5 days out. How on earth do you cough or get in and out of bed

I slept in a recliner...

I found the couch much easier to get some rest on.  The recliner wasn't comfortable enough especially having to pu**** back using mostly stomach muscles.  I started sleeping in the bed about 10 days post op. I finally got a full night's sleep about 2 weeks after surgery before that I was afraid to hurt myself I guess plus drinking all the time kept me getting up to go potty.  It gets better a little every day.  Good luck to you :)

I recommend a panty girdle or spanx to hold the fat on your abdomen still and keep it from pulling on the incisions. I wore one 24/7 until the incisions healed. Make sure it just keeps you from jiggling and you will feel so much better. I felt like I had razor blades in jello!

I had the pain with coughing too.  I found that it wasn't as painful if I was sitting while coughing vs. standing while coughing and I would hold my big incision in with my hand.  Try it.

Getting out of bed.  The first week to 10 days I had a bed wedge and 2-3 pillows on top of that so I was propped up in bed.  I can't sleep in a recliner either (luvs her bed) or like sleeping on my back but I got use to this pretty fast. Getting out of bed I would roll on my left side then push myself up with my hands into a sitting position.  Couldn't sleep on my side until the 2nd week. Still find it a little uncomfortable but its getting better.

Good idea on the Spanks!

Yeah sneezing totally sucks. I swear I almost blacked out the first time I sneezed post-op (it was like 4 or 5 days after surgery). OUCH. But I also threw up three times in the hospital because of the morphine, so, you know..

5 weeks out and no more pain though.

Your comment made me laugh!!  That hurts too :)

I went into surgery requesting no narcotic pain med's because they make me sick and I had a little red bracelet on that said so but they gave them to me anyway.   When I came too I was so nauseas I literally didn't move for 12 hours because I would have thrown up.   I refused pain meds after then for about 18 hours and then they gave me non-narcotic pain meds with stomach meds for nausea.

It seems like everyones biggest problem after surgery was the meds so I tried to get a head of it and I think I did.   That would have sucked throwing up after surgery.   I'm still dreading the possible sneeze, I came close earlier.  The doctor said I can take dayquill and nyquill so that has helped.  Helped with sleeping too.  I didn't feel a thing and I slept in the recliner.

5 weeks out what are you eating?  Are you sleeping on your side and stuff? 

I was able to start sleeping on my right side around 2 weeks post-op, but only because I finally got my drain out (around 10 days po). I just recently was able to start sleeping on my left side, but after about 20 minutes or so I have to move because I get too ... not really "sore".. but I guess just uncomfortable. It almost feels like I'm laying on a stone or something.

As far as food goes, I'm eating ground beef with cream of whatever-soups mixed in (I make the usual topping for tater tot casserole, sans the tots) with worschester sauce, french cut green beans, S&P, garlic powder, etc.
Cottage cheese with the innards of tomatoes mixed in (no skins, and I HATE fruit with my cottage cheese, so), topped with S&P
Greek yogurt
refried beans, plain greek yogurt and cheese (topped with some Cholula hot sauce)
Pasta sauce nuked with cheese on top and cut up slices of turkey pepperoni
Tuna salad (greek yogurt along with a little mayo, diced pickle innards (no skins), mustard, S&P)
Pan-sauteed tilapia
lunch meats
baby bel cheeses
Laughing cow cheese wedges...
I'm venturing more into solid foods but still have a firm grip on the soft foods, too! Doing well so far and I'm almost at my 10% loss, which is my first goal :) .4 pounds to go!

That's great!  Very encouraging.  You are also very creative in what you are eating,  Did your NUT give you these idea's or this site?

Good luck on your goal!  Did you start working out yet?

This site, and the materials that were sent home with me after my surgery (and during my pre-op class). I honestly just try to adapt my recipes to make them WLS friendly, otherwise I wouldn't make it. One of the biggest reasons I had WLS was so that I could live normally, you know? Including food.

I've been walking and stuff but still feel a little woozy if I pu**** too far so I haven't done anything intense yet. My husband, who has an amazing metabolism and is super fit and healthy, is trying to convince me to do P90X with him... I think I will, maybe in a couple weeks when I feel more myself. I'm still healing -- have to remind myself that! I have a bowflex treadclimber though and am trying to get into the routine of doing that for at least a half hour every morning.

I have a meeting with my NUT on Weds.  She is supposed to send me home with my information.  Prior to surgery we basically talked about current eating habits.  I look forward to different ideas.

I'm the same way.  I didn't want an unreasonable life style.  I can eat healthy and now I'm forced to do portion control but I didn't want to give anything up forever.

My boyfriend is the same way.  He works out and is very healthy and can eat like a horse.  We used to work out together all the time and then I just got discouraged because the scale didn't move and neither did my clothes size.  But I'm looking forward to starting up again.   I hear P90X is awesome.

I cook a lot too. You have inspired me on getting creative. (that is when I can eat again)