Now that I've made the decision to have hip labral tear repair surgery, and given the fact it will be a lengthy recovery, some good planning is in order.
Journal Entry Two
Preparing for Surgery
Have you ever had to prepare your home/family for you being down or away for four to 6 weeks? It’s challenging, isn’t it? I had to give this great thought, and was thankful for others’ input. Here are some items I planned for or stocked up on:
I am such a chocoholic, so I made a batch of my sugar-free dark chocolate fudge, cut
in individual pieces, placed two to four pieces together in individual quart size baggies, sucked the air out with a straw, placed them all together in a gallon Ziploc
freezer bag, and stored them in the freezer. Now, I can
pull out a two to four-piece baggie whenever I need a chocolate fix! (Which I have several times now 😄 ) If you are wondering, I usually eat two pieces in a day, though I have already had a four-piece day – it was much needed, good medicine 😆
Cooked up my husband’s favorite organic, boneless chicken breast tenders in the slow cooker, then portioned them in freezer bowls and put them in the freezer. He can pull them out for dinner, put a bag of frozen cauliflower rice in the microwave and have a healthier dinner.
Stocked up on all grocery items that will keep for a month, such as coffee, creamer, eggs, bread, cereal, chips, frozen meats and veggies, celery sticks, apples, yogurt, snack items, etc.
Most important, my husband’s favorite candy – since he will be taking care of me,
he will deserve a good treat! He loves almond M&M’s, so I get packs of them and hide them in places he will find – a drawer in his desk, the drawer he keeps his toothpaste, a pantry cabinet, his briefcase, etc. This works like a super special love note ❤️
Stocked up on toothpaste, shampoo, hubby’s razor blades, and all necessary toiletries, including band aids, gauze pads, and supplies to take care of my incisions and stitches.
Bought a shower chair to make it easier to shower, only being able to stand on one leg, and not get incisions too wet. Baths are not allowed 🙂
Prepared the sitting area in master bedroom with recliner, light, and table area to put polar ice unit, drinks, snacks, computer, books, phone, etc. This will be my home for the first two weeks. Installed surge protector extension cord to plug all things in! Placed blanket, neck pillow, leg pillow in easy reach.
Most important, the kitty blanket so Jet Kitty can sit with me 💙
Entered additional important phone numbers in phone; doctor, pharmacy, surgical hospital.
Set up a group text for my husband to notify loved ones of my surgery progress during actual surgery.
Caught up on regular housekeeping chores, especially changing beds, washing up all linens, etc. You won’t be able to do these for a while. 😃
Picked up my post-surgical hip kit from my surgeon’s office. This kit included a hip brace, a polar ice unit to keep my hip iced for the first few days, and a pair of crutches just for my size 😁
My wonderful daughter, Tiffany, thought to order arm and hand pads for my crutches, and a crutch pouch to carry around my phone, glasses, water bottle, book, etc. She also bought sparkly ribbons to decorate my crutches, ‘cause after all, I love sparkle stuff lol. Tiffany says I’m a little “extra.” 🤣
After surgery, I realized I needed these:
Some type of loose-fitting, casual dress to wear home from the hospital. They put the hip brace on you during surgery, so there’s no getting your yoga pants on to go home. I had to wear two hospital gowns home 😆
A few short nightgowns, so they won’t get tangled in the crutches. Sleep pants don’t work, as they don’t fit overtop the hip brace, and are too difficult to get down when underneath the hip brace, which goes all the way down to your knees where it fastens around your leg. I’ll confess, by the time you unhook the polar ice unit, take off the blankets, carefully work your way to the edge of the recliner, get your crutches, stand up on one foot and get your balance, then slowly and gingerly crutch your way to the bathroom, you don’t want to take time to pull off clothes. Just sayin’. 😬 And you are exhausted from the crutching – you sure won’t want to fight with clothing! 🤗
A few exercise shorts and tops suitable to wear to physical therapy. You will put the hip brace over top your clothes as they will take it off for PT. Shorts are better than long pants so they can check for swelling and color of your leg.
Phew, that’s a pretty long list, right? Any other helpful suggestions?
Now we are ready for surgery! Stay tuned for Journal Entry 3 😄
The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
Psalm 138:8
Love and blessings,
Mindy 💗
Comments