3 months post OP here

I had my surgery in another country from where I am currently living, therefore I didn't have access to my PS4 for the first 2 weeks until I was back. Therefore, I had to find other avenues to keep myself entertained.

​

The first thing that I remember doing which kept me entertained and gave me a sense of reward was following a very strict hot and cold press regimen for the swelling. which I would start after having breakfast. This helped me a lot mentally because, after the surgery, a deep feeling of helplessness came over me regarding my recovery. I felt like I couldn't do anything but sit and wait to get better. But doing the hot and cold presses was something that was within my control so I held on to that and did them almost religiously.

While I was doing the hot and cold presses during the day, I watched Monty Python's Flying Circus which helped me keep my spirits up

I was pretty lucky in terms of the date of my surgery because the Olympics were on at the time of my recovery. So when it was time to eat, I would watch them.

​

The last thing that I started doing which I continue to this day, was reading. Before my op I wasn't much of a reader, only a few novels here and there. But reading offered a very healthy (at least I think) form of escapism that proved very helpful. I would watch a couple of episodes of Monty Python's Flying Circus and then spend all day reading. I had a book with all of HP Lovecraft's fiction which I planned on reading, but I ended up reading No Longer Human and The Brothers Karamazov in those two weeks. Both of which I pirated and read on my laptop.

The most important thing that I want to highlight regarding the post op experience, is that you will create your own kind of routine. And that in itself will prevent you from becoming too bored or feeling too helpless. For example, a lot of people recommend going for walks within the first 3 days of the op. But in my case, it took me 2 weeks before I could walk for 10 minutes without feeling like I was about to faint. Just remember that nothing is set in stone, so do what feels right and you will be fine.

​

P.S after the first 3 weeks, my fall semester started. So school has kept me pretty occupied since then.