The Recovery Period Nobody Prepares You For: What Really Happens After You Leave the Hospital

The wheelchair ride is over, the nurse discharging you has signed all the paperwork. Then the relief mixed with trepidation hits. Every hospital admission ends with someone telling you what your new routine will be for medicine, for the care of your new incision(s), and follow up appointments. None of it prepares people for the real transition in recovery that starts the moment someone passes through those electronic doors.

Most people imagine the recovery phase after surgery begins once they get home. Entering the recovery phase post-surgery is actually all about dealing with a (sometimes) unexpected new energy stage that no one discussed during pre-surgery appointments. Daily living tasks that nobody had to do anything special to accomplish for months (and maybe years) become a challenge to tackle on the way to recovery. However, it’s not an inconvenience; it’s just a process to navigate.

When The Body Needs Something Different

The body recovers from surgery on its own time schedule. Some days feel better than others. Energy levels are all over the place making it challenging to predict what can be done from hour to hour. When someone feels energized enough to make the trek to the kitchen in the morning but feels drained by lunch, daily living tasks don’t come without a challenge to overcome.

Returning to normal daily life after surgery is the goal. However, as energy levels fluctuate between feeling like an athlete one minute and a couch potato the next, daily living tasks make this impossible. Eating, dressing, showering, taking medicine on time, moving about the house all become challenges with which to contend.

Many people find that After Surgery Assistance in Philadelphia helps them navigate this energy stage of recovery without feeling overwhelmed. Professionals who assist with post-surgical care help assess energy levels as they fluctuate while keeping an eye on progress to ensure these wondrous bodies return to their glory days.

Body wise, the surprises keep coming after surgery. Lots of physical limitations make post-operative life challenging. Restrictions on bending can keep things off the floor. Restrictions on lifting keep anyone from carrying grocery bags or laundry baskets. Restrictions on weight bearing eliminate stairs. None of these challenges is permanent but they are practical challenges that need some problem-solving skills.

The Medication Management You Didn’t Expect

Another challenge comes from how much medicine management is necessary post-surgery to get people through pain and resultant brain fog. All medicine must be taken on its own schedule, some with food and others on an empty stomach.

It’s hard enough keeping track of what was taken when and not the focus of the day. Missing or mismanagingpost-surgical medicine can make recovery slow and tedious; especially with pain management which has no app to remind someone when it’s time to take medicine. Missing a timely dose makes it hard to get proper rest which in turn doubles the pain. Having somebody else keep track of this keeps the recovering patient focused on what they need to do in order to recover well.

Things That Sound Easy But Are Not

Showering after surgery requires as much (if not more) planning than launching a small spacecraft. Keeping drain tubes dry while avoiding certain motions in and around incisions yet still maintaining basic hygiene comes as a challenge that must happen in a perfect discharge ballet for a while.

By the time someone gets re-integrated into pre-surgery normal bathing habits, other challenges come up that must be solved. Getting dressed becomes an operational challenge instead of a just-do-it task. Pulling something over one’s head becomes a no go for some, so buttoning and unbuttoning becomes a thing. Socks and shoes become a crafty engineering task instead of just a put-me-in feat.

Re-engaging with daily living tasks after surgery feels as challenging as climbing Mount Everest. Everyday environments become a challenge to navigate again. Rugs become tripping hazards. Bathroom transitions become tasks instead of hops, skips, and jumps through a door. Getting out of bed becomes a thing as opposed to just rolling over in a momentary sense. Certain places need somebody to be flat on their back (not the typical record-breaking places).

Emotional Problems Nobody Wants to Discuss

Physical recovery gets all this pre-surgery buildup but what about emotional recovery? Daily frustrations build when bodies don’t respond as they should (whatever that is) after surgery. Recovering bodies need help when emotions come into play and frustrations set in.

Independent oriented recovering bodies might have a hard time asking for help when simple everyday tasks become challenges that need overcoming instead of just going-about-your-business opportunities.

The despair built from isolation turns into a problem when somebody who’s had surgery spends days alone at home instead of getting better within a day or two.

This mess is not a sign of weakness or a recovery that’s taking too long. It’s just what happens during this phase of healing from minor or major emotional (as well as physical) battles. It’s made smoother when recovering bodies have assistance to address these challenges along with physical hurdles.

What Actually Helps

Somebody who prepares meals that help recovering bodies get the nutrition they need without overdoing it. Somebody who manages medication. Somebody who assists with personal hygiene needs while keeping an eye on any changes that might need professional input.

Professional after surgery assistance offers these benefits that friends trying to help can’t provide (even with the best intentions).

Professionals recognize nuances family members might miss while they’re still buzzing from sleep (or lack thereof) while helping a family member who’s recovering yet trying to meet assistance needs for two recovering patients.

Trained folks in the field pick up red flags if something requires medical attention. Licensed mobility assistance differs from non-licensed and caregivers have no choice but to follow protocol.

What Lies Ahead

Returning home doesn’t have to be stressful as long as people establish some sort of reliable support system in place before their post-surgical adventures begin.

After all, being a little needy for a while isn’t an inconvenience; it’s a recovery investment with which recovering warriors get back to their normal lives sooner rather than later with exceptional results!