Gift Ideas After Surgery

Surgery is pretty serious business. Even for simply outpatient procedures that have the surgery patient home by evening, full recovery after surgery can take days or weeks. Of course, for very serious and involved types of surgery such as heart or back surgery, recovery takes months.

During recovery, the typical surgery patient understandably feels a bit off-kilter. Not only does his or her body feel out of sorts or even in a lot of pain, but they can feel a bit dizzy due to all of the

medications they are taking. On top of that, there is often a general feeling of being disoriented due to the fact that the recovery process has forced the person into a very different pattern of daily

living in most cases. For example, their eating and sleep times may differ from before. And, they are usually limited in terms of the number and types of activities they can get done around the home.

For all of these reasons, if you know someone who is in recovery after some type of surgery, you may want to think of ways to cheer him or her up. There are a lot of ways to let them know you care, such as:

• Giving Them A Kind Word via Phone
• Paying Them A Visit
• Writing A Get-Well Letter or Card
• Helping Out Around the House or Office
• Sending Flowers
• Giving A Gift

If you decide to go the route of getting him or her a gift, you will suddenly realize that there is a huge range of options in front of you to choose from. What is important is to find a gift that suits their particular situation as it stands right now.

As you shop for gifts, you should keep two main criteria in mind:

* Is it something that fits their own personal style?

* Is it appropriate to give them this right now, given their physical condition?

Regarding the appropriateness of the gift to their situation, consider factors such as:

1. Does it require them to stretch or twist their body - even a little bit - in order to use it?
2. Does using the gift mean they will have to get up out of bed or their resting chair in a way that is uncomfortable or impossible?
3. If the gift is mentally stimulating, such as a puzzle or a game, is it possibly too hard for the person to solve or play given all of the medications they are taking?
4. Is it something that would be hard to set up?
5. Would it be a bit messy to do and therefore difficult to put away after it has been used?
6. Is it something they can do with others?

The type of gift that you choose to give him or her will depend upon your style/taste as the gift-giver, their style/taste as the recipient, and their own limitations due to their current condition (see above).

Here are some categories of gifts you should consider when looking for gift ideas for surgery:

Healing: something that aids or assists in their physical healing or keeps them physically comfortable

Helpful: sundries, food items and supplies that they may need anyway - surgery or no surgery - but that help them get by day-to-day

Useful: things to make their life a bit easier during this difficult time

Comforting: items that give the person emotional or spiritual comfort

Time-Passers: things that make the time go by more quickly and in a way that is more fun

Humorous: entertainment media designed to make them laugh