What Should Be on Your Surgery Recovery Shopping List? By Stuart Baker on December 11, 2017

At the Center for Cosmetic Medicine, Dr. Stuart Baker offers a wide range of body contouring procedures to help patients achieve a more defined and streamlined appearance. When planning for body contouring, or any plastic surgery, patients should take some time to prepare for their recovery.

Preparing ahead of time for recovery helps ensure patients are able to relax and give their bodies time to heal immediately after surgery. Each patient will have different needs during recovery depending on such factors as the number and type of procedures performed as well as personal preferences.

Dr. Baker takes these factors and many others into account to provide each patient a personalized surgery recovery shopping list during consultations at his Champaign, IL practice. Here, we'll take a look at some general recommendations to consider when preparing your surgery recovery shopping list.

Get Prescription Medications Filled

Patients are typically prescribed pain medication to keep them comfortable during recovery and may also be prescribed antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection. Patients should have these prescriptions filled before surgery to have them readily available once they get home to recover.

Patients who regularly take other medications should also be sure to have these prescriptions filled before surgery, provided that their physician has approved the use of these medications during recovery from plastic surgery.

Bandages and Other First Aid Supplies

Patients will be provided detailed information about what types of bandages and other first aid supplies they will need during recovery. Some common supplies to purchase before undergoing plastic surgery include gauze, medical tape, bandages, and compression garments.

Healthy Food and Drinks

Maintaining a healthy diet during recovery can help ensure a fast recovery and reduce the risk of complications. Patients should have a supply of foods low in sodium to help reduce water retention and swelling after surgery.

It's also recommended that patients buy easy to prepare meals and snacks, or prepare food ahead of time, as patients may not feel up to cooking after surgery.

Some foods and drinks to consider adding to your recovery shopping list include:

Fresh fruits and vegetables
Yogurt
Bottled water
Low sodium crackers
Low sodium soups
Lean meats and proteins
Fruit juice without added sugar
Flavored waters

Entertainment

Patients should prepare a variety of entertainment options to keep them occupied during recovery. Things like books, magazines, movies, TV series, puzzles, games, or a tablet or laptop are great options for preventing boredom during recovery.

Things to Keep You Comfortable

Comfort is important during recovery. Patients may want to include pillows on their recovery shopping list to ensure they have plenty of pillows to support the body and elevate areas that have been operated on.

Comfortable clothing that's easy to put on is also important for comfort during recovery. For example, patients undergoing facial procedures should buy plenty of button-up tops to avoid pulling clothing over their heads.