I am starting my journey on Thursday 1/15/09 and live about 15 miles from the closest store or Walmart. I am hoping that all of you that have gone through the banding can help me make a shopping list so that I can be prepared.

I am an 8th grade teacher and need to return to work Tuesday or Wednesday the following week. I would appreciate everything from food items to tricks for making the transporting of food work (liquid diet).

So, name 5 to 10 (or more if you like) item that you could not have done with out.

I TOOK EVERYONES LIST FROM BELOW AND COMPILED IT HERE FOR OTHERS TO USE. THIS INCLUDES POSTS #2-15

This is a list of things to take to with you the day of the procedure:

1. Sports bra

2. Any meds you take everyday incase you need to stay longer

3. Ear plugs and eye covers

4. Book and/or DVD and player

5. Tampon or pads

6. Easy shoes to put on when its time to go home

7. sweats for the hospital

8. slippers for the hospital

9. pillow for the hospital

10. Cotton underwear

11. Fleets Phospho-Soda (to take pre op if your doctor says)

Okay here is the compiled list of must haves that you should buy and have waiting for you at home:

1. Liquid tylenol

2. gas-x

3. Thermacare shoulder neck hot pads or heating pad (helped with the shoulder pain)

4. ice pack (it feels good on the incisions)

5. Get your Pain Meds ahead of time (if you can)

6. crystal light

7. sugar free popsicles

8. fat free low sodium broth (buy more than you think you will need)

9. decaf herbal tea or decaf coffee (can add artificial sweetner

10. stopwatch "A stopwatch because keeping track of drinking an ounce of Fluid every 15-mins was hard to keep track of the first few days. Even to this day I use it to make sure I eat every three hours" (Quoted from bearbandit)

11. Dixie Cups - perfect size for post-op amounts of liquids

12. sippy cup (to learn to take small sips)

13. stool softner

14. bandages regular size and some big ones

15. antibiotic cream

16. Isopure Protein drinks (clear liquid so I could have them the first days after surgery)

17. Vitamin E oil/Arnica Montana (To use after incisions heal)

2nd week fluids with calories

1. diet carnation instant Breakfast drink

2. ensure or boost

3. atkins ready to drink

4. Eas advantage carb control

5. slim fast

6. sugar free Jello

7. sugar free pudding

8. Centrum chewable viatmins

9. Caltrate Plus chewable Vitamins

10. nonfat milk

11. Cream of Wheat

12. oatmeal

13. Strained pureed Soups

14. light fat-free yogurt

15. applesauce - no added sugar

16. V8 juice

17. 1/2 cup and 1 cup plastic bowls with lids

PANTS THAT WONT HURT FOR WHEN YOU GO BACK TO WORK.

Edited January 1, 200917 yr by itschoice

Sports bra

Liquid tylenol

gas-x

Thermacare shoulder neck hot pads ( helped with the shoulder pain)

If you dont already have a ice pack get one it feels good on the incisions

sweats for the hospital

slippers for the hospital

pillow for the hospital

Those were all my necesities for the first few weeks

Wow, sports bra...I would have never thought of that but you are so right!!! I just bought 3 nice bras and the day I wore the first one it dug into my belly so bad that I said that's it I am finding a doctor asap. You would think after that it would have occurred to me.

Get your Pain Meds ahead of time ask the nurse from your clinic to get these ready for you the day before..... unless a friend can get them at the hospital for you.

gas x didnt need till 2 days after myself

pillow for the ride home

tylenol liquid

My meds that I needed to have just in case they keep you longer than expected.

sweat pants and no bra what for !! tshirt and a zippered sweatshirt . If you have your period bring tampons or pads. the hospital made me wear a tampon for surgery glad I brought my own... they had those icky cardboard ones.. they gave me my own slipper socks to wear so I just kept those on. I wore my easiest footwear. I live in wisconsin so wore my winter boots.

goodluck Julie in wisconsin

don,t forget your free fluids such as

crystal light

sugar free popsicles

fat free low sodium broth

decaf herbal tea or decaf coffee(can add artificial sweetner

2nd week fluids with calories

diet carnation instant breakfast drink

ensure or boost

atkins readt to drink

Eas advantage carb control my favorite

slim fast

an don,t forget sugar free jello or pudding my goodness you should try chesscake instant pudding it is good. hope that help.my date is january 13th. what a great new year present.

