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  • The grabber....

    Everyone has mentioned that one of the main purchases to make is the grabber for picking up items. I noticed from reading your posts that some of you have purchased them from Walmart, Target, and medical supplies.

    Do they all seem to be of equal quality and function? How about price? Since this is so much used, I want to be sure I get one that will serve me well.

    Thanks for your input...

  • #2
    Marcia,
    funny you should be talking about the grabber!!! In the set of stores where I bake, there is a medical supply store...& I just peeked in & asked the owner what the grabber looked like. Wow! we should be able to pick up everything with that baby!!!Looks like it will kill spiders too!!! ha-ha

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    • #3
      Having the grabber has been the most useful tool in my recovery. I use it all the time. My husband got mine a few days before I came home from the hospital, I'm not sure how much he paid for it, but he got it at Walgreens (pharmacy).

      Also another thing I found very helpful for the first few weeks home was a shower stool. It might be very hard to stand in the shower long enough to take a shower. Plus at first I couldn't shower myself or wash my hair so this made it easier on my husband. He'd just hop in the shower with me and he could wash my hair if I was sitting in the chair. I think he got that at Walgreens too.

      You might search this forum, I've seen a list of items you'll need and things to do before surgery to help prepare. One thing I'd highly suggest is prepare some meals ahead of time and freeze so they can just be popped in the oven. Even if someone is taking care of you, sometimes they can get overwhelmed with the caregiving part and not have time to fix dinner.

      I apparently wore out my mom and husband in the first few weeks.

      Oh shaving your legs will be impossible for a while. I'm 3 1/2 months post op and I rarely do them on my own, only if it's absolutely necessary. And it's still very hard to do. I wish I would have gotten a waxing before surgery. Something to think about.

      And get a cup/thermos mug that has a lid and straw. When you are in bed which you will be a lot it's very hard to drink from a glass. This is really handy cause you can't spill it.


      Good luck!
      Shelly
      Anterior Spinal Fusion and titanium rod and screws inserted to correct 45 degree thoracolumbar curve from T12 - L4 on 1/4/06.

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      • #4
        I have my grabber in my dorm room. After my surgey my mom thought it would be good for me to bring it back to school eventhough it had been about a month. I think my roommate uses it more than I do. Just goes to show that you can use it even if you havent had surgery. I have killed a couple spiders with mine because I am really afraid of touching them myself. I had mine delivered to me at the hospital from some medical supply place after my first surgery and then still had it for the second so we just remembered to have it handy at home. I also had delivered to me an elevated toilet seat and a walker (surgeons preferance). It made things a lot easier for the first week or so. After 2 weeks when I was able to shower again I could do it on my own standing up (maybe because I was younger) but I got tired easily. A five minute shower was about all I could take. Then it was back to bed. Luckily I had mom or grandma around to do the cooking. The freezer idea is good. I kept a cooler next to my bed with a couple water bottles and some gatorade and a straw or two in case I got thirsty so I didnt have to go downstairs all the time. I found that REALLY helpful. Good luck
        Mandy

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        • #5
          Thanks for all the tips. Sounds like I ought to go ahead and get one now. I can relate to hating spiders. I can't step on them; that is just getting too close! LOL I am wondering if I might need more than one grabber....one for upstairs and one for downstairs!

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          • #6
            I can pick up pieces of tissues or dust the size of a pepper off the floor with the grabber. This thing is amazing. One thing I don't recommend is the toilet paper tissue aid though. Fist surgery I didn't need it and for some reason I was more stiff in the front this time after my last surgery, and have had a lot of difficulty wiping in the front. Well behold this thing we bought was so big, I can barely hold it let alone pull it under there, so that was a waste of money. Bad one.
            35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
            Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
            Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
            Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
            Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

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            • #7
              My insurance covered the cost of the grabber plus some other items that I got from the hospital: extra long shoe horn, contraption to help you put your socks on, my walker, rubber shoe laces for my sneakers and I think the camode too. I'm sure some other things that I can't think of right now. The physical therapists that worked with me at the hospital asked if we would like to take the items home and then checked to make sure that my insurance would cover them before sending me home with them. On the morning that I checked out of the hospital, they brought all of these items to my room...it was kind of like Christmas...only with medical supplies instead of fun stuff

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