Its within my reach now

Hildabean · January 2015

Monday is the day for my RNY. I am on day 2 of the Impact drink - liquid diet. I am hanging in here. My anxiety is getting more and more. They keep moving the time of my surgery but will get definite confirmation on time tomorrow. Since January 1st I have lost 11 lbs. I pretty proud of myself. 4 lbs of it was last week. I will be taking new pictures on Sunday to add to my collection of weight loss pictures.

Post op people - What advise can you give? What do you feel you should have done? What are some suggestions to bring to hospital?

Thx

madmags · January 2015

Hang in there, at least you know your surgery time. I didnt find out until 5pm the day before. I was comfortable at the hosp, but if you like music I would bring some headphones and some music. I left mine in over night and it helped me sleep through the attendants coming in to check on my roomate.

garber6th · January 2015

The only thing I brought to the hospital was my phone. I was only there one night and I expected that I wouldn't get a lot of rest with all of the interruptions.

As far as what I should have done - I think I did fine by following the plan my surgeon and his team gave me. I know you are very anxious, and that is SO normal, but my advice would be to try to relax as much as you can and try not to overthink things. Follow the plan, take things a day at a time, address any issues as they come up (IF they come up - I had no problemsat all, and you might not either!) Take a deep breath, and look forward to all the good that is going to come as a result of you being brave enough to take this huge step for your health and your future. You have done a great job so far, you should be proud of yourself, and you are going to do great after your surgery too!

pawoodhull · January 2015

The only thing I wish I had known before surgery was what they would be "feeding" me at the hospital after surgery. They wanted me to get two eight ounce Unjury protein shakes down per day. I couldn't even get one down. Way too sweet and thick for me. They actually kept me an extra night because I wasn't getting any nutrition. I had to promise them if I couldn't get the Unjury Chicken broth down at home I would come back and then they let me leave. So you might want to verify what they will expect you to eat/drink there just so you know. If I had of known I would have asked for something savory rather than sweet.

Other than that, I took my Birkenstock Sandals to walk the floor in, my book and whatever crochet project I was working on at the time.

madmags · January 2015

Also, you might have prepared and bought yourself some protein and stocked up, but do not be suprised if you do not like the taste after surgery. I loved Carnation sugar free w/ milk and I found it repulsive after surgery.

kittenincalgary · January 2015

Im 12 days away from getting sleeved, but from everything Ive read on MFP, I know Im bringing lip balm, slippers, some Sudoku books and toiletries. Plus Im taking pics of my cat on my new phone to have with me..lol

jennifertrimblemartinez · January 2015

Every has already given some very sound advice. The only things I took with me were my toiletries and my phone. I only stayed overnight. If you are going to stay longer take a book or magazine. You're gonna do great! Just follow the plan.

rpyle111 · January 2015

I packed some comfy athletic shorts and tee shirts for when they let me get dressed. Some slippers would have been good as I was walking in socks post-op. Other than that, I had a book, limited toiletries, not much else was needed.

jkern9110 · January 2015

The only thing I took with me was what I was wearing, my phone and my wallet (to be looked after by my boyfriend.)

I had absolutely no need for my phone or any other items to keep me busy. I slept the majority of the time. My response to surgery was to go silent. I had no desire to talk to anyone. I said as little as possible when asked questions by the hospital staff and I let my boyfriend handle all inquiries by my family and friends. I was completely focused on me and didn't want to deal with any distractions.

I was not prepared for the barium test. When I say it was disgusting, I mean it. They poured two bottles into a cup and said, "Drink as much as you can." I took two medium sized gulps and then immediately threw up into the cup. Yuck!!

The most shocking thing I was no prepared for after surgery was the pain associated with the gas they used to inflate my abdominal cavity trying to escape my body post surgery. That pain, not the pain from my actual surgery, was what I needed the pain meds for.

My word of advice: They told me to wear loose pajamas to the hospital for me to leave in. Do not go and buy new PJs for this day. I wasted money doing that because I was only able to wear them that one day. After that, the next time I tried to wear them they just fell right off of me.

Additionally, they say that quite a few people are able to return to work after one week. Clear it with your work ahead of time that you may have to take an extra week. Thankfully, I did that because although I wanted to return to work after one week, I wasn't physically capable until about day 10 post-surgery so I took a full two weeks off.

mfpdevotee · February 2015

wooo - hoo! excited for you! lip balm was a saving grace for me while in the hospital. i brought slippers but ended up just using the non-slip socks that they provided..

talinaklocke · February 2015

I took a bunch of stuff with me that I didn't end up needing at all because I slept most of the time. Robe, slippers, lip balm, a few toiletries and clothes to go home in is all I really needed.