Self-sufficiency

Hi. I am so glad this site exists. I have 13 days to go and the stress has been tremendous. Although...it improves every day. I'm planning to get a massage in the next week to alleviate my anxieties. Hope that helps.

Here's my question...

I live alone. I will have friends and family who will stop in to check on me...but what do I need to be aware of and consider in planning my recovery without someone always "on site?"

Thanks for your support!

Hi losolo - if you will be spending plenty of time alone make sure you have a remote control (with plenty of spare batteries on hand) ha ha ha - and a comfy bed or lounge - a portable phone or normal phone with long extension lead - I had DH here most of the day but I sat up in bed with my princess crown on surrounded by big fluffy pillows, my remote control, my phone, my cat, my glass of water, my lip balm, my mobile and my computer at hand and that my friend, was all I needed to survive those times alone - good luck - - love Sharon xx

Make lots of things to freeze and easlily microwave , less cllean up. Maybe buy Lean Cuisines and frozen foods. Drink lots of liquid. Rest Rest and Rest. Keep the phone close by to call for help or answer calls. We have a specail TTY typewriter kind of phone for the deaf families and it does not reach to the bed or the sofa. It was a pain when my husband was not home to answer calls. It seemed it rang only when he ran errands and was out.

Hi I am alone for most of the day until late at night with my kids .. because DH works late .

If there arent any kids about thenits abit easier to close an eye ot the housekeeping.

If you dont have carpetting I would suggest a Magic Wiper or what the people ion the USA call the swiffer . Its a long handle with a flat rotating head and you wrap an electrostatic tissue about the foot . It picks up all the dust and hair .. but you have to sweep up grit every few days .

Freezing meals would be a good idea. And if friends come make sure they come bearing gifts of food LOL .

I hope you get through it ok . Im about 5 wks now and even now Im struggling to keep house .

mei

I agree with the others, about 2-3 weeks of frozen dinners, lunches etc... microwaveable, easy things to make for lunch (sandwich stuff) breakfast foods that are easy to prepare. Paper plates, cups and plastic silverware so you dont have to do dishes. Ask ahead of time if someone will take your laundry or come do it while visiting you. Lots of drinks , juice, water etc... to keep yourself hydrated and bladder going well. A vast supply of Gas-x or gas med your dr recommends, your rx for pain meds from dr should be pre-filled if possible so you dont have to have rx delivered or friend get it, also maybe some tylenol or other non asprin pain killer your dr recommends as you dont want to take asprin for bleeding purposes for a while. Movies, books, hobby stuff to keep you busy as you will not be allowed to drive for 2 weeks (that seems to be the norm.) Emergency numbers handy by the portable phone. Hope this helps you.
Tango

Ps. Gas-x and Sprite have been my saving grace LOL.

Hi,
I think the suggestions you have received so far are right on. I am almost 6 weeks post op, and while I am married and have a 12 year old son, I spent a lot of time alone due to their work, school and sports activities.
If your friends can help you with shopping I think that is a huge issue. Trader Joes, if you have one near you, has some really good frozen food, plus fresh salads, good fruit and fruit juices. The lean cuisines are a great suggestion.
I also sat with my cell phone, water, lip balm, regular phone (with caller ID - I could not believe how many junk calls came in that I could ignore!)
Take time to really recover, and let your friends help you!
Take care.

Don't forget to get one of those reaching tools. Mine's called the gopher. Nothing worse then getting all comfy and you drop the remote, or the phone's too far away. Have someone nearby with a spare key to your house, just in case, and emergency phone numbers. I also wish that I had a "Do Not Disturb" sign for when I was napping. It seems like my wonderful, well-meaning friends would always come over when I just started napping.
Best of health to you.

Im not sure if it will happen to you we all react differently .. but it might help to have an antacid or a liquid antacid on han d. Some of us get digestive upsets from our gut being pushed about and sometimes that takes forever to clear .At 5 wks along Im still coping with that .
mei

Something that I would never have thought of is assistance to get out of bed. My hyst was on 24 Feb, and I need my partner to pull me up from a lying down position (lying down with two or three pillows behind me). Initially in the hospital I used the "on the side, legs on the ground, push yourself up by the elbows" method of getting up, which worked fine when the bed was raised to a near sitting position and could not be replicated at home. I don't know if I've pulled a groin muscle or if it's an incision pain, but I do know that I cannot get up alone. I COULD if I had a rope or something tied to the foot of the bed to pull myself up. I guess I'm suggesting that you may want to practice different options for getting up, and maybe make a couple of technical adjustments to your sleeping area. Other than this issue, I know I could do this alone with sufficient preparation and assistance from friends and family dropping by. Good luck to you!

Hi losolo, I too am a single woman. I just had a SAH. I came home after 3 day hospital stay. I had argued earlier with family & friends about coming home & staying by myself. I was adamant that I did not want to go to anyones House to stay & that I did not feel that someone had to stay here to bring me a glass of water or whatever. I wanted to recover in my own place. My cousin came to check on me daily & take me to appts. Other memebers have done my laundry. Don't have much as I am not doing much. I prepared my self by cleaning out my Refridgerator & filling it with Bottled water , diet gingerale, jello,pudding,yogurt,applesauce cups. I had Lean cuisine in Freezer & lots of can soup. I had my COuch made up before I left for Hospital so I could go there right away when I got home. I did all my cleaning & laundry before hand so I had none of that to deal with. Bought used DVD's to have on hand in a 5 disc player. Kept Cell phone nearby & let asnswer machine pick up the other phone. THe Dr arranged for a visiting nurse as I had to come home with a catheter. SHe came twice a week. I did fine alone & did not have to worry about false expectations of my care. I was able to get up & get things, if it fell on the floor ,it stayed there. When friends & family came by I would ask them to do things to help out. I also planned on a massage before surgery but never got there. I am thinking about it a couple weeks from now. I am a very independent person and felt very capable of caring for myself after the Hospital stay with help as needed. Besides I never worried about dusting before I had surgery, so I knew it would not be a concern after (lol)