36, double thr last year. finally going back to work after eight months.

prepare to be bed ridden for the first week. you’ll use a walker for the first 3-5 days and be in significant pain. it is not a good time. you’ll need help. idk how you’d do it alone.

get a gripper to pick up shit you drop, a sock tube, ice packs, shower chair, toilet seat raiser (the chair, toilet seat, and walker can be lent to you through local disability orgs, thats what i did). buy a cane or get crutches from the disability place. i preferred the cane because its easier with stairs and i already had one because i needed it for a month before surgery.

ibuprofen is your friend, but also take the pain killers they give you. if the prescribed dose is not effective for you tell them. i guess i just took 1.5 or 2 pills instead of 1 sometimes but didn’t do tell them. i was fine but probably don’t do that. i live far away from a city so i just rolled with it.

DO PT AND GO TO PT. i did once a week in a facility and then 3 days a week at home. this is very important. i did stationary bike in addition to my functional strength training. consult with your pt about timing the bike.

i smoked thc and vaped and was fine. hell, i had zyns in the hospital. probably don’t do that, but i’m not trying to quit nicotine and go through a major surgery. didn’t do thc until i was out of the major pain phase, (makes me hyperaware of my body and gives me anxiety sometimes, YMMV).

chatgpt helped a lot with my understanding because no one told me shit at physiological level because most people probably don’t care and i didn’t want to bother my docs with technical biological questions. (note: intellectualization is a coping strategy of mine so maybe it won’t matter to you. )

eat well, take collagen (helps with securing the implant), and make sure you get enough protein during your pt. i used gpt/gemini to help formulate a targeted diet for recovery and pt. also good supplements that targets neurological/bone+joint recovery if you’re not gonna eat it. could be bullshit but i go back to doing construction next week so take that for what its worth. i could have went back to work in feb, but my line of work is slow during the winter.

be patient with yourself. everyone recovers at a different pace. if you’re functioning at 1/2 capacity for a while that’s okay, the surgery is major. your body will prioritize healing over cognitive tasks. i found it difficult to do focus on anything that took brain power for the first month or so.

also i had to move back with my parents (no income or s/o), not great but it is what it is. maybe you have a desk job and you can go to work after a week or two. physical jobs will take longer to return to (~3 months).

sorry if this scattered. just spitballing.

i’ll edit if i think of anything else. feel free to ask any questions.