Recovering after gastric bypass

[Phojay]

Me again.....as my date gets nearer, people seem to have more and more to say about it and all seems to be negative! Great!

I read one of the earlier threads today about time of work and am now worried about recovery. I dont work as have a lively nearly 2 year old at home and one of the questions I asked at my first consult was how it would be after the op as I cant just lie in bed and recover at leisure. People seem to have had a few weeks off work recovering but when I get home from my op, my partner will be back to work the next day! Meaning I'm home with my son and its business as usual!

Is this going to be feasible? Or am I setting myself up for a fall?

 

[BlueDiamond]

It varies from person 2 person on recovery...............do u not have family & friends who are willing to help etc.........

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

i would advise getting a freind in to help for a few days, you will be able to potter around the house but no hoovering heavy lifting ect, you will be advised against picking up your child for a while and to keep him/her away from your tummy area as children can be quite rough when getting on & off your lap.

 

[Phojay]

I'll basically be on my own during the day as partner has to work and all friends work too....they're all being great and helping out where they can in evenings etc but cant expect them to take time off work for me!

 

[salski]

Hi Hun

I had my op 2 weeks on Monday ago, and I was back at work yesterday. I agree with what 2 bandliz is saying with regards to no heavy lifting and hoovering etc. I was very sleepy for 2-3 days after, but after that I was up and about walking the dog etc. I think you will be fine to look after your son, but picking him up is a no no as you dont want to hurt your stitches etc.
Surprised as to why the negatives?! Its a hard slog at first...(Im only 2 weeks in) but Ive settled into an eating routine!
Hope this helps!

Sally

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

you will be ok as long as your child doesnt climb on you or want a carry, dont do any heavy lifting as i stated before.

 

[Mazza]

Hi

Your recovery time will also vary if you are having an open procedure rather than laprascopic.

As Liz said avoid lifting as much as possible and get all the help you can in the evenings.

For inspiration there are lots of people on here who have been very succesful after having a bypass. They would also tell you that there will be ups and downs along the way as you adjust to the new way of life.

Good luck and try not to worry too much!

Maz x

 

[Phojay]

thanx all so much, your great! Just had a phone call from the hospital, they've arranged for me to meet with one of their post op patients and have a chat about things and find out how it went for her which is great, I think!!!!?????

With regards to lifting my son, I think I will have to start practising dragging him around instead of lifting him!( no social services referrals needed!!) He's a big boy (had his own appointments for growth and thyroid cos of excess weight!!) and as he's not yet 2 he's still very dependant on me.

I'm busy reading everyone's positive bypass stories on here and trying to push the negative one's to the side! (bum, just saw the other post on here about 1:200 dying!!)

 

[Snow Angel]

thanx all so much, your great! Just had a phone call from the hospital, they've arranged for me to meet with one of their post op patients and have a chat about things and find out how it went for her which is great, I think!!!!?????

With regards to lifting my son, I think I will have to start practising dragging him around instead of lifting him!( no social services referrals needed!!) He's a big boy (had his own appointments for growth and thyroid cos of excess weight!!) and as he's not yet 2 he's still very dependant on me.

I'm busy reading everyone's positive bypass stories on here and trying to push the negative one's to the side! (bum, just saw the other post on here about 1:200 dying!!)

Dont worry yourself about this, we have all been through what your going through now and felt the same *scared* when we finally lay on the table but its so worth it. I know its not easy at first but if you have looked into this you will know that its not all plain sailing for a few weeks but you have the rest of your life to get over it. I would take the advice on the little one though. Its not easy when you have to pick things up and they recommend that you dont do it so maybe you could see if your friends/parents could help you for the first few days?
It may also be an idea to start teaching the baby to climb gently on to your lap rather than you picking the baby up!

Hope you find some positive thoughts to get the strength to go through with this . We have all been where you are now and got the tee shirt !!

 

[iinklii]

Would it not be possible to get outside help for the first couple of days. If you've not got family or friends that are available during the day, could you hire help? A care assistant, baby sitter, student nursery nurse, or even a cleaner? Maybe you could contact your local NCT they may know of an au pair with time on her hands during the day. Even if it's just for the first day till you can assess what you're up against, you never know you could sail thru with not a care in the world, but even if you've got a baby sitter popping in after school to look forward to that might help take the pressue off!
Hope you have a good weekend and good luck for Monday
Oh and are you taking arnica tablets I hear they work wonders at speeding recovery

 

[shelbell]

Search for a member called Clairelou, she had bypass surgery just before me and has a small child, for whom she is sole carer. She had to cope very quickly after the op on her own and managed fine

 

[topsy]

Hi - just reading through your post and my heart goes out to you if i lived close to you i'd help out but that's no good really is it lol. Read BrunetteandRed's blogs they are truly inspirational i know after i read them (i was feeling scared at making the decision to have the bypass op) i felt so much at peace with the situation and alot of my fears didn't go away but i knew i would be able to cope with whatever came my way.

This support forum is brilliant at the friendship, support, caring and loving natures of so many people we may never meet but who will always be there if we need help and advice, a moan or just to say 'hi'. It is natural for you to feel the way you are - your not the first and you won't be the last and once you have had your bypass op you will be an experienced loser who will be able to give other newbie's valuable information through your own experiences.

So i'm sending you hugs with fairy dust to help put your fears under control and let you know your NOT alone you have ALL OF US xx

 

[juni]

Hi there

I am two weeks post op, open surgery..but had gall bladder and hernia fixed so my recovery has been very slow...not out walking dog yet and have an infection in my top few staples but all in all feel incredible...I dont have small kids ...but agree recovery is different for all and also depends on type of surgery

Try to get all your jobs done while partner is home or friends at an evening

Plan your day..get lots ready to keep child happy and back up plans

Dont worry about tidying let partner do that

prepare, prepare, prepare....

stock your freezer now with foods for yourself and family...then you have one less worry...

RELAX as much as you can...even if its cat naps you are giving yourself down time....

Good luck

Juni

 

[tendersage]

please read mine, on the whole it is positive, i have had only 2 things as a result of the bypass, gallbladder complications that were already there just not come forth until now, plus the hormones which whatever weight loss journey you take, if you loss a lot of weight could mean you having a similar problem.

I ceertainly do NOT regret having had the bypass, i would have regreted not having it however

 

[Yoyo-nomore]

Hey there:

I have two small children (3 and 1yrs) and it was mostly fine. I was running about with them by day 4 and went back to work within a week. It's 4 weeks tomorrow since the op and really I'm probably in better shape now than I've been in for a few years.

One of the things that helped me was to wrap a bright red scarf around my middle and tell the older boy not to touch mummy where the red scarf was.. and he could just about follow that.

That all said, I agree with the others that if you have a way to get in some kind of support (family or paid), to give you a bit of a break just for a few days then it's going to take the pressue off you...

2 year olds are tough even on a good day. Anything I can do to help?
Hugs
yoyo
xx

 

[j.u.s.t.l.i.z.]

great tip about the scarf thats an excellent idea if you have young children !

 

[Phojay]

such great comments, and a real help in my swirling mind! Spoke to my consultant tonite who was very nice and explained things again, said it was totally my decision but re-inforced his oppinion that a band would not have a great deal of effect on me due to my eating habits. Off to see a woman tomorrow thats had the bypass and have a chat in person, fingers crossed this helps!