Day 17 - Must Have List

I did a LOT of googling to get ready for the surgery. I read so many blogs, they all started to run together. They were all over the board of what you HAD to have for recovery.
Here's what I ended up getting or bringing with me from Rhode Island:

• Carnation Instant Breakfast - Chocolate


• Jillian Michael's Whey Protein Powder - Vanilla


• Metamucil Powder


• Red Pillowcases


• Bike Bell


• White Board and Marker


• Small Legal Pads


• Markers


• Tissues


• Dental Wax


• Wii games


• Books for the Nook

Here's what I ended up REALLY needing:

• Carnation Instant Breakfast


• White Board and Marker (in the hospital only....my cheap pen ran out)


• Legal Pads and Markers (only about 3 days after I got home. I was talking after that)


• Tissues...LOTS of tissues.....double ply tisues


• Dental Wax


• Metamucil (especially at the beginning....less now)

Things that I didn't need at all:

• Bike bell (I rang it twice. Both times were because my 4 year olds wanted to be helpers.)


• Red Pillowcases (No nasty drool. Maybe I was just lucky!)


• Jillian Michaels Whey Protein (It was DISGUSTING! I took it back to Sam's)


• Wii games (I wasn't holed up in my room like I thought I would be.)

Things I wish I had from the beginning:

• HMR Protein Shakes - I like the vanilla ones.

So, the big "take home" points:

• Get a protein shake that you can eat every single day. You can live off of protein shakes for 6 weeks. You can't live off of them if they make you want to gag. Bonus points if you can add fruit to it.


• Figure out in advance what soups you can eat. I am picky-ish, as I have mentioned. I threw away a lot of soup in the first few days because they were too thick or smelled funny or looked wrong or whatever.


• Find a soup with calories. Cream soups are the best. Chicken broth goes through the tube very easily, but it doesn't stop the hunger. A creamy soup has some substance, which fills you up. (Two of my favorites - Chicken Pot Pie soup from Jason's Deli and Chicken and Dumplings "gravy" from Cracker Barrel.)


• If you don't have children to keep you occupied, you will need something to do. Daytime TV is pretty mind-numbing. A Wii game or a good book will help you pass the time.


• Get good tissues. You will need them.

Finally, the best advice I got from the doctor - Get up and move. The more you move, the better you feel. Take a walk. Go shopping. Get moving. When you are vertical, gravity helps with the swelling.