husband needs advice

[loris]

I am Loris husband and i am looking for some advice on what she will need when she comes home. What are some things that i can do to make her more comfortable and help keep her spirits up during this long process. Any help would be greatly appreciated

[fierceliketiger]

According to my husband:
If she is going to be home alone, pre-portion and make small meals for her, simple things like pouring milk into a smaller container so she doesn't have to lift it.
He also says to pre-portion out her pills if you can, into little cups. That way she can grab them when she is in a lot of pain and doesn't have the strength to stay up long.
Books, a laptop, or anything to keep her hands or mind busy helps as well.
Comfy clothes are a big thing...I don't know how low or high her fusion is going to go, but both bras, underwear, and pants bothered me a LOT. Loose clothes are fantastic.
Hope that helps!

[kt2009]

I was going to ask the PT person at the hospital for a scrip for a grabber and a raised toilet seat so my insurance might cover it, but I was too out of it. My husband picked up a raised toilet seat (which I still love!) and found a toy grabber in my kid's closet (cheaper than the one's in the drug store).

My hubby also brought me some food at the hospital...I was barely hungry, but the food was horrible. He stocked some yogurt for me so the nurses could get it for me. I was not very hungry at home for a long time. Little snacks instead of three big meals were more palatable for me.

Don't forget to bring lots of pillows in the car for the ride home.

Keep her hydrated and eating fruit to offset the constipation from the meds. Lots of pillows in bed and a heating pad. After a week of no bathing, my hubby washed my hair as I lay on the bed on my back with my head hanging over the side!

I didn't feel much like doing anything, even reading...the pain meds make your brain kinda mushy. TV and DVDs helped.

[Shari]

Hi Husband of Lois,

First of all she will be so proud when she sees this!!!

Make sure she's comfortable with pillows or furniture as often as you can.

If she likes to have her feet rubbed, rub them, it was magic for me. Very relaxing!!!

Make sure she is sleeping well, it's very important because we do most of our healing during sleep.

I wish my husband would have cared enough to get on here and ask this question. I'm slightly jealous.

Hopefully you'll be back with more questions, and your name.

What a blessed woman she is, and I hope she knows it.

All my best to the both of you,
Shari

[LindaRacine]

Hi Husband...

Good for your for being proactive! I think this might be of some help:

http://www.scoliosislinks.com/PreparingforSurgery.htm

Regards,
Linda

[loris]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I see why she is out here all the time reading the post. Everyone is so helpful. I just want to help make her the most comfortable that I can. I do have another question. How long before she can go upstairs? Am I better to set her up a bed downstairs for the first few weeks?
thanks
scott

[JenniferG]

A bed downstairs may be a very good idea for a couple of weeks or until she builds up her strength.

I just wanted to say how nice it is to hear from a caring husband. I too was lucky with my partner. He'll never know how much it helped towards my recovery, not having to worry about anything and knowing how much he cared by the efforts he made. These days, he gets spoiled that little bit more!

[debbei]

I avoided long stairs for about a week. AFter that, I went up/down the big stairs only once per day.

[PNUTTRO]

Watch TV with her in bed. Don't let her get lonely. Give her a bell or phone so she can call if she needs you. Help her when she needs to get up out of bed. Upstairs or downstairs will depend on how you feel about going up and down to help Lori.

[LindaRacine]

I had A/P surgery at age 42 and was doing stairs within about 10 days. I had several flights at home. I just took them slowly.

[pmsmom]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I see why she is out here all the time reading the post. Everyone is so helpful. I just want to help make her the most comfortable that I can. I do have another question. How long before she can go upstairs? Am I better to set her up a bed downstairs for the first few weeks?
thanks
scott

We kept our dd's bed downstairs for the first month. The only time she was upstairs was for a shower. She would normally be up and down stairs several times a day. So we moved bed, clothing for the day, toiletries for the downstairs bathroom, etc. downstairs to make things easier for her initially.

After her 1 month check up, we moved her back upstairs.

I would suggest that you let PT know that you have a home with stairs and have them show both you and her how to take the stairs. It won't take very long.

You are a great guy!