It's wild. I had a laparotomy in November. I leveraged AI to the hilt to make sure I had a full recovery journey mapped out for myself... was it overkill, maybe, but I felt so much more prepared, and my husband and mother knew exactly what was expected of them.
I expected to spend a few days in the hospital post surgery. I had it early one morning, and the next day they sent me home. I was beyond shocked!
My little notebook full of goals, steps, and processes was my way of hacking my recovery: tracking patterns and recording the small wins every day. Having the support so I didn't have any responsibility other than recovery was essential. I was happy to be home, able to sleep in my own bed, be in my own space, and challenge myself to get better every single day.
I guess that's all we can really hope for: intentional development, seeing small, impactful results, and a desire to keep going. Here is to having all future shifts be surgery-free.
I had a check up at week 5 and again about 1 week ago. All green lights. I'm in Portugal so the process to get to surgery was slow, but the doctors, nurses, and staff were phenomenal the whole way through.
I love your visual! I’m an anesthesia provider (CRNA) and former Executive Director of a surgical center. Would it benefit you as a surgeon to include a section on what to expect during recovery/afterwards so your patients know that is the expectation? Just a suggestion. Some food for thought.
Yes, Florence, that is a great suggestion! We have that discussion with our patients as soon as we schedule them for hip or knee replacement and we also have a written booklet that reviews all of what you suggest after surgery.
Are you suggesting that we put it on our website as well? Or maybe incorporate it into a substack article that walks through a patient recovery journey so that potential patients access it online?
Yes, I’m suggesting that you consider placing it on your website. Patients and their families can get frazzled at those meetings and forget certain parts of what you told them. You can have a FAQ area on your website if you don’t have one already and address it there. You know what they say in our industry: CYA.
A Substack article would be nice too but they wouldn’t be able to access that if they’re not Substack members, right?
A compelling look at how outpatient joint replacement, backed by careful patient selection, data-driven protocols, and strong home support, is safely redefining recovery beyond the hospital walls
It's wild. I had a laparotomy in November. I leveraged AI to the hilt to make sure I had a full recovery journey mapped out for myself... was it overkill, maybe, but I felt so much more prepared, and my husband and mother knew exactly what was expected of them.
I expected to spend a few days in the hospital post surgery. I had it early one morning, and the next day they sent me home. I was beyond shocked!
My little notebook full of goals, steps, and processes was my way of hacking my recovery: tracking patterns and recording the small wins every day. Having the support so I didn't have any responsibility other than recovery was essential. I was happy to be home, able to sleep in my own bed, be in my own space, and challenge myself to get better every single day.
I guess that's all we can really hope for: intentional development, seeing small, impactful results, and a desire to keep going. Here is to having all future shifts be surgery-free.
That's an amazing story. And, it sounds like you've now made a full recovery. Did you return to have conversations/followups with your physician?
Curious to hear about that.
Happy you had a happy ending.
I had a check up at week 5 and again about 1 week ago. All green lights. I'm in Portugal so the process to get to surgery was slow, but the doctors, nurses, and staff were phenomenal the whole way through.
Preparation and ownership always beat comfort in outcomes like this.
I love your visual! I’m an anesthesia provider (CRNA) and former Executive Director of a surgical center. Would it benefit you as a surgeon to include a section on what to expect during recovery/afterwards so your patients know that is the expectation? Just a suggestion. Some food for thought.
Yes, Florence, that is a great suggestion! We have that discussion with our patients as soon as we schedule them for hip or knee replacement and we also have a written booklet that reviews all of what you suggest after surgery.
Are you suggesting that we put it on our website as well? Or maybe incorporate it into a substack article that walks through a patient recovery journey so that potential patients access it online?
Thank you so much for your comment and suggestion
Yes, I’m suggesting that you consider placing it on your website. Patients and their families can get frazzled at those meetings and forget certain parts of what you told them. You can have a FAQ area on your website if you don’t have one already and address it there. You know what they say in our industry: CYA.
A Substack article would be nice too but they wouldn’t be able to access that if they’re not Substack members, right?
Systematic and scientific approach with the patient first and foremost in mind.
A compelling look at how outpatient joint replacement, backed by careful patient selection, data-driven protocols, and strong home support, is safely redefining recovery beyond the hospital walls