OT surgery on wednesday

It's for a labral tear repair, but also some reshaping of the head of the fermur. I will definitely be partial weight bearing for a month, doctors orders. Probably non weight bearing for a day or so afterwards, I'll be using crutches. DH will be here all the time for the first few days.

no dogs, but children, which need teaching the same thing!

the one thing I haven't done is got a shower chair sorted, I've got most of what you suggested lined up by the bed and will add more.

the tips are great, fortunately I'm not going to have to survive alone long term. I've got 40 meals in the freezer. Books and magazines by my bed an my applique!

Anne

Best of luck Anne with your surgery today, I hope all goes well and is complication free. Sending prayers and good wishes to you and bunny hugs..

Elly

You can get a shower chair at a medical supply store. They are often associated with a hospital. Your doctor's office could direct you to one. They often rent the items, but I needed it for so long it was cheaper to buy it. I think it was about $120??? I prefer the kind where you sit on it and it glides into the bath tub rather than a stationary one where you have to twist around on it.

Crutches are okay, but I found that a walker helps you move easier with fewer 'challenges'. It will keep dogs/children from crowding you (you are surrounded by a metal cage!), it has four legs rather than the two legs with crutches for much better stability, you can carry things in a pouch attached to the walker, you can't take steps that are too long as crutches will tempt you to do and you won't lose your balance and tip over with a walker. You might reconsider the crutches- both work in the same way, but the walker is superior IMO.

I'm sure you are pretty much a bundle of nerves today. Try to do things that make you happy, try to relax and think 'nice/happy' thoughts. In a few days/weeks you'll be pain free and it will have been sooooo worth the 'inconvenience' of having surgery! Best of luck!

This was one of the things I was supposed to do in advance, but didn't, however, they do say they want me to keep it dry for several days, so either we've got time to get one, or I might find that I'm ok in the shower. We have a separate shower, so it's not getting in and out that is a problem (it was when I had the intial injury and we did only have a shower over the bath, we got a bath board which helped).

Other than the first few days, it's partial weight bearing due to protection rather than necessity, he considers the risk to be falling, rather than pain, poor healing etc. he says a can is sufficient, but I know that I'd struggle with that as I'd have it in my left hand and I have problems with that shoulder, crutches split the weight. I couldn't really use a walker in our house, due to the stairs and for going out, we couldn't fit it in the car - so it's not really an option. I'll keep it in the back of my mind in case anything isn't how we expect.

It was already a late time and they just called to say they are running late. 4pm is the earliest I'll be in theatre. My anxiety level was ok before, it's risen a bit now! I've never actually been given pre op medication before, but even though I feel pretty controlled, I'm a lot more anxious than I've been before surgery before, I hope they offer me something. I've never had a panic attack, but I wouldn't put it past me on the way to theatre/in the anaesthetic room. Particularly if they make me leave my glasses behind, rather than take them from me at the last possible moment.

I think I have everything ready, in some ways a little extra time at home is ok, as it gives me more time to remember things it would be useful to have by the bed, I just put scissors and nail file, brush, moisturiser and chapstick which I hadn't thought of before, think I'll just go get hand cream as well...

Anne

Anne: Hope you are on the road to recovery already! Here are a couple suggestions, from my experience as a care giver and/or as a patient.

Walkers do fold to no larger than a beach chair. We had no problems stowing a walker in our Camry seating area or its trunk.

I second Leslie's excellent suggestion for a shower chair. Sometimes a patient is 'wobbly' for a while after surgery, so a chair helps with stability, even with a stall shower. You should be able to get a chair with a back for about $50. This would be a regular chair, not the transfer chair that Leslie mentioned. I know those chairs are excellent, but if you don't need that elaborate a system, and if you have someone to assist or monitor your entry and exit, a less expensive and more compact version may work out for you.

Finally, be sure you have a supply of chocolate on hand!

PAT in VA/USA

I had an operation when I was in my teens and went straight into listening to a broadcast of James Saunders's play "Next Time I'll Sing To You" before the ether had worn off. It's one of the great monuments of British surrealism anyway, somewhere between Beckett, Pinter and the Goons, but it was positively hallucinatory in that state of mind.

Want to watch the Middle Eastern band I play with? - it'd probably do your head in even more than that.

haven't looked at it yet myself, the site is only a few days old.(It's me on the metal clarinet). ============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

The local Goodwill loans (at no charge) stuff like walkers and shower chairs. You can use it as long as you need it and then return it. I've also seen stuff like that for sale at the Salvation Army store.

Julia > You can get a shower chair at a medical supply store. They are often

If you have one of those lightweight, inexpensive stacking plastic patio chairs, those can be used in the shower. I used one for a few days after my hysterectomy rather than spend the money on a shower bench. (That was before I knew about the Goodwill equipment lending service.)

Julia > Anne: