Post-Op Preparation

Fortunately, I had nearly a month to prepare my house for my recovery. I obtained all the necessary equipment (walker, cane, bath bench, etc.), laundered and removed all the throw rugs, and made sure I could move about my house with the walker when I returned from the hospital. I practiced using all the devices and found what did and did not work. 

By practicing, I found obstacles that would have been frustrating to handle after the surgery and devised ways to eliminate or reduce the problem areas. For example, the bathroom doorway was not wide enough for the walker with the door in place, so I took the door off the hinges and stored it in the guest bedroom. 

My hairdresser loaned me a device with handles that slipped under the sofa cushions. It would allow me to safely get up off of the sofa. Even though the device was adjustable, my sofa was still too low to allow me to stand without bending my operated knee. I had to find a way to raise the sofa.

Since my sofa has five legs, I could not use the bed risers I already had. The guy at the lumber yard suggested cutting a fence post (3.5 inches square) and finding someone to router a hole for the sofa leg. I came up with an easier solution - a Mason jar lid, nailed to the block, and it worked like a charm.

fence post blocks 

Mason jar lid nailed to the fence post block

sofa on the fence post risers and the handy handles loaned to me
by my hair dresser. 

While the solution is not the most attractive, it is working great. I can safely get on and off of the sofa by myself. If I had not prepared my home for my recovery, I would have been miserable and frustrated.