Any advice on what to get for after surgery?

[Irina]

The last item on your list - slipers... I was told by UCSF do not wear slipers because it's easy to trip and fall in them. Get some loafers or slip on shoes that sit securely on your feet.

In the hospital, you will have a button on cord that you will press to release painkillers. It is easy to lose this button in the bed. I used Velcro strips to tie this button to the bed rail so that I always knew where it was. You can get Velcro strips on Amazon.

[ksmom0611]

Great ideas Irina. THanks.

[jackieg412]

I had a back up camera put in the car. It is from best buy and was installed there. It suction cups on the window. Wasn't too expensive and is cheaper then having a problem. So if your car doesn't have one or can't be factory equipped there is this option. I also have an additional side mirror and larger rearview mirror. I need them but everyone doesn't.

[Irina]

I had a back up camera put in the car. It is from best buy and was installed there. It suction cups on the window. Wasn't too expensive and is cheaper then having a problem. So if your car doesn't have one or can't be factory equipped there is this option. I also have an additional side mirror and larger rearview mirror. I need them but everyone doesn't.

Hi Jackie,

I was worried about backing out too as I don't have a backup camera. May be this has to do with the fusion length, I am T6 to sacrum, but I just turn my whole upper body, including butt, to back out. Knock on the wood, it's been almost two years and no problems. But I avoid backing out whenever possible and park so that I only have to go forward.

I also think that we all have different mindsets... The thought of adding special mirrors to my car freaked me out... That would make me feel that I am not like all the other people around... that would make me feel old... Although I am 47 and getting there, but fighting it haha. So, I decided to wait and see if I can do without any special car equipment and I can!

That's just me...

[fifa]

The last item on your list - slipers... I was told by UCSF do not wear slipers because it's easy to trip and fall in them. Get some loafers or slip on shoes that sit securely on your feet.

In the hospital, you will have a button on cord that you will press to release painkillers. It is easy to lose this button in the bed. I used Velcro strips to tie this button to the bed rail so that I always knew where it was. You can get Velcro strips on Amazon.

Hi,

Yes, this is great advice, Irina - I had already forgotten about this. Someone else in another thread had suggested a hair tie for this purpose, so I took two of those with me and they really came in handy to attach the PCA pump button to my hand. Everything gets lost in the bed. I'm at home now, and even though I have a bedside table, I'm constantly looking for two or three different remotes, the computer mouse, my tablet....you name it. Yes, some velcro or a hair tie (I used the kind that looks like a fabric rubber band) will come in very handy. I know Peggy had her cell phone affixed to a lanyard, and I did that, too, which was very helpful, plus velcroed the cord to the bedrail. I also took my own 12-foot extension cord to the hospital so I could charge up my phone and my tablet. I never once used the tablet - I was too out of it. Also, the texts I ended up sending to people were practically illegible, made no sense whatsoever, and were sent at all hours of the day and night because (a) I was so out of it I never knew if it was day or night, and (b) Barnes wireless system sends stuff when it feels like it - NOT when you've hit "send." I know this for a fact because I was down in xray when my cousin received a text from me, and I had sent it the day before.

Anyway, velcro for PCA pump is a must!

Fifa

[Irina]

Forgot... when I started driving, I kept a dressing stick with the hook in my car, tacked in between a passenger seat and a divider so that nobody could see it, hehe. Sometimes, when driving, my purse or jacket would fall on the floor and I used that dressing stick to get it off the floor. I also kept a pair of grabbers in the trunk, just in case.

[ksmom0611]

So much great advice!

How do you close the car door when sitting in the car?

Did anyone have balance issues after surgery? For how long?

How long did people use a walker?

How much weight did you lose? That could be a good side effect!

[jackieg412]

Here is how to get in the car. Sit first while feet are still out of the care. Back in. Then grab seat belt and door handle as you swing your legs into the car. Pull door closed and buckle seat belt. You do have to have the door all the way open as you get in. No tight parking places as you won't be able to open the door all the way. This works either as a passenger or driver. I used a walker briefly but keep a grabber in the car in case you drop the keys. I also brought 2 of everything in the shower as dropping does happen. I lost 32 pounds.

[PeggyS]

As I back up to the seat in the car, I pull the door as close as I can & still allow enough room to finish getting in. That way the handle is close enough to reach. I read about tying a scarf on the interior door handle for something to grab to pull the door shut.

My husband has been taking me to stores, so I can push a cart & walk for 40 minutes. Of course, I shop, too. Anyhow, I usually put a smaller grabber in my cart to reach items on the bottom shelf. I didn't have my grabber with me in Target today & I dropped a coupon I really wanted to use. I hung around in the aisle, hoping someone would come by . . . that didn't work, so I slid it with my foot over to the next aisle and asked a child to pick it up! In the grocery, my grabber wasn't strong enough to lift a container of salt. It was rolling around on the floor while I waited for someone to come by! At least it didn't break open.

