When I was prepping for
surgery, I thought it was so overwhelming what I needed and what I didn’t. My
surgeon basically said I needed nothing. I joined several facebook groups where people gave a ton of
amazing suggestions, but I found I was spending forever searching through
posts. In an effort to hopefully save someone else the same agony, I’ve compiled everything I used into this list with links and my
thoughts. Hope it’s helpful for someone! I had an ETT, breast reduction and
lipo to the flanks. I’m no expert, this is just my experience.
LIFT CHAIR – I went back and forth on this. I looked into renting, but the price wasn’t much less and I wasn’t sure how long I would need the chair to sleep in. Some people say they sleep in them for 6-8 weeks. I also didn’t really want to introduce someone else’s germs into my house. I ended up purchasing. A twin sheet worked perfectly (flannel so I didn't slide all over). I didn't have any fluid leaking issues, but it would be easy enough to put down an absorbent pad / wipe up any messages. There is absolutely no way I could have gotten in and out of my bed for at least a week or so. I slept in this for about 2 weeks and then went back and forth on nights that I couldn't sleep for a few more weeks. It’s super comfy and I liked the warming feature. The “massage” is really just more of a vibration. I had planned to sell it, but it's so comfy that I'm keeping it. My only complaint is that I wish the legs went up a tad higher, that's why I got the knee pillow below. https://amzn.to/2J26Y7I
WALKER – I couldn’t have functioned for the first 3-4 days without it. My back hurt so bad when standing (for weeks) and I liked having the seat to sit on at the sink, or when I needed to stop and rest. I even took little granny walks around the neighborhood with it. My surgeon wrote me a prescription and my insurance covered it from a medical supply store so be sure to check on that first. Mine was very similar to this one for reference. https://amzn.to/3lYJH5w
KNEE PILLOW - I put this pillow under my knees in the chair. When I slept, I put another pillow on top of it. I could adjust it as needed for comfort. https://amzn.to/3friFkO
SHOWER CHAIR – I love mine and am still using it 6 wpo because I still get pretty tired sometimes. I am thankful I had a back on mine. I could shower right away so that might make a difference if you need/want one. https://amzn.to/3fqoyym
TOILET SEAT RISER – I was beyond thankful this for the first week. I would have really struggled without it. No need for handles, but I was glad I didn’t have to get all the way down and all the way up. https://amzn.to/3383kAK
DRAIN POUCHES – I debated about these and ultimately was glad I did it. My surgeon sent me home with a lanyard, but I had 4 drains, so it was bulky with them all together. I cut holes in the pockets of my night gowns for my TT drains and used this for the breast ones. It made them easy to sort out when I emptied, and they never really bugged me. https://amzn.to/2HoLl12
NECK PILLOW – A must have for sleeping in a chair. I got this at the last second and thank goodness I did. https://amzn.to/3pRjGY6
BRAS – Grabbed these for post op. I didn’t need compression. https://amzn.to/372m5Xl
NIGHTGOWN - I wore this with a robe and slippers on surgery day. I also lived in nightgowns for a couple weeks. I recommend button down with pockets. I had one with long sleeves I liked a little better but it’s not on amazon anymore. https://amzn.to/3fnQliZ
ARNICA – I went through two bottles of this. 4 tablets, 4 times a day. https://amzn.to/2Hvzcrm
JUVEN – This is expensive. I debated it but went ahead. I ended up in wound care a couple of weeks in when my body rejected the stitches and wound care recommended I start this and were surprised and happy I had been taking it all along. I only tried the unflavored. It’s best mixed with a citrus juice like pineapple juice or with crystal light. https://amzn.to/2KmfL59
BROMELAIN – https://amzn.to/2KrhB4J
LOOFAH ON A STICK – reach your legs and back. Nice to have - not a must have https://amzn.to/335T4bY
GRABBER – I dropped a million things and no way I was able to pick them up. https://amzn.to/2UR09Ja
SQUATTY POTTY – Never had one of these until I tried to poop post surgery. Horrific doesn’t describe it. Do yourself a favor and grab one. I now think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. https://amzn.to/3nQJxh5
I also made a meds chart to track what I was taking and when for
the first week. It was super helpful since I had several things that all had to
be taken at different intervals.
