Crutches, living alone, how bad will it be!?

[flipperdoda]

Hello - I'm having knee surgery soon and will be on crutches for at least 2 weeks, possibly 6. I'm staying with my boyfriend for the first few days after and he's prepped to do everything so other than pain I'm not too worried about that part - but once I'm home and working (from home, desk based) again, can anyone give a realistic idea of how difficult life will be?

I'm batch cooking and freezing meals now, I've got a food delivery ordered with easy stuff (pre made quiche, pie, microwave rice etc) for the day I will go back home, and I'm expecting to do sod all housework... but I just started wondering about how the heck I get meals from kitchen to living room table to eat? How do I shower/bath given mine is a shower over the bath? I won't be in a cast, but physically getting into the bath is surely going to be a struggle. How do I take a bin down two flights of stairs to take it out (I'm in a flat)!?

I suspect the answer to a lot of this is 'you don't do it/you ask friends for a lot of favours' and I'm lucky to have the option that if I genuinely can't cope my BF would move in until I could...but I want to have a realistic perspective of what I may or may not be able to do after the first five days or so.

Help!

Check if you're definitely non weight bearing in advance. I've had several different knee ops and they usually like you to be using it minimally quite quickly. The one I couldn't put weight on for 3 months left me with huge problems through muscle wastage so insist on decent physio and watch out for DVT. Weight bearing doesn't mean you can rush about but makes like so much simpler being about to move about safely. Good luck x

On the bath / shower front, depending on how mobile you are then lots of sports centres have accessible showers.

Basically a lower shower with a bench to sit on. It's not ideal as you have to get there and that might involve an accessible taxi, or check your local 'ring and ride' but if you cannot get in your own bath / shower it's an option, vist now to see what is available.

Get a litter picker that folds in half, then it will fit in your cross body bag and it will always be there when you need it.

Get a Shewee and practice using it. There will be times when it's good to have the option to stand up.

Consult your physio well before the operation and practice the post op exercises so that you're not trying to learn them when you're already fragile. After the operation set your phone timer as a reminder to do them religiously.

Find out whether there will be any restrictions on how you can lie/sleep afterwards and plan for that. Good sleep is vital for recovery.

Good luck!

I can partial weight bear! Apparently I'm a natural on crutches too, weirdly proud of that
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who gave tips and support and generally somewhere for me to talk when I was nervous. I'm sore but they've given me good strong painkillers so I'm hoping I can get some rest tonight.

Hope you slept well, keep us updated.

wishing you a swift recovery

Didn't really sleep but it's not painful really - just affects natural sleep pattern etc. I'll be just fine

Glad to hear that it’s all going so well for you flipper, but take care and take things easy. Try to rest as much as you can.

Ice ice and more ice.

The same for elevate.

If you think its doing well dont stop icing and elevating