Lacresia's Journal

Mike McKenna  A long phone cord, 10 feet worked well for me.  Slippers to walk in.  I think most of the ladies preferred pj bottoms. I was fine with just the gown until it was time to go home.  Bring some clothing that is larger than usual and comfortable.  I couldn't fit into my regular clothes until I lost all of the fluid weight gain.  Button down shirts work well as well as the larger t-shirts. 

Valerie Allen  It was recommended to me to bring salt free saltines, possibly a close in the front bra, unless they provide, earplugs or better yet noise cancelling earbuds. Chapstick. Oversized clothes that close in the front.

Dan Fouratt  Several things I had in my bag for the hospital:

Computer, phone and chargers
I brought  pair of back up glasses
small bottle of mouth wash in addition to the toothbrush
Entertainment, ear pods for music, magazines, book (I could not focus enough to read a book), had an audio book which worked, I brought a few movies
Days are long and boring, I sent my wife home as we both did not need to suffer,  and it allowed her to rest for my eventual homecoming
My first few days I had the NCAA first round which helped during the day, but boredom is an issue
Snacks (nut bags, protein bars, protein drinks (they will chill them), bag snacks, etc.) stuff easy to store and I could get down and had readily available for when I wanted to eat
Focused on high protein items as they say you should increase your protein after surgery
Duke food was awful, staff agreed, so this helped
One to two days supply, can be replenished on a visit
Are your PJs front buttoning, if not bring a front buttoning shirt for the bottoms, you will not want to lift your arms
I used sweets over PJ for the bottoms, felt they were more private
I did not make a fashion statement, it fact it was awful looking with the shirt
I had a pair of walking shoes that slipped on.  When I started walking the halls these were better support then slippers etc. slip on made them easy to get on and off
Socks (one pair)

Dan Fouratt  I cannot provide advice for fatigue.  I did find the lead up to surgery more difficult then post surgery. In anther string you talked about high protein diet.  Not sure if it will help now but I did go one one before surgery and never experienced fatigue.  For guidelines my dietitian suggested 1.4 grams of protein for every kilo I weigh.  (I will not say my goal then becomes 140 grams a day!)

Grace Mason   I'm sorry I don't have advice for avoiding the fatigue, but if you are able I would just listen to your body and go ahead and take the nap it wants.
I recently had surgery at Mt Sinai and believe you are going to one of the best.

Yumiko Ishida  These are some low impact things that helped me: deep breathing, wiggle toes and fingers, stretch your limbs if you can, and hydrate (without caffein or sugar). I think the key is to improve your circulation and make sure your brain is getting enough oxygen. Sometimes you do need to rest, so if possible try to schedule in some down time. It’s easier said than done, I know… 

Rita Savelis  There is fatigue before surgery and fatigue after surgery and maybe your body needs the rest and you need to sink into it. I hear you. It's hard. Especially if you were very active before. I never stopped drinking coffee and was never told to. Perhaps you can still allow yourself this small pleasure?

Sue Maize  I’m there too Lacresia, and I’m really just resting when I feel I need to, not stressing about it. Some days I have more energy than others. I’ve discovered that on days that are busy (like Mondays when I take my brother to a day program), that I won’t expect much from myself the following day. A few weeks ago, I went for a walk on a trail in the woods and wanted to just curl up under a tree and nap! Lol I keep reminding myself that my heart simply can’t fuel the rest of me the way it used to…but that it will again soon enough. Yawning right there along with you heart sister! 😅💕🥱