3 days out--tips to surviving first week at home??

I know I will probably work through all this and figure it out but I was just wondering if I could get some tips for surviving my first week at home.  I just got home today. Had Sleeve on Friday.  I have a little more pain than I expected. Getting on and off the couch and the bed is harder than I thought it would be.  My two young kids are acting up I think because they missed me and their schedule was messed up while I was gone. I'm a stay at home mom so they are used to having me at their beck and call. ;)  I'm having a hard time getting all my liquids in. I don't understand the feelings I'm feeling. I can't tell if I've had too much or if I'm hungry.  I take one sip and my stomach gurgles and a little air comes up. One time, right before I took a nap today I actually started feeling/tasting liquid/stomach juices come up. So obviously at that point I probably had drank a bit too much.  I'm drinking more tea and broth than anything. Those two things seem to go down easier.  Anyway, my spirits are high so far. I'm not discouraged or anything, just looking for some tips/advice/words of wisdom.  Thanks! 

recovery seems to be a little different for everyone im just a little bit ahead of you had surgery on the 4th getting up and down was the hardest thing i found it easier to sleep on a recliner for a few days might of been a week before my bed then when i did move to my bed we moved a dining chair into my room and put the back of the chair to the bed so i would be able to roll over onto my side then use the chair to pull myself up if you start to have muscle pain hot packs are amazing and the more you get up and move the better helps so much with gas and really if you feel the need to burp or fart do it dont hold it in :) i couldnt really tell if i was full or hungry till this week when i started puree foods measure out your portions that way you know what your consuming and if its less then what your doctors say thats ok your tummy is swollen and will adjust over time

Hey congrats !! I also had my surgery this past week - on the 18th :) I'm on the full liquid diet now and I have farina or tea in the morning. I sip water thru out the day. I have a sugar free chocolate pudding and mix in a tablespoon of protein powder in it to get some protein since it's hard the first week. Getting the liquids in is hard but not too bad. You have to start drinking at like 9 am if you want to reach your goal lol and I'm not even at my 64 oz goal. I barely made the 65 g of protein. But it's ok I'm taking my vitamins and eating / drinking what I can. I actually got a Tupper ware that I put two scoops of protein powder in and use it through out the day. Once that Tupper ware is empty I'm at my goal. I mix it into everything. I actually really liked it in the chocolate pudding cup. It tasted like an almond joy haha I use vanilla cream whey protein. 

Good luck to you !!

GREAT idea with the protein powder!!!! 

I don't know if you have someone else who can be there with you but that's my biggest suggestion. I was fortunate to have my hubby here with me and he pretty much had to do everything for about the first week after I was home. With young kids having someone help keep them busy will help you get some much needed rest. I had to nap every day. 

I Also was a little shocked at how sore I still was when I got home. But it got better every day. You'll be feeling better before you know it!

Stay away from people with colds though!  Trust me. I'm almost 4 weeks out and I have a nasty cold and the sneezing and coughing is not fun!

Take care!

Hi,

Make sure your taking your pain meds and if you didn't get any call your doctor and talk to him, there is no way I could have made it through the first few weeks without pain meds and hopefully you have help watching your kids so you can take the meds..also do you take an PPI like nexium, Prevacid, some of your stomach stuff could be acid related. Again call your doc before going out and buying anything for it just to be sure it's ok. OTC may work but you may need something stronger. Since surgery I have had to add a OTC PPI to my nexium dose.  Be gentle with your tummy, it's swollen and even a bit of water seems like a lot. Make sure your not using straws too, that can add air into your tummy which is even more uncomfortable. If you love straws purchase a CamelBak, they work good and eliminate the air issue because they are designed with a bite valve. I bought mine from Zappos.com, always free shipping! I also slept in a recliner for about a week and lots of pillows......keep it up your doing great!

Smiles:),

Lisa

Hey - you didn't chicken out!  Woot woot!

What you're experiencing with the liquids going down is normal.  To me it felt like a tequila shot - you can feel it all the way down (but without the burning).  It does go away.

Are you on a PPI?  If you're getting reflux you probably ought to be - ask your doc.  It really makes a difference.  

Lots of people say that warm or room temp liquids go down better; even water.

Advice?  Take two naps a day, walk outside if you can (it really helps the mood), and get your rug rats used to the idea of leaving Mom alone more.  In about a week you'll wake up and feel remarkably better if you're like me!

walk - sip- rest- repeat...  Walking keeps things moving, sipping keeps you hydrated, and resting in between.  I think I walked more in my first couple weeks slowly back and forth through the house with constant sipping of water and protein drinks.  I think if I had to over I would have sipped more protein drinks, maybe I wouldn't be losing my hair now if I had worked on getting 80 plus gms a day

Hi there! I had my surgery on 2/20 so I am just ahead of you! My first 2 days at home were clear liquids, but yesterday I got to start pureed food. I am currently loving greek yogurt, sugar free pudding, and soup pureed in the blender (if needed.) I'm sorry to hear that you are having a rough time w/ your liquids. Everyone's sleeve is different. Mine seems to prefer fluids that are ice cold. I'm glad you are able to get tea and broth down, that is a good start! Just try to take it easy and listen to your new tummy. I agree that it is confusing trying to figure out what uyour tummy is telling you. Right now, I'm just eating 1/4 cup at a time  and protein shakes if I need them. I haven't really felt true hunger yet, though my tummy is making noises very similar to my tummy growling pre op. It will get easier once you are healed. Good luck to you!

I got my vsg on 19th. It's crazy to here that you started with soft foods already. My doctor has me on a liquid diet for first 3 weeks. Then after my first evaluation, which is on march 5th, we will determine if I can move to phase 2, which is soft foods.