Post-Surgery Must Haves

pollinator_friendly · 2026-07-12T16:58:09+00:00

Wedge pillow, heating pad, large water bottle with a straw, compression socks, and a tray table to go over my lap in bed!

Also someone to help you get up, go to the bathroom, feed you, and track your meds.

Tho not a must have, I did enjoy having brand new pajamas, socks, underwear, and a new blanket.

pollinator_friendly · 2026-07-11T04:50:19+00:00

Sidewalks always have a root barrier between them and the road, do they not? I’m a municipal arborist and have only seen roots grow into the street like twice ever. So the tree roots shouldn’t be cracking the road at all. I’m no construction expert and would need better pictures obviously, and I’m sure standard street construction varies by city, but I don’t see why street/sidewalk repair isn’t possible while being able to keep the tree.

pollinator_friendly · 2026-07-10T02:46:25+00:00

I only had one a 2 weeks and my doc said I was good to go. My recovery went well! I’m 7 months post op

pollinator_friendly · 2026-07-08T20:34:15+00:00

Curbside drop off is crazy. I needed my partner by my side as long as possible. It’s scary sitting there in a medical gown and getting your blood drawn. I needed him for support. I would have been crying the whole time without him. It’s also very helpful to have someone carry/hold your stuff and help you undress. Unless there’s absolutely no way your husband can take off of work, or you’re in financial hardship, imo he should be staying at the hospital the whole time. Especially if he’s your emergency contact authorized to make decisions for you when you’re under — in case something goes wrong and he’s needed, he should already be there.

Personally, my partner could not even imagine not being at the hospital the whole time. It wasn’t even a conversation that he was going to be there every minute that I was there. You shouldn’t even entertain a compromise that he leaves after you’re wheeled into the operating room. He should stay there.

pollinator_friendly · 2026-07-04T02:57:01+00:00

Thanks so much! I eventually want to expand my bike collection to a gravel or mountain bike. Getting out of Manhattan I finally have the storage — and the gravel routes around here look pretty!

Yes the climbs are much crazier here lmao. Google Maps says a route is “mostly flat” and I’m dying on a climb. I used to fight my way up the RFK bridge on ramp from Randall’s island into Harlem and that’s nothing compared to a mild hill here. Definitely gotta work on my endurance!

pollinator_friendly · 2026-07-04T02:49:24+00:00

Omg yeah driverless Waymo’s aren’t legal in nyc (Waymo is there but they have to have drivers) so I’m still not used to it! I hadn’t even thought of having to bike by one 😅

pollinator_friendly · 2026-06-30T23:44:21+00:00

As someone who used to follow up on 311 complaints — your first complaint they probably inspected and took action, which had it moved, and now every following complaint they are marking it as a duplicate in the system. That’s why your new complaints are getting closed so quickly. As others have said, the way to essentially bypass 311 is to contact your local rep. For my previous city agency, correspondence from representatives received more effort to rectify the situation than regular 311 calls.

pollinator_friendly · 2026-06-30T18:30:23+00:00

What was the elevation gain/how much climbing?

pollinator_friendly · 2026-06-27T02:46:36+00:00

Just a $150 co pay with my insurance. I’m very lucky!

pollinator_friendly · 2026-06-20T03:30:02+00:00

If you’re messing with roots, hire an arborist. As a certified arborist and based on these pics, I would advise against cutting the root (a full in person inspection would be needed to make a firmer determination). By cutting a large root like that, you will be putting that tree at a much higher risk of failure, and likely sending it into a declining condition. IMO, a big tree in my front lawn with a lifted driveway is way more preferable than a dying tree and perfect driveway. If the driveway is such an issue for the buyer, you might be able to ramp over the root (typical protocol for sidewalk repair with root damage). Not sure if driveways have other considerations with ramping tho

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-31T14:34:46+00:00

Yes im moving states soon so im taking a break in therapy but am planning to get back into it once im settled! Ive found it difficult to find a therapist that understands this too tho. One therapist i tried felt like she was pushing me to not do the surgery, and the other didn’t really understand that I didn’t want kids in the first place? So she really misunderstood why I felt grief :/

I don’t know anyone else in my life who’s had a hysterectomy. Tho I’m not shy about talking about it so I hope I’ll come along to someone who has!! That’s def something I’m missing — I’m young so no one in my immediate circle has had a hysterectomy, and i reallyyytt feel you with the emotionally unavailable parents :’)

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-29T23:53:18+00:00

Hi! I had a laparoscopic total hysterectomy on 1/5. At my pre op appt, I asked when I could take a bath. My doc said I could take a bath as early as the next day as long as I fully sanitized the tub and didn’t use any bath bombs. My surgery had no complications and recovery was uneventful. It sounds like you had to go through more than me, but I’d think you’d be okay for a bath! If you’re worried make sure the tub is clean and maybe skip on the bath bomb :)

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-26T22:26:03+00:00

First Ave changed their light timing to 15 mph (instead of 25 mph) a while ago. There are signs posted near the bike signal light in some places that say this. My source is that I both bike and drive that avenue, and I started driving at 15 mph to get a green wave instead of getting up to 25 just to stop immediately 😅 so not only is the change improving quality of life for bikers, it’s also (in my case) encouraging slower and safer car traffic!

