What are or did you do to get ready.

Well March 15 is rapidly approaching and I would love to hear how people are getting ready for surgery or preparing there home for recovery. I am just starting to prepare to do list of things to accomplish like laundry, cleaning, shopping, and recovery supplies. This site is wonderful and its where I got the idea to do this. Also how many days did you feel you needed DH or significan other or just somebody with you after getting home from hospital. Should my husband take time off work after or go right back to work. Thank you.

Hi there. I had a TVH on the 26th of Feb. My husband spent the night in the hospital with me (in case I needed help getting to bathroom and nurses were busy etc) Once I was home from the hospital, he spent two days at home with me before going back to work. So that he could get things for me, help me shower, help me up and down to use the restroom. I might have been okay on my own, but it was nice having some one there with me.

As for preparing... cleaning house, doing laundry... go groccery shopping for easy to make meals that your DH can do on his own... Frozen pizza etc. ALso easy to make crockpot meals for you after the first few days that are one pot, just throw in and let cook meals. Or even cooking some to freeze or put in fridge before surgery helps once home.

Buy yourself some good books, a big soft comfy pillow if you don't already have one (or even one of those soft pillows that have a big back and two arms on them) that you can use to lean against when on the couch and in bed. If you have a laptop, walmart sells a great table for laptops for $24.00 to use in bed.

Good luck with your surgery :-)

i would also recommend making sure you have your 'first aid box' together. stool softner, hemorrhoid cream and wipes in case you have a flair up,some women do, vitamins, tylenol or other OTC pain meds. i started cranberry supplements starting a week before surgery and have continued with them. some women get UTI's after surgery. i also started taking an acidolphilus tablet before surgery and have continued that as well. (its the good bacteria found in yogurt) i believe it helped me to over come all the issues id been having with my intestines from surgery faster. and to avoid any yeast infections, some women develop them after surgery too. maybe pads or panty liners, some women have spotting or bleeding after surgery. and make sure you drink lots of water or fluids after surgery to start things moving long. these are the little things that i can think of that helped me.

I live alone and had no help except to bring in groceries for me. Having food ready or fixed was most important. Books and movies. Having all the laundry and cleaning done and any lifting heavy things to better places. I was fine alone but you might like someone around. I was in better shape than I expected after a TVH so I had no needs for extra items. Good luck.

My surgery is also the 15th.

I'm spending today doing house stuff that I want done while I can still lift things--- cleaning out the craft room, prepping meals for the freezer, etc.

I've already bought the supplies I need for the "prep" the day before surgery, but I've got a running grocery list of other things we need to get before surgery.

I looked at my life and all the things I wouldn't be able to do after surgery. First thing was to line up who would help me when. Even if someone lives with you, they probably have to work, and even if not, they will need breaks. Then it was cleaning house and prioritizing things that require physical labor, as I would have lots of time post-op for stuff that requires sitting down, like taxes. Stocking up food was a big priority too, especially stuff that is easy to fix. Then going through advice like on here and arranging things I would need post-op: robes, dresses, bag for the hospital, and setting up the room where I would be staying after getting home.

Pampering yourself is good too. I bought a wooden tray and painted it beautifully to make myself feel better. Now when someone brings me stuff or takes it out, it is on this beautiful tray with the healing thoughts I had for myself, and I remember that and feel better.

Pillows, pet care, all that stuff. I worked really hard before surgery, and now I feel pretty relaxed that so much has been done. I can always watch movies on my laptop, which is my preference. And a grabber has been a real life saver, since it is so hard to bend over, and it lets me rely on others much less. My sister brought me books in the hospital; don't be afraid to ask friends and relatives to bring you things you can borrow or keep!

irish4 -

There is a pre-op chat on March 11, 2010 at 9PM Eastern USA time. We cover getting ready, early recovery and all sorts of topics you might want to stop by.

There is a link to it on the right side of your screen.



G.

Great ideas. Right now, I'm going through my crockpot recipes to see which ones I can do once I'm post-op and I've got my sister lined up to come stay a couple of hours with me when my bf is at work once I'm home. I'm worried about having a panic attack if I'm alone, especially the first few days and moving about since we'll finally have our 18 month old Siberian Husky with us.

The pampering thing-- is hard for me emotionally. For me to be part of this forum is a huge step in that regard, so I'm still trying to make a list of things to do and what more I need to get done to be ready for April.


Cyn

My visit is on Monday and I have been going full force on cleaning today. The upstairs is probably cleaner than it has been in a long time. I have all the laundry done. I must have spent close to $700 bucks (large family) to stock my freezer with groceries. I also premade meals earlier this week and froze them too. I also bought 4 books yesterday. Tomorrow - clean only the downstairs and pack a small bag in addition to hosting a b-day party in the evening. Phew.......I have a headache.