Day 2 recovery - great to be home

Day bed / Recovery nest

Everything you need to get through the day
 
A lot of people will go home on day 2 - I was lucky enough to wake up at home on day 2, and it was glorious to be able to walk into the garden with a real coffee in a real mug and watch the birds. There were some initial struggles with the catheter & leg bag that I'll cover off in a dedicated post but it is surprisingly easy to live with once you get used to it.  

The big thing about day 2 is that you get cocky. You're home, it's done, you're walking around and although you know you need to be careful you know that you COULD carry that watering can or hang that washing if you want, you're just choosing not to. 

But - the sad reality is that you can't. You're in a bit of a honeymoon period. The wounds haven't started to properly stitch themselves together. The constipation hasn't built up. You're still dopey from the general anaeasthetic, on a plentiful supply of opiates and were probably given a higher dose in hospital. So the key thing for day 2 is to TAKE IT EASY! I'd suggest setting some goals or aims early on and not doing more than that however much you think you can. Also watch out for kinks & stretches in your leg tube. I sat in a reclining chair that pushed my hips up which stretched the catheter tube and lead to leaks and minor bleeding. Not good.   

But - use this time to prepare your 'recovery nest'. You should have already prepped a day bed but check that you can reach all the remotes & have all the pillows you need. Recharge the devices that were running down in hospital. Ask whoever is caring for you for anything you're unexpectedly craving - for me it was Irn Bru.  And also take time to be outside if you can. Lay down on a slope or flat surface with a pillow, close your eyes, feel the wind on your skin and the sun on your face, listen to the birds. Recovery starts now, it will get bumpier before it gets better but it has started. 

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