I gained 10 pounds in the hospital from the IVs! I barely ate anything! It was gone in 2 weeks & I'm the weight I was before surgery. I was hoping for 10 pounds in the other direction!

[rmt]

Hi,
I am 6mo post surgery t4-s. I will say that the most important item that helped me was my goal/plan to get off all narcotics by 6 weeks. I had met (in Dr Lenke's waiting room) and kept in contact with a 65 year old man who experienced a wonderful recovery...I asked him a few weeks before my surgery how long it took him to get off all pain meds and he said 5 weeks so I knew I could do it as well! They will send you home with sooooo much medication that you really do not need....The sooner you start weaning the sooner you will be off and the sooner you will feel better...I felt like I would rather be in a little pain but driving vs all loopy and not driving......The pain I experienced was not as bad as the awkward uncomfortableness I felt that the pain medicine could not address anyways. I was not in so much pain but felt a prisoner trapped inside my new weird body (takes about 4 weeks for that to go away and then you feel fine) I started weaning myself the day I got home (it takes a long time and you must go slow or you end up with fluish feeling symptons whick are worse than your back pain) and was finished with all narcotics by 6 weeks and started driving at 6 weeks....My new car had a back up cam and was a godsend...It felt so good to have my life back...Although I was still in some pain and needed lots of breaks in the day to lay it was not that bad....I even ended up with a frozen shoulder and still have a compressed geneto femoral nerve (both more painful than my back) but really not a big deal in the scheme of things! I love my new back and super long torso and am soooooo happy to be on this side of the past 6 mo!

Here are the other items I found helpful


a comfy recliner with an electric recline button
Netflix so you can watch Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Fargo, etc. also HBO, Showtime
front close bra/light weight stretchy bras
baggy sweatshirts/loose pull on pants
about 5 reachers for all over house
raised toilet seat (I'm 6 feet tall so I really needed it and still love it!)
miralax, suppository dulcolax, citrate, prune juice, fiber one
pen paper to write down meds
extra cushions to make yourself comfortable while sitting in chairs
lots of pillows
long handle I purchased on Amazon to attach to my razor for legs
lumbar pillow for car when you do start driving...you will probably use it higher though like around your mid back to get your neck off of neck cushion

You will not want to sit in shower...very awkward...standing will be your most comfortable position for about 2 mo
I never had any trouble wiping myself
did not wear socks for about 5 mo...just slipped in my tennis shoes that were tied very loosely
walking will make you feel so good so try to do it as much as you can to get those natural endorphins flowing!!!!

Although I did have a many a pity party for myself in the first 6 weeks I survived!!! Good luck to you!!! You can do this!!!!

[Irina]

So much great advice!

How do you close the car door when sitting in the car?

Did anyone have balance issues after surgery? For how long?

How long did people use a walker?

How much weight did you lose? That could be a good side effect!

In the beginning, I was getting in the car this way: open the the door wide, stand with your back to the car. Stick your butt out and get in the car butt first trying not to hit your head. I am tall, so that was important. When you are seated, grab the handle on the top of the doorway, right above your head. Rotate your whole body while holding on the handle. To close the door, I used the dressing stick with the hook that was always within an easy reach in my car. Now I get in the car almost like I did before the surgery, but slower.

Didn't have any balance issues. Used a walker for several weeks because I had a complication that brought me back to the hospital for another week, so I was very weak and needed that walker. Lost a lot of weight, don't know how much, but looked scary. Then I gained all (and even more) gain back.

[green m&m]

If you choose to try sitting on a stool in the shower you'll definitely want to get a hand held attachment and a rubber suction shower head older.

That's the set up I had so I could direct water closer to my body instead of being pelted in my face while I was sitting. Also worked well while I needed help showering. (Had pain when raising arms for first two weeks)


Link for the shower mount

http://amzn.com/B001CFACMI

The hand held shower head brand I got was Moim or M something. Found at home depot.

[ksmom0611]

Will definitely look into the shower suction cup thing. I already have a hand held shower head, so I'm all set there!

[lduran]

Here are the other items I found helpful


a comfy recliner with an electric recline button
Netflix so you can watch Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Fargo, etc. also HBO, Showtime
front close bra/light weight stretchy bras
baggy sweatshirts/loose pull on pants
about 5 reachers for all over house
raised toilet seat (I'm 6 feet tall so I really needed it and still love it!)
miralax, suppository dulcolax, citrate, prune juice, fiber one
pen paper to write down meds
extra cushions to make yourself comfortable while sitting in chairs
lots of pillows
long handle I purchased on Amazon to attach to my razor for legs
lumbar pillow for car when you do start driving...you will probably use it higher though like around your mid back to get your neck off of neck cushion

You can do this!!!!

This is a very helpful list. Things to keep in mind and very good advice on how to get off pain meds. My surgery is 4/21 so all these posts come really handy. Thank you all for your inputs. Loretta

[golfnut]

Good luck with your surgery. The list is one of the best I've seen!