My surgery is on Thursday!!! I'm excited and just want to make sure I have everything I need i.e. protein shakes,liquid ibuprofen, jello etc. Any suggestions. Anything you wish you had but didn't?

Thank you!!

The one thing I found vital was my lip balm because my lips were desert dry.

AND...are you sure you can take liquid ibuprofen? Lots of docs say NO NSAIDS because of stomach upset and recommend liquid tylenol/acetaminophen

You'll do great I'm sure

I second the lip balm! I am also a huge fan of SF Popsicles for something cold and easy to eat.

Good luck with your surgery!

gas-x strips!

Day two I still had a head ache (anesthetics & me are not friends). But it turned out to be a caffeine withdrawal head ache! I only have one or two a day but I have espresso. In hospital, I didn't have the crap instant stuff, plus I didn't want to have to get up to pee too soon. But peeing is hard at first & takes time, so I recommend you drink some tea or coffee if you already do so, & it'll help you pee too. Don't take ibofuran - on an empty stomach it can make your stomach bleed. They will give you paracetamol or whatever you need. Good luck, you'll be fine.

A comfortable bra with no underwires. The incision is just under the bra line and ouch it hurts if you don't wear something stretchy and soft.

i used maalox. I hated the gas x strips. and the liquid tylenol. I only needed that stuff for 2 or 3 days.. I didnt even have to take pain meds. Its really not that bad..and im a wuss! LOL ..When you come home to sleep its nice to have a small pillow on hand..i slept on my side and just put that under my tummy.. felt better!

My 3 favorite 'afters' were, Gas-x strips [soon as I felt any gas pain], a cold pack for the port incision [used it a couple times a day for first 3-4 days] and Beneful fiber [helps get 'things' moving :-P].

I totally agree with the sugar-free popcicles, and normally I don't even like popcicles.

Hi:

You may want to get liquid Vitamins too. You'll only need them for the first couple of weeks.

I also recommend sugar free popsicles. They continue to be my nightly snack.

Hope all goes smoothly for you.

I love my band and my new flat tummy!

Sue

A few people say to bring a pillow to the hospital for the ride home (to hold against yourself). I didn't need that, but I did bring my favorite down pillow with me -- I just sleep a lot better with it!

Best wishes for Thursday and a speedy recovery! You're just about on your way! :sad:

Catherine

Thanks for all the great advice - I'm so excited to start this new chapter in my life. I will let you all know how it goes.

I found that a SPORTS BRA was a life saver...really did help

Yes! Don't forget the pillow. I had an hour long ride home in stop and go traffic and you need a pillow to hold against your tummy. After surgery I walked with pillow pressed against my tummy and it helped too! Good luck!

Make sure you have an ice pack and use it. I think it made all the difference in my recovery.