Hi! I'm having a fusion on Thursday and I wanted to know where I can get things to help me after surgery, like the grabber, shower seat and raised toilet seat. Any recommendations? Any websites I can go to? Should my local pharmacy have these items?

Yes MOST places these days carry grabbers, to include your doityourself stores like HomeDepot. Walmart even carries grabbers and alot of the other stuff too. Any place that usually has a decent size pharmacy.. will usually carry the convalescent equipment.. such as toilet seats, shower seat, etc. So depending on what is close by.. I would check those out.

Best wishes on your surgery. It's a bit scary leading up.. but you will be fine. And you will probably awaken & immediately notice your current horrible pain is gone!

Keep us posted.:wave:

I recommend 2 grabbers. I always dropped mine so I had the other to pick it up with. They gave me a grabber at the hospital and would have arranged the walker and raised seat if I had needed it. My insurance would have covered this.

You may want to check with your insurance and or hospital about this before going out and buying these items.

Good luck and keep us posted.

I ended up having to pay for the toliet chair out of pocket. The insurance company gave me the name of a medical supply company and I paid around $75 to $100 for it. I am 12 weeks out from a fusion and it has definitely been well worth it!! My toliet is extremely lower than normal.

The grabber I found at CVS and Home Depot (Next to the shovels - actually is used to pick up trash).

Someone - maybe Yvette - found her stuff at a local salvation army or consignment place.

I will be praying for you on Thursday. Good luck and keep us posted. Please remember someone is usually on 24/7 since many of us are up during the night. Take care and god bless.

Walmart has it all cheap

On thursday I'll be thinking of you and pray for you surgery to be successful and pain free!!!! Good luck!!!!

Do you have medicaid or medicare or both? or private insurance? Between my medicare and medicaid every thing was paid for: My walker, my grabber but a friend gave me the potty seat cause they invested in a new highboy toilet. See if your hospital will be sending you home with some of these things because their grabber is much better than the one I got from the store. Oh and best of luck with your surgery.

Good luck on Thursday I will also be thinking of you and you will be in my prayers.

Thanks for your replies! I appreciate them!

I also appreciate, very much, all your prayers. I really hope this fusion is the answer to my back problems.

Thanks again!

Shannon

Hi Shannon,
I'm sure you've read the "post surgery tips" thread at the top of the page by now. If not, please do, as it has a lot of really helpful tips that most of us wouldn't think of ahead of time. Make sure you get some bendy straws!

I got my grabber at CVS and it's called the Multi-Pik by InvaCare. I walked around the store trying the other grabber out, since it wasn't in a plastic package. The Multi-Pik was the best quality. It was $30 and was worth every penny the first day I was home.

My insurance provided the walker, commode, and all sorts of little gizmos like a dressing tool, super long shoe horn, elastic shoe laces, long handled shower sponge, etc.

You'll probably have lots of questions when you get home about what's normal and what's not. We'll be here! Take a deep breath and relax. You'll be on the other side of your surgery before you know it and will be posting to encourage others who are coming along behind you.

Blessings,
Emily :wave: