A little over a year ago I had to get procedures done on one of my knees, and it was hard on multiple levels. I’m the type of person who will identify myself by how I am able to perform in the gym, and also by the fact that I am independent. Keep reading and I’ll give you a short rundown of what I wish I knew prior to getting ready for surgery.
1. Listen to Your Health Professional 👏📢👏
This one should be a given. But once you are back home by yourself after the procedure, it is easy to feel lonely and to think you have to go through everything alone, but that isn’t true. The care for surgery isn’t finished on the day the surgery occurs, it also includes aftercare. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with them if something seems wrong to you.
2. Use Social Media
Your health professionals will be able to let you know what to expect on the physiological level, but they might fall short of answers when it comes to real-life experience. I wanted to know from people who actually went through similar experiences, but nobody in the area had anything like this done before. This is when I decided to turn to social media.
I started by researching the name of the procedures I would have on different social media. I was able to find people who shared their stories on both Instagram and YouTube, but it didn’t give me as many results as I hoped. I decided to try searching on Facebook and finally found what I was looking for: a community.
How Facebook group can help:
- By using the names of the procedures I was awaiting to have done, I was able to find a Facebook group dedicated to surgeries just like mine with over 2,000 members. I was able to find people I could relate to, and find a community where I felt understood.
- It helps create connections. Bed rest can become lonely, and being able to share and help others was making me feel like I was still an active part of the community. I was lucky enough to be able to find someone who went through the same procedures just a couple of days before me. We were able to relate to each other’s stories on a deeper level, and it felt great to have that type of connection with someone.
- It’s understandable if you don’t want to share your story with others on the Internet, and you don’t have to. The group has a built-in search option that will search through posts made by other members in the past. Your insecurities and questions were probably shared by many in the group. Using the search option will allow you to see posts that are similar to the questions you are asking yourselves, and you will be able to see what the members answered to it in the comments.
3. Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
I know this one is hard, but I couldn’t pass it. I know how social media can help, but I know it can be easy to compare yourself. Keep in mind that medical procedures will be different from one individual to the others, can change depending on your surgeon, and will also be depending on the country where you are getting it done. Be aware of your own recovery, encourage others, but don’t fall for the good old comparison. Be kind to yourself!
Bonus tip… take care of your mental health
Knowing about your surgery in advance gives you the advantage that you will be able to plan activities prior to your surgery that will help you while you are recovering. Getting through the trauma of surgery is hard on your body, and can be hard on your mind as well. I would recommend planning a list of books to read, having some adult colouring books available, or getting a subscription to Disney+ that you never thought you will have enough time to watch. For a list of activities to do during your bed rest, you can click here.
I hope that your recovery process goes smoothly, and remember: be kind to yourself.
Let me know in the comment if this article helped, or if you have any other tips to share!
Here’s a few moment of my recovery in pictures. Remember to have fun!
Facebook: Curious about how Facebook can help you while recovering from medical procedures? Click the link to my blog for more. bit.ly/3Y4rpCl
Twitter: What if I tell you #socialmedia can help you while recovering from surgery? Use the link to my blog to learn more. bit.ly/3Y4rpCl
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Alison C-L, I love your energy, photos and motivation to find a connection when one wasn’t available for you locally. It’s so easy to hibernate and think we have to go at it alone, but in this day and age there are so many social media outlets for us to find support, even if we’re not comfortable sharing our own personal story at that very moment. Thanks for sharing your vulnerability and how you overcame bedrest.
Thank you for sharing your difficult experience with us, and I hope you have successfully recovered from your surgery. I believe your suggestions are totally appropriate and easy to follow. I feel very lucky not having to go through any surgery so far, but if I need to get any surgery in the future, I can see myself following each of the tips you listed in your blog. I also believe that any positive support should be considered when anyone is recovering from any surgery. If a healthy emotional support and sense of belonging could be found in social media platforms like Facebook, we should take advantage of it. Thanks again for the tips, and I wish you all the best in your complete recovery.
I was curious as to how surgery fit into a blog about social media but you hit it out of the park! What an informative yet down-to-earth blog post that delivers exactly what it promises! Do you have any specific websites you trust most for your medical research?
The tool I used the most to research my surgeries, and I also just finished a certificate in Strength & Conditioning was using Google Scholar. You have tons of studies written by sources you can trust!