Woman to Woman ~ Part 2.
(Disclaimer: I am SO not a doctor! Check with your own M.D. for any questions.)
I first posted on this topic in 2012. Here I go again. This time, the right shoulder. So, in part for you, and in part for me, I am revisiting practical shoulder surgery preparations for women. Many of the things I learned also apply to men, but not all. Although some of my guy friends would look cute in the camisoles.
I learned a few things from my previous shoulder surgery. Planning helps! What purchases and preparations can you make ahead of time in order to be ready? Here’s a photograph of a few things that I found helpful.
The sling can feel rough after a few days. I lined mine with a silk scarf. SO much better!
Childproof bottles were impossible. That is not a good thing if your tylenol or prescription painkiller is trapped inside. Keeping them safe from children, store any important medicines where you can retrieve them easily, and actually get to the medicine. I used small open containers on a shelf I could reach with my uninjured arm.
Hibiclens body wash was recommended for use at home right before surgery. Scrubbing well with this, said my doctor, would help prevent infection.
My sling was made with velcro straps for adjustments. Do you know all the things you can stick to a sling with VELCRO? My cell phone was on the strap near my mouth. All I needed was a velcro cup holder.
Facts:
- I cannot make a ponytail with one hand. (I would have cut off my hair with one hand and garden shears if not for butterfly clips.)
- You can’t take a shower right after shoulder surgery.
- I can sleep very comfortably in a recliner.
- A bag of frozen peas inside a lightweight plastic bag makes a great ice pack.
- Painkillers cause constipation in some people.
- You can attach adhesive velcro tape to almost anything.
I invested in pump bottles of shampoo, body wash, moisturizer, sunscreen, and anything else I use. You can’t take the lid off bottles with one hand! At the time of my first surgery, I was using an old-fashioned ice cube tray for ice. Ever try getting ice out of these with one hand? Thinking ahead about this sort of thing will make your life easier.
Which takes us to bras. It is impossible to hook a bra behind your back for quite a while after shoulder surgery. If you want a bra for support or coverage while you still have dressings on your shoulder, cami tops with a shelf bra can be pulled up and the strap worn over just the other side. Shelf bra cami tops were a life-saver for me. I bought a couple of front-closing T-back bras for the later weeks, when I could get my arm through a bra again (surgery side first!) but a strap over the shoulder or reaching around my back to hook them was still uncomfortable.
Humor made everything easier! My friends are hilarious. When they aren’t around, there are very silly YouTube videos of goats.
DON’T TRY ONLINE BANKING WHILE ON PAINKILLERS. Just trust me on this.
For an independent woman like me, asking for help was a big step, and I learned to do it with grace and gratitude. (See ice cube tray comment, above). Planning limited what I needed help with. So, I just:
- bought a pack of butterfly clips
- installed a hand-held shower head
- bought Hibiclens
- bought a pack of velcro strips
- bought dry shampoo
- bought a bag of frozen peas
- made and froze Mom’s bran muffins
- paid all my bills
- Let my friends know what’s happening.
This helped me to settle back, rent the movies I wanted to see, read great books, and practice mindfulness, simply accepting the gift of enforced time to just be. I followed doctor’s orders, and healed well. When things were difficult, I went to my “Happy Place.” And this time, just before my surgery, that is where I am headed for a few days, to carry that peace with me into and back from surgery. I downloaded movies that don’t require much attention for the first days, and new books. I am actually looking forward to this part of the process. I hope this is helpful to you. If you are reading this for your own surgery, best wishes, and good luck!