Post op supplies

[bri]

Surgery Dec 8. When do you find out what you need for supplies like crutches, cane, raised toilet seat, sock helper ect. Should you go out and buy these before hand or does the hospital supply them for you?

[hernanu]

Bri, the hospital gave me all of the supplies except for a raised toilet seat. My doctor said I wouldn't need one, so I didn't get one.

It was a bit of a challenge to use the regular toilet seat, so in retrospect, I probably could have used one - not totally necessary for me, but might have been nice. After a few weeks, I was fine without it, but it is useful, especially if you don't have something (wall, counter) that you can lean on as you sit down.

[PistolPete]

bri,

I had the same surgeon as hernanu and they offered a kit that has the sock on took, grabbers, elastic shoe laces, and a few other items.  The elastic shoe laces are a must.  This way you don't need to buy new shoes and you can just wear your regular ones.  You will need a shoehorn as well.  I bought a raised toilet seat and it's been awesome.

[curt]

      Bri, the raised seat (preferably with the handles on the side) was the only piece of equipment I wish I had gotten.  The other stuff was unused and for me un-missed.  Getting down to and up from the toilet was awkward to do without it.  The handles to push up or ease down would have been nice.  As it was I had to drop like a giraffe gets water.
     
Good Luck, Curt

[bri]

How do you tie your shoes with elastic shoe laces if you cant bend past the 90 degrees?How do you put pants around your feet and slide them on? Looks like I might have to be extra extra nice to my wife for a while.Make her mad now I could be really screwed?

[PistolPete]

bri,

With the elastic shoelaces all you do is put your shoes on or have your wife do it and then tie them.  Once they are tied you simply keep them tied.  This allows you to slip your shoes on without having to tie them.  Makes life so much easier.

As for lifting your leg to put your pants etc. on.  This is a bit of a challenge.  I originally used the grabber tool and what I would do is step into one pant leg and use the grabber to put it on over my ankle.  Then I would step into the other leg and use the grabber to pull the pants up. Another trick is to use the crutch and put it thru the inside of the pant leg  to open it up so you can get your leg thru it.

Being nice to your wife is a must.  She will be helping you more than you realize esp. for the first week and a half.  One other thing you will need is a backpack.  This way you grab what you need, put it in the backpack, throw it over your shoulders and you're off. Don't be carrying things in your hands while on crutches. It's a recipe for disaster.

[tennisgirl]

Get a body pillow, and have lots of pillows in the bed with you so you can find a comfortable position.  Raised toilet seat with handles is a must.  Have used the sock putter onner some, but the weather has been mild here and I've been going barefoot, but it's nice to have if you are alone and want to put on socks.  The grabber tool is also very handy.  It takes some time to put on pants and underwear with it, but you get the hang of it quickly.  Sometimes I use a cane to put on pants if the grabber is not nearby.

Best of luck!

Mindi

[Woodstock Hippy]

I've had elastic laces in my race running shoes for years but I think that the way I set up my old ruining shoes for casual wear will work out much better for us hippies.  Put the shoes on and tie the laces as loose as possible. When you walk around everything will adjust into place and they become easy on-easy off.  Mine are so loose that I can almost step right into them.  I'm using the long shoe horn here at the hospital to get the shoes on easily and they never feel too loose walking with one hand crutch or riding the bicycle.

Elastic laces are great for triathlon.  When you run everything stays just fine but when you're sitting still they seem to keep clinching up until you need to pull off your shoes and start over.

[Woodstock Hippy]

Also, I like my Grabber so much I think we all should be born with one!

[FlbrkMike]

We looked at all the stuff before surgery but decided to wait.  There's a pharmacy 10 minutes from our house that carries all the surgical stuff so my wife could easily go back to get anything that I needed.  I'm glad we waited because it turns out the only thing we had to buy was a leg wedge (for my second surgery).

The hospital I was at supplied a grabber and a pair of conventional crutches. 

When I asked about a raised toilet seat they said that they could send one home with me but that they found that usually they weren't needed.  By the day after my surgery I found that I could make my way to the bathroom in my hospital room and get to the toilet by myself.  There was a raised commode available but it must have been designed for 10 year olds or ballet dancers because my 230 lb butt wouldn't fit between the handles without squeezing on the incision.  I was able to get marginally comfortable on the standard seat using the grab bars in the bathroom.  In my home there's a door jamb just in front of and next to the toilet so I was able to use that to help lower myself gently and to stand up when finished.  The one thing I wished that I had at the time was a PADDED toilet seat.

I was able to put my socks on unassisted within a day or two of going home.  It was a slow and arduous process at first but I could do it, and one thing I had plenty of was time.  At first I used the grabber to hook my big toe in the opening and then I could reach (barely) far enough with my hand to work it up onto my foot.  I wore non-slip socks (also provided by the hospital) for the first few days when in the house, and clogs whenever I needed shoes.  No worry about laces at all.  I was then able to tie my shoes, probably within a week or so.

The grabber came in handy for getting my pants started and for bugging the heck out of my wife (won't elaborate on that...).  I wore comfortable sweats or shorts exclusively for a couple of weeks.  First you bunch up the pants leg that's going on your operated side in the grabber.  Use the grabber to slip it over your foot, and then use it to pull the waistband up high enough to grab with your hand.  From there it's easy to put the foot on your "good" side in its side of your pants and pull them the rest of the way up.

[Tin Soldier]

Raised toilet seat was a must for me.  It was a total and literal PIA to sit on the regular toilet seat and not much better to sit on the raised toilet seat, but better.  We opted out on that option when we left the hospital and then when we got home, I had to have my neighbor pick up a raised toilet seat.  The neighbor's 14 yr old son showed up with it and a pizza.  It was kinda funny, but a little odd. 

I think my ROM was pretty bad before surgery and I think that's why the toilet was so nice.   

[Anniee]

My doctor's office provides crutches for patients who do not have them for about $10.  I borrowed mine from a friend who had resurfacing several years ago.  The hospital provided a kit that included the sock contraption, a grabber, a leg lifter thingie and a shoe horn.  The only thing I have used, after having to learn to use the sock contraption at the hospital, was the grabber, which I used for the first 6 weeks after each surgery, and the leg lifter thingie, which I needed for two days after the second surgery to lift my operated leg into the bed.

I use the grabber to put my underwear and my pants on - it is not difficult.  It also comes in handy for picking up stuff you may drop on the floor if nobody else is handy to pick it up.  I had my surgeries in April and October, so I did not use socks.  I bought a pair of shoes without laces that I can just slip my feet into, and wore those for the first 6 weeks.  After that, I was able to tie or buckle regular shoes.

I got the raised toilet seat on recommendation from the doctor's office.  I go the kind with handles, which really makes things so much more comfortable.  Especially if you do not happen to have a door jamb handy for support.  I highly recommend it.  Mine is pretty big (the seat), so I think it might accommodate a pretty good sized butt.