One important thing for me (with a history of addiction) is that other people know what I’m doing. I try non-prescription avenues first but will take pain meds when needed, and I absolutely get gas at the dentist if I have any work done. But I make sure someone knows about it. Not that I’m putting the responsibility of monitoring my intake on them, but just so I’m not hiding it, even innocently. When I was disposing of my dad’s meds after he died and was thinking, “Maybe I should hold on to these vicodin and just tuck them away in my drawer, just in case” with the intention of keeping them secret, that was a big red flag for me and I took the pills directly to the drug disposal thing at the police station.
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I did this after a complicated childbirth. I found that I needed the very high strength recommended (they actually gave me a prescription but it was just a higher dose in a single pill), and it needed to be exactly on the clock. If I missed it by more than an hour,l or 90 minutes, the pain would get uncomfortable again. I used a pill reminder app on my phone.
I also had to be pretty conservative about my abilities and not overextending.
I was also given, and filled, a prescription for something stronger (oxycodone? would they give that to a nursing parent? can’t remember, but it was something I didn’t want to take unless the OTC painkillers didn’t work).
Your preparations have been so thorough. I hope it’s all smooth sailing for you from here, as much as possible.
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Thanks to everyone for all of the anecdotes, suggestions, and ideas.
I recognize that some mental health stuff is contributing to this as my surgery date gets closer. And my worries expand.
I have OCD which is very well managed but also 
VERY STRONG:boom: lol.
It will be key, even if I’d rather be alone, to have my helper with me to guide me back to reality through my first few days of healing.
When extremely stressed I can experience mild hallucinations that align with my ruminations - for example, I could experience a hallucination that my incision is bleeding when it isn’t.
I am always able to use my calming tools to bring me back down and double check, and can also use my phone for photos and videos to ground me back into reality. I’ve worked hard on these skills, BUT it’s going to be great to just/also ask my helper (in a non-reassurance seeking manner, just to get the facts)
^ aaaaaanyways, y’all didn’t ask for a mental health psa to learn about OCD, but there ya go! 
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Oh, that reminds me that my dr sister says at the beginning that you should stay on the medication schedule, not wait until it is unbearable, because then you need more/it is harder to get on top of it.
(Obig This is her generic advice and may not be appropriate for you)
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I have recently been good friends with oxycodone. They gave it to me in the hospital, 5mg pills and my prescription was 1-2 every four hours. I generally only needed one, but I did need it every four hours for a while there. But two pills made me nauseated. I tolerated one fine, but not two. So if I had more pain than one pill was managing, I could also have Tylenol. So sometimes I had the two together.
I was on this regimen for the two weeks I was in the hospital (plus I got some much more serious stuff immediately after surgery) and for a bit when I was first at home. Probably another week, maybe two? A good month of regular oxycodone usage for me. I kind of weaned myself off of it but it was simply based on how much my leg hurt. I never felt any sort of addiction tendencies for it, but I don’t think I really have that type of personality. I also never felt anything particularly pleasant while on it, just a diminishing of the pain. When they gave me things like fentanyl and morphine and dilaudid (oh boy the dilaudid!) it felt good enough that I could definitely see why people might seek those drugs out. But I never got that feeling from oxycodone, just pain relief. I still have some here but I haven’t needed to take it. Not because I don’t have pain anymore, sadly, I do. Every day. But I take Tylenol or Advil and it’s enough.
I hope that helps! I do think what planejane said above is important. I noticed that it is much harder to get rid of the pain if you wait until you are miserable to take the pills. It’s better to take something when you only have a little pain, at least in the first week after surgery. It’s much harder to get over the pain mountain once it reaches a certain point. They tell you that, but then it becomes clear once you experience it. Don’t try to be hero; your body has been put through some serious trauma when you have a surgery and you really do need some help to get through the pain. It won’t be forever; you can be tough later. 
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Thanks everyone! 4 days out!!!
