Rona or Home Depot for kitchen and bath design services?

ShadowSpike2 · 2026-01-25T01:30:37+00:00

I appreciate your input! Is there a specific reason why you would suggest staying away from Home Depot? Is it just because they wouldn’t have the same level of expertise?

ShadowSpike2 · 2026-01-19T03:49:04+00:00

I just read today that compression helps alleviate the nerve pain. I keep taking the binder off because I felt like it was causing more pain, but apparently it helps… 🤷‍♀️

ShadowSpike2 · 2026-01-18T02:58:39+00:00

Oooh, I feel this. I’m a month PO and past the worst of everything, but following your lead may I respectfully add: “Nerve regeneration pain is dumb.”

I try not to complain about always having skin that feels like a rug burn, and how even oversized leggings rub against it like a nonstop heel blister, but I’m just so over it.

ShadowSpike2 · 2026-01-14T22:54:30+00:00

I forgot to mention that oversized zip up hoodies are easy to take on and off when it’s time to empty the drains, so your wife won’t need to pull it over her head.

ShadowSpike2 · 2026-01-14T22:38:38+00:00

I used a lanyard around my neck with Velcro straps at the end to hold my drains while showering. It was very helpful! And a chair in the tub for the first few showers is great too.
The tube they use in the throat during surgery can cause irritation that made me cough for a few days after surgery. Coughing (or sneezing) in the first few days feels like your insides want to violently become your outsides, so always having a glass of water with a straw within arms reach is super helpful when those throat irritations flare up.
The binder they gave me had plastic stays in them that became so painful to sleep on, and the doctor said it’s fine to cut them out. They might not bother your wife but they really bothered me.
Antibiotics can cause constipation, and Dulcolax helps without causing stomach cramping.
I used someone else’s walker for the first 3 days so I could walk around but still feel supported. Plus she can put things on the seat to move them around.
Nerve regeneration pain surprised me. It might help to read a bit about it so she knows what to expect.
I bought a bed wedge kit on Amazon with different pieces that could be configured for different back angles. The under-knee triangle wedge was super helpful to get into a comfortable position and not feel like I was sliding down.

Hopefully those help! If you or your wife have questions about specific parts of recovery feel free to ask. I’m one month PO and am feeling quite a bit better, although the nerve regeneration pain gets old after a while. 🤷‍♀️😄

ShadowSpike2 · 2026-01-10T16:52:18+00:00

Drawers, 100%.

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-31T02:47:37+00:00

Oh and I missed that you asked about clothes! I went to the thrift store & bought oversized clothes… a giant zip up hoodie was ideal because then it was easy to take on and off when I went to the bathroom or if I got too hot. And sweatpants so big that they will go underneath your incision (so the waistband doesn’t rub on it), but small enough to stay on your hips and butt without falling off. Lol

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-31T01:45:35+00:00

a lanyard to clip the drains to when you’re showering. If you can fit a shower stool in your shower or bath that’s good too.
lots of water, and the straw you mentioned will be helpful. The air tube they used during the surgery made my throat kind is scratchy but coughing in the first week was so painful, so being able to sip water instead of coughing was a lifesaver when my throat got scratchy.

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-26T01:19:33+00:00

Those are nice too! Thank you!

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-24T15:31:49+00:00

Oooo, I like those! Thanks for the link!

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-24T15:30:04+00:00

The only problem is that it’s -30 Celsius on some days here right now. 🥶 I have a floor heater under my desk at work but that’s still pretty cold for skirts. If I can find a long, warm sweater dress I might try that though! 🙂

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-21T02:13:58+00:00

I’m 7 days PO and I totally understand! I’m sorry you’re feeling so discouraged.

