PAO recovery: How to stay sane!

IHey all,

I am going to be undergoing my second PAO (periacetabular osteotomy) in about 19 days and wanted to share some of the things that really helped me get through my last PAO without going absolutely bonkers. Obviously everyone is different and some people are going to find different things to help them cope, but this is what helped me, so here goes:

• Honestly, the thing that helped me get through this surgery and recovery was my family and boyfriend, without their constant support and entertainment, I really don't think it would have been as successful as it was. If you're preparing for this surgery and are under the impression that you can do everything without any one's help, unfortunately you're going to learn a hard lesson. It was a hard pill to swallow when I had to give up my independence, but once I did it was much more enjoyable, for everyone. Being stubborn and not letting anyone help you is not the way to go! 

• Comfy outfits were a must after surgery, I didn't like wearing pants too often, especially right when I got home so I got some cute nighties :) It took a lot of the pressure that pants put on your skin off and lets face it, putting pants on when your hip is immobile is not happening so these nighties were the best!

• Buy some candles before your surgery and when you're home have friends or family bring you flowers, having something bright and alive in the room with you will help improve your mood. Who doesn't love flowers and candles?

• Make your bed nice and comfy and get lots of pillows, you're going to be spending a lot of time in your bed so might as well make it as comfortable as possible. The pillows help with keeping you comfortable, I had to sleep on my back for quite a while after surgery so putting a pillow under my knees and calves really helped. When you're ready to switch to your side (opposite side of your op hip) put a pillow between your knees to help keep your hips stable. I also love having stuffed animals around. My boyfriend buys me a new stuffed animal every time I have surgery and writes the date of the surgery on it's foot. I have two so far (arthroscopic surgery and RPAO) I'm looking forward to seeing what he gets me this year :)

• This walker looks so fun, the one I had last year was not this sturdy. Using a walker was my favorite way to get around, especially in public, because if I needed to take a break and sit down, I could :) Crutches also wear me out so I definitely preferred the walker. 

• This shower seat was a life saver, I don't think I was fully weight bearing until about 6 weeks after my RPAO so showering wasn't going to happen without this seat. This is another one of those times that you have to accept that you can't do everything yourself, Noah had to help me shower, shave my legs and all that fun stuff, because I couldn't bend over to do it myself. 

• Most people may not have access to one of these, I'm not sure if you can buy them and attach them to your shower somehow, but this thing is awesome too! It allows you to shower without getting your incision wet and when you're seated in one position and can't move much it helps you get clean while sitting.

• Staying hydrated is so important all the time, but it doesn't hurt during recovery too. I got a water bottle that has measurements on it so that I could track how much water I'm drinking throughout the day. It also helps so you don't have to make multiple trips to get a cup of water and it has a lid so no need to worry about spilling! :)

• Of course it's important to stay entertained while laying in bed for weeks on end so I've decided to share some of my favorite ways to stay entertained! Smallville, Gilmore Girls and Halo are some of my favorite shows to watch and video game to play! Some of my other favorite series and movies that are on Netflix: Prison Break, Supernatural, Ink Masters, Silver Linings Playbook, Troy, Once Upon a Time. If you don't have netflix or some other avenue of watching TV shows on, I suggest you get it, it helped me a ton during recovery!!

These are just a few things that really helped me get through recovery successfully and I'll definitely be using them all again in about 21 days time!! Sending all my love to my fellow PAO warriors and remember you're not alone! 

:) Thanks for reading 

<3 B