Simple home aids to help after surgery or injury

There are a few things to have at home that may help you manage simple procedures that, after surgery, seem like monumental tasks.

The National Institutes of Health, Medline Plus, Getting your home ready – knee or hipsurgery, offers many helpful suggestions for aids such as a reacher/grabber to pick up things off the floor or just beyond arm’s length.  Have a sock aid and a long shoe horn. Arthritis Today also recommends elastic shoe laces so that your tie shoes can be easy to slip on and off.

Either a portable toilet or a toilet chair with arms to fit over an existing toilet allows you to use your arms to steady yourself and prevent falls. Have grab bars installed next to the shower (do not use towel holders) and keep non-slip mats in the shower to prevent accidents.

Have a basket on your walker or wheelchair to carry things with you as you go from room to room – portable phone, pad of paper, pencil, tissues, and other essentials. Or wear a fanny pack.

Maine Warmers' Knee Pack -- Freeze and/or microwave

Have an ice pack handy to help reduce swelling. It is recommended that you do not place ice directly on the skin. Wrap it in a towel. Most health professionals recommend cold therapy for no more than 20 minutes at a time.

Simple gel ice packs can be purchased at a pharmacy. MaineWarmers’ Knee Pack is filled with whole corn and offers gentle cold without the harshness of cubes or frozen veggies. The Knee Pack will hold a one-pound bag of frozen peas or corn and has a strap to help keep it in place. Maine Warmers microwave heating pads and gentle ice packs come in a variety of shapes and sizes for backs, necks, hands and feet. Heat stimulates circulation and flexibility once the swelling has gone down.

How to meet your goals post-surgery

Medical professionals will tell you to keep moving after surgery. A physical therapist may be able to help you reach your activity goals. Moving joints and muscles helps keep them flexible and gives you more range of motion. You may not reach the goal you set each day or week, but if you write down a few notes about each session and occasionally look back to see how far you have come, it may encourage you and help motivate you to keep working at it. It takes work and some discomfort to keep on track with the exercises prescribed.

Cozy Gray Cat

When you see a physical therapist ask a lot of questions and have instructions written down so that you understand them. Go over the exercises 2 or 3 times with the therapist so that you are sure you understand how to do them correctly and don't cause more damage.

After the swelling has gone down, you may help keep your joints flexible with a Maine Warmers microwave heating pad. These items are versatile and wrap around necks, knees, hands and feet.  Back Warmers and Neck Warmers as well as Cozy Cats  for get well gifts for someone who has just had surgery. Heat stimulates blood circulation and may help increase flexibility after surgery.

These corn-filled heating pads can also be frozen and used as ice packs that are soft and gentle on the skin

Making Life Easier After Surgery

After joint replacement surgery there are several things you can do that health professionals recommend to help. The Road to Recovery, by Emily Delzell,  (Arthritis Today March-April 2013, p. 48), is an article outlining several things you can do to help minimize the impact of surgery once you return home.  This article is not available online but may be accessed in your local library.

Extra Large Back Warmer

prepare for your return home.

After a number of falls and surgery, my mom has returned home each time to find daily living is a bit more challenging when things are out of reach. We learned some of the things in this article the hard way.

One is to clear the paths through your home of clutter and small rugs that you could possibly trip on. Put dishes in easy to reach areas for your recovery time. If reaching or bending is going to be difficult then arrange the dishes, clothing, and other items you use daily for easy access. Even food in the refrigerator you may want to place on middle shelves.

Even consider your hobbies and the items you may want within easy reach.

Rolling chairs can slip out from under you. Use a sturdy chair that is easy for you to get in and out of. Low chairs and toilet seats may not be manageable during your recovery. Grab bars, a shower bench, and non-skid mats in the shower may be necessary.

Next blog post will be about physical and occupational therapy.  Often times doctors recommend using heat or ice on an injury or on the affected body part. Maine Warmers' microwave heating pads -- Back and Neck Warmers -- are easy to use and bring soothing comfort.

How to relieve stress when you are recovering from surgery or and accident

Maine Warmers cannot fix broken bones, pinched nerves, and torn ligaments caused by summer activities.

They can’t cure arthritis, cancer, or other conditions plus damage done by strokes. But they can bring comfort when you are hurting. Heat helps relax tensed muscles when you are feeling stressed due to injuries and may help you chill out for awhile. Frozen they help reduce swelling in a gentle way, without the harshness of ice cubes.

Comforting Creatures bring a smile along with a sense of well-being when one is feeling under the weather.  So, if you know of a person who is undergoing cancer treatment, recovering from surgery or a stroke, dealing with the effects of arthritis, a heated Sheep microwave heating pad will bring comfort and smiles.  Maine Warmers unique designs include Black Bears, Polar Bears, cats, Dachshunds, penguins, seals, whales, and more.