• dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
      101·
      12 days ago

      thank you so much!! I had not considered the power bar, and I haven’t planned audiobooks and podcasts but those are great ideas!

      On the donut pillow: for clarification, I keep reading and hearing contradicting advice about the donut cushion / circle pillow - most advice is that it’s the wrong thing to sit on post-op (that it increases pressure on the wounds rather than relieves it, but that it’s also a common mistake that people use it or are suggested to use it).

      In one of my pre-op appointments they explicitly told me first of all that I should basically avoid sitting at all costs, never sit pre-op (only lie down flat for up to 2 hours, otherwise try standing), and if I have to sit e.g. in a car to get home, put the seat all the way down to lie down as much as possible and to always use a waffle cushion and not a donut cushion / circle pillow. That’s what I was told by my physician’s assistant last week anyway. Just passing along in case.

      I think the no sitting rule is to prevent pressure on the sutures and thus to prevent wound dehiscence.

  • LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zoneMEnglish
    8·
    11 days ago

    Hm. You should bring a lot of comfortable clothes. I honestly kinda wish I had cut my hair before surgery, cause you end up spending a lot of time fairly low energy and in bed. My hair ended up getting super tangled as a result. If youre diligent you could braid it frequently or just get someone else to brush it, but I had like 3 foot long hair so I was not capable of managing it on my own lol. Bring hand and lip cream, hospital/clinic air can be super dry. Bring some stuff to keep you occupied ofc, game consoles or books or shows. The clinic i went to had us all in dorms so I brought headphones to be polite to everyone else staying at the time.

    Before hand, I mean for me it was winding off of smoking (almost 2 years since i quit) and trying to get into a healthier eating routine. Cutting back on caffeine and stocking up on low effort meal supplies. Trying to keep calm. Things go very fast once youre there but the build up can be nerve wracking.

    After hand, while youre in the hospital they will be instructing you on every little thing. They won’t force you to walk, or at least my clinic only forced me to do it on day 1. But I kept walking every day, usually twice a day for 15 minutes each. Its good to keep yourself moving but also not overdo it.

    Once you’re back home do not try to get back into your normal routine. You are off your feet and your are in recovery and you will need help. Crucial that during the first 2 months you spend as much putting minimal strain on your body. You’ll sleep a lot. Get a in bed laptop/meal tray. It will come in handy, or at least it did for me. Download a timers app on your phone early on for timing dilation, pain killers, walks, etc. The first few months feel like forever at first but it goes pretty fast. When you get first home though yeah you really want to rest as much as possible, get lots of fluids and focus on adhering to the routine your surgeon tells you to do.

  • captainlezbian@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    11 days ago

    Don’t move immediately after you’re allowed to lift things. Don’t get any piercings two months after surgery.

    Bring dry shampoo, a hemmaroid doughnut, a reacher grabber, and something to entertain yourself. Comfort items are big. A loved one is invaluable.

    The week after bottom surgery is going to be the worst week of your life. Accept it. It will get better, but holy godsdamn fuck does that week suck. Recovery is long, slow, and anxious. Also when they tell you to move and stand, do it, your legs will be sore until you use them.

    Once you return home have protein bars and someone who can help with basic things.

    Oh also, it’s a long tradition for trans lesbians to put off learning makeup until surgery recovery. If you haven’t learned yet, it’s a good use of a few hours.

    Oh and pray to every deity that will listen to not be allergic to opiates. Just trust me on that one

    • Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      5·
      11 days ago

      Oh also, it’s a long tradition for trans lesbians to put off learning makeup until surgery recovery. If you haven’t learned yet, it’s a good use of a few hours.

      I feel like that would require either an uncomfortable amount of time spent vertical, or a flexible arm mounted to ones bed with a mirror.

      • captainlezbian@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        11 days ago

        So there’s like a week of hospital and pain. Then a week or two where you’re mostly lying down. Then you’ve got a few weeks where you’re increasingly well, sitting around at home, and around that time it’s not uncommon to actually want to spend increasing amounts of time up. Listen to your doctor and your body, but yeah a month and a half is a long time and activities that help you slowly transition to exertion levels of work are good.

        • dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOPEnglish
          1·
          3 days ago

          so, funny you mentioned not moving, but I might be moving like 4 weeks after my surgery 🙈

          Do you remember roughly how long it was before you could, for example, sit through a short-ish flight (like sitting for a few hours)?

          • captainlezbian@lemmy.worldEnglish
            2·
            3 days ago

            So I moved 6 weeks after mine and my advice is hire movers. It wasn’t dangerous, but lifting furniture suuuuuucked

            So my surgeon was a 3 hour drive from my home so I managed the trip fairly quickly. It sucked but I had a good cushion.

  • noughtnaut@lemmy.worldEnglish
    7·
    12 days ago

    No tips from me, just lots of good wishes and I’m happy for you, stranger. It’s incredible that this is even possible.