Soooooo, husband just broke his collarbone and is having surgery to place it properly any suggestions on how to make him more comfortable to sleep, dress and shower more easily?I know it's not an overly serious question but he is 6'11 to my 5'1 and nearly twice my weight.
4 Replies
Once the grogginess of The anaesthetic wears off he will be fine to get around. It will be in a sling to take the weight so you can either learn to sling it or buy one from the chemist. He will have to find the most comfortable position for himself. Just provide extra pillows and ensure he keeps up his pain meds.
He’ll be fine!
It’s not like he’ll be wheelchair bound. He’ll be able to do most things himself. If he needs help with putting on tops (jackets will be easier) he can sit on a chair while you help him.
So when my husband dislocated his shoulder I had to help him a lot more than some people expect particularly because it was his dominant side that was out of action. I'm also a shorty like you with an over 6 foot tall husband but that wasn't to big of an issue surprisingly. These things helped us
1. Either a loofah on a long handle for in the shower or we showered together so I could help him.
2. Make sure toilet paper is in an easily accessible spot and I had some sheets pre-torn off the roll (I knew from my own previous shoulder injury how difficult it was to tear paper to wipe with only one hand)
3. I got him some slightly bigger cheap shirts so he could just leave his slinged arm inside if it was too painful to put it in a sleeve
4. Unfortunately he will have to work out what position is most comfortable to sleep in but one or two extra pillows by his bedside might be handy.
5. Don't have meals that involve too much cutting otherwise it will be like having a toddler again- I did lots of curries, soups and other dishes that were easily eaten with a spoon or fork
Hopefully he recovers quickly but make sure he follows all doctor's instructions (I know obvious but he is likely to get very frustrated and try to use his arm sooner than he should) and make sure he takes his pain meds properly especially at night time so he can sleep and recover well. Hope his surgery goes well and schedule in a massage or day spa day for yourself once he's recovered!!
Thank you so much for this answer (op) He has already offered the day spa and a super special mother's day treat. I have learnt so far that anything one handed to eat is good and we had to swap sides of the bed so I don't hurt him.
I went today to kmart and got shirts and its been a godsend. As for toilet paper I'm so on that.
Oh he is already a pain trying to do too much he is pissed he has to put gym on hold and works a very physical job so the sitting still is hard for him but we have Netflix