I was wondering how much help people have needed after surgery from a family member/friend etc..
At what point are you good to be on your own, and would you say its good to have someone awake during the night for the first few nights home?
My mom is away for the first week of my surgery, so my Dad is going to stay with me but he needs to sleep during the night since he has to be energized to work a 40 hour week and take care of me. My mom suggested getting a home-care nurse for the first night home from the hospital.
I was alone at night from the off, though I had a buzzer system, I had a button that I pushed if I needed someone in the night, sorta like a doorbell, but other than that I stayed on my own at night. I slept all the time up until day 4 though so I didnt really need much attention.
During the day though, unless I was asleep, Mum was like glue, which, looking back on, I appreciated.
So yeh its up to how you feel to determine the answer.
I think it depends on your surgery and how long you are in the actual hospital. This vaires so much from person to person and area to area that I don't think anyone can give a pat answer on this one-sorry. For example for me with upper and lower w/genio I was in intensive care unit for 3 days & discharged-there was no way I could have been on my own with the meds I was on-now I had an infection and got readmitted. Even when I got discharged a second time for a good 3 days or so I wouldn't have wanted to be alone but I could just be a big old baby. Being banded and swollen and bruised and drugged-no thanks. Granted for most of the time people were just watching me sleep but I was grateful for it. Not during the night but getting food/forcing the liquids during the day-honestly if I had to do it for myself most times I wouldn't. Maybe I'm not helping
Not sure if you're having both upper and lower jaw surgery and/or a genioplasty but that will certainly have an impact on your decision.
I had my first BSSO and genioplasty on 13 March. For that surgery my Sister came up to Virginia from Mississippi and stayed the first week with me. I certainly appreciated her being around even though I felt only slight discomfort in the muscles (due to them being stretched in new ways) and no nausea whatsoever. For the first night at home post surgery she was all about getting up to make sure I took my medications and making me smoothies, getting me water, et cetera. After about the third night she started sleeping through the alarm clock so I took it upon myself to get up and make due. The really great thing about having someone around is you just might feel like getting out and walking / going to the store / whatever and, like Meryaten said, you may not feel like driving. For myself, I had my Sister take me by my office on day 3 post-surgery to show off my swelling to my fellow Marines.
I had my secong BSSO (a revision actually) last Tuesday (3 April) due to jaws going into an "open bite" position after the first surgery. This time I elected to "go it alone" having been through it all before. The recovery thus far is just like the last with the exception being that I've felt fine enough to drive since about day 3 post surgery ... in fact, I treated myself to a movie on day 4 post surgery (loved seeing the side-long glances ).
I think I am getting a nurse for the first night home- then if I think I'm ok without I will tell her she can leave. The family decided on the better safe than sorry approach. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.
First of all, I am a closeted wimp. I think it's time I admit that. Maybe wimp is not the right word but definitely a hypochondriac and most certainly I have a tendency to wallow and feel sorry for myself and that sort of thing. Anyway, keep that in mind. I had upper/lower/genio, went home the same day, had a nurse friend of mine stay the afternoon and night with me so my husband could get some sleep. That afternoon I don't remember anything except barely being able to walk up the steps into my house and I know I wouldn't have been able to take meds on my own or anything. That night my friend fell asleep and I didn't want to wake her up so I did my meds by myself although I do remember staring at my little med schedule for quite some time trying to make sense of it in my drug-addled haze. But I did fine. I was able to get up and go to the bathroom by myself and all that. I had other friends lined up to stay with me after that first night but we called them and told them I wouldn't need anybody. I didn't have any bleeding or nausea or anything like that. I think having someone available the first night is a must, but you'll probably still be in the hospital that night. You'll probably be OK not having anyone awake all night for you by the time you get home. Then again, always better to have someone lined up and not need them than to get home and be alone when you really shouldn't be. Not alone, but you know what I mean.
Braces on July 2005
Upper/Lower/Genio July 2006
Braces off June 2007
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