Surgery date

chris8588

Hi ladies! I finally got my surgery date, for 11/06/12, I am feeling anxious but at the same time can't wait to put this behind me. I am lucky for the amazing support team i have! If you have any tips on how to get through recovery I'd more than appreciate it!! Thanks. Hope all is well with you ladies.

lovesanimals

Hi Chris
I felt like you - I couldn't wait to have my surgery and for them to take out all of the bad stuff. During recovery, be sure to get lots of rest to let your body heal. I was expected to take 4-6 weeks to recover and it ended up taking close to 6 weeks, which is not bad at all considering I had major abdominal surgery. I'm glad you have a great support team. Let them help you and don't be afraid to ask for help. I had several good "cooks" who wanted to help with meals and I let them and asked them to make my favorite foods.

Other ladies on this board may provide you with additional tips. In any case, you are going to be just fine! After your surgery, please let us know how you're doing, after you feel up to writing.

Hugs,
Kelly

Glad to be done

lovesanimals said:

Hi Chris
I felt like you - I couldn't wait to have my surgery and for them to take out all of the bad stuff. During recovery, be sure to get lots of rest to let your body heal. I was expected to take 4-6 weeks to recover and it ended up taking close to 6 weeks, which is not bad at all considering I had major abdominal surgery. I'm glad you have a great support team. Let them help you and don't be afraid to ask for help. I had several good "cooks" who wanted to help with meals and I let them and asked them to make my favorite foods.

Other ladies on this board may provide you with additional tips. In any case, you are going to be just fine! After your surgery, please let us know how you're doing, after you feel up to writing.

Hugs,
Kelly

Lots of rest and sleep. I
Lots of rest and sleep. I layed on the couch most of the time reading books or watching tv and sleeping. I took naps every day.... My husband loved it because he got a nap in sometimes too. We watched ALOT of movies and I basicly did nothing but rest and heal.

Try as much as you can to get up and walk around. Walking keeps everything going and you dont want to get constipated. Pain meds will do that to you and will get alot in the hospital and come home on them also. They also give stoll softeners and laxatives to make you go but they didnt work for me. I had to take miralax to get moving and once I did I would just put a very low dose in my juice everyday and that kept me going till I was off the pain meds.

Rest Rest Rest and do not over do it. Walk to. At first i walked around the house. Then I went and got the mail once - it was January at way too cold. lol. I preferred walking inside.

Loose fitting clothes. I bought a pair of these t shirt material pants at target - big and baggy. There were so comfy to lounge in I bought a 2nd pair before my surgery. I just lounged in those or flannel pants. Some said by larger under ware but I didnt have nay problems with mine.

I am sure you will get alot more advice from all the ladies.

Good luck on Tuesday. You will be in my prayers. Did they say how long you would be in the hospital? I had mine on a monday and was lucky enough to have no problems so I was home Wednesday afternoon.

Eileen

chris8588

lovesanimals said:

Hi Chris
I felt like you - I couldn't wait to have my surgery and for them to take out all of the bad stuff. During recovery, be sure to get lots of rest to let your body heal. I was expected to take 4-6 weeks to recover and it ended up taking close to 6 weeks, which is not bad at all considering I had major abdominal surgery. I'm glad you have a great support team. Let them help you and don't be afraid to ask for help. I had several good "cooks" who wanted to help with meals and I let them and asked them to make my favorite foods.

Other ladies on this board may provide you with additional tips. In any case, you are going to be just fine! After your surgery, please let us know how you're doing, after you feel up to writing.

Hugs,
Kelly

surgery
Hey kelly thanks for the well wishes, when after surgery did you feel like eating, right now i dont have much of an appetite, my mouth is dry and nothing tastes good did you have that experience and if so what did you do

chris8588

Glad to be done said:

Lots of rest and sleep. I
Lots of rest and sleep. I layed on the couch most of the time reading books or watching tv and sleeping. I took naps every day.... My husband loved it because he got a nap in sometimes too. We watched ALOT of movies and I basicly did nothing but rest and heal.

Try as much as you can to get up and walk around. Walking keeps everything going and you dont want to get constipated. Pain meds will do that to you and will get alot in the hospital and come home on them also. They also give stoll softeners and laxatives to make you go but they didnt work for me. I had to take miralax to get moving and once I did I would just put a very low dose in my juice everyday and that kept me going till I was off the pain meds.

