Find Out With Chelsea

Hi there, if you’ve read my story then you know that I’ve been through the recovery process multiple times for this specific surgery.

I wanted to share my top ten tips to helps others who may be experiencing the same thing or are preparing for their own surgery and recovery.

1) Heat pad / Heat Packs / Hot Water Bottles / Wheat Bags

• I recently was gifted a Sunbeam Heating Pad in the largest size and it has made such a difference in my recovery. There’s no need to get up to reheat water or microwave wheat packs. It’s been a true life saver and I’d highly recommend this one

2) Water bottles

• Having access to large amounts of water that are within arms reach are really important for recovery because hydration and fluids can make such a huge difference. It’s also beneficial for taking any medications that you’ve been prescribed post operation. I’ve found a few great water bottles that I’d recommend purely because of the amount of water they hold. I’ve added mine below but also the disposable water bottles are great to have on hand.

3) Books and Entertainment

• When recovering from surgery you’re spending a lot of time in bed. This can be great for the first few days while you catch up on sleep and let your body recover, however it can get boring very quickly. Having easy to access entertainment is incredibly important to keep your mind busy, it can also help distract you from the pain. Whether it’s making sure the TV remote is near you or if it’s having some personal crafts nearby in a plastic container for easy access, it’s important to keep your brain occupied. Personally I love to read so I’ve found a great setup so I can use my Kindle in bed without having to forfeit warmth to change the pages. I’ll add the products I’d recommend (I know how incredibly extra it is but it works so well) as well as my kindle below.

4) Battery Packs or Long Power Cords

• I can’t count on my hands and feet how many times I’ve finally found a comfortable position in bed only for my phone to die on me. When in recovery it’s important to always have access to your phone to call for help if you need it. I’ve found that battery packs have been awesome throughout my past two recovery’s and I highly recommend them to everyone I meet and usually gift those around me them also. The cords are built into this power bank so it can charge multiple devices and holds its charge well. If you’re not a power bank person then I’d also recommend getting ostentatiously long power cords for your phone.

5) Comfortable Clothes and PJ’s

• I cannot stress enough how important it is to have comfortable and easy clothing to put on while recovering. I practically live in nighties when I’m recovering and have built up quite the collection over the years. But I specifically recommend nighties as they are easy to slip on, are comfortable to sleep in and also don’t press on any surgical sites. Personally I’m a huge fan of the Kmart nighties and also the Peter Alexander ones but will typically get a size up specifically for recovering as I usually am incredibly bloated for the first week or so.

6) Skincare / Haircare

• I believe that there is much to be said for looking good and feeling good. I think it makes a huge difference to how you feel while still letting your body take time and focus on recovering. I’ve found that doing face masks or sitting down and doing my full skincare routine helps me feel more put together. I also find that when I’m able to raise my hands above my head without stretching my stomach too much that hair masks and good quality shampoo can also make me feel more like myself. I’ve popped my personal recommendations below for a face mask that I swear by and also two shampoos that I’ve been loving for the past few years. The face mask works best if you use it daily for a week and then every second day and then when needed past that.

7) Sleep Masks

• Throughout my recovery I’ve always been stubborn and not listened to my body when I needed to sleep and rest. I’ve since learned how important it is to sleep when you’re tired, eat when you’re hungry and move around when you can. I purchased an amazing black out sleep mask which made sleeping during the day when my body needed it even easier. It’s also been amazing for migraines and generally getting to sleep so I recommend this product too!

8) Healthy Easy Meals

• I am a huge believer in eating clean and healthy especially throughout the recovery process. There are so many great products on the market if you don’t have time to meal prep prior to surgery, this includes a lot of meals that can be delivered to your door. I’ve been blessed to have an amazing support system that has been cooking healthy meals for me which I feel have boosted my energy levels and helped me balance out with the sheer amount of medications I was prescribed. I’ve tried the meal kits from YouFoodz below and have found them to be balanced and accommodate for a lot of different dietary requirements. My favourite meal from them was the Greek Chicken with Zesty Potatoes and Beans.

9) Medication Bag and Notebook

• In the past I’ve been pretty slack with managing my medications for post op. Due to some other medical conditions that I have I already take a fair few medications so at times it can be hard to manage and keep track of the medication I’m taking. I’ve used the alarm system on my phone before but found it hard to keep track of everything. The last two recoveries I’ve had I’ve implemented a new system where I set out my medications in separate bags. One for morning, PRN / As needed, and Evening Medications. I also have found a way to inject some much needed humour into this method by purchasing some novelty bags as I’ve put below. I also started writing down when I was taking my medications in a notebook so that I could visually see when I was taking certain pills to try to identify patterns. This way I could better manage some holistic practices around those times including some light stretching or even making sure I’m prepared with the medication prior to a pain spike if it has been recurring.

10) Listen to your body

• Trust me, I know how cringey it sounds and how generic this is but it truly does make such a massive difference. I’ve been through recovery’s where I fought my body to stay up in the day and force myself to sleep at night and all it did was drag out how long it took me to bounce back. I’ve forced myself to eat at my regular mealtimes which left me feeling even more bloated and nauseous for the rest of the day. I wasn’t listening to what my body needed and it showed. Through the past couple of recovery’s I’ve been kinder to myself and have taken the time I need to rest when I need to, eat when I’m up to it and move my body when I can. I found that asking myself “what do I need right now?” gives me the answer almost instantly. The first thing to pop into my head is what I do, I then go through the day doing this and have found it’s been a much easier process than other times. You’ve just been through a lot of physical trauma, even though you’re under anaesthetic your body is still present and being cut and burnt. Take your time, you can’t rush your healing or even estimate the time it will take for you to get back to your regular routine.

I hope these tips make an impact on your recovery. Even if it helps only one person I’m ecstatic!

XOXO Chelsea