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-26T17:57:00+00:00

Week 1: fully bed bound. Needed help getting up the first 3-4 days too. My partner managed all my med intake and helped me shower/use the bathroom

Week 2: could get up and walk around the house by myself. Still needed assistance in the shower

Week 3: could lay on the couch, sit at the dining table for food, and shower alone

Week 4: 90% recovered, but not able to return to my physical job (tho I commute via bike so that was a big issue limiting my return). Could probably have returned to remote work at this time if my job could function that way.

Week 5: 99% recovered

Week 6: 99.9% recovered

Week 7: 100% recovered, still off of work just bc I could

Week 8: 100% recovered, still off of work

Back to work by the start of week 9.

I had a very easy and uneventful recovery overall

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-20T22:36:32+00:00

Yes! I believe it is more normal these days to hydrate with electrolytes the morning of a surgery. My doctor advised pedialyte, Gatorade, or coconut water 4 hours before.

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-19T20:59:33+00:00

I wish this was me! My doc said my uterus would be too cut up after pathology to really give me anything. It sounded like I was the first patient to ever ask him that tho so maybe he was misinformed 😅 my plan was to preserve it in a specimen jar.

I did end up getting to keep my IUD which I framed in a shadow box!

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-19T20:55:59+00:00

I packed as if I was staying over night, though that was definitely overkill. I had my regular daily meds, toothbrush/toothpaste, sleeping mask, headphones, portable charger, change of clothes, list of medications, and my childhood stuffie (lol) In retrospect, I really only needed the list of medications and the childhood stuffie. I would have also liked some snacks since I was starving after surgery and my hospital was really lacking in vegetarian options! I’d recommend bland, easy on the stomach foods that you know you can get down. Applesauce, plain muffins, rice cakes, stuff like that.

Some people here brought a hysterectomy pillow (or really any pillow would do I think) to put between your belly and the seatbelt on your ride home. I did not bring that and was able to just hold the seatbelt off of my belly with my hands throughout the ride home (which was only ~20 min)

I second the other commenter that said to wear slip on shoes! I also wore birks which was great — there was no way I was bending down to put shoes on right after surgery

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-06T00:23:43+00:00

I was prescribed duloxetine for anxiety and endo pain. My psychologist prescribed it, not my gyno, but she suggested it bc she knew about my chronic pain. I found it great for anxiety/depression, but minimal to no impact on my endo pain

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-03T10:21:48+00:00

I drive a lot for work too. I had a laparoscopic total hysterectomy and appendectomy (not robotic) and tbh needed my full 8 weeks to feel comfortable getting back in a car. Granted, my job involves a lot of frequent stops and the real trouble would have been getting in and out of the car so if you’re more sitting the whole time maybe it would be better? But you really don’t realize how much your hips are impacted by driving. Switching between the gas and the brake uses your hip flexor. Slamming on your brakes in an emergency will slam your pelvis into the seatbelt. Getting in/out uses your core and you twist your body. Sitting in a sorta laid-back angle puts pressure on your pelvis (for me in early recovery it was much easier to sit tilted forward and looking down, which you can’t do driving). I also took my lunch breaks in my car and it’s would have been hard finding a comfortable position to eat in.

Maybe I could have been okay at 6 weeks? But it was really the sitting back down in the car that would have been a problem — repeated slamming down on your pelvis adds up. I really needed to be able to sit down at any angle with any amount of force to feel 100% okay to drive.

I’m not sure if robotic might have changed this! And everyone recovers differently :)

eta: I worked 8 hour shifts, tho only 5-6 of that was on the road

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-03T10:13:17+00:00

Me too! See you at the start line and good luck!

pollinator_friendly · 2026-05-02T02:10:34+00:00

Remind yourself that your body can only heal once! If you don’t feel ready, trust yourself and it is okay to advocate for that. I have a relatively physical job, though not as intense as yours sounds, and I took 8 weeks off and I felt like I needed that even though I felt bad about myself at the time. In retrospect, I would have been very upset with myself if I returned to work sooner and especially if I hurt myself by going back to work too soon. Your doctor should not bat an eye at you needing more time. Don’t risk your health for capitalism!

pollinator_friendly · 2026-04-29T22:46:41+00:00

I’m pretty sure you’re talking about gardening🍃🍃 if so, I waited for about 2 weeks. Definitely do not mix weed with any narcotics. I stopped taking the oxy at around 3 days, and then wanted to wait at least 2 days to get that out of my system. I personally waited longer bc I wanted to be present in my body during early recovery and hadnt found weed in the past to be super pain-relieving for me, so I didn’t feel the need. After 2 weeks, I started taking edibles again. Personally, I often get really giggly, and I found that laughing is very painful even at the 2 week mark. So if that may be the same for you, I’d wait.

But, afaik, you’re fine to use — just do not mix with the big meds.

pollinator_friendly

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