tell me about stairs...driving with a clutch

HI
I have my surgery in 3 weeks, and reading all i can on this site. what a help!
I have 5 stairs between my bed/bath and the living room/kitchen. Not sure if I want to be confined to my bedroom, but being in the living room with no bathroom sounds worse!
Tell me anything you can about navigating stairs, how long it will be , what happens when you do... I'm getting really depressed!
I am normally in great health , fit etc.

I was worried about all the stairs going up to my house. I had surgery on a Thursday and by Saturday I still wasn't up to trying steps. But Sunday morning I tried some practice stairs they had in the hallway at the hospital and it was not problem at all. I think you don't want to be constantly going up and down stairs, but a few would probably be do-able by the time you get home from the castle. Of course everyone is different.

Limbo

You might want to ask your doctor for his/her recommendation on stairs. Mine told me after one week, I could do my stairs, but I didn't need them on a day to day basis. (Mine went to the basement, but I keep extra juice and stuff down there). I just didn't even try until one week post op. If the doctor says ok, just make sure to do them slow and easy, and use the handrail. This won't be the time for a fall. We have had sisters who have fallen, and have to be checked out for damage caused by the falls.
Take care!

I AM 6 WEEKS POST OP AND I FOUND THE FIRST FEW DAYS I COULDNT DO ANY STAIRS AND DIDNT WANT TOO. BUT IF YOU HAVE TO DO A FEW TO GET TO THE BATHROOM I DONT THINK IT WILL BE TO BAD, JUST TAKE YOUR TIME.I FOUND GOING DOWN WAS WORSE THAN GOING UP.BY THE SECOND WEEK IT WASNT BAD AT ALL.BUT ONCE AGAIN TAKE THEM REALLY SLOW. I HOPE ALL GOES WELL FOR YOU!!!!!!!!

DEBI

I limited my use of stairs and didn't use them at all for the first week. I found it easiest to go one step at a time...making sure that both feet were on one step before going on to the next one. I also concentrated on using my leg muscles and not my stomach. If I did them too many times, I could really feel it, so be careful!

Debbie

I too was concerned about stairs as my house is 3 stories. It wasn't bad - even right away. I took it slow and rested immediately after any trip up or down. I limited myself to as few trips as possible for the first few days (2x a day), but I wanted to lay on the sofa in the living room, not just in bed.

As you are fit, it will probably be no problem for you to go up and down 5 steps. Be really careful walking down the steps. You should probably have someone stand there when you do the steps for the first time, just to make sure you feel steady. Your strong legs will be a big help for you.

Try to be a good princess and walk as much as you can at the castle. It will make you feel more steady at home. BTW, I don't know how much walking everyone else was encouraged to do at the castle. My DR told me that he thought 5 trips out of bed was a good amount for the day after surgery.

I was in the castle for 2 days and my doctor told me that stairs and short walks right away was fine. I too have to manage stairs at my home and for me it was not a problem. A little scary at first but not painful for me. I too took one stair at a time with one foot then the other. Go slow! You won't be up and down too much at first anyway so the few times you do need to tackle the stairs shouldn't be too bad. Talk to your doctor.

My DR told me no stairs unless I absolutely had to until 2 weeks post-op. He said if I had to, to take them one at a time and not foot over foot. Take them like one foot then the other, next step, one foot then the other and so on. DR's are different on opinions and they also have to assess individual progress, so ask what he thinks you should do. 5 steps don't sound like much, but it could be everything if you were to stumble or get dizzy from pain meds.

Hi Crummins,

I had a TAH and did stairs right away with no problem. I did take care not to step down with force, just soft steps. I too am normally very active and fit. This will likely help out your post op recovery a great deal.

Good Luck!
Dawn

HI
thanks for the tips about the stairs... very appreciated!
My next thought is about driving a car with a clutch. How long till that's possible? I wonder about feeling stranded and not able to get out or get to a job. Any tips to make it happen any sooner or not hurt?