How much care will I need at home after surgery?

[AdRoc]

Hi,

I'm getting ready to plan out my surgery, and I want to get an idea of how much care I will need at home post op?

My wife and I have a 16-month old, and she also works full time, so I'm trying to figure out if we will need to call in reinforcements for the first couple of weeks after return from the hospital.

Any advice or shared experiences would be most appreciated!

Thanks!

AdRoc

[obxpelican]

For the first couple of weeks I would call in help.  After a few weeks you will be more like yourself and you and your 16 MO should do fine.

Chuck

[Dannywayoflife]

As chuck says get some help at first as the early days you ideally want to be resting as much as possible but most people seem to bounce back quite fast from this op.

[hernanu]

Definitely. Call in some chips, the troops, circle the wagons.

It's not all that bad, but you do need help with the kid, you yourself will be functional pretty quickly, it's the lifting and dodging (I had two of these 16 months old machines of destruction), but by the third week, you'll feel a lot stronger.

There are several Moms who had kids that age that got the surgery on here who can also help guide you.

[Rob6297]

Bring in the troops for the first week at least!  Helps a lot to have extra hands and give your wife a break.
Good luck on the upcoming surgery!
Joe
RBHR 4/20/12 Dr. Su

[WTW15]

No kids at home, and hubby works 48 hr shifts - it was good to have someone help us for the first 2 weeks.  By then we were doing well and I was pretty self-sufficient and able to take care of me and the dog on my own.  With a 16 month old, you may want at least daytime help for a few more weeks if he/she is home all day with you.  You will still be tired and need to nap. 

Good Luck!!!