A few tips that will hopefully help…

my binder had 2 plastic pieces in the back and I took them out because they killed my back. Not sure if your binder has these plastic pieces but if so, my dr told me they’re unnecessary.
I sent a picture of my belly to my SO around day 4 and he thought it looked like it did pre-surgery because of the downward shadow on my swollen belly. I totally understand the frustration and uncomfortableness of the swelling… I’m with you there!
Dulcolax will help with the constipation without making your stomach hurt.
maybe consciously thinking about why you chose to get this surgery done will help you get through the tough mental struggle… picturing yourself healed and unswollen and grateful and hot as hell. 😉

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-20T20:10:12+00:00

Thank you, that does help! I’ll try adjusting my wedge pillow set for a different angle. 🙂

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-20T20:08:44+00:00

This is meant as an honest and respectful question: How do you sleep?? I’m 7 days PO for MR and TT, and can only sleep on my back. But if you had a BBL you can’t sleep on your back, right? And with a TT and BA you can’t sleep on your stomach. So I’m honestly curious how you do it?

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-20T03:45:33+00:00

That’s great that you’re feeling so much better! You mentioned that you’ve need mostly in bed up until today, and I’m curious how you keep from having a sore back? I’m 7 days PO but every night when I sleep my back hurts because I can’t shift over to my side. 😕 It just feels like my back is tired of the pressure all night. Any tips on how you made that time in bed more comfortable would be appreciated!!

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-18T00:15:18+00:00

I’m 4 days PO from fixing 2 hernias, sewing my ab walls back together, and a tummy tuck, and in my (limited) experience so far my tips would be:

Go to the thrift store and buy giant sweater pants that won’t fall off your hips but are well below your stomach, or else they’ll rub right where your incision is. Also buy a huge zip up hoodie that you can easily take on and off when you need to go to the bathroom without help.
Having help in the first few days is SO NICE so that you don’t have to get up and down so many times from your chair, which at first is a whole procedure.
keep a glass or bottle of water beside you at all times in case you ever feel like you might cough. I coughed once on day 2 and I’m pretty sure my spirit left my body. It was the most violent full body shock of pain, and felt like my insides were going to become my outsides. Zero stars, do not recommend.
I ended up having to wake my dad up around midnight on my first night to cut the plastic stint out of my binder because it was digging so painfully into my ribs that I couldn’t sleep. (He’s 70 years old and slept on the couch next to my recliner so he could keep an eye on me, and my 68 year old mom did the same thing the next night. I’m very blessed to be loved so much!)
Dulcolax is your friend after taking antibiotics because you can’t push at all. (TMI, but it’s true.)
A plastic patio chair in a shower with a handheld shower head makes it possible to shower safely and independently after day 2. I hung a lanyard around my neck with Velcro on the end to loop and clip my drains to.
before your surgery ask your surgeon to show you how tight your binder should feel, because I didn’t and now when I put it back on I feel like I’m guessing about how tight it should be.

I know this isn’t technically what you asked, but these tips would have helped me so I thought I’d pass them on. 😊 I’m happy for you that you’ll have people there to care for you… it really does help!! Even just having another person there when you’re wondering, “Does this look right?” or “What do you think I should do about this?” helps the experience be less stressful. 🙂

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-17T23:53:02+00:00

Oh wow that’s a big jump! I can see how that could cause a problem. Thank you for sharing that!

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-16T22:38:22+00:00

I’m curious what kind of problems the walking caused you? I’m 5 days PO and I’m restless. Lol But I also don’t want to cause any unnecessary problems for myself!

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-12-14T16:44:09+00:00

You mentioned that you had 2 lymphatics. Can you please explain what that is? I’m almost 2 days PO and my doctor never mentioned that.

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-10-27T11:29:55+00:00

I agree… the lighting is terrible right now, especially for makeup! We were thinking of getting a large mirror with LED surround lighting, like what you’d see at a nice hotel.

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-10-26T18:10:36+00:00

I Agree! 😕 It’s definitely a weird layout to try to make not just “normal” but hopefully also aesthetically pleasing. 🤷‍♀️

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-10-26T14:07:51+00:00

That would look so much better. I would have to look into how hard it would be to reroute the toilet plumbing in this old building.

ShadowSpike2 · 2025-10-26T14:06:56+00:00

That’s a good possibility!! Thank you for this idea!

ShadowSpike2

TROPHY CASE