My nurse has messaged me TWICE that it’s ok if I experience season allergies leading to anesthesia and she also said I can take antihistimines as long as I let the anesthesiologist know but omg why do I keep googling it?? Google says NO ANTIHISTIMINES prior to anesthesia.
Anyways I’ve been wearing a mask outdoors for the last week+ but just this morning woke up slightly sniffly so I’m freaking out.
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It’s okay. She keeps messaging you because everyone has allergies rn. It’s gonna be okay.
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It’s gonna be okay and you’re so close yay!!! 
Hang in there
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Thx y’all. Realizing I worded that oddly. She messaged me twice because I messaged her twice lol. Let’s be clear here about who was being obsessive.
It was me.
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It has somehow just occurred to me that all of my cropped shirts are going to be “longer” on me.
I always crop my men’s shirts above the hips since they aren’t sewn for hips like mine… but I have built in lifting apparatus’ right now that won’t be there in a few days, so the shirts will sit a few inches lower.
Nice.
I’ve also been putting off summer shirt shopping as it’s been many years since my need for new shirts aligned with a new season (all of my tanks and shirt sleeves are trashed) and it will be interesting and maybe even a little fun to shop for shirts in a few weeks. 
I feel very “tee hee” about it, which is the only way I can explain it.
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Ok.
One weekend day and one business day until surgery. Thankfully I got a morning spot and got my arrival time yesterday.
Tuesday at 11:20am.
I’m basically quarantining myself to avoid illness and/ or allergies but I’ve also caught up on my prep list and there’s not too too much left to do… so now I have time to think. And thinking means getting a little nervous. I’m not nervous about surgery, but I am nervous about recovery; wanting to know I can do things for myself ok after friend leaves, and mostly I want it to be just over. I hate anticipation. I dislike changes in routine. Ughhhhg
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You are so close! You have done so good a job preparing!
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Thanks buddy !!!
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Ok I’ve made it through today. I was able to leave a few thing on my to do list so that I’m not just twiddling my thumbs tomorrow.
I’m tempted to pre cook more food but that would mean deep cleaning my kitchen again.
I probably have…. 15 days of food? But I also need to feed my helper, so I’m not sure. I can fit a little more in my freezer if I need to. I can afford take out/ delivery twice I think. Maybe generally once a week.
My current stresser is laundry. I keep doing mini loads so that I’ll be caught up, but inevitably there will, at some point, be laundry to do.
Someone else touching my underwear stresses me out. I can MAYBE do my own laundry if I just let it build up and then do little loads and use my grabber tool. Not knowing how these logistics will play out is very stressful.
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Could you buy extra underwear? Then your helper can launder all of your other clothes, but you don’t have to worry about them having to touch/see your underwear.
Even if you’d prefer they don’t do your laundry, then you’d have a little more buffer before you felt like you HAD to do it yourself.
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One thing a helper can also do is grocery shop. I know I would be very happy to do that for pretty much any friend recovering from surgery (and a lot of people I’m not nearly close enough with to call a friend).
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Thank you! I thought of this today, but tbh there’s probably no time now and I think maybe only wal mart maybe carries the undies I like and that place feels like dangerous germland to me for a few days before surgery (maybe I’m being dramatic).
I am thinking I won’t be working out, I won’t be dog walking, I’ll probably be changing my undies a lot less? I’m usually 2-3 pairs a day, cuz once they’re sweaty I’ve just gotta change em.
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Yes, I think so! And even if it’s after my helper is gone, grocery delivery is not toooo tooo expensive or maybe pick up could put them in my trunk and I can just bring things in one at a time.
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Thanks y’all! I just keep worrying about holes in my plans/preps at this point and I think it’s just nerves.
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I bet your neighbors would help carry in groceries, too. You seem to have some good eggs around you.
Also totally understand worrying about holes in the system. You’re absolutely well-prepared, though.
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