Planning on having a plastic surgery procedure? If you’ve scheduled your consultation, you’re probably already feeling those twinges of excitement. You may also be wondering what your recovery phase will be like. Many patients want to know what to expect. This is only one aspect of planning a plastic surgery journey. What we want to discuss here is the short-list of must-haves you’ll want to start on right away. When you have what you need well ahead of your plastic surgery procedure, you set yourself up for success.
Prepare Help
Every plastic surgery patient is advised to call in their best support team. Help may be needed for a couple of days or a couple of weeks. Before preparing the help they need, though, what many plastic surgery patients have to do is prepare themselves to receive help. Yes, we do live in a society that paints the DIY attitude in a lovely light. This may apply in some areas of life but can be detrimental after surgery. Don’t do plastic surgery recovery yourself. Accept that you will need extra rest for as long as it takes for your body to heal. Then, arrange for that help. Examples include having a loved one do the cooking or pre-make some meals. You also may need someone to take care of the kids and pets for about a week. Keep in mind, this is only a temporary downgrade from ruler-of-your-world to post-operative-patient-in-need.
Get Necessary Over-the-Counter Remedies
Surgical patients are told, sometimes several times, to fill their prescriptions before the day of surgery. More is needed to manage post-operative discomforts. In addition to prescriptions, you may want to purchase a bottle of magnesium citrate or a bottle of fiber powder that you can add to water every day. Prescription pain medications are known to cause constipation, which can be an unnecessary stressor after surgery. Both fiber and magnesium citrate have demonstrated the power to reduce this side effect. Additionally, we suggest purchasing one or two ice packs that you can use intermittently to soothe soreness and swelling.
We want your plastic surgery journey to be as pleasant as possible. To begin, call 305.279.4700 and schedule a consultation at our Miami office.