Hmm, my surgery was a few years ago but I don't recall needing too much support. My daughter stayed with me a few days but I was pretty self-sufficient after a day or two. You can't drive or carry anything heavy for a while but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. You'll be given some gentle exercises to do starting the day after surgery and it's important to do them partly to help get your full range of motion back but also to avoid a frozen shoulder. Generally paracetamol is enough for the pain - I didn't need that for long, either. The anaesthetic can leave you a bit emotional - that's the bit I was unprepared for, but it was OK.
Its difficult knowing what to expect isn't it? I had mx Feb 2020 and DIEP reconstruction Dec 2020 so its all quite recent. I live by myself but for a few days after had my mother staying so good your daughter is with you, I would have been able to survive without 'help' but its nice to have someone around to do stuff as well as some company whilst you're in the initial stages of recovery.
Sleeping will be challenging, I bought a v pillow to help as you'll be sleeping on your back for a number of weeks. I bough some front opening Jim jams as easier to put on and off...plus I lived in them for quite a few hours out of bed! I made lots of stuff for the freezer (soups, pasta sauces etc.) as easy to prepare when one arm is a bit rubbish and you may not feel like cooking. Get those on line deliveries booked (if you can) or get a helpful neighbour to help in this respect as carrying shopping bags best avoided unless they're very light.
Clean the house beforehand and accept that it will get mucky and you won't be able to (shouldn't!) hoover - not a problem for me, more of an excuse to not do it!
You may want to get your daughter to move all the stuff you need (pots, pans etc.) to below shoulder height for ease of access.
I didn't want to get my bandages wet ( I could have if I'd have wanted) and had little energy so relied on washing at sink so a good supply of flannels and facial wipes may be good for you.
I also recorded lots of stuff off the TV to watch as spent a fair amount of time on the sofa (am too tight to pay for Netflix or similar!). Also good to get into the habit of some daily walk as that will help your recovery.
You'll be surprised how quickly you recover though it is quite slow yet steady, I wrote down how things were and took photos of my body so I could look back and be certain that things were getting better - or identify where there were any issues that needed raising with BCN. I'd expect everyday stuff to take at least twice as long as it does now and your concentration will not be quite the same if you're like me.
As the previous post said make sure you do your exercises as told, when I didn't it made me more uncomfortable, worth adding that I was never in pain after 3 ops just uncomfortable. Have a good supply of stool softener to counteract impact of general anaesthetic and paracetamol that you may need-particularly before those arm exercises as can make them less uncomfortable to do in the early days but don't push yourself too much in this respect to do them to the full extent, I wasn't able to do the advanced ones fully for a number of weeks after starting them.
I live on my own, was discharged the following day and was able to cope on my own. Had a few meals in the freezer so didn't have to bother with cooking. You need to not bother about keeping up with housework or you could get your daughter to pop in a couple of times a week just to help you keep up with it. It also depends on which side your mx is and if it is your dominant hand as pushing a vacuum with that hand is not recommended.
Thank you so much for all your information. I do have a very good sense of humour so hopefully that will help. I have made meals for the freezer and getting as organised as possible.
I have mental health issues as well so I am using the tools I use for that to keep realistic.
Great idea about the photos. I think I will probably be better than I think but I'm still in a bit of shock.
