Someone wrote me on the obesity help site last night and asked me to be honest with them about how hard it was to take care of my Lilith after having my surgery. I am going to repost my answer to them here as I think it is important to know what you can expect. I had read tons of books on weight loss surgery, if you read this blog regularly then you have read some of the reviews I've done of them, but I still wasn't fully prepared. I hope by posting this, it can help someone else with planning for their recovery better than I did.
"I am going to be VERY honest with you. My daughter started to crawl right before I had my surgery. She weighed 21 pounds. I was totally wiped out in the hospital and the first two weeks at home. I was told not to lift anything over 20 pounds for 6 weeks. My husband had to go back to work the Monday following my surgery (it was on Thursday). I was SO TIRED and weak that caring for my daughter was very hard that first week. I wanted to sleep. I have a baby play yard that I would put her in that first week and lay down next to it and sleep on the floor till she cried or threw a toy out and hit me with it. We had no one that could help us so I had to do it. I think that is why I developed two strictures so soon after my surgery. You HAVE to drink very often during those first few weeks or you get super dehydrated (I am breastfeeding too). I was only sleeping, changing, feeding, and bathing my daughter. I hardly remembered to drink and never thought about food. I still have no hunger and have to remind myself to eat. I was going most of the day without drinking or eating till my husband came home. DON'T DO THAT! Strictures are not fun!!!
I survived it and my daughter survived it but it was VERY hard. I think you can do it but if you can arrange for help, do so, especially that first week. Be careful about lifting. My husband had one of his incisions come open at 4 weeks post op from lifting! I don't know if you will even be able, or should, lift your two year old for the first 6 weeks!
What I can't stress enough is how tired I was.
I don't mean to scare you. Having this surgery is the best thing my husband or I have ever done, (I am in a 14 from an 24 and almost 100 pounds down in 4 and 1/2 months! and my husband is down 45+ pounds in 5 weeks!), but it is MAJOR SURGERY! Expect to feel tired and sore."
Another thing I want to add is if you start throwing up everything (especially if you are throwing up your liquids), call your doctor! Don't wait like I did and end up in the ER at 9 am getting 5 bags of IV fluid before you get your stricture repaired at 5:30pm! It wasn't fun for any of us! Especially Lilith. Also women, I read this in a couple of books so I was prepared but I know it still comes as a surprise to some, don't be shocked if you start your menstruation after the surgery. I am on Depo provera and don't menstruate but because I remembered that it was a common side effect after surgery, I took protection just in case. I was glad I did.
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