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Eliminating Chronic Pain By Supporting Elective Surgeries

Dr. Christopher Gorczynski is the orthopedic surgeon behind yourorthoMD.com, an online service designed to educate patients about optimizing orthopedic rehabilitation and nutrition. Here, Dr. Gorczynski describes how elective surgeries could be better supported with the assistance of friends and family.

While surgery may correct issues that can lead to chronic pain or an erosion in the quality of life, people in the middle of a career or those involved in the day-to-day of childrearing may postpone self-care for financial reasons. Similarly, aging or geriatric patients are often hesitant to ask for help from younger generations because they are too mindful of the family obligations with which their children and grandchildren are involved.

I hear it all the time. “I would have surgery, but I can’t afford to do it." So they live in pain.

And yet, relatively little coordination is needed to help build effective means of communication towards recovery and rehabilitation. Minor orthopedic surgeries give families the opportunity to greatly enhance communication around the quality of life of a friend or family member in need.

Here are five topics to consider and plan for following non-emergency surgery.

  1. Home Health Aids. Those who’ve undergone a procedure with a high success rate like a knee replacement, for instance, will still need assistance at home while they recover. Family and friends can pool resources to hire an aide for a short period of time to ensure recovery and rehabilitation are both supported and effective. Or, if able, friends and family may themselves volunteer to help.
  2. Lost Wages. If the patient is still employed, work with the patient to establish a budget for recovery. Pool resources to ensure all bills are paid.
  3. Meal Delivery. For those with dietary considerations, like patients with diabetes, meal deliveries designed to support healing can be particularly helpful.
  4. Talk about medical equipment and the extent of insurance coverage. Note that for surgeries like knee replacement, the patient progresses from using a walker to a cane. Be certain that all necessary equipment is provided for so that ultimately, the patient can progress safely through physical therapy.
  5. Ensure that rides are provided for when patients are required to attend medical appointments. See whether Uber operates in your area. Or, coordinate a ride schedule using members of the family support team.

Give InKind does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We have an affiliate relationship with many of the advertisers on our site, and may receive a commission from any products purchased from links in this article. See Terms & Conditions.

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