TKR What will I need

Golflady

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Please give me some advice as to what I will need in my home when I return from surgery. Thanks
 
It's helpful if you can pre-cook some main meals and freeze them, so that it's easier in the early days for you or your helper to provide a good meal without too much effort.

Decide where you're going to spend most of your time in the early days of recovery and set up a little "nest" there, with everything you're likely to need close at hand. If possible, have this comfortable nesting area on the same level as your bathroom and kitchen.

Stock up on non-perishable pantry items and arrange for delivery of perishable foods.

You'll need someone to drive you to doctor and PT visits for about 6 weeks.
 
You may not be recovering alone, but this thread also has lots of practical tips.
 
@Golflady One of the most useful items I had was a "toilet seat raiser " this helped me enormously if the 1st, 4 months it attaches on to your toilet seat and then is easily removable afterwards when no longer needed.
I also made sure that I had most things at arms reach, as I used crutches I used shorts with large pockets if I was moving from room to room as you do need your hands free xx
 
I'm currently in week 3 of recovery from bilateral total replacement. It was a rough first week.
Yes, the raised toilet seats! We have a 2 story house so I got one for both floors.
And I'll just be candid here. I had some difficulty making it to the toilet in time in the first week. So luckily one of my raised seats was a "stand alone" type that can sit right over the bowl with no installation but ALSO can fit perfectly over a plastic bucket for emergency potty moments. I ended up needing a few of those waterproof mats pads for in front of that bedside potty and the side of my bed. That's just me. Not everyone has a crazy bladder.
Other things that have helped me:
Cotton gowns to make potty easier on the early days (sensing a theme for me here? :heehee:)
Cozy short socks
Grabber
Dependable med minder app
Plastic med minder
Box of See's chocolates
Easy to use method for elevation, whether it's a fancy expensive wedge or an easy to stack set of pillows - you need to elevate constantly and you don't want to be wrestling with props
Did I mention chocolate?
 
Thanks so much. Hope you are feeling better! I love chocolate too!
 
I forgot to mention a nice walker has been a big help. I have a front wheel style walker. I really needed it those first few days. Then later I mainly needed it for those nighttime bathroom trips in the semi darkness while half awake.
It helped a lot to take my walker through the house on a trial run to see how it would maneuver. I had to move the wheels from outside to inside the frame to accommodate some narrow doorways. I'm so glad I discovered that before surgery.
I attached a tag with my name and contact information to it and had my hubby bring it to hospital once I was out of surgery. The visiting PT was able to make sure it was adjusted correctly before I went home.
 
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If you have a walker at home, check with the hospital if you can bring it in with you. Many hospitals will not want you to bring in your home aids in to the hospital but want you to use the ones provided in hospital. Always better to check ahead of time.
 
Along with the chocolate I had other snacks or items that I knew I could eat easily. I have always had a problem with pain meds and nausea. I also slept a lot the first few days home (can never sleep in the hospital). I had foods that I knew I could eat like yogurt, crackers,....things light on the stomach. I got hooked on protein shakes :) I also had a strap to help lift my leg when getting in and out of bed. It looked like a stiff dog leash with loop at the end. Would just hook around my foot and move the leg. The ice machine (Iceman) was a God send. Hope everything goes well.
 
Yes the ice machine! You might want to find out from your hospital if they will be sending you home with an ice machine. If not, you want an icing solution.
I wish I'd called ahead, because I bought 2 machines pre-surgery only to find out that they were sending me home with 2 more!
 

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