• Cooking and Eating
• Getting Dressed
• Taking a Shower
• Paying Bills
• Other Reminders

Are you planning on having hand surgery and spending 2-10 weeks in a cast? Have you thought about how you'll eat, bathe, dress, pay the bills, or handle intimate body functions with a primary hand that is unusable? Many things that most people take for granted become difficult or impossible to do single-handedly. There are many things that can be done prior to surgery that will make “major” tasks easier to handle. After four hand surgeries (three on the right hand), I've figured out some of these things. It takes patience, ingenuity, and humility.

Cooking and Eating

Cooking and eating can turn into a real mess if you have no one to do the cooking and kitchen chores for you. I've found plastic plates (paper ones get too floppy) and paper cups save a lot of effort. I have coffee mugs with large handles that give a full-handed grip. They are hard to find and mine came from the owner of a local Italian restaurant that uses them. Stocking the freezer with frozen dinners and things that are easy to open and pop into the microwave sure helps during the first few weeks (Stouffer's and Swanson are pretty good). Also, a couple of loaves of bread in the freezer will come in handy. Buying milk and other things in smaller, easy-to-handle sizes saves frustration. If possible, stock up enough to last a week or two as shopping can be a pain. If you have somebody to handle all this for you, then you can disregard the above. I do, however, recommend buying a quart or two of prune juice for after surgery.

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Getting Dressed

Getting dressed has never been a problem for most people, but what are you going to do when one hand is in a fat cast or outrigger affair? I avoid buttons, zippers, belts, and shoelaces. I prefer to wear large T-shirts, baggy beach shorts or sweatpants, and non-skid flip-flops or Velcro-closing tennis shoes. Cheap flip-flops combined with slick wet concrete will put you painfully on your butt with no warning. I know from experience. Sperry Top-Siders are the best.

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Taking a Shower

Taking a shower used to be easy in the good old days (before surgery)—but things change. Big plastic baggies like the ones that the newspaper comes in on rainy days or bread bags from the local bakery and #32 rubber bands (cheap at Office Depot) seem to be the best combination I've found. A long-handled back brush helps, too. Large bars of soap, soap-on-a-rope, or liquid soap are easier to handle than the smaller bars.

I put non-slip strips on the bottom of the tub and use a shower/bath stool for doing feet instead of a balancing act. I have found that lighter towels are easier to use than the big heavy fluffy ones. A battery-operated toothbrush (Sonicare, Interplak, etc.) and large tubes of toothpaste make that part of life easier, and gets compliments from your dentist, too. I even moved the toilet-paper holder so I didn't have to be a contortionist to reach it.

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Paying Bills

Some things don't change with surgery—the bills keep on coming in. What if your writing hand was traumatized? I use an electric typewriter and computer word processor to handle most things. I learned to print left-handed, but signing a check is out of the question; after my first surgery I used a rubber signature stamp. It is important to talk about this with your bank first, as some won't allow you to use a signature stamp with a personal account. Now I estimate how many checks I'll need to write for the duration of my recovery and pre-sign them before the surgery. When I need to write a check, I fill out the rest of the information with a typewriter. Stash your pre-signed checks where they won't get lost. If you buy your postage stamps in rolls or sheets, it's best to tear them apart in advance and put them in a box or envelope. The self-inking return address and bank deposit rubber stamps are great things to have even with two hands. Sign your tax returns before surgery. The IRS will not accept stamped signatures under any condition, even if you owe them nothing.

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Other Reminders

Here are a few more things you might want to do a day or two before surgery: Make arrangements for your mail and newspapers and to feed your pets if you're going to stay overnight in the hospital. A major housecleaning is a good idea because you won't be able to do it for a while. It's best to do your laundry and change the sheets. Get some cash from the bank and stock up on milk and other perishables. Stocking up on paper towels, toilet paper, and Kleenex isn't a bad idea either. A haircut is a good thing also. Look around and put things that you regularly use where you can easily reach them. My bamboo back-scratcher is right next to my telephone. Clip your fingernails and toenails the day before unless you really want to have an interesting time later. Get reading materials and/or videotapes. It helps.

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Conclusion

Above all, don't get in a hurry and allow yourself to become frustrated or discouraged. My neighbors have been very helpful with things such as hauling out the weekly trash and the like. A little planning ahead can make life seem almost normal.

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