After her admission to hospital for abdominal surgery, the Princess of Wales faces a long recovery period at home. We often think about how important the care we receive in hospital is, but it’s when we’re home that the recovery really starts.
Anyone who has gone through surgery will know that leaving hospital and rejoining the real world can come as a shock to the system. Suddenly, there are no doctors on hand, no nurses looking at the wounds or guiding you to the bathroom.
There are also the pressures we put on ourselves. It can feel lazy to lie around all day even if you’re still recovering. Perhaps you should tackle that pile of paperwork in the corner? A few chores won’t hurt, will they?
Of course, Kate is our future queen so, naturally, she has a level of help around the house that the rest of us don’t.
She may not be concerned with hanging out the washing for example, but she will, I suspect, feel the desire — just as you or I would — to be back up on her feet, whizzing around at full speed.
The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery and faces a long recovery at home
Very few of us are lucky enough to avoid a hospital stay in our lifetimes, so being prepared for what happens next is crucial.
Once home, you’re surrounded by the minutiae of daily life, the to-do list lurking at the back of your mind. For parents there are children nagging you to play when you still feel so tired.
Even if Kate avoids the more physically demanding aspects of her role — she has been signed off official engagements until Easter — there is the mental load to consider and the toll that can take on her recovery.
Entertaining people and being emotionally present and well-briefed requires an energy level she may feel she can’t achieve for some weeks. She is, after all, human just like the rest of us. So my advice for Kate is the same I would give to you if you’re recovering — or if you’re helping a loved one after an intended hospital stay.
1. Be prepared. I’m sure Kate can call on the services of a palace chef, but the rest of us will benefit from stocking the pantry and filling the fridge before a planned hospital stay.
Prepare and freeze meals in advance and get in some microwave meals. After surgery, patients often find eating large meals difficult, so make sure you have plenty of healthy smaller snacks.
When I was discharged after my recent hernia operation, I could barely make myself toast, let alone a hearty lunch.
Make sure you are asking for — or offering — help.
Kate has been signed off official engagements until Easter — but there is also the mental load to consider and the toll that can take on her recovery
2. Take notes. People can feel groggy for several days after surgery from the anaesthetic or pain medication, so it’s easy to forget what the doctor has told you before discharge. Take a notebook with you when you’re admitted and jot down any advice. Ensure you have numbers of who to call if there are complications.
3. Be patient. If you’re recovering from a big or invasive operation, you might want to ask your employer to consider what’s called a phased return, so you can ease yourself back into working life. Don’t push yourself. Accept that your body will take weeks, and sometimes months, to fully heal.
4. Walk every day, even if it’s a short distance. This will strengthen your muscles and reduce the risk of blood clots in the legs.
5. Sit up. Bedrest causes a loss of one per cent of muscle mass per day in young people and up to five per cent per day in older people. It tends to be seen most in ‘antigravity’ muscles — those used to sit up, stand up and pull up — so sitting up in a chair is better than lying in a bed.
6. Get rid of clutter and get some torches. Tripping on things can cause real complications to the surgery and healing. Make sure there’s nothing on the floor, including magazines or plastic bags which are particularly easy to slip on. Put your slippers under your bed, not next to it at night. Painkillers might make you feel groggy, which can also increase the risk of falls. You might not have had one since you were a toddler, but torches make trips to the loo a lot safer.
7. Move bedroom. If your bed is upstairs and you’re going to have to be alone for any period of time, it’s best to sleep downstairs until you feel confident enough to tackle stairs.
8. Stock up on books and box sets, as this will help avoid the temptation to check emails or tackle the ironing.
9. Eat a bag of oranges. I used to work for a surgeon who would insist on telling every patient he discharged after an operation to eat as many oranges as they could every day. Vitamin C isn’t stored in the body but is vital for wound healing.
Dr Max Pemberton (pictured) offers advice for anyone recovering or helping a loved one after a hospital stay
10. Keep warm. The body finds it harder to regulate temperature after an operation, so make sure you have a small heater, blankets and slippers to hand.
11. Quit smoking. Recovery times and wound healing are dramatically affected in people who smoke. Quitting will not only benefit your overall health, but also help heal your wounds.
Half of young people using disposable vapes never smoked, a study shows. I wouldn’t recommend non-smokers start vaping but the overall risks are low.
I fear more that unfounded hysteria will curb something that, for many, is an effective way to stop smoking.
Time to sign up the snowflakes
I gave a wry smile when I read comments from General Sir Patrick Sanders, head of the British Army, warning that, because of dwindling UK troops, young Brits could be called up to fight in a war against Russia.
We’ve managed to create a generation who seem to be afraid of its own shadow. They need trigger warnings on Jane Austen novels, for goodness sake, so how on earth would they cope on the battlefield?
I see so many feckless, indulged, directionless young people who lack discipline and have never developed any resilience or grit. Surely National Service would act as the perfect counterpoint to the damaging, self-obsessed and cossetted environment they’ve grown up in.
So few young people now have the chance to feel part of something bigger than themselves. In trying to make the next generations’ lives as pleasant and easy as possible we’re doing untold damage.
As with other countries, we could offer either a stint in the Army or the choice of voluntary work. National Service would give them the dose of life skills they desperately need.
Recent measles fears have led to a sharp increase in children receiving catch-up jabs as cases continue to rise. I hope this trend continues. Vaccination is arguably the single most effective medical intervention. The World Health Organisation estimates it saved ten million deaths from 2010 to 2015 alone.
Yet vaccination numbers have been falling so low that there are now outbreaks. The MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination in Britain has fallen to a record low and, oddly, the middle classes are turning their back on it most, though we know it can save countless lives.
DR MAX PRESCRIBES…
NHS Talking Therapy
A new NHS mental health campaign encourages those struggling with low mood, excessive worry, social anxiety, stress or obsessions and compulsions to seek help through NHS Talking Therapies services — as early as possible. We know early help means problems can be nipped in the bud and stop them spiralling into a mental illness. The drive comes as a new survey found more than half of respondents felt worried about their mental health in the past year, with one in five being very concerned.
- You can self-refer at NHS.uk/talk
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