what help did you need after surgery?

My husband made my lunch before going to work and left it in the fridge for me. He poured milk from the jug into a smaller pitcher so I could lift it a bit easier. He also left things like bottled water, G2, pain meds, and tissues within reach. Having those within reach made it easier not to have to get up.

Before my surgeries I made extra meals and froze them.

Best of luck to you!

Danita as a woman who is use to doing 50 things at one time the first two weeks home was hard. I needed a lot of sleep because the pain mess made me very tiered. I could shower on my own but tried to shower when someone was home just in case I felt light headed or faint. I could dress myself but needed to wear loose fitting clothing since I needed to get use to my pouch and came home with my drainage tube. Food was out. I was nauseated for the first week and found it easier to eat if food was brought in and I didn't have to smell it being cooked. My husband would cater to me and get me what ever sounded good. My honey would make sure that I had bottles of water by my bed and all my mess by my bed before he left for work. My mom would come every day and bring me lunch and sit with me in the middle of the day. I could get in and out of bed on my own but I was slow. I could only sleep on my back since it was uncomfortable to lay on my side. My ostomy bag was easy to care for on my own just took me a week to emotionally accept it. I don't know why but it bothered me a little after the surgery. I know I was thankful for the surgery but the first time I got out of the shower and saw my new body I was taken back. I am 4 weeks post op now and am doing great. I am working three days a week part time and can do laundry as long as they are small loads and have to sit down to fold. It is slow but stay positive and don't rush your recovery and you will do great.

Danita,
Counter level.
Everything had to be counter level so that I did not have to bend to pull stuff out of the bottom cupboards or reach up to pull things down from the top...reaching, pushing, pulling, carrying, lifting, stretching, squating were all out.
My big surgeries I had someone do the grocery shopping and like the others only showered when someone was around (or took a sponge bath), having a seat or chair in the shower was great too. I was as tired as a newborn kitten and had very little strength, was exhausted easily and quickly light-headed.
I am normally very active but do not have a car so I needed people to drive me to and from apts...walking short distances was good for me but only go half as far as you think you can...because you have to walk back! (I had forgotten that one the first time!!!)
Do not overdo the food at first either...I jumped on a bagel and cream cheese and paid for it with a hr blockage. No fun.
Prepare a stock of your favorite books, movies, music and make sure that all of your friends come over 'usefully' by bringing you the stuff you need (or at least bring in the paper!).
No shoes with laces, no long socks and everything in the shower in mini format (droping the huge bottle of shampoo and having to pick it up was really scary).
And sleep with pillows under your knees, on your side and a heating pad behind your back if you need to.
Good luck
Sharon

I had no help at home post surgery and did fine. Everyone's recovery is different so plan on having someone assist you. I was off all pain meds and back to driving too.

sue

As you said, everyone is different. I was tired - you don't sleep well in a hospital. Pain wasn't a problem, but restricted from lifting heavy things. I had no problem moving around and went for a 1.5 mile walk soon after getting home. Getting out of bed was a little hard because you use stomach muscles. Havinf a heavy table as a nightstand that i could use to pull myself up helped. The main challenge is getting used to the bag and getting your strength back.

Danita, I tried hard to be as independent as possible, but my wife stayed with me for three weeks and was a godsend.

One of the best things she did was get my account set up with Byrum, a local distributor of the Holister bags I liked. I had a hard time thinking through all that stuff.

Like Sharon said, bending over was out- it was hard to keep in mind that I needed to keep my abdomen straight as leaks cropped up anywhere at any time.

Sleeping positions were not painful, but I usually sleep on my left side-that was out as I did not want the bag to stretch. So I usually laid on my back or sometimes my right side.

I would recommend very loose clothing. It was winter when I had my first surgery, so sweats were wonderful. Having a thick robe would make like easier too.

Having Connie go shopping with me was necessary- both energy-wise and to carry the bags up the stairs.

Utter exhaustion! That's what I felt for several weeks post step one of two. I'd fall asleep with a forkful of food half way to my mouth. I didn't need much in the way of pain meds. I just wanted to sleep and sleep. It was helpful just knowing another adult was in the house with me....in my case, my son. He also made sure I had food...whatever I wanted (which wasn't much) and made sure I got out of the house a couple of times a day. Plus, he rented the most hilarious videos (2001) and kept my stitches (staples) in stitches! I learned to make good use of the pillow I constantly had to hug while laughing! It took me a few weeks to feel more like myself. Even then, I needed frequent naps for quite some time. My takedown was much easier on me.

I was able to get by pretty well on my own at home
after my first surgery. No lifting anything over 5 lbs for six
weeks. I had friends and family who got groceries and did laundry
for me the first couple of weeks and then started in doing it
myself again.

Ask about getting a home care nurse set up to keep an eye on you.
The one I had was great and came by twice a week to check my
incision and stoma. She also ordered all of the ostomy supplies
I needed and made sure I had everything necessary to get me
through till my takedown surgery. She even coordinated with my
surgeon so I didn't have to make the drive up to San
Francisco for my three week folow up check.

i was VERY sick after surgery. needed help with meals, household chores (dishes, laundry, shopping, cleaning), even walking around the block, cuz i got dizzy and nearly passed out. needed help driving for the first few weeks, and also it was nice to have family members accompany me to follow up dr. visits.

Thanks everyone for the replies! It's very helpful to see the wide range of individual needs and recovery trajectories. I guess I'll just have to see how it goes for me, but it's good to know what possibilities to be prepared for.

Everyone's recovery is different, so you should plan to have somebody available for at least the first few days that you're home. It also depends on your physical state going into surgery. I had a difficult recovery after my Step 1, but I was critically ill going in, almost died from UC, so I wasn't in very good physical shape to start with. I wasn't very mobile, needed standby assistance for bathing because I was a fall risk, and basically needed somebody around at all times. I also had home care for the first couple of weeks.

I needed a bit of help after Step 2. I wasn't mobile in the sense that I couldn't drive due to pain/pain meds, so I was housebound for about 10 days. My dad took a few days off work to stay with me when I first got home, but after that, I was fine to stay by myself during the day. I kept my phone with me if I needed to call for anything, and just made sure that somebody was around in the evenings who could go out and get things for me since I couldn't drive (i.e. food, prescription refills, etc).

In contrast, my takedown was a breeze. I was on no pain meds after the first 48 hours in the hospital, and the day after I was discharged, I drove myself to the wound care clinic to have my "stoma hole" cleaned and dressed.