Before you check in to the hospital, make a few practical preparations at home for your post-surgery recovery. It can help reduce frustration later. Courtesy : Arthritis Today magazine.
Finally, the day has arrived – your surgery was a success and your doctors have given you the green light to go home. Have you properly prepared for your homecoming?
In a recent survey of Arthritis Today readers who had undergone joint surgery, more than 41 percent said they were well prepared for their at-home recovery needs – and were grateful for it. Those who weren’t prepared reported feelings of frustration and depression.
When you plan joint replacement, you not only have the luxury of time to prepare for the surgery, you also have time to prepare yourself and your home for recovery. Arthritis Today has consulted the experts and created this checklist to help you prepare for your homecoming and the weeks of recovery that follow.
Refer to it now and check off each item as you prepare for discharge day. But keep in mind it’s only a guideline – it’s not possible to anticipate your every need.
Much of your preparation will depend on your surgery, the type of arthritis you have, which joints are affected, other health problems and how much help you have at home.
While making some arrangements after surgery will still be essential, taking the time to prepare for your discharge day, well before you check in to the hospital, will do wonders to help ease your transition after you check out.
Before you check in:
1. Consult an expert. Many doctor’s offices or hospitals employ discharge planners to help plan for your discharge day and beyond. “I follow patients from the minute the doctor decides they need a joint replacement,” says Rosemary Weser, a discharge planner at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Weser helps patients get ready for surgery, schedules the surgery and meets with them for a pre-op appointment, during which she helps them plan for their return home.
2. Prepare your home. Prepare your home for your return: grab bars in the bathroom, ramps to cover outside steps, electronic lifts to carry you up and down stairs. But if your goal is to simply recover from surgery, preparing your home can be simple and inexpensive. Some physical or occupational therapists will come to your home to recommend modifications. If your insurance doesn’t cover that service, here are some things you can do on your own.
Eliminate clutter – Clear the floors of throw rugs, electrical cords, kids’ toys, etc. Move furniture (or have a friend or family member do it) to make pathways wide enough to accommodate a walker. Elevate seats and beds – If you’ve had hip replacement, you’ll have restrictions on how much you can bend your new joint until the soft tissues around it heal, says Alejandro Gonzalez Della Valle, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery. If your bed is low, have someone place blocks under the legs to raise it.
Make living convenient – Consider what you’ll need when you return home and place items where you can access them easily – pots, pans and dinner plates on the kitchen counter; the TV remote next to your cozy chair. Stock your pantry and freezer before you leave the hospital. Prepare meals ahead and freeze. If your mail is delivered to an outdoor mailbox, contact your post office to request delivery directly to your doorstep.
Set up sleeping arrangements – If your bedroom is on the second floor, set up a temporary one downstairs. If that’s not possible, limit your trips upstairs – once at bedtime, then back down in the morning – advises Frank R. Kolisek, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at OrthoIndy, an orthopaedic practice based in Indianapolis. If you discover you need something from upstairs, unless it’s an emergency, wait until someone else can get it for you.
Get the bathroom ready – If you’re having hip replacement, an elevated toilet seat is a must. Lisa Lein, a physical therapist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, recommends an adjustable commode that can be placed over your regular toilet seat. If your shower has doors, removing them and replacing them temporarily with a curtain will make it easier to get in and out. Other musts: A shower seat and hand-held shower head. You won’t feel like standing while you shower, says Lein, but you won’t be able to sit in the tub for a while either.
3. Order assistive devices and other supplies. Although doctors recommend waiting until after your surgery to find out exactly what you’ll need, there are some devices you can count on being necessities. Be sure to check with your discharge planner as to what devices the hospital will provide for you to take home, and what your insurance will cover. Here are some devices experts and Arthritis Today readers recommend.
TED hose – These are special tight-fitting stockings that prevent blood clots from forming in the legs after a joint replacement. You’ll need to put them on every morning when you get up and take them off each night before you go to bed, says Dr. Della Valle. You can purchase them from medical supply stores.
Ice packs – Ice packs will help ease pain and inflammation of the incision site. Have them ready before you leave the hospital. You can purchase ice packs, use bags of frozen peas or make a squishy ice pack by freezing three parts water to one part rubbing alcohol in a freezer bag. Proper attire – Although you won’t be dressing to go to a party, you won’t want to hang out in your pajamas either. Before surgery, one Arthritis Today reader bought loose clothing that would be easier to get on and off. Monica Blake bought nice workout outfits to wear when she did her physical therapy. “It made me feel like I was in some kind of athletic training program,” she says.
Chair on wheels – You won’t need a wheel chair after joint replacement surgery, but AT readers say a deck chair or office chair with wheels will make it easier to get around in the kitchen.
Carry all – A walker basket can help you get things from A to B when you need your hands to hold your walker. If you don’t have one, try an apron with large pockets, suggests one reader. The apron will also work when you’re upgraded to a cane.
Reachers and grabbers – You won’t be stretching to reach items on high shelves or squatting to pick up the floor or pull up socks for a while. Check your medical supply store for devices that can help you do daily tasks with minimal stretching and bending.
4. Arrange for help Upon your discharge, you’ll be able to tackle some basic daily tasks on your own, but you may need help with meals, laundry, housework and shopping for several weeks, says Dr. Kolisek.
While needing help is a certainty, you won’t know exactly how much you’ll need until you’re home from surgery, says Blake, who asked her aunt to stay with her a week or two after her first knee replacement surgery in 1986. Blake ended up needing her help for a full month. If you’re married, try to plan your surgery for when your spouse can stay home with you for a week or two. If you live alone, ask a friend or family member to come and stay for several days. At the least, have someone check on you a few times a day. If you don’t have friends or family nearby, Weser advises checking to see if your place of worship has a homebound ministry that can help.
If all else fails, you can hire someone to stay with you full or part time through a home health-care or companion service. You can find services in the yellow pages under “Home Health Services,” or through your discharge planner. But check with your insurance first. Most insurers do not cover such services.