I decided to do this out of state. I'm 40, my wife is with me but so is our 1 year old so maybe I won't get THAT much help from her. I'm thinking about staying for minimum 2 weeks, maybe 3 before flying back.
Based on your experience, did you need a lot of help with stuff like getting out of bed, shower, etc? 1st week? 2nd week? I'm thinking about maybe asking my father to come down to help but i'm not sure if it'll be too much.
I had bilateral procedures in the same week. I only needed assistance the first couple of days. And even that was minimal. I believe I was very fortunate though...
I live alone, so the answer is zero. Only once in both of my recoveries did I need help getting up, and that was because I was on too soft a foam to get up from post surgery (you'll understand if you experience this). I just called my neighbor who was over in seconds to help. You do need to prepare your area for success. You need to make sure your bed is a good height, and not too soft. If you're using foam toppers you're going to need to remove them, or you might not be able to get up. May patients choose to spend a few nights in a power recliner because they make it easy to get up. A walk in shower is not a problem, but a tub shower is all but impossible. They teach you how at the hospital, but it was a while before I could do it. You will need everything in a deluxe hip/knee kit from Amazon. You want slip on shoes. You want all your foodstuffs, and anything you need regularly, to be where you can grab it without bending over. As long as you properly prepare you can manage with minimal help.
It's been a while (thirteen years now), but I was a fresh faced divorcee, so I lived alone. My parents helped me out the first week, doing mostly parent things like rearranging my carefully arranged medicine drawer so I couldn't find anything, bless their hearts.
They helped in many ways, but mostly companionship on my initial walks in the hallways of my apartment complex. It was nice having them, but I sent them on their way after five days or so. They were getting tired and I was doing fine.
The things that helped me, much of which I was advised to do by previous hippies on this group were:
- Prepare by widening the paths in your domicile. You have to navigate your space with crutches, so prepare the ways for yourself.
- Put important eating / condiments in the front of the refrigerator. You'll have a hard time initially with anything towards the back.
- Set up your cell phone chargers on a reliable surface. I used my kitchen counter; anything I inadvertently hit would not pitch to the ground. Like your cell phone.
- Use or get a grabber (not sure if this is the scientific term) for picking up those important things that have fallen to the ground.
- Use a tool to get socks on. Nothing more annoying than wanting to do your walking and having no socks in the winter. Or in the summer in mosquito areas.
- Use a strategy getting in or out of bed. I had a method, to use the non surgical leg to support the surgical. I laid flat on my back, sat up and slid the non surgical leg under the surgical leg, then straightened it like a board. This kept the surgical leg under control and protected. I swung my legs (and turned my body) over the side of the bed and then lowered my non-surgical leg down, bringing my surgical leg with it. Used my crutches to stand. To get into bed, reverse the process.
- Practice sitting down to and up from the toilet without much help from your legs, use crutches to get the most benefit.
- Make sure you can use your crutches not only for walking on flat ground, but also to have the right process to get up and down stairs. I had an occupational therapist at the hospital who was great in training for that, getting me in and out of the tub, etc.
- It helps to precook meals and freeze them or at least portions of meals. I chopped up bell peppers and other vegetables to use in cooking, froze them and would break a chunk off for meals; someone brighter may have put them in meal size bags, but .... guy here. Same with chili or soups, although cans work for that.
- One thing that was great both inside and when I started driving. Your leg is going to get sore, and can be helped by applying ice. The ice packs were too thick to put comfortably under my leg when sitting. Someone kind suggested this and just passing it on - take a hand or dish towel, soak it then wring it out. Fold the towel so it comfortably sits inside a plastic freezer bag. Freeze the bag, you'll have a nice flat ice pack. Apply it under your leg when sitting or driving, it will thaw out in about five to ten minutes, just enough to apply cold, but not long enough to risk frostbite. Put it back into the freezer, it will freeze in about fifteen minutes and then use it again. This gives your body the right amount of time to recover. You never have to add more water if you seal it right
These are not hard preparations, but they helped me a lot, hope they help you.