In planning for my hysterectomy surgery, I had ideas of the type of things I would need to assist in recovery. For some I was spot on, but for others, it took a while to figure it out. If I have a friend who ends up in a similar position, and I hope I don’t, I’ll have all sorts of great gift ideas or tips to give for planning ahead of time. Why not share those with you?

Great gift ideas and tips to for time spent on bed rest.

The Perfect Ways to Support Yourself or Your Friend, Post-Hysterectomy

  • A Breakfast-in-Bed Tray
    This is a must have if you’re going to be spending the better part of many weeks in bed. It lets you have a surface on which to write or prop up a book, but it also protects your stomach from pets who might walk all over you. This is especially important if you have an overweight cat, teetering precariously close to 20 pounds, who likes to stand right on top of you.I bought the cheapest one available at Bed, Bath & Beyond. This is about functionality over quality. 
  • Entertainment StationWonder Boy and I don’t have a television in our bedroom. In fact, we only have one television in our house and it’s in the living room, which is on a different floor than the bedroom. Fortunately, I have an old iMac that was sitting in the attic and I carried it down to on top of a bedside bookshelf. The computer was slow for doing real work, but was fine as an internet browser. I was able to watch lots of Netflix and stay up to date on my ever-essential reality television shows, like America’s Next Top Model. (Don’t judge.)

If you don’t have a television or computer you can use for while on bed rest, maybe another sort of device will work like an iPad or smartphone. Bed rest sounds like a great time to catch up on reading, but pain medicine hinders that quite a bit. Mindless entertainment is where it’s at!

  • TV and Movie AccessHulu and Netflix are great options for access to mindless entertainment. If you feel like splurging, Amazon Prime is another good option. Services like these expand viewing options tremendously! I was fortunate to have a Netflix account of which I could take advantage and I watched a lot of television.
  • Comfy Pajamas and HousecoatsNot too surprisingly, my stomach post-surgery was huge. (Stomach isn’t quite the right description … The area under my belly button? Stomach is close enough.) It took me a few weeks move up to even yoga pants so I spent the time leading up to that in pajamas. My Thanksgiving attire was very casual this past year! I was grateful to Wonder Boy, my mom and my sister for hooking me up with cute PJs, cardigans and a bathrobe.
  • Small Foam PillowWhen you’ve lost all core strength, one challenge that looms large is sitting upright. It sounds so easy! But, after you’ve been in bed for a while, you just start sliding down in your seat and scooting back upright is an ordeal. What worked for me was a foam pillow, really intended for neck support, set just below my butt. The foam prevented me from skidding down the bed.
  • Some Nurse or Murse SupportWe always joke about Wonder Boy being my personal murse (male nurse), but I don’t really see him exhibit nursing day skills too often. When I was sliding down in bed and struggling to get upright (see above), he had some fancy maneuver where he pulled me back up to sitting in no time flat! Not everyone has a personal nurse or murse, but it’s worth making sure your caregiver gets some tips and tricks from someone with some medical background. Much pain saved!
  • KindnessI had people let me know they cared about me in so many different ways. Some friends found book on my Goodreads To Read list and sent those over. I had food sent over that I could just heat up, which made lunchtime a much easier process. I had at least one visitor every day, which definitely broke up the monotony. Some came for lunch, some for movie dates and some just to hang out. I had cards and flowers galore mailed to me. My niece called me almost every day, and while I know that some bribery was involved in that and the conversations weren’t actually very good (she’s more interested in my cats than me), it was so entertaining and so sweet! I received gift cards to Michael’s (for crafting I could do while sitting), Amazon (more books!) , Graeters (ice cream!) and more. The outpouring of love was much appreciated.
  • RestWhen I returned to work I had one person ask me, “So, felling well-rested?!?” To be fair, I don’t think he knew why I was gone, but still. No matter how much sleep I got on bed rest, it wasn’t enough. My post-surgery tired was unlike any tired I had ever known. People would come and visit and all we would do is talk. Afterwards I would take a two hour nap. I was grateful that all of my friends were okay with me saying to them, “I need to take a nap now.”

I know everyone’s experience is different. If you have things you’d add to this list, please share!

This post originally appeared on Kate’s Point of View. © Kate. All rights reserved.