1) A mantra. Can't stress the importance of this enough, at least for me. It's been massively helpful for me to have something simple to repeat over and over in my head at tough moments (like when I was fighting off tears as they wheeled me into surgery; when I woke up nauseous and feeling like hell; during the pain of the rehab exercises; and whenever I'm generally frustrated). This is corny and a bit embarrassing (and I am completely bastardizing the Ayurvedic concept), but mine is "Ride to Montauk". One of my rehab goals is to save up for a road bike. Next summer I want to do a "century" (a 100-mile bike ride) from Babylon to Montauk. This is motivating and it generates a relaxing mental picture for me. It keeps me looking forward and reminds me that no, this won't be forever. Feel free to borrow it :) Another possibility: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."
2) A flexible shower head. It makes bathing a whole lot easier after surgery.
3) Flexibility and ab strength. I promise, this is a very worthwhile pre-surgery goal! Being able to touch your toes without bending your knee will make your life a lot easier post-surgery. And just try standing up while keeping one leg straight and non-weight-bearing: you'll see what I mean about the ab strength. My abs are really sore at the end of the day, every day, even though I'm basically just hanging out in bed. Tearing my ACL was, like, the best core workout EVER.
4) Supportive friends and family. I'm so grateful for everyone who has helped me to stave off insanity throughout this process. Especially my mom, who has been a real champ. I don't know what I would've done without her.
5) A yoga mat. Very helpful for doing rehab exercises!
6) Tote and messenger bags: a crutch-user's best friend.
7) A comfortable "command center", complete with chargers and a power source, water bottle, reading material, a melange of pillows, and your personal pharmacy. You will want everything within arm's reach. Set this up before you go in for surgery!
8) A notepad and pen on hand, for keeping track of your meds. This was massively complicated (at least IMHO, but I'm horrible with this sort of thing). I'm lucky my mom quickly set up a simple system for me. Add a little Oxycodone to my already-poor working memory and I definitely would've OD'd without this. Mine is simple: the name of the drug, the hours apart I'm supposed to take it, and if I need to eat with it. Then I write down the time every time I take it. Example:
Oxycodone (6 hrs, EAT) 9pm, 12am, 6:30am
Tylenol (6 hrs) 10am, 4pm, 10pm
You get the idea... Maybe this occurs to everyone else on earth, but it didn't occur to me!
9) A knog! (That's a knee-blog.) This is soooooooo self-indulgent, and I'm sure it would be massively boring to anyone other than me, but it's nice to have an outlet. And I think in a year I'll be glad to have this to look back on to see that yes, I have made some progress. (Or maybe I'll think the same thing I think now: that it's massively self-indulgent and boring.)
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