Mindful Monday #44: Rachel's 6 Surgery Prepping Tips

Happy Monday y’all! 
 
The time is drawing closer now. On Wednesday, May 12th, 2021 marks Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Have you decided what you will be doing to acknowledge that day? As promised, I am continuing my journal entries about my upcoming surgery. For those who haven’t read my previous blogs about my upcoming surgery, I will be undergoing a Neurostimulation back surgery on May 14th. This device will definitely be able to help me control my pain level. It will also assist me in not taking yet another pain pill. The device that will be placed inside of me is called XR SCS .
 
Counting this surgery, it will be my fourth one to have. I’ve read some of the comments in the groups on Facebook. Many of you have questions and are nervous about surgery. Let me tell you, I don’t blame you at all! I was very nervous with my first one. All of these reasons above are why I thought it might be a good idea to share my surgery prepping tips.

1. Rest: The night before the actual surgery, I go out of my way to pamper myself. Taking a nice, long hot shower is my “go to” because I realize it may be a while before I will be able to get my incision areas wet. A home mani-pedi followed by a nice meal could be just the thing to get your mind off any worries. 
2. Laundry: Everybody loves to do this one, right? Try your best to keep up with it before the surgery date. The last thing you’ll want to do once you’re recovered is extra laundry. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from others while you’re healing with this chore. 
3. Be prepared and organized: I am the type of person that loves to be prepared. Undoubtedly, they are making you go home with a friend or family member, and this person will probably stay with you for the rest of that day. Depending on who this person is, it is up to you to be organized and prepared in your room so they can find what they need to give you. Make sure you have a bag with all of your medications in it (even the over the counter ones). This is so your caregiver doesn’t have to search all over the house for the medication. If they are not already familiar, make a list of your doctors and all your medications. I can’t stress how helpful it will be to your caregiver. If you have animals, write down how you would like for them to be taken care of. 
4. Essentials: Go ahead and stock up on products you think you may need for the next few weeks. It’s true that you can always have someone run out and get more as needed. Yet if last year has taught us anything, it is to be prepared.  
5. Think easy meals: It may seem tempting to want to cook a lot of homemade meals while you are recovering. That is a fantastic idea, but it is not realistic. My suggestion if you are wanting to try that is to do it beforehand and freeze it. Then all you will have to do is heat it up in the microwave. I have been searching Pinterest and I’ve found some great low carb meal idea for the ninja foodi. Or you could go an easier route and grab some frozen meals. Don’t forget the popsicles! 
6. Entertainment: Treat yourself to the books or those movies on TV that you’ve been wanting. Chances are you’ll be bed bound for a month or more. You definitely deserve it! 

 
If I forget anything, I have included Having Surgery With Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which provides things I would’ve never thought of. Do you know of any tips that I might’ve missed? If so, which ones? Keep those stories and comments coming!! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!

Till next time! 
Be well!

~ Rachel
 
#purplebutterflymonth #fibromyalgiaawarenessday #fibroawareness #may12 #fibroawarenessmonth2021 

---

More blogs like this one: 
​xr-scs-here-you-come-again.html

---

​ultimate-surgery-adventure.html

---

​mindful-monday-43-waiting-for-an-answer.html

---

My Experience with the XR SCS Trial System