Care package for a friend recovering from WLS
 

Hey ladies! First of all - congratulations to all of you who have lost weight with these procedures!

I have a friend I've known for many, many years. She's one of my first internet friends, and we met online fourteen years ago. We've never met in person, but we've stayed in touch this whole time.

Back when we were teenagers, we used to send each other letters in the mail sometimes and packages of little toys and candies and things.

A few months ago, she underwent WLS, and she's lost about 50 lbs so far but has been having a hard time recovering from the surgery, in and out of the hospital every month or so to check on things and stave off infections and such.

I'd really like to send her a little care package like we'd do when we were kids, but obviously I don't want to send her candy! That seems very insensitive. So I thought I'd ask over here: what kind of things would you like in a care package post-surgery?

Thanks!

EVERYONE needs a friend like you! what a sweet idea!!! Let me ask a few Qs - i have some ideas rumbling in my head, but she might not be able to use them if certain things are going on.

First of all, how much more weight does she have to lose? And how's her mobility?

How is her eating going? Is she OK with her portions and types of food or is she still struggling and fighting it?

Is she getting in her liquids? exercising at all? And where is she getting infections [internal infections? legs? under her belly?]

I will say this, though. One of the loveliest gifts I received was a few pretty appetizer plates. Just the right size for my meals at the beginning, and so nice to use! made me feel special.

Thanks, jiffy! I don't have a lot of personal details but I'll try my best to answer the questions.

Originally Posted by jiffypop:
First of all, how much more weight does she have to lose? And how's her mobility?

She's a bit taller than me, and was at the lower end of qualifying for the surgery, so to get to a healthy weight range she only has to lost about 50-60 more lbs.

Originally Posted by jiffypop:
How is her eating going? Is she OK with her portions and types of food or is she still struggling and fighting it?

I think she's still having a pretty tough time and going back and forth. She'll have a few weeks where she seems to be doing okay, but then she'll mention a lot of problems with nausea and not wanting to eat or drink at all.

Originally Posted by jiffypop:
Is she getting in her liquids? exercising at all? And where is she getting infections [internal infections? legs? under her belly?]

Not sure about liquids. Infections seem to be by and large in the belly area. Not sure if she's doing any deliberate exercise or just being generally more active. She is planning to go back too work soon and has a pretty active job.

I should add, she lives in the midwest area of the US, and I'm in New England, so I need to come up with things that are smallish and easy to ship, and aren't likely to break in transit.

Originally Posted by underanalysis:
I think she's still having a pretty tough time and going back and forth. She'll have a few weeks where she seems to be doing okay, but then she'll mention a lot of problems with nausea and not wanting to eat or drink at all.

This will continue for quite awhile longer. Even after 10+ years, I still have bad days. The first three months are THE WORST, but they do pass. and it DOES get better. I promise

Originally Posted by underanalysis:
Not sure about liquids. Infections seem to be by and large in the belly area. Not sure if she's doing any deliberate exercise or just being generally more active. She is planning to go back too work soon and has a pretty active job.

Thanks for the info. And here are a few thoughts.

First of all, a little journal so that she can track her food, liquid, and emotions. If she's not doing it now, she really should start, especially in these early days. My desk was littered with yellow sticky notes as i tracked all this, but that's the way I roll. Other people are MUCH more organized

She might like a nice, fairly large water bottle - nothing smaller than 20 ounces. I know there are those quart size and maybe even half gallons, but they're really inconvenient to carry. Just something pretty and well insulated so that she can have either hot or cold.

Flavored stuff for drinking. No soda, of course. if she's a tea drinker, if you can find some tea that she can't find in her area or something you think she might enjoy, that would be nice. I don't remember how I came across this, but Harney's hot cinnamon tea is one of the best things EVER!!! same thing with no-cal drink mixes like crystal light or those drops.

And she CAN HAVE some SF hard candies and gum, but that's up to you.

Now, I'm a little concerned with the fact that she has an active job and doesn't seem to be exercising. It's important that she maintain muscle mass while she loses, and it sounds like she needs it for her job. That means anything from weights to stretchy bands or DVDs, and other 'toys.' Don't send any of them. BUT if this is something that you think she might appreciate, perhaps a gift card to a local sports equipment store so she can choose her weapons.

and finally, a nice piece of jewelry or a lovely scarf [reasonably priced, of course] to celebrate her progress and tenacity. We call them non-food rewards around here. You could also consider a gift card to a local nail salon for a mani/pedi. Such a luxury that most of us don't think about.

Hope these ideas have helped - I'm sure you can come up with something more customized, and I'm hoping that other folks will stop by with some ideas.

Oh. and suggest that she join our group. this is what we're here for!

:hug: