Tim here! As I have been recovering I've been thinking a lot about what I did prior to surgery to help out with my recovery. I decided to jot down a list of things I did in hopes that it will help someone else out prior to their own surgery. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it sure helped me get prepared!
1. Clean Your House
The instructions I received from my doctor specifically stated I would not be able to do things like mowing the lawn, do laundry, or bend over to unload dishes from the dishwasher. In other words, you really are not going to be able to do any sort of cleaning during your recovery. Personally, having a dirty house stresses me out so not having that stress during my recovery was nice!
Note from Tia: Also, a clean house means less risk of sickness or infection! For us this meant sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, washing all bedding, and wiping pretty much every surface down with disinfectant.
2. Stock Up on Healthy Food
You are going to want to eat a lot after surgery. I've read that doctors will sometimes give you steroids after brain surgery to control the swelling of the brain. Steroids can make you ravenous! In my particular case the doctors didn't give me steroids but I was still super hungry during the first few weeks of my recovery. Additionally, my doctors advised against me going shopping during my recovery because you may have to lift more than 10 pounds. It's best to do some shopping for a few weeks of healthy food ahead of time.
3. Try to Get in Shape
I read a few different articles that stated that patients that are in good shape tend to recover from any surgery a little faster than patients that aren't. I've been running 3-4 miles at least three times a week for the last four years. In the month before my surgery, I increased my workout regimen to be more strenuous. I worked my way up to running 6 miles each session. Anecdotally I think this paid off for me. I was initially scheduled to be in the hospital for 3-7 days after surgery. I ended up only staying for 2 (one day in the ICU and one day in a general recovery room). Running combined with my age (29) and the excellent care I received in the hospital allowed me to recover quickly!
4. Groom Yourself
The night before I cut my nails, got a hair cut, shaved, and took a shower. I didn't want to stress about having to groom myself after surgery so I did this ahead of time.
5. Catch Up on Laundry
Make sure you have several pairs of shorts, pajamas, and zip up hoodies clean and ready to go. You won't be able to do laundry after surgery for some time so it's essential to have these items. I found that zip up hoodies worked really well because I didn't have to pull anything over my head.
6. Make Arrangements with Your Work for Time Off
This was a bit of a hassle for me. I essentially have three jobs so I had to do a lot of coordination with all parties to make sure I had the time approved. Unfortunately, I had just started working at my main job a few months prior to my surgery so I didn't have a whole lot of time off accrued. That said, everyone at all three of my jobs was more than supportive and they were happy to work with me to get everything squared away. I would highly recommend sitting down with your employer's HR department to see how they handle extended periods of absence. Your employer may have some sort of short term disability option or special PTO for life events like this. In my case, I had to use all of my remaining PTO for 2 of my jobs. Luckily, Tia (my wife) was able to take time off to be my caregiver and she was able to take paid medical leave without taking any PTO.
7.Double Triple Check with Your Insurance That Everything Is Going to Be Covered
If you've ever had to deal with insurance you know how much of a hassle this can be. It took multiple calls and emails to my insurance providers and the hospital to get everything squared away. I would highly encourage you to make sure the hospital and all individuals participating are covered under your insurance. Make sure you get things it writing if you can. The last thing you want is to be stuck with a huge medical bill because your insurance decided not to cover it. In my case, my neurosurgeon had a someone on staff that coordinated benefits with my insurance providers, handled scheduling, and helped with all the "office" related paperwork (FMLA, OFLA, etc). We worked closely with her to make sure we were all taken care of.
8. Make a "Go Bag" for the Hospital
This is a bag that has all your essentials in it. Here's what my go bag contained:
9. Make Sure You Have Someone Lined Up to Take Care of You at All Times
This is probably the MOST IMPORTANT step of them all. As I mentioned above, Tia was able to take time off work to take care of me. When you are home, you'll need someone to help you with pretty much everything, including remembering to take your meds, bathe, eat, and drink. You'll likely not want to walk around unassisted as you will be loopy from the pain killers. Having my wife to take care of me was an essential part of my healing process. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. On the same note, make sure you have someone lined up to take care of your caregiver. They are going to need some breaks from taking care of you. Tia didn't sleep hardly at all for the first during the week of surgery. We lined up some of my family and friends to come over and give her a break. They'd hang out in our house while the two of us slept.
10. Make Sure You Have Someone That Can Help You Out with Your Bills
If you can, you should try to pay some of your monthly bills ahead of time. You don't want to have the stress of having to pay bills in your life while you are trying to recover. Luckily for me, I have an amazing wife and she was able to take over our finances while I was incapacitated. It was a big help to have someone I trust to take care of the finances for me.
11. Do Self-Examinations and Alert Your Doctor If You Find Anything Irregular
I was a little paranoid about my health after I found out I was going to need major surgery. I would do self-examinations and self-checks on a daily basis just to make sure I was otherwise okay. A few weeks before my surgery I discovered one of my lymph nodes was inflamed. I ended up going to my general practitioner who ordered an ultrasound. We discovered whatever was causing it was likely benign and wouldn't affect my recovery. It's important to alert your doctor of any health changes (cold, flu, etc) before any major surgery.
12. Line Up a Few Light Activities to Do While You Recover
If you are anything like me you are going to get BORED AS HELL during your recovery. Before my surgery, I lined up a ton of activities to keep me busy. I've always been a gamer so I knew video games would be my go to once I felt well enough to look at screens again. I also downloaded several podcasts and purchased a few board games to keep myself entertained. I think it's important to keep your mind distracted while you are recovering. My nurse said that focusing on a small project or something with a goal in mind is a good way to ease your pain. You'll be focused more on the outcome of the project than you will be on your pain. And of course, this is also a great time to binge some shows in Netflix. :)
13. Get Your Living Quarters Setup for Your Recovery
There were a few things I wish I had done prior to surgery. Looking back on it now here's what I would recommend doing:
14. Get Some Laxatives
The anesthesia apparently causes your digestive system to cease functioning for a few days while it works its way out of your system. This can lead you to become severely constipated. They gave me stool softener but it didn't help with pooping! Five days after my surgery, we were starting to get concerned so my dad brought over some laxative that he had used after one of his surgeries. It was the worst thing I had ever drank (heavily lemon flavored) but it did the trick!
15. Make a Will, Living Will, and Power of Attorney
This was the hardest part for me. It's so morbid to have to think about this kind of stuff. The chance of a successful outcome for my particular surgery was really high, but I still wanted to be prepared in the even that the worst happened. I think it's important you take some time to make a will so that your loved ones know what to do with your stuff if things go awry during or after surgery. It's also important to make a living will and designate someone to make decisions for you if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to make decisions for yourself. You should choose someone you trust. The same applies for your Power of Attorney. I used a website called Legal Zoom to make mine. I completed it in about 2 hours and it only cost about $130 or so for all three documents. Additionally, you get an hour of an attorney's time if you have any questions.
That's my list! Leave a comment down below if you have any questions and thanks for reading!
1. Clean Your House
The instructions I received from my doctor specifically stated I would not be able to do things like mowing the lawn, do laundry, or bend over to unload dishes from the dishwasher. In other words, you really are not going to be able to do any sort of cleaning during your recovery. Personally, having a dirty house stresses me out so not having that stress during my recovery was nice!
Note from Tia: Also, a clean house means less risk of sickness or infection! For us this meant sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, washing all bedding, and wiping pretty much every surface down with disinfectant.
2. Stock Up on Healthy Food
You are going to want to eat a lot after surgery. I've read that doctors will sometimes give you steroids after brain surgery to control the swelling of the brain. Steroids can make you ravenous! In my particular case the doctors didn't give me steroids but I was still super hungry during the first few weeks of my recovery. Additionally, my doctors advised against me going shopping during my recovery because you may have to lift more than 10 pounds. It's best to do some shopping for a few weeks of healthy food ahead of time.
3. Try to Get in Shape
I read a few different articles that stated that patients that are in good shape tend to recover from any surgery a little faster than patients that aren't. I've been running 3-4 miles at least three times a week for the last four years. In the month before my surgery, I increased my workout regimen to be more strenuous. I worked my way up to running 6 miles each session. Anecdotally I think this paid off for me. I was initially scheduled to be in the hospital for 3-7 days after surgery. I ended up only staying for 2 (one day in the ICU and one day in a general recovery room). Running combined with my age (29) and the excellent care I received in the hospital allowed me to recover quickly!
4. Groom Yourself
The night before I cut my nails, got a hair cut, shaved, and took a shower. I didn't want to stress about having to groom myself after surgery so I did this ahead of time.
5. Catch Up on Laundry
Make sure you have several pairs of shorts, pajamas, and zip up hoodies clean and ready to go. You won't be able to do laundry after surgery for some time so it's essential to have these items. I found that zip up hoodies worked really well because I didn't have to pull anything over my head.
6. Make Arrangements with Your Work for Time Off
This was a bit of a hassle for me. I essentially have three jobs so I had to do a lot of coordination with all parties to make sure I had the time approved. Unfortunately, I had just started working at my main job a few months prior to my surgery so I didn't have a whole lot of time off accrued. That said, everyone at all three of my jobs was more than supportive and they were happy to work with me to get everything squared away. I would highly recommend sitting down with your employer's HR department to see how they handle extended periods of absence. Your employer may have some sort of short term disability option or special PTO for life events like this. In my case, I had to use all of my remaining PTO for 2 of my jobs. Luckily, Tia (my wife) was able to take time off to be my caregiver and she was able to take paid medical leave without taking any PTO.
7.
