I guess what I'm asking is how do we deal with our monthly cycles, and shaving and washing our hair.
I've been told no driving for a month after surgery, no bending over, no heavy work, basically taking it easy for 6 weeks at a minimum.
Being the OCD control freak that I am, I am not sure how well I will handle all this if the second NS says surgery.
I had my first decompression surgery in November 2012 and I wasn’t allowed to wash my hair for the first 12 days until the clips holding the incision together to heal had been removed. After that, for the first two weeks I washed my hair very gently, as touching my head was still very painful/delicate. My husband would help me in and out of the shower/tub and stay with me as I still was very dizzy, weak and unsteady. As for shaving, I didn’t venture out of my bed for the first four weeks apart from going to the bathroom and taking a shower so shaving was the last thing on my mind. I had a hysterectomy back in 2007 so monthly periods weren’t a problem for me. You have to just take each day as it comes. Rest as much as you can as you will be very tired. Life will return to normal but only when your body is willing. Good luck.
Hi Plwise.
I’ll tell you how it is for me. I had surgery on 3/31. I’ll skip to when I got home because my hospital stay was a little longer than the norm. I could wash my hair and take a regular shower but had to be careful that the water didn’t hit directly on the surgery site. I use baby shampoo because it’s the gentlest stuff to use. If you plan on shaving and doing the whole 9, I suggest getting a chair for in the shower. The act of showering, as good as it feels, will leave you completely drained so go easy.
As for house work and meals, do as much as you can before hand because you won’t be doing much after you get home. Make some meals that can be frozen and just thrown in the oven. That helps a lot. And if you have a support group or family willing to help out, USE THEM!!! You will spend a good deal of the first month being dependent on others because of the restrictions. Listen to your body. It will tell you when you have done too much.
Monthly cycles (hope you don’t have it at the hospital) are relatively normal and just do what you normally do. Nothing really changes with that.
But the hardest thing is that you will have to give up some of the control you have been used to for a little while. Maybe try making lists of how you want things done while you are down n out so things stay as close to normal for you.
If you have anything else, or just want to talk, you can inbox me and I’ll answer anything that I can for you 
Tiffany
Well said simi147uk and Tiffany. I arranged for my family to fly in from out of state to cover the first month. The first two weeks my sister and a female cousin were here and I thought I would still be uncomfortable having them help with so much, but I was so thankful and following, so exhausted that I simply felt gratitude to shower. I have a child with special needs and am very particular about how things get done. I also have Celiac disease (an autoimmune disease associated with gluten) so I also wrote out as much as I could think of before the surgery to keep as much consistency as possible. I did find myself crying (at times often) being dependent on others for my care and my son’s. Just remember that it will get better. Crying and stressing a bit, I feel is normal. But remember that that your body needs your energy to heal. Things will get better. Be patient. I wish you all the best!
I am really OCD too and was nervous about letting people help me. I was able to shower and wash my hair the day after surgery. I had 40 staples. I was also able to walk to the bathroom with help and use the bathroom by myself the day after surgery. For sure get a shower chair and a hand held shower head. I did need help showering from my husband the first two weeks, after that I was able to do it alone but still used the shower chair another two weeks. With the chair I was able to sit and prop my leg up on the tub and shave my legs, I only skipped shaving the first two days after surgery. For me the first two weeks were worse than I imagined but after that I felt better than I thought I would. I had surgery January 19th of this year. When they told me I had to have the surgery I cried a lot, and up until surgery I had major panic attacks about it.
Hello!
I have not had the surgery and am not likely to be a candidate because I have laxity, but I’ve had some intermittent paralysis and other issues so I have had some experience in adapting. I don’t know if you against using chemicals or if you are hyper sensitive to them, But I found that da plor a tories like NAIR helped combat shaving and over time the hair will actually grown in less with thier use. I think they even make one you can spray on now. I second the shower chair and the hand heald shower suggestion and would also recommend one of the grab bars that slips over the tub and screws down to clamp it between the front and back especially if you have to do most of your care independently. It helps when you have something to hold on to to help get in and out of the bath without falling especially if you don’t get a transfer chair. As for your cycle they sell reuseable cups that insert kind of like a diaphragm that might be an option all depending. I know whole foods has them but other places might too. And you might experiment and check with the nurses about baking soda, corn starch or other dry shampoo or no poo methods of cleaning your hair so long as they wont cause any complications with your incisions. Coconut oil for instance has natural medicinal properties & it may help you extend the frequency between Washings without compromising on hygiene, but I’d try things out before the surgery because you don’t want to find out it doesn’t work for you when you’ve already had the surgery and aren’t set up for other options. Just a few ideas… Wishing you good Fortune and a positive experience in your up and coming appointments!