Rest Rest Rest and do not over do it. Walk to. At first i walked around the house. Then I went and got the mail once - it was January at way too cold. lol. I preferred walking inside.

Loose fitting clothes. I bought a pair of these t shirt material pants at target - big and baggy. There were so comfy to lounge in I bought a 2nd pair before my surgery. I just lounged in those or flannel pants. Some said by larger under ware but I didnt have nay problems with mine.

I am sure you will get alot more advice from all the ladies.

Good luck on Tuesday. You will be in my prayers. Did they say how long you would be in the hospital? I had mine on a monday and was lucky enough to have no problems so I was home Wednesday afternoon.

Eileen

surgery
Eileen, thanks for the well wishes, they told me i would probably be in the hospital 4 to 5 days. Thanks for all the advice it sounds really good, what about eating how soon did you get your appetite back. Right now I am not eating much my mouth is dry and nothing tastes good, did you have the experience and what did you do about it. Thanks agan

chris8588

Glad to be done said:

Lots of rest and sleep. I
Lots of rest and sleep. I layed on the couch most of the time reading books or watching tv and sleeping. I took naps every day.... My husband loved it because he got a nap in sometimes too. We watched ALOT of movies and I basicly did nothing but rest and heal.

Try as much as you can to get up and walk around. Walking keeps everything going and you dont want to get constipated. Pain meds will do that to you and will get alot in the hospital and come home on them also. They also give stoll softeners and laxatives to make you go but they didnt work for me. I had to take miralax to get moving and once I did I would just put a very low dose in my juice everyday and that kept me going till I was off the pain meds.

Rest Rest Rest and do not over do it. Walk to. At first i walked around the house. Then I went and got the mail once - it was January at way too cold. lol. I preferred walking inside.

Loose fitting clothes. I bought a pair of these t shirt material pants at target - big and baggy. There were so comfy to lounge in I bought a 2nd pair before my surgery. I just lounged in those or flannel pants. Some said by larger under ware but I didnt have nay problems with mine.

I am sure you will get alot more advice from all the ladies.

Good luck on Tuesday. You will be in my prayers. Did they say how long you would be in the hospital? I had mine on a monday and was lucky enough to have no problems so I was home Wednesday afternoon.

Eileen

surgery
Eileen, thanks for the well wishes, they told me i would probably be in the hospital 4 to 5 days. Thanks for all the advice it sounds really good, what about eating how soon did you get your appetite back. Right now I am not eating much my mouth is dry and nothing tastes good, did you have the experience and what did you do about it. Thanks agan

Glad to be done

chris8588 said:

surgery
Hey kelly thanks for the well wishes, when after surgery did you feel like eating, right now i dont have much of an appetite, my mouth is dry and nothing tastes good did you have that experience and if so what did you do

I was starving when I came
I was starving when I came out of surgery but didn't eat till breakfast. That morning I think I inhaled my breakfast. I ordered my lunch and dinner and it was yummy..They had a big menu and you could order whatever you wanted.

mopar

GREAT SUGGESTIONS!
I would echo many of the suggestions you've already received, Chris. I actually felt remarkably well after my surgery. I was up and around the next morning for my first surgery (in 2000), and that very day (for my recurrance in 2006). Walking is good for you, even if it's just to your room door and back to bed. I brought a CD player with me (didn't have an MP3 like most people these days), and it got me through some sleepless nights. There's always so much activity, even at night, and it might be a little difficult to get a full night's sleep with someone taking your blood pressure, etc. Have them close your door - it helps.

Wasn't allowed to eat or drink for the full time I was there - only had an IV for the first day or two, then finally got some clear liquids the day I left. Ask if they'll let you chew some gum (the chewing helps the bowels get functioning again), or suck on some hard candy or mints. Reading, if you enjoy it (I'd be borrowing my husband's Kindle!), and bring a journal to just jot down some thoughts or make notes of things you want to remember.

Coming home, take it easy. I believe no up-and-down stairs, etc. But just walking around the house several times a day will keep your blood flowing well and strengthen you. Try to focus on protein-rich foods, even shakes if you can't tolerate solids yet. Maintain your liquid intake, so important to intestinal function.

Do you like crafts of any kind? Crocheting, knitting, scrapbooking? I had projects ready to go, like organizing all my family photos, or cleaning my files (I had family members bring me a drawer to the couch every now and then).

You'll do fine, Chris. And you can visit us whenever you want - how great is that? Let us know how you're doing, or if you have any other questions.