They only thing I would add to the above stated is a stopwatch and lots of movies to watch. A stopwatch because keeping track of drinking an ounce of fluid every 15-mins was hard to keep track of the first few days. Even to this day I use it to make sure I eat every three hours...good luck on your journey :wink2:

Make sure you have pants with a drawstring to wear to work. Your stomach may still be alittle tender.

1. Liquid Tylenol and Liquid Ibuprofen

2. Cotton underwear and sports bra

3. Slip-on shoes (or someone to tie them for you)

4. Heating pad

5. SF Popsicles

6. I got low-cal Grape juice for calories/energy for 2 days

7. Dixie Cups - perfect size for post-op amounts of liquids

8. Flat pillow to splint abdomen when you get up & walk

9. Favorite flavor of Boost high Protein

10. I went ahead and bought Centrum chewable viatmins and Caltrate Plus Vitamins so I would have them to start week 2.

Hope that helps!

Good luck :wink2:

Hi and good luck,

I would say you may need some sort of stool softner. When you go back to work take a water bottle to sip on, a pillow to sit down with and yes loose comfy pants. I am a teacher as well but had my surgery back in the summer. I will tell you that I am thankful that I have a bathroom in my classroom. It comes in handy when food wants to come back up. Just be careful and take your time. I have one 8th grade class for Career Orientation and the rest are High School, FACS.

Take care

All of your lists are great. The one thing I would add is a sippy cup. Playtex has one that looks like a travel coffee mug that I got at Wal-Mart. Pre surgery I drank a lot of liquids and would take big gulps. I took a too big of drink after surgery and it caused severe pain!!! I started using the sippy cup after that. I used it about a week and it really taught me to take small sips instead of big gulps like I was used to! Best thing I had after surgery!

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Not really a list of bring with you items but things I wish I had done differently:

If you have things on the bottom shelf of the refrig - move them up the night before. Bending will be rough for the first couple of days. Same goes for other areas of the house - if your socks are in the bottom drawer thats going to be a problem.

Take pics of yourself. I know no one wants Fat pics or thinks "oh I must have some around the house - I have been fat for years". The fact is when your are at a plateau pics to remind yourself of how far you have come will be very helpful. And the fact is most of us have avoided pics for years!

I went home the same day and was very dry mouthed. I wished I would have had a large insulated mug (like a DD coffee mug) for ice chips from the hospital.

The pillow is a biggie for the ride home.

Everyone had great suggestions. You will definitely appreciate the sports bra (or if , like me, you didn't realize you needed it and had to go braless or in pain, a big sweater to hide it).

The slip on shoes idea is also great . . . I wore tennis shoes thinking they would be comfortable for walking but it was really an exercise in discomfort to get them on and tied.

I wish I had bought bandages and antibiotic cream before banding instead of after. I also found that I had an allergic reaction to standard bandaids and had to go with fabric or the clear plastic tape. You will need a few bigger bandages for the port site but all of the others (4 small incisions) were coverable with normal everyday sized bandages.

I wish I would have bought more low-sodium broth because I drank a lot of it and did not realize I would go through it so quickly.

Oh, I forgot.

I went to the Vitamin Shoppe and bought a case of Isopure Mango Protein drinks. They were a clear liquid so I could have them the first days after surgery. They kept me feeling pretty good and tasted tolerable. They were already mixed so a little pricier but it was worth it for the first couple of weeks before I could get anything in of substance. I drank one a day.

Wow, all the suggestions are so great. I now have a shopping list of about 30 items and since I am off on winter break I am going to go shopping today.

I will try to make a list of all the items here tonight for others to use. I think this makes a great resource for all to use.

Thanks everyone.

Tina

Ear plugs and eye cover. The nurses on the ICU floor were so loud. The lightswere bright too. I did not get any sleep until I was moved on the regular floor.

Thank you all for your contributions. If others add more items to the list over the next few days I will try to up date the list above.