My top surgery/radical reduction

This was inclusive in my second surgery so ya never know!
Seems like a good list :slight_smile:

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I have had surgery and for a while I definitely needed help dressing and undressing. A robe or using a button up or zipper down shirt might help reduce how long you need that. And as a therapist, anyone within like 2 months post most surgeries needed at least some help dressing and undressing even if they could like walk and drive and go to an appointment.

But I think also you care less when your body is so needing of help. And helping might mean seeing your back, not your front. Maybe a lil leg.

Holding a hand for support while you step into cast iron

Edut just caught up. Ignore shower and dressing and do what feels right but maybe have extra front openy shirts. Or slit a tshirt at the back.

I would 100% expect to watch tv on my phone

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Oh yes! I lived in a big robe hahaha XD can rec

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Thx y’all! I don’t own a robe, so maybe something to think about!! :slight_smile:

I had a great pre op nurse appointment this morning and am feeling great about things. They’re such an informed and progressive team.

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Loose button ups are good too!!

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YAYAYYAYAYA

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YES that’s great!

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Ok! Only 34 days out.
I’ve been updating my list above and slowly prepping the house.
Hilariously the thing I’m having the hardest time with is getting into the habit of using light switches for my lights and fans vs the pull cord.
I’ve been a pull cord person all my life.

I think as a back up I will practice using my grabber to do the pulls so that at last I’ll have some experience doing so when I inevitably default to it.

Also, do y’all think this will be like any other medical appointment where they bill me afterwards or should I be showing up with a huge wad of cash on my surgery day?I am using my insurance so I assume I’ll just show up and then they’ll bill me a few weeks later.

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Additionally also.

In the instance that they offer me a “fall asleep to this song” option, I have chosen ‘about a girl’ by Nirvana which I’ve been listening to for….30+ years (I’m old) and I find very soothing.

It makes me feel like a scrappy little grass-stained clothing kid, swinging sticks into the air cuz there was nothing else to do and hearing the Bleach album from a nearby garage where someone’s mulleted cousin was working on their motorcycle. Ya know?
And if I don’t wake up, I’m good with that being the last thing I get to hear.

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Third post of the day and it’s not even 10 AM – I’m out of control.
I started work early this morning so that I could take my first 15 minute break early – I just rushed into the thrift store down the street from my house and got an arm full of button up shirts.
I realized I have plenty of button up and zip up shirts, but none that are very loose at all, so I feel great about having acquired a handful of nice big loose button up shirts for recovery :ballot_box_with_check:

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I just came across this slip-on shower extender. It turns any regular shower into a hand-held shower – maybe useful for those first recovery showers since you can direct the water away from your upper body?

https://a.co/d/6pUJ3ck

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Oh wow what a cool invention!!!

I actually have a handheld option on my shower. Although you do have to reach up :man_facepalming:t3: to turn it on. Also it is a shorter hose, only dropping to maybe stomach/waist level.

I’ll look into this! Thanks for thinking of meeeee!

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I’ve had variable experiences with this. I would call the surgery center in advance and ask…for one surgery I had to put down a certain amount and they had already calculated what my cost would be after my insurance. At the other I paid nothing and just got a bill in the mail later. I’m not sure the how/why behind either, but it might be nice to know ahead of time what to expect!

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I also got a discount when I prepaid the expected expenses when I gave birth so that might be worth asking about too. I’ve also been able to get a discount when I paid in one lump sum for a different medical event with several nights at the hospital.

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I’d also ask if they take cash. IDK about where you live but a lot of places here aren’t set up for cash anymore.

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I don’t actually have cash I was just being dramatic :heart:
But good point!!!

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Um. I had my family FaceTime yesterday with my mother, father, and brother, and at some point during the call my dad, who inhabits what used to be my bedroom, opened the closet and the nirvana poster I hung on the inside of the closet door TWENTY EIGHT (+) YEARS AGO is still hanging there.
I was like “wait, what was that…???” And asked him to show me.
He said he just never took it down and shrugged.
That paper must be crispy crunchy by now.

What funny timing.

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Well my billing question is still sitting in mychart, so I guess I’ll get some answers next week.

also have my only pre op with the actual surgeon next week, and I feel immense pressure to be SO SURE we are on the same page… and to get this done in our 30-45m appointment. I’ll have my pictures, my list of goals, my list of concerns, etc so I hope it goes well. It’s stressing me out.

Today I set up the 5gal waterer and feeder for the chickens. I bought a kit and just adapted them to some food grade buckets. Testing them out for the next few weeks so that they’ll be adapted by surgery recovery.

I also reset the kitchen to get all appliances at waist level, which was very challenging since I do not have a lot of counter space, but I’m making it work and it’s temporary.

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You are such a champion!!!

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Mundane task for recovery completed. I moved my cloth tp and cloth tp bin to a little stool directly in front of the toilet rather than behind where you have to twist to reach them.

:white_check_mark:

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