If you've ever had to deal with insurance you know how much of a hassle this can be. It took multiple calls and emails to my insurance providers and the hospital to get everything squared away. I would highly encourage you to make sure the hospital and all individuals participating are covered under your insurance. Make sure you get things it writing if you can. The last thing you want is to be stuck with a huge medical bill because your insurance decided not to cover it. In my case, my neurosurgeon had a someone on staff that coordinated benefits with my insurance providers, handled scheduling, and helped with all the "office" related paperwork (FMLA, OFLA, etc). We worked closely with her to make sure we were all taken care of.
8. Make a "Go Bag" for the Hospital
This is a bag that has all your essentials in it. Here's what my go bag contained:
- Pajamas
- Change of clothes for the ride home
- Laptop or tablet (for watching movies)
- Nintendo Switch (keeping myself entertained)
- Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, etc)
- Snacks
9. Make Sure You Have Someone Lined Up to Take Care of You at All Times
This is probably the MOST IMPORTANT step of them all. As I mentioned above, Tia was able to take time off work to take care of me. When you are home, you'll need someone to help you with pretty much everything, including remembering to take your meds, bathe, eat, and drink. You'll likely not want to walk around unassisted as you will be loopy from the pain killers. Having my wife to take care of me was an essential part of my healing process. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. On the same note, make sure you have someone lined up to take care of your caregiver. They are going to need some breaks from taking care of you. Tia didn't sleep hardly at all for the first during the week of surgery. We lined up some of my family and friends to come over and give her a break. They'd hang out in our house while the two of us slept.
10. Make Sure You Have Someone That Can Help You Out with Your Bills
If you can, you should try to pay some of your monthly bills ahead of time. You don't want to have the stress of having to pay bills in your life while you are trying to recover. Luckily for me, I have an amazing wife and she was able to take over our finances while I was incapacitated. It was a big help to have someone I trust to take care of the finances for me.
11. Do Self-Examinations and Alert Your Doctor If You Find Anything Irregular
I was a little paranoid about my health after I found out I was going to need major surgery. I would do self-examinations and self-checks on a daily basis just to make sure I was otherwise okay. A few weeks before my surgery I discovered one of my lymph nodes was inflamed. I ended up going to my general practitioner who ordered an ultrasound. We discovered whatever was causing it was likely benign and wouldn't affect my recovery. It's important to alert your doctor of any health changes (cold, flu, etc) before any major surgery.
12. Line Up a Few Light Activities to Do While You Recover
If you are anything like me you are going to get BORED AS HELL during your recovery. Before my surgery, I lined up a ton of activities to keep me busy. I've always been a gamer so I knew video games would be my go to once I felt well enough to look at screens again. I also downloaded several podcasts and purchased a few board games to keep myself entertained. I think it's important to keep your mind distracted while you are recovering. My nurse said that focusing on a small project or something with a goal in mind is a good way to ease your pain. You'll be focused more on the outcome of the project than you will be on your pain. And of course, this is also a great time to binge some shows in Netflix. :)
13. Get Your Living Quarters Setup for Your Recovery
There were a few things I wish I had done prior to surgery. Looking back on it now here's what I would recommend doing:
- Get a shower stool. You will likely not be able to stand much during your first few showers so having a stool for bathing is important.
- Get a shower head that is removable from the wall like this one.
- Setup a place to sleep for yourself. We converted our giant L couch into a rectangle so that I could more easily prop myself up to sleep. You likely won't be able to lay down flat for the first few weeks during your recovery so having somewhere to sleep in a sitting position was really helpful.
- Make sure you have a few extra pillowcases that are clean. I would suggest rotating them out every couple of nights to avoid infection in your incision.
- I had REALLY BAD light sensitivity for the first week after my surgery. When I got home, I had my wife and my dad go out and by blackout curtains to block all our windows. It was really dark in our house, but it really helped with my pain. I felt a little like a vampire for the first week.
- Have a "chuck bucket" close to where you are going to be sleeping. I had some mild nausea in the first week after surgery. I never threw up, but I've read that a lot of people do after brain surgery.
14. Get Some Laxatives
The anesthesia apparently causes your digestive system to cease functioning for a few days while it works its way out of your system. This can lead you to become severely constipated. They gave me stool softener but it didn't help with pooping! Five days after my surgery, we were starting to get concerned so my dad brought over some laxative that he had used after one of his surgeries. It was the worst thing I had ever drank (heavily lemon flavored) but it did the trick!
15. Make a Will, Living Will, and Power of Attorney
This was the hardest part for me. It's so morbid to have to think about this kind of stuff. The chance of a successful outcome for my particular surgery was really high, but I still wanted to be prepared in the even that the worst happened. I think it's important you take some time to make a will so that your loved ones know what to do with your stuff if things go awry during or after surgery. It's also important to make a living will and designate someone to make decisions for you if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to make decisions for yourself. You should choose someone you trust. The same applies for your Power of Attorney. I used a website called Legal Zoom to make mine. I completed it in about 2 hours and it only cost about $130 or so for all three documents. Additionally, you get an hour of an attorney's time if you have any questions.
That's my list! Leave a comment down below if you have any questions and thanks for reading!
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