Things to do post op??

Posted , 18 users are following.

As I patiently wait for the surgery (April 25th), I was wondering what everybody did to occupy their time through recovery. Being stuck inside while it is warm outside doesn't really excite me much. Can you please give me a few ideas?? Thank you!!

2 likes, 36 replies

36 Replies

Next
  • Posted

    I was told to do as little as possible for the first 6 weeks afterwards by the surgeon. He wants the bone to start to grow around it before exercising and such. 
  • Posted

    I am 6 weeks today on my second hip,I haven't been bored I have watched tv,talked to people on hear,sorted paperwork out for work,gone for little walks when the weather has been ok,sorted washing after a couple of weeks and done some bits of cleaning g where I could.I was doing fine untill last weekend when I got a chest infection so that has knocked me back to square one where I would rest whenever I could. Just listen to your body I am sure you will be fine. IF it's nice maybe you could rest in the sunshine. Both mine have been in January and February when it's cold .Good luck sure you will be fine x

    • Posted

      Thank you! I think that I am just getting anxious and trying to get eveything in order before hand. I have never done any needle work or crocheting so I might try to learn. Not much a reader but I do have a series of books that I could read (i get bored with reading very easily). 

      I am so sorry for you being sick! I hope you get well soon and back to recovery! 

  • Posted

    Jill

    I'm having my op on March 22nd but will probably be in the hospital (rather bored) for 10 days. But I'm rather hoping I will be able to get outside once I'm home. Here in the UK it can be nice in April and depending where you live it may well be nice too.

    You should be mobile when you get home so even if you can't walk far shouldn't be stuck inside. The only thing I did find was that sitting at a desk working for any length of time did make my ankles swell a bit but you can alternate sitting with legs up and down.

    Hope it all goes well

    Mike

  • Posted

    Hi, I'm waiting for mine too which is pencilled in for 4th April apparently but no official appt as yet. I'm currently having loads of work done on the house to make it a nicer environment when I'm grounded but I too am a bit worried about being stuck in. I get bored pretty easily so although in theory a few weeks off sounds good in reality I think I may go slightly mad!!! Good luck x

    • Posted

      We will be close in surgery dates. We will have to keep in touch on recoveries! If you think of anything other than t.v. and laptops to do please let me know!! Good Luck!
    • Posted

      What to do?

      Well it depends on your circumstances:

      Do you live alone?

      What help will you have over the recovery period?

      How much will family and friends rally round?

      Just a few very general points about what you can/can't do:

      1 Everything will take longer after a major operation. Getting out of bed, washing, dressing, things like washing your hair, preparing food and eating it.

      2 I expect you will be given some exercises by the hospital - do them even if you don't feel like it.

      3 Passing the time - it all depends what your interests are. Some can be continued- eg sedentary things like reading, writing, listening to music, watching TV or DVDs. Others won't be possible - ski-ing or tennis, for instance - but you could still watch then on videos.

      4 Books - also e-books on Kindle and similar devices, our library now has  e-books to download to a PC. I found my i-pad very useful, both in hospital and at home. Everything from books to music to news and weather, games and email. And it's easy to carry around.

      I'm sure you'll find plenty to keep you busy.

      Hope everything goes well

       

    • Posted

      I am grateful that I will be staying with my mom who will be assisting me the whole recovery period. So I will have her to talk to but I do know that while evenings come, she will be sleeping and I will be staring at every wall in the room. I just needed some ideas for night time so that I can have something to do while I won't be able to sleep as much. I will check out some books and definitely will have my ipad fo something to do. But it is definitely the nights that are going to bring me down. 

      Thank you for your ideas! 

      smile

  • Posted

    Go for walks build up muscles slowly. Enjoy the outdoors sunshine it will lift your spirits. Do daily exercises and never oner do. 
  • Posted

    I'll be honest, it can be difficult. Admit you are going to NEED all the rest. Save up movies, books and FaceTime phone calls for this time. Have people visit! You are going to have to walk and excercise too. The first 6 weeks were around Christmas for me. So it was lovely, children and husband were home and we were cooking, baking and chatting. I was progressing well. But at 6 weeks I tore all the muscles around my hip. So all progress was gone, and no excercise what so ever. That was hard, I had gone through my work, books, tv shows. So play it safe rest, and do your excercise. But remain patient. Rest, read, regroup. I don't know. 

    • Posted

      I am so sorry to hear about your set back! Hope that you will be back up and recovering soon! 

      I think that the difficult part for me will be that I am not suppose to exercise at all! The surgeon does not want me to do anything for the first six weeks. He wants to make sure that the bone will have a good enough growth over the prosthetic before doing any exercises. So except from walking occasionally, I will be stuck in bed/chair. I think that is why I am trying to figure out what I am going to do.... ????

    • Posted

      Yes, I think you are smart to plan it out. I only got to walk about 15 minutes a day around 6 weeks. So lots of sitting. You will be able to enjoy the beauty of spring. I know I am not helping....😔

      I am now able to walk around 30 minutes a day. Yeah. Still have a limp, but no crutches. 

      What do you enjoy doing? But never get time to do, learn a new skill? Language, plan a trip.....

      I am a yoga teacher, so I wrote lesson plans/sequences. And ate tons of chocolate. 

      good luck! Xx

  • Posted

    I spent time making crafts and sorting home paperwork out as well as reading inbetween doing my exercises ! Good luck x
  • Posted

    I have some nice adult coloring books and good quality color pencils to use. Also a few different puzzle books such as Suduko, word find a few others. Plus I knit and crochet. Hop this helps
  • Posted

    lol your obviously not UK if it's warm outside in April !

    I watched complete 6 series of a game of thrones and all 3 seasons of The fall and got some great books ! Good luck !

    • Posted

      I am from the Midwest in the US so April is our Spring and it gets to be so beautiful out with everything blooming. I have to admit that I have seen every series in the Game of Thrones but I will probably watch it all over again (love that series) Also the walking dead. 

      Thank you!!!

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.