Hysterectomy Recovery Necessities

Recovery from a hysterectomy isn’t easy, but there are a few necessities that can at least make it more comfortable. Recovery hasn’t been as terrible as I thought it would be. Matter of fact, I didn’t realize how sick I was before surgery until realizing how much better I feel post surgery. Still, it’s surgery and you do have to recover. You’ve got one shot at recovery and healing and I’m so glad that I put a table beside my recliner where I’m spending most of my time at to hold all the things that I need. It makes my life easier because I’m not getting up and down all the time and it makes my family’s life easier because I’m not calling them to get me something every few minutes either. So I’ve compiled a list of some of the things that I’m using during my post-surgery that are great to have right beside you. Hopefully they can help you too.

• A Yeti tumbler, or any tumbler that will keep your drink cold. The last thing you want to do, or should be doing is constantly getting up and down to refresh your drink. Plus you’ll be sleeping a lot and it’s nice to wake up and take a sip of a drink that’s remained cold while you sleep and you need to stay hydrated.
• A Prayer pillow, or any small pillow. I have a small rectangular prayer pillow that my mom made me several years ago. I even took it with me into pre-op and vaguely remember someone giving it back to me when I got back into my room after the surgery. It will serve many functions, the first being to comfort you. I think I just snuggled into it after surgery, and the nurses used it to prop up my arms while I slept because of the IV’s it was more comfortable. On the way home, it was a buffer between my tummy and the seatbelt. At home, I’ve used it to support my sides and tummy, as a buffer when the cat wants to walk across my stomach or chest, to hold my tummy when I sneeze or laugh, and to remind me that God’s got this.
• Books, tablets, movies and anything that will keep you entertained while awake. Nows your chance to catch up on Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube.
• Things to keep at your side: Remotes, your cell phone and charger, and chargers for all electronics that you’re using.
• Medicine: Keep your medicine at your table along with a way to track when you took it last and when your next dosage is. Use a notebook, an app, or for us a dry erase board in our classroom so everyone could see it and help me keep on schedule.
• Crackers to eat when you take your medicine so you don’t get sick from them. My girls bought me pink Princess Goldfish crackers and they were a Godsend!
• A thermometer to keep an eye on any fever.
• A heating pad to make everything feel better and an ice pack in the freezer.
• Your glasses or contacts so you don’t have to hunt them down.
• A lap desk or tv tray so that you have something to set your plate on. It gets tiring holding a plate and you can’t really set a plate on your lap right now.
• Your favorite blankets and pillows for when you nap.
• Tissues in case you sneeze or just need to blow your nose. Who wants to get up just for that?
• Hair ties or twisties so you can feel a little human.
• A bottle or tube of your favorite lotion. Between the hospital air and the anesthesia and medicine, your skin might suffer. Not to mention you might not be drinking enough. So baby that skin!
• A puppy or kitty that loves to snuggle, but not on your tummy, will help you get the best sleep and make you feel all better.

I hope this list helps you with your hysterectomy recovery. It could really help with any type of surgery. It really did make a difference having a little table beside me that I could keep these necessities on. It’s the little things!