Thoughts, Hugs & Prayers for you, Chris!

Monika

lovesanimals

mopar said:

GREAT SUGGESTIONS!
I would echo many of the suggestions you've already received, Chris. I actually felt remarkably well after my surgery. I was up and around the next morning for my first surgery (in 2000), and that very day (for my recurrance in 2006). Walking is good for you, even if it's just to your room door and back to bed. I brought a CD player with me (didn't have an MP3 like most people these days), and it got me through some sleepless nights. There's always so much activity, even at night, and it might be a little difficult to get a full night's sleep with someone taking your blood pressure, etc. Have them close your door - it helps.

Wasn't allowed to eat or drink for the full time I was there - only had an IV for the first day or two, then finally got some clear liquids the day I left. Ask if they'll let you chew some gum (the chewing helps the bowels get functioning again), or suck on some hard candy or mints. Reading, if you enjoy it (I'd be borrowing my husband's Kindle!), and bring a journal to just jot down some thoughts or make notes of things you want to remember.

Coming home, take it easy. I believe no up-and-down stairs, etc. But just walking around the house several times a day will keep your blood flowing well and strengthen you. Try to focus on protein-rich foods, even shakes if you can't tolerate solids yet. Maintain your liquid intake, so important to intestinal function.

Do you like crafts of any kind? Crocheting, knitting, scrapbooking? I had projects ready to go, like organizing all my family photos, or cleaning my files (I had family members bring me a drawer to the couch every now and then).

You'll do fine, Chris. And you can visit us whenever you want - how great is that? Let us know how you're doing, or if you have any other questions.

Thoughts, Hugs & Prayers for you, Chris!

Monika

Hi Chris
I was in the hospital for 9 days after my surgery because it took me a long time to pass gas. Until I passed gas, I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything by mouth, except maybe ice chips. By the time I was allowed to eat, I felt like I was starving and the food tasted good to me, so I didn't have your experience with taste. Like Monika, I was up and walking a few steps the day after my surgery. Each day I was walking a bit more and sitting up in a chair more each day, which is what you want to do of course. While in the hospital, I had a portable DVD player with headphones, from my parents, which I used to play my favorite "I Love Lucy" episodes, if I wasn't sleeping or watching TV.

After coming home, I actually wore Women's Depends for a while because there were times I needed to urgently pee or poo and was walking too slowly to make it to the bathroom in time. Less than a week after I came home, the "cooks" in my family were bringing me my favorite foods, which was wonderful. Like Monika, I tried to be careful to drink enough liquids - water, apple juice, Ensure.

Please keep us posted. We're here for you. You're going to be just fine!

Kelly

chris8588

lovesanimals said:

Hi Chris
I was in the hospital for 9 days after my surgery because it took me a long time to pass gas. Until I passed gas, I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything by mouth, except maybe ice chips. By the time I was allowed to eat, I felt like I was starving and the food tasted good to me, so I didn't have your experience with taste. Like Monika, I was up and walking a few steps the day after my surgery. Each day I was walking a bit more and sitting up in a chair more each day, which is what you want to do of course. While in the hospital, I had a portable DVD player with headphones, from my parents, which I used to play my favorite "I Love Lucy" episodes, if I wasn't sleeping or watching TV.

After coming home, I actually wore Women's Depends for a while because there were times I needed to urgently pee or poo and was walking too slowly to make it to the bathroom in time. Less than a week after I came home, the "cooks" in my family were bringing me my favorite foods, which was wonderful. Like Monika, I tried to be careful to drink enough liquids - water, apple juice, Ensure.

Please keep us posted. We're here for you. You're going to be just fine!

Kelly

bowel prep
so tomorrow i get to look forward to a bowel prep before surgery on tuesday as if i dont have enough diarrhea now yeah

lovesanimals

chris8588 said:

bowel prep
so tomorrow i get to look forward to a bowel prep before surgery on tuesday as if i dont have enough diarrhea now yeah

Hi Chris
I hope all is going well with your bowel prep! You'll have squeaky clean intestines for your surgery. I'll be thinking about you tomorrow.

Kelly

kikz

lovesanimals said:

Hi Chris
I hope all is going well with your bowel prep! You'll have squeaky clean intestines for your surgery. I'll be thinking about you tomorrow.

Kelly

My thoughts and prayers
go out to you as you face this step of your journey. Please keep us informed of your progress as you are able to.

Karen