abdominal surgery & had restrictions on what I could lift.

I made sure I had supplies of everything I needed before my surgery. So had all over the counter meds (non nsaid pain meds, Imodium, stool softener, hydralite, …), protein shakes, broths & soups, etc.

But yes, some do struggle with movement like getting up & down, sleeping in a bed, etc. I didn’t have any mobility issues or difficulties before surgery which I think helped me.

I had the surgery when I was incredibly unfit and I had major health issues. I was classed as disabled. I am sure this impeded my recovery. I had to stay in hospital 4 extra days due to vomiting. I struggled with sickness and GERD for about 6 weeks until I got the correct medications. I needed to sleep sat up all this time. They found my internal stitch line was very swollen and eating and drinking was difficult. This resulted in me being very weak until I could reach my goals. I am retired but if I worked, I would not have been able to go back for 3 months.

I had zero pain, either gas or from the surgery. I have a high bed so needed a step to help me get in and out of it. I used a bed wedge for the GERD.

The main thing that people on this forum teach us is, do not over buy. This surgery seriously affects your taste buds. Its 2 years to the day since my surgery and I still detest my once favourite foods, salmon and lamb.

the only issue I really had was that getting in and out of bed was a bit of a challenge the first few days. I could do it - but my abs felt like I'd done 10000 crunches. Other than that, I had no pain and was able to get around fine. It was just that transitioning (going from lying down to standing up - and vice versa) was tricky. But once I was up - or down - I had no pain and could get around with no problem. My husband had taken a week off of work, but he ended up going back after three days because I really didn't need him to do anything for me. It was nice to have him bring me protein shakes or whatever, but it wasn't really necessary.

I had a week of intense abdominal pain, difficulty getting up and down from chairs and the bed, pain while walking, and pain while sitting up. I'd also had a hernia repair performed. I was mostly able to fetch for myself and had prepped like @Arabesque mentioned. Friends came by to move the trash and recycle bins for me. By week 5, I had no more pain and most of my lifting restrictions were gone.

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the insight!

On 11/24/2023 at 4:16 AM, catwoman7 said:

the only issue I really had was that getting in and out of bed was a bit of a challenge the first few days. I could do it - but my abs felt like I'd done 10000 crunches. Other than that, I had no pain and was able to get around fine. It was just that transitioning (going from lying down to standing up - and vice versa) was tricky. But once I was up - or down - I had no pain and could get around with no problem. My husband had taken a week off of work, but he ended up going back after three days because I really didn't need him to do anything for me. It was nice to have him bring me Protein Shakes or whatever, but it wasn't really necessary.

Pretty much the same for me but instead of pain, which I had some, I was more worried about popping an internal stitch by exerting to much pressure sitting up on my own from laying down. I needed very little after care since I too stocked up, had everything I needed for short term such as meds, vitamins etc. My husband only took the day of surgery and the next off. The only real pain I had was later, I had a huge huge as in my entire abdomen was a solid black bruise - even the PA was shocked, so it was point tender if I bumped against it.

I was in the hospital two days to get control of my pain and nausea, once I was home I didn't need any pain meds. My partner works from home so they were on hand if I needed anything, but I was fine for the most part. The only challenge is that the first day home I sat down on our couch, forgetting the seats are fairly deep--and I got stuck. ? I felt like a turtle that has been flipped on its back! LOL I had to be rescued from the couch trying to eat me. I only made that mistake once and stuck to the recliner which was much easier to get up from. I slept in bed with the head raised. And I was able to get up and get water and such, in fact, it is important for you to get up and get your blood pumping every little bit. So all in all I didn't really need any help... Of course, I had already prepped by moving anything on the floor up where I could reach it. I've had abdominal surgery before!