Realistic recovery time?

Hi everyone. I just found this site a couple days ago and have been researching my little heart out. I initially thought I wanted a band but after only a couple hours reading about all the people unhappy with theirs ....QUICKLY ditched that idea. The sleeve seems to be a better option for me.

I'm a single working mom of an 18 mth old daughter. Can anyone offer realistic expectations of recovery after the procedure? How long will I be away from my daughter? How soon until I'm able to lift/carry her? Pain? Any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks
Krista

 Hi, and welcome to the site-it's a great source of encouragement, advice , support and information. Of cporse everyone's experience is different and I can only tell you my experience; I was sleeved this Valentines Day(Tuesday) and was discharged on Thursday. I had no complications other than post anesthesia nausea and had no post op pain(my surgery was done robotically as well as laporascopically). I was advised no heavy lifting for 4 weeks . I had no major  difficulties during recovery except for struggling to get enough fluids in and fatigue that hit me for the three weeks I took off after my surgery. I am also a single working mom, although my daughter is 22 years old-(she's been  a great support to me during and after my surgery). My best advice is to do your research, trust your surgeon, come to this forum for advice and support as well as any support groups offered by your surgeon,follow your surgeon's advice and prepare to enter a new world of energy , confidence health etc, etc  due to this life saving and life changing surgery. Best wishes!

 I have a desk job. My surgeon said 5-7 days and I can go back to work. Which is great since I am a single working mom too....well, separated, but I am financially on my own. 

 having just had my surgery, I can say "FOR ME" 5-7 is a fair assessment for a desk job. My job I am on my feet and It wasnt until day 8 when I personally felt I could handle an 8 hour shift. I took 2 weeks off because I could so I am slow easing into it. 

My advice is to get a good bariatric team together -- surgeon, nutritionist, therapist, etc. and listen to what they say. I was in the hospital for 2 nights but many go home after just one night. I went back to work 6 days after I had my surgery and did not have too many issues with fatigue. I was never on any pain medication because of sleep apnea and the pain got better each day. Overall, the pain lasted about 3 weeks but as I said, it was never unbearable as I did not have any medication for it. The gas pain was worse than the pain from the incisions and it lasted about a week. I was told that I should not lift anything heavy for about two weeks and to be careful for about 6 - 8 weeks after surgery. I was also told that even though I would feel fine, that I'd still be healing for up to 3 months. If you'd like more information about how and what I did, please feel free to read my blog. I usually write in it a few times a week about weight loss surgery related stuff I'm experincing.

 I just got operated on April 10 (Tuesday) and was released April 12 (Thursday). So far, everything's been going well. I took a total of two weeks off for this procedure, but my surgeon said that since I work in an office, that a week would've been sufficient - but hey, take more time because it won't hurt! 

As far as your daughter goes, if you have anyone (your mother, a sister, a brother, etc) that can help you with her, that would be wonderful, as you won't be able to lift more than 10 lbs while you recover. At least that's what my restrictions are.

The pain so far hasn't been too bad. With each passing day, it lessens. The more you walk around, the better it gets. I got on my elliptical earlier today and felt fine. Granted, I was only going half as fast as I was pre-op, but I'll build up my speed as I recover.

Thanks everyone. I guess I should've also mentioned that since I'm going to be self pay it's very likely that I'll be having the surgery out of state. The closest place is at least an hour away but I haven't had a chance to price them yet. In my local area, the sleeve is running about $20K. That's a bit more than I want to pay .....now that I've realized it's priced cheaper elsewhere.

I adopted my daughter from China 10 mths ago and have never been away from her at night. We're still working on bonding and attachment so I'm most worried about how long I'll be away from her. Does going out of state mean I'd have a longer stay? I don't think I'll have to fly across the country. I've found possibilities that are within 3-5 hrs drive from me. But does not being at a hospital "at home" affect how long I have to stay in that area? I've seen a lot of people talking about being discharged to a hotel for follow up with that surgeon before they're allowed to go home. Can anyone give me some feedback on that?

Also being a single mom I'm worried about the lifting. What is the realistic time frame for that? She has to be lifted into her crib, into a car seat, etc. How long will I need help from family and friends before I can do that myself? I'm pretty tough and have a high tolerance for pain...but I also don't want to do any damage.

Hi!
I had my sleeve 3/28/12!  I, too, have an Asian sunshine- mine's from Vietnam and is 4yo. and weighs about 35 lbs.  It has been hard not picking her up because she is VERY clingy, BUT... I tell her I can't and she will climb into my lap which is fine.  She also "helps" me by climbling up onto the counter to brush her teeth etc.  I did have to pick her up a few days ago when we were at Whole Foods b/c she was pitching a fit and I could really feel it!!  Caused some nausea and increased belly pain which is slowly getting better.  I would say at least 3-4 weeks before lifting her.  You don't want to pop a staple or a stitch!!

Wow... 3 to 4 weeks!! I have no idea how I'm going to be able to do that as a single mom. She's only 18 mths and still not real stable on her feet. I have to lift her all the time...into the bathtub, her crib to sleep, her highchair. Oh my gosh...I hope this doesn't mean I have to postpone the surgery until she's older and more self reliant. That's not what I want either. I need to get healthy now! :(

Hi Krista! I hate to have to say this, but maybe now is not the right time for you to have surgery. There are, as I know you know, lots of non surgical things you can do to be healthier for you and your baby girl. At one point my insurance had bad WLS benefits and I was thinking about self paying in Mexico, that's the hotel stay you've read about. I had to wait awhile for the benefits to line up.

Of course in that time I ate my way to 359, but when I found out I had type 2 diabetes I got busy and lost 60 pounds in a year preop.

Disappointment sucks, I know. But a year could make a big difference in your daughter's physical need for you to lift and carry her. And I believe things happen for a reason.

However it turns out, please stick around!