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Recovering from surgery can be a difficult and stressful experience. You may not be able to do some of your normal activities and may find it difficult to perform household tasks. But there are some easy things you can do to help improve your surgery recovery experience.

Implement the tips below before your surgery so that you don’t need to worry about these items when you’re in recovery.

Related:

• 12 Tips You Need to Know to Prepare for Surgery

1. Purchase safety tools and equipment for your home

You may have physical limitations after your surgery. The items below will make your home safer for you post-surgery and will help you to complete household tasks.

Bathroom:

• Shower Grab Bars – Your balance and strength might be affected post-surgery. That increases your chances of accidentally falling and seriously hurting yourself in the shower. Install these removable grab bars in places you can easily reach for extra stability.
• Shower Chair – A shower chair is a good idea if you can’t stay on your feet for very long or if you have a hard time maintaining your balance post-surgery.
• Long Shower Brush – You might have a hard time reaching your extremities post-surgery. A long shower brush can help you with those hard to reach spots.
• Elevated Toilet Seat – You may find it difficult to sit in a low chair or seat after surgery. That includes a toilet seat. An elevated toilet seat will put less strain on your body when you’re trying to sit down.

Living Room:

• Seat Cushion – You might not be able to sit in low seats or might find it uncomfortable to sit. A seat cushion helps you sit a little higher and a little more comfortably. Keep in mind that you may need to bring it with you to restaurants to sit comfortably in low booths or chairs.

Wardrobe:

• Sock Aid – You may not be able to reach your toes during your recovery. A sock aid helps you put on your socks.
• Compression Socks – If you’re going to be stationary for an extended period of time, your surgeon may recommend you wear compression socks. Check with your surgeon whether these are a good idea for you.

General:

• Reacher Grabber – It may be difficult (or unsafe) to reach for things post-surgery. Use a grabber to help you reach things.

2. Stock up on food and household supplies

After your surgery, it may be hard for you to go to the grocery store or run errands. Stock up on non-perishable food and toiletries before your surgery so that you have those items readily available to you at home.

3. Clean & wash laundry

You might not have the energy or physical ability to clean and do laundry immediately after surgery. But if your recovery involves staying at home for an extended period of time, you want to be in a clean environment.

Wash your sheets, blankets, towels, and clothes prior to surgery so that they’re all clean and waiting for you when you get home.

4. Prepare your post-surgery entertainment

Recovering from surgery can be an uncomfortable experience, so you want to have distractions to keep your mind off your discomfort. Some post-surgery entertainment options include:

• TV & movies – If you don’t have a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu, see if you can sign-up for a free trial right before your surgery. Then you’ll have access to streaming movies and TV shows during your recovery.
• Read – Download books on your eReader or get some hard-copy books to enjoy. Gather all those magazines on your coffee table that you keep meaning to read.
• Podcasts & audiobooks – Download podcasts or audiobooks for you to listen to while you’re recovering.
• Legos, models, & sets – You might have limited mobility during your recovery, which makes it a perfect time to build all those models and sets you’ve got stored in your closet. Or buy a cool Lego set to build.
• Puzzles – If there was ever a time to become a puzzle champion, now is the time!

TIP: Some medicines can make you feel dizzy post-surgery, so you might find it difficult to read. Have other entertainment options ready in case this happens to you.

5. Place all your necessities next to your recovery area

Before you leave for surgery, gather all the items that you’re going to need post-surgery. Place them by the area where you plan to spend most of your time post-recovery. For example, if you plan to be in your bedroom, move all these items to your bedroom.

Place any safety tools and equipment you’ll need by your recovery area.

Move any electronics or entertainment items – TV, computer, magazines, books, eReader, etc. – into your recovery area, too.

6. Find delivery services to help during your recovery

When you’re ready to venture out after your surgery, you still may find it tough to run errands, like picking up groceries or getting basic home supplies.

Grocery stores can be especially difficult – slippery floors that could cause falls, long lines that require standing for an extended period of time, and lots of people and shopping carts that may accidentally bump into you.

Because of this, you might want to avoid the grocery store altogether. Luckily, there are many grocery store delivery services that deliver groceries right to your home for a minimal charge. You can read more about these grocery delivery services here.

If you don’t have Amazon Prime, you can sign-up for a free trial right before your surgery. That will give you access to free shipping and fast delivery for just about anything you’ll need while recovering.

Post-surgery recovery can be a difficult time, but implementing the steps above before to your surgery can make your post-surgery experience more comfortable.

Comments or Questions?

Have a comment or a question? I’d love to hear from you! Visit me on Instagram @eastbymidwest and leave a comment or DM, or send me an email at pam@eastbymidwest.com.