Must Have Products for Recovery

I needed a lot of tools to get through the first 2 weeks of recovery from a laminectomy microdiscectomy of my L5/S1 disc with as much independence as possible. I didn’t want to be a burden on my partner, but with such limited mobility, having someone to help me was crucial in the first 2 weeks. This blog will go through my must haves for the first 2 weeks, nice to have for the 6 weeks and somethings to not get. Products recommended are all items I bought and used! I did not recommend any wound care items as each doctor will recommend different products based on how the incision was closed.

First 2 Weeks Must Haves

1. Grabber - BUY THIS! and potentially buy 1 for each area of your home or else it will be very frustrating to walk around your home to find this. I use this ALL the time and can continue to see myself using this for the long term recovery. I need this to put on my pants, grab things I dropped, grab stuff from the fridge to eat, I even brought it to a wedding…

2. Sock Helper - I couldn’t do a figure 4 like the OT suggest at the hospital until about week 4 so I needed this to put on socks each day.

3. Ice Packs - Buy all the ice packs. Buy multiple ice packs so you always have one ready. I liked the ones that came with a strap to wear around your waist so you can wear it while you move around the house.

4. Loose Pants - I wear leggings daily and I tried to put on leggings one time and it was pretty painful. I immediately went and bought more loose fitting pants and for the first 6 weeks, I primarily wore loose sweat pants to make it easier to put on pants myself pain free.

5. Shower Scrubber - I could not have washed my back or the lower half of my body without this the first 6 weeks! This was a must have for me because I NEED to have clean legs and feet.

First 6 Weeks Nice to Haves:

1. Small Cups - I got small disposable cups to help with brushing my teeth. Since I couldn’t bend over for 6 weeks to wash my mouth, these cups helped bring the water to my mouth without bending, and spit out water without bending or splashing everywhere.

2. Wash Cloths - Same as brushing teeth, washing my face was impossible without being able to bring water up to my face so these were a life saver!

3. Walking Pad - I live in a hilly place, and work at my desk all day. It was getting hard to make time to walk and this walking pad has been my savior! I realize it’s expensive and there are other ways to get your steps in, but this product has helped my recovery so much. I didn’t start using a walking pad until 2 weeks after surgery.

4. Standing Desk - I really have not sit in the last 6 weeks and having a standing desk was crucial for me, and will be crucial for me the rest of my life. I had a desk years before the injury and honestly never used it and since surgery, it’s been at standing height since.

5. Sciatica Seat Pillow - This is very much bottom of the list nice to have. I can tell a difference when I use it. It makes sitting for meals more comfortable, but it’s not necessary.

Do Not Need:

1. Toilet seat riser with handles - I thought I’d need more help sitting and I didn’t. I had a sink by my toilet to help me lower down so I barely used this and sadly just had to throw it away.

2. Scar Cream/ Scar sheets - I’m lucky my scar is healing nicely and I used this for a few days and I felt that it made my scar more irritated so I stopped. This seems different for everyone!

Supplements:

Please consult your doctor before you try anything and I don’t want to tell you what to do, but these are what I have been taking and have felt better about doing so.

1. For nausea the first 2 weeks:

   1. Sour candy

   2. Ginger candies & ginger ale

   3. Plain crackers

2. Vitamins that I started taking for the healing process. There are lots of blogs on this and these were constant vitamins that everyone recommended:

   1. Multivitamin

   2. Fish Oil

   3. Turmeric

   4. Glucosamine

3. Collagen Powder - Your discs are made of collagen and collagen power helps the healing process!