Geek Habitat

I like to be prepared in all things. Okay, I obsess about being prepared. So, with my knee surgery 8 days away (not counting today), I’ve begun building my “nest” downstairs — eg. the place I’ll be living, eating and sleeping until I can manage to get up the stairs on crutches with a completely immobilized (braced) leg.

The Life After Surgery: Advice from Patients pages have proven to be excellent for brainstorming my own needs. This entry is probably of no interest to anyone not facing surgery, but that’s life!

So far, here’s the stuff I’ve earmarked for migration into my post-op nest –

• My connection to the outside world — my computer (laptop):
  We have an 802.11g wireless network with various shared drives, so I’ll have access to all our business docs, files, and yes, MP3s. And thanks to our new Squeezebox, I can even enjoy the MP3s over our home theatre system downstairs — it’ll get a good workout!

  Added Post-Op:
       I used the laptop quite a bit, including sending IM (Intant Messenger) requests to Justin (my hubby) when he was upstairs at the computer. Having our collection of music at my fingertips was nice, but I found the quiet enjoyable as well.

• Lots o’ reading materials:
  A slew of magazines plus two dozen novels/biographies/non-fiction books, including 4 Harry Potter books; Tolkien’s Hobbit trilogy (I’ve read half); two westerns by my late grandfather, Thomas Wakefield Blackburn II; and Tolstoy’s seriously long novel, Anna Karenina. Oh, and an obligatory advanced PHP programming book for my inner geek.

  Added Post-Op:
        I was so busy with exercises and the rest of my routine, I hardly read a thing! If I’d had any trouble sleeping, I suspect I would have read a lot more. My laptop use and knee journal updates kept me occupied.

• All my work:
  All the “back burner” paperwork, filing and brainstorming I’ve failed to do as an able-bodied work at home gal, and will now have more than enough time to fuss with while trapped downstairs with nothing better to do!

  Added Post-Op:
        Like my books, I found I didn’t really touch my pile of paperwork during my initial two weeks post-op. Exercises, sleep, medicating and eating pretty much took up most of my available time. Any free time was spent online or talking to Justin or friends and family who visited me at home.

• Lots of pillows ‘n blankets:
  Really, this goes for any time — you can never have too many pillows and blankets!

  Added Post-Op:
        Quite true. I ended up with something like two light-weight blankets, an electric blanket, and four pillows from our King size bed upstairs in my “nest” post-op!

• Bathroom supplies:
  Since our master bath is upstairs, it’s gonna be awhile before I see it after the surgery. I apologize in advance to Justin, as a whole lotta my crap is going to take over the livingroom and downstairs (guest) bathroom! Only one problem — there’s no bath tub or shower downstairs. So, it’s time to invest in a bunch of wet wipes!

  Added Post-Op:
        I got a lot of mileage out of the unscented Huggies baby wipes and some scented wet wipes I’d ordinarily use for travel or camping. As I got more mobile, I could do proper sponge baths using a bath towel, a hand towel, some soap and a cup of water. I learned to appreciate a shampoo with conditioner so I didn’t have to spend twice as long leaning over the kitchen sink to wash my hair every couple days! I didn’t take my first real shower until 12 days post-op! Oh, by the way, I had to have Justin take the downstair’s bathroom door off within hours after I arrived home from surgery — the combination of an extremely narrow door and small bathroom with my crutches and immobilizer proved exasperating and painful.

• Comfy clothes:
  Easy enough — most of my daily wardrobe these days is comfy casual, so all I need to do is find somewhere to keep a couple changes of clothes accessible but out of reach of our cats (or is fur back in fashion? )

  Added Post-Op:
        I purchased several pairs of lightweight, flattering but slightly baggy pants. These fit over the immobilizer when I was still wearing that (my first 10 days post-op), and even now at 7 weeks post-op I still wear them — they’re now worn to my PT sessions three times a week or when I’m working out at home.

• Basically, everything on my bedside table upstairs:
  Alarm clock; small lamp that’s easy to read by and has storage for my earrings and such; a bottle of water; some pens and my writing journal; cellphone charger

  Added Post-Op:
        The alarm clock, light and cell phone were never far from my fingertips. I used the cellphone, including a lot of text messenging, to keep in touch with Justin and the rest of my family. “Need more ice?” “Yes, 2 bags! And more wet wipes!” type of thing. When I was crutching around the house or outdoors at all, I clipped my cellphone to my shirt collar or waistband, just in case I fell or otherwise needed assistance.

