What do I Buy for Hernia Surgery?
So you’ve gone ahead and booked yourself for hernia surgery. But what should you buy to prepare?! This should be an extensive look into more of the common things, and some of the less common things you may need for your hernia surgery recovery. The take-away is to make sure that you come back to a comfortable and supportive environment to aid in your recovery. Amazon, WalMart and CVS should have most of everything you need. Here's a list of items you might consider getting or making available to yourself:
Comfortable Clothing: Loose-fitting and comfortable clothing will really help with recovery, as it reduces rubbing and irritation of your incisions and dressings. Think of your favorite, baggy sweatpants and sweatshirt. If you don’t have a favorite one of either, get them!
Bed Accessories: You may notice it is tough to lay on one side of the other, or your back. You may have some trouble laying down flat at all. Make sure to surround yourself with extra pillows for support and to elevate your upper body if needed.
Medications: Besides medications prescribed by your surgeon, make sure to have both Tylenol and Ibuprofen on standby if you are allowed to take either of those. Most ambulatory surgeries only need Over-The-Counter medicine, but larger surgery may need presciption medications in addition to these.
Medical Supplies: We hope to provide you with everything you need for any wounds you may have, however we encourage patients to stock up on the following: Sterile gauze pads, alcohol swabs, wound wrapping, surgical tape, and antibacterial ointment. Even if you don’t use them for your recovery, you have the start of a very good first aid kit.
Hernia Binders: In larger abdominal wall surgeries we may send you home with a hernia binder but we encourage you to have an extra one just in case yours breaks.
Assistive Devices: One of the simplest but least utilized devices is a raised toilet seat. The last thing you want to do after surgery is squat down with a sore belly. A raised seat may help minimize bending.
You might think its silly, but a longer armed grabber can be very useful for grabbing things that are high up, or are too far from you if you are reclined. It’s not lazy: it’s resourceful!
Ice and Heating Packs:
Ice packs can work wonders for the first several days after surgery to reduce swelling and pain at the incision sites. After a couple days you may notice abdominal soreness or spasms. This is the time when heating pads can work wonders.
Amazon Link: Hot/Cold Gel Pack
Entertainment:
You might be in a little bit of a stupor after surgery. Make sure to have your remote controls close, and your movies downloaded or saved. While we encourage mobility after surgery, we also encourage you to enjoy your time while you are reclined.
Food and Drink:
Stock up on groceries that are easy to prepare, such as frozen meals, canned soups, and pre-cut fruits and vegetables. Also keep a bottle of water nearby at all times to stay hydrated. Low or zero calorie drinks are also fine, but try to avoid carbonated or overly sweet drinks.
Paperwork:
Make sure to have a copy of your surgery handouts and any other information you got from our office readily available. Also have both your emergency contact and your surgeons office number nearby if you have questions.
Other Supplies:
While there are endless things you may need to recover, make sure to try to get them ready ahead of time. You don’t want to be running around looking for your surgery handout when you have healing to do.
Now get out there and prepare your living space to give you the best recovery possible!