Help Someone Recover After Cosmetic Surgery
Cosmetic surgery can be a procedure as simple as laser resurfacing or as extensive as a full body liposuction or reconstructive facial surgery. Depending on the type of surgery, the patient may suffer from pain and discomfort for several days or weeks after the procedure. If you know somebody who is undergoing cosmetic surgery, offering to help is a great way to make their life easier during the days immediately following the procedure.
Instructions
What You Can Do to Help
1. Offer to take over shopping, cleaning or other everyday activities that may cause discomfort or be difficult for the person who is trying to recover.
2. Ask for suggestions. If you know beforehand that somebody is undergoing cosmetic surgery, ask them to write a list of simple tasks that have to be performed everyday, such as walking the dog or driving the kids to school. Even if you cannot take over all the tasks, a list will help you decide what you can do and fit those activities into your own schedule.
3. Take care of the minor things that can become a burden for someone not feeling his best, such as changing burned-out light bulbs, cooking, doing the laundry or picking up the mail.
4. Offer to pick up prescriptions or to drive the person to doctor appointments.
5. Take care of the kids. If someone recovering after surgery has children, offer to babysit, even if it's only for one afternoon. Take the kids out so the patient can rest and relax, or offer to stay home with them while she goes to follow-up consultations.
6. Offer to help to the extent of your abilities, but don't over commit yourself. Often times, the stress of caring for someone else can lead to personal repercussions and difficulty, so just do what you can.
7. Be understanding. Pain and discomfort can make somebody who is in the process to recover from surgery feel depressed or irritable, so try to engage the person in shallow conversation or join them in watching TV or reading a magazine.