• Small backpack or tote:
  For carrying stuff around anytime I dare to be mobile, so I’m not having to crutch-speed walk to answer the telephone, take my meds, etc.

  Added Post-Op:
        Quite useful, although I kept leaving it in the wrong room and not having it when I needed it!

• Camping gear:
  Since I won’t be camping for awhile after surgery, I might as well press some of it into service while camped out downstairs — camp chair, flashlight, binoculars and a bird guide to enjoy the birds I might view out the windows to our backyard.

  Added Post-Op:
        The camp chairs become the de-facto seating for visiting family members, even though a sofa was just a few more feet away from the borrowed bed I was growing roots in during my first two weeks post-op. The flashlight was useful to verify I was taking the correct meds in the middle of the night.

• Water bottles:
  Like pillows, I suspect these are something you can’t have too many of when walking even a few feet is difficult or impossible without aid. Of course, the more water I consume, the more I’ll have to get up, so this may not be such a priority!

  Added Post-Op:
        I drank plenty of bottled water, but the large insulated mug the hospital sent home with me proved quite useful. Until I was more mobile, however, this meant Justin or visiting family had to refill my water frequently. After several days, I wised up and asked my mom to buy a small upright thermos with a gravity-fed push-button spout so I could refill my own mug. I kept it within two or three steps of my bedside, so I could refill it and deposit it on my bedside table without any issues while I was on crutches.

• Relaxing and/or comforting stuff:
  Burt’s Bees Milk & Honey body lotion and Beeswax lip balm; some favorite desk toys from my upstairs office; incense holder, sticks and lighter; my iPod with headphones; some of my favorite candies and treats (“comfort food”)

  Added Post-Op:
        Comfort helps one’s mood, and one’s mood impacts both the body’s response to pain as well as the success of one’s recovery. I kept myself comfortable, relaxed and positive as best as I could. Surround yourself with things that make you smile, and lavish yourself with things that make you feel a little better, like your favorite music or a favorite body lotion.

• Small camera:
  Because I’m sure some hawk or other amazing wildlife will no doubt land in our backyard while I’m stuck downstairs, and at least I’ll be able to shoot it with something. I don’t trust myself on crutches with my Canon EOS 1D Mark II, so it’ll have to be snapshots with the Canon Powershot G2.

  Added Post-Op:
        This knee journal is a testament to how useful the camera was. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to document the steady progress of my knee from the icky bruising and swelling of post-op days 3, 4, 5 and 7; the slow improvement visible by days 9 and 10. Although I was mobile by then, the camera was also used to document my graduation to a hinged brace on day 12; and the unveiling of my new knee on days 14 and 31 (135 degree flexion!)

• Chair massager and my office chair from upstairs:
  For when my upper body and lower back start screaming from all the crutch walking and lying down I’ll be doing for a little while.

  Added Post-Op:
        The chair and massager took up too much space around my nesting area, and ended up collecting dust until I was full weight-bearing. The low back and neck pain of being confined to bed were taken care of with an electric heating pad.

• Upstairs plants that need regular watering:
  I adore my husband, but he’ll forget to water something and when I do finally learn how to negotiate the stairs, I’ll find a dead or dying plant. So, they’re coming downstairs with me! Justin unfortunately gets stuck with cleaning the litter boxes — that’s more than enough work, right there!

  Added Post-Op:
        Definitely a wise idea. Even with the plants downstairs, a few nearly bit the dust until I felt like crutching into the other room to pour some bottled water (easiest thing to get to them while on crutches) into them.

• Everything else I’ll need is already available downstairs:
  Meals and snacks, water and ice, sunlight, our cats, and room to hobble around without knocking anything over, etc.

  Added Post-Op:
        We quickly discovered the cryo cuff I was prescribed went through an inordinate amount of ice, so we picked up several 20lb. bags of ice. Anytime someone visited me, I asked them to bring one or two bags of ice with them to keep me ahead of the curve. Justin still had to pick up ice periodically after work.

I wish I’d asked the young man I met on Monday at the doctor’s office whether or not he was negotiating stairs yet, because if it takes me 10 days to be able to return upstairs, I will be going quite batty — and so will the cats (they rarely sleep well when there’s only one of us sleeping in the master bedroom.)

Addendum: You know your upcoming surgery and physical therapy is going to cost a small fortune when you get a “personal” (eh — taped, actually) phone message from your insurance company “welcoming” you to their program. Funny how they didn’t bother with the gesture until they noticed my MRI, eight x-ray films, consult with an orthopedic specialist, and now, scheduled surgery!