Sometimes a short (or long) stay in the hospital is necessary for your health. You might need to have surgery or you might need treatment and monitoring while you recover from an illness or injury. Whatever your reasons for needing to stay in the hospital, going home again can be both a relief and a little frightening. Without the support of hospital staff and the environment, you might feel unsure about your recovery. It’s important to take time to recover so you can get back to life outside the hospital, even if it might look a little different from when you went in.
Follow Aftercare Instructions
When you’re discharged from the hospital, you will most likely receive some advice or instructions about your continued recovery. You might not need to be in the hospital anymore, but that doesn’t mean that you’re fully healed. You might still need to return to see a doctor at additional appointments or you might need further procedures and treatments. Perhaps you will be sent home with some physical therapy exercises to do or referred to a different doctor for your continued care. Whatever happens, make sure you listen to and follow the instructions that you’re given.
Accept (and Ask For) Help
Being able to accept help from others is essential after you have been in the hospital. Letting other people help you will make it easier for you to recover and get some rest once you’re back at home. If people offer to do things for you, whether it’s cooking you some meals or helping with tidying your home, let them be there for you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help too, especially as some people might be unsure about whether they’re welcome or what sort of help they can offer. If you’re clear about how they can help and what you need, it’s easier for everyone.
When Something Goes Wrong
Most of the time your hospital stay is, although not pleasant, a generally positive experience. However, there are times when things don’t go the way that you expect and your experience is much more negative. This can be due to health complications that no one has any control over, but it can also be due to mistakes that are made by hospital staff. When this happens, the first priority is correcting any mistakes made. After this, you might consider hiring a surgical error lawyer or medical malpractice attorney. This could be the right choice if you think that you have a legal case after the incident.
Start Moving
After being stuck in the hospital, the opportunity to move around more freely at home is a welcome one. But you might also need to be cautious about how active you get and how quickly you do it. Before you start moving more, make sure you’ve spoken to your doctor or other medical professionals. They can advise when it’s ok to start being more active and what precautions you might need to take. Start slowly at first so that you can increase your activity levels over time.
Get Plenty of Rest
Rest is important when you come home from the hospital. It can be necessary to build up how much you’re moving around, but doing too much at once isn’t a great idea. You should listen to your medical team about how much rest you need, and make sure that you’re not doing anything too strenuous before you should be. Sometimes you might be on bedrest or told to move around as little as possible. It can help to have someone else around to help you or even to have a few handy tools around the house to make things easier for you.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Eating healthy food should be a part of your recovery after leaving the hospital. Getting important nutrients will give your body what it needs to heal. If you’re not up for cooking yourself, ask other people to help you out or accept their offers of food if they extend them to you. You can also order food to be delivered. There are meal prep companies that can send you food or healthy options that you can order to be delivered. You might find you’re eligible for some free meal services too.
Connect with Friends
Isolating yourself after you’ve been in the hospital can be tempting. You’ve been surrounded by a lot of people during your hospital stay, and now you perhaps want some time and space for yourself. However, you should avoid shutting yourself away for too long. It’s important to stay connected to other people during your recovery. Not only can they provide you with support in practical ways, but they can also give you an essential social connection.
Manage Medications
If you have any medications to take after leaving the hospital, it’s important that you know how to manage them. You might want to ask someone to fill your prescription for you if you can’t do it yourself, or just to save you the time and energy. Make sure you familiarize yourself with what you need to take and how and when you need to take it. You might find it useful to use a pill organizer and tools like a medication reminder app, which can help you remember to take what you need.
Consider Care Options
Sometimes, you may need help with your recovery after a hospital stay but not friends or family who can help you out (or you’re willing to ask). When this is the case, it can be worth considering other options. It’s better to have someone else helping you out than to try and do it all yourself when you’re unable to. You could have someone come to your home to provide the assistance that you need or you might consider a short-term rehabilitation facility that can give you somewhere comfortable to stay.
Coming home from the hospital can be a happy occasion, but make sure you take good care of yourself once you’re at home.
