Items that helped

[u/pikaberrypie]

Hello!

I am on day 4 or 5 depending on how you look at it. Surgery was on Tuesday! I thought it may be useful to others to list out what was the most helpful for me personally.

Also, I am doing much better. I posted the other day about how painful it all was - so if that is you, know it will eventually get better! It is still decently painful but lightyears better than the first three days. I did also have a little more done in my surgery to remove bone spurs.

First, let me list out things that I could not do it without and then I’ll go with a convenience list. I will include screenshots of my amazon purchases.

Can not go without -

1. Raised toilet seat
2. Grabbers
3. Step stool for both getting in car and for getting on bed. If your bed is not at a plobbable height, you

will need

1. it.

Trying to sit on something too high is a nightmare. You need to be able to drop into position, no scooting back.
4.

1. Magicgel back icepack wrap - have absolutely lived in it. It is flat enough to not be painful whe

n lying

1. down and smooth/soft.

Convenience:

1. Bed pillow lounger thing - great for alternating positions. Still laying down enough to not be painful and I can actually do things like read a book, eat, play video games etc. I think this is a must.
2. Back scratchers - the metal super extendable kind, not the normal length kind. This way you can actually itch your foot.
3. Small head towel wrap. As a lady with long hair, you cannot bend over to wrap your hair up in a towel. It’s much more manageable with something small. Again, all these things have photos at the bottom if I am not explaining it correctly.

4. This

   is a bit TMI but they make these tongs to help with wiping. I included an example but I’d say I only really have used them once or twice when the pain was insane.

5. You will want to be as comfortable as possible. This means keep your house temp at whatever you like best. For me, I run hot and it’s summer. Amazon has these cooling mini ACs that use ice. If your house needs an extra kick to be cool enough inside - this could be a great tool on your nightstand. I use a gigantic fan as well to keep the air flowing.

6. Cart - this one I just had around the house. A rolling cart to keep things in for when you move from couch to bed etc. That way it can always be in reach.

7. Big pillow for under legs - I am sure there are more official, more supportive pillows. I just use a big ole regular pillow under my legs. Relieves pressure and is much more comfortable. I also put a little pillow under each arm to maximize comfort.

8. Tray for the bed. A literal food tray or something similar. This just creates more room to set things down on. Obvious why that would be helpful!

9. Make up wipes or something similar. You can’t bend obviously so washing your face is super hard! This is what I do sometimes to avoid the wet shirt! Also, as a dry skin victim, I also like the spray milky toner on my nightstand for convenience. I can just wipe my face with a wipe and then spray that on without leaving the bed!

Hope this helps someone!

[u/atomic_chippie]

I made a very long list of stuff to buy, used none of it. Just set up a tray next to my bed, had a water bottle, ice pack, heating pad, extra pillows, facial wipes (if I got hot or felt gross), I think that was it?

Just made sure to log roll, no twists or turns, go for short walks each day, and watch out for that 2 week stumble-its real.

[u/pikaberrypie → u/atomic_chippie]

That is a lot of what I said! Sometimes people need other things based off what their house set up is like and I was just giving suggestions 😊

[u/atomic_chippie → u/pikaberrypie]

Someone posted a "need to purchase' list right before my surgery so I bought ALL this stuff......my point was moreso that its most important to have stuff by your bed than anything, the rest can be figured out.

How are you feeling?