If you’ve never had surgery, you might be surprised at how involved the whole process is. From informational meetings and surgery preparations to the procedure itself, having surgery takes up a lot of time and space in someone’s life. However, many people don’t talk about the other part of surgery; the part that can arguably be more challenging than the surgery itself:

Recovery.

After surgery, the recovery process often becomes one of the most important tasks you have, as it helps you work through the challenges of life after your operation. Even if you don’t feel like you can or simply don’t want to do more physical therapy, sticking to your recovery process is ultimately the best option you have. 

That being said, there’s no reason that your recovery has to be any more challenging than it already is! Between all of the physical therapy, stretches, medications, and checkups with your doctor, you still need to figure out a way to live your life. Granted, some of your everyday activities might be impossible during recovery (sorry extreme sports enthusiasts), but there are plenty of things you can do while in recovery that can make it easier. 

Medical Disclaimer: All information, content, and material of this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or health care provider. Always seek the medical advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Quick Thoughts About Post-Surgery

If you’re reading this article, then there’s a decent chance you’re going to have surgery sometime soon. Maybe you’ve already had the procedure! Regardless, before we get into the fun activities that can occupy your downtime in recovery, you should know a few other things about recovering from surgery. 

Undoubtedly, everyone’s experience will be slightly different in order to match the needs of their specific recovery plan. However, there are generally a few commonalities between all surgery recoveries! We put together a small list of things you might expect once your surgery is complete so that you can have a little more knowledge about your situation. 

• Hospital Time - Thankfully, not all surgeries require an extended hospital stay, but you should still expect to be spending a good deal of time in the hospital. You’ll need to be monitored after the surgery to ensure there are no complications. Hospital rooms can sometimes be scary to some people, so it might be worth asking if a friend or family member can accompany you. 
• Post-Surgery Gifts - Not many people will tell you this, but there’s a good chance you’ll be opening some gifts once you’re feeling a bit better! People love finding gifts for someone recovering from surgery, and even if they aren’t great gifts, they will hopefully still feel thoughtful. 
• You’ll Need Some Variation - Some patients head into surgery almost looking forward to the few weeks of rest they’re going to have. Indeed, the time off will be a good break from many of your day-to-day worries, but you might be surprised at how quickly you will want something different. A TV show binge can be lots of fun, but it’ll get old pretty quickly. 

With just a few of these ideas in mind, let’s move on to the fun part; how to fill your recovery time!

Catch Up On Your Reading

For as long as they have existed, books have always been great companions to the sick and injured. Though it might sound cliche, a book can provide you with the perfect escape from your recovery process and give your brain something other than hospital food to think about. The biggest struggle with this suggestion is simply finding suitable reading material! 

A book is also arguably a more captivating way to fill your time than watching an endless stream of movies and TV shows. You can get easily distracted when watching a screen all day, but hours can fly by without you noticing when your head is in a good book. If you don’t have any books you’re currently reading, it might be a good idea to ask for a few books from the people supporting you. 

Note: If you aren’t getting the surgery yourself, an enthralling book will always be a good gift for the person who is! 

Get In Touch With Your Inner Artist

Is reading not really your thing? That’s ok! These suggestions should help you figure out some fun activities, but you don’t have to follow every single one. As long as you can find ways to occupy yourself with all this newfound downtime, you’ll have some recovery success. 

With that in mind, our next suggestion could help you to break out of the monotony of sitting around all day; make some art! This activity can truly be as simple or complex as you want it to be. 

Are you just looking to kill some time in a fun and easy way? Get some activity books or coloring books to put on your bedside table. Want to improve your sculpting skills? Get some clay to work within the backyard. As long as it’s a relatively calm art medium, you should have no issues creating throughout your recovery.

Become Your Own Chef

Our last activity might be a little more difficult to achieve, so take our suggestion with a grain of salt, no pun intended! After all the bland hospital food and sometimes nasty-tasting medicines, you’re going to want some tasty eats to help you through the days. To start, you’ll probably order some food from your favorite restaurant or tear apart some gift baskets full of snacks that you might’ve received. 

However, ordering out gets pricey after a little while, and gift boxes don’t keep fresh vegetables or protein very well. When you hit this point of your recovery, it might be time to take matters into your own hands and get cooking! Cooking is a great way to keep your hands and mind occupied, and it results in tasty food; how great is that?

Good Eats For All

For anyone recovering from surgery right now, you have our thoughts and sympathy! It’s always an ordeal to go through any operation, and we know how tough that can be on your and your family. To help ease some of the stress and fit a tasty snack or two into your schedule, you might want to pick up some EATbars! 

Our tasty, meringue textured snack bars are perfect for anyone who wants a quick, easy-to-eat, and delicious snack! Full of easy calories for a great midday boost of energy, there’s just something about an easy-to-eat treat that melts in your mouth without any effort! Check out our collection, or read more about eating and lifestyle tips on our blog.