canvaswriter

That is one thing I CAN help with.

I feel down a little 5 years ago and messed up my ankle/leg/foot rather badly and have had a bad patch a few times since then, so basically I've had 10 surgeries in the last 5 years, and I had to rely on only myself, and I learned quickly from the first one what had to be done. One of my daughter's came that time, they always overreaact to mommy's little "problems", so I had the advantage of two minds working on how to survive surgery alone and have perfected it since then ;D

First of all I do a thorough house cleaning shortly before, and I mean thorough, anything that might need to be done in say 4 months or a complete season, just in case recovery is longer than I anticipate. This time for instance I did fall and winter stuff, changed out clothing, did closests, procurred salt for the winter, changed curtains, floors, etc. Windows, screens, you name it, it's ready for winter.

If you are in a lot of pain do it a little at a time until it's done, or if you have the financial backing to hire a cleaning crew, do that. I didn't so I did it myself.

That is one of the major things to prepare, because it is one of the major physical expenditures around the house.

I also prepare my automobile for the current needs and future needs, tuneup, oil change, tires, etc.

Once you have the house and car ready, you can move on to the survival mode.

Shopping.

I try to make a list of ANYTHING I can think of or anticiapte that I might need to shop for in the next 4 months or so, especially if a drastic seasonal weather change is coming, for instance this sime from summer to winter. for instance, are you going to need winter boots and you don't thave them? Do you need to have your winter coat dry cleaned? I did all that before surgery.

Then I began on food.

I absolutely stuffed my pantry with canned and dry foods and staples, this time with extra care because I didn't want to have to drag heavy bags of anything up these stairs (my door is a 27 stair fire escape). Four of everything, cooking spray, olive oil, salt pepper, all the staples, raisins, prunes, you name the staple, it's in the pantry x 4. And that also includes toiletry items, shampoo, toothpaste, razors, creams, lotions, soaps, etc.

Laundry supplies, by the dozen ;D 5 boxes of clothes washing tablets, bleach, fabric softener, dry cleaning kits, stain removers, etc. Everything I could think of

Shopping entails everything. Clothing, food, you name it.

when it came to meals, I tried to have a mixture in the freezer of frozen already prepared meals, and a few frozen entrees like Stouffers, but mostly meals I cooked myself like spaghetti and meatballs (just the sace and meatball, not the pasta), baked good, bran muffins, brownies, individually wrapped and frozen chicken breasts, in fact I froze everything individually, so I can pop something out, microwave it, and eat.

I also included a ton of frozen vegetables. I prefer fresh, but in a pinch a frozen brussel sprout is better than no veggie at all. ;D

English muffins, bulgar, wild rice, I emptied the health food store and it's in my freezer.

things like bulgar and rice I did not cook first, they are pretty simple to prepare, but main courses I did cook first. I researched on the web how long things could be frozen cooked and uncooked and worked around that. I even cooked a lb. of bacon 50% done and frozen that, in case I wanted to go wild and make a BLT (which I have already done). Frozen fries, frozen juices, etc.

Right before surgery, in fact the day before I hit the veggie market and bought enough fresh for a week, cleaned it, and put it all in giant tupperware containers and had easy to eat and prepare veggies for the first week ( I just did the same thing today for the second week).

It takes a little fore thinking about meals and what I might want, what is available, and what is freezable, but it's worth it when you can just go in and pop a few things into the microwave and have a great home cooked meal instead of ordering fast food in, or be stuck with tv dinners ;D I enjoy eating too much to put myself in that place.

I also did the paper product thing. Solo cups, styrofoam cups in every size, and a ton of each. Paper plates, Paper bowls, and a giant box of plastic utensils, paper towels, paper napkins.

Easy to grab, easy to use, easy to throw away.

I keep all the "paper products" on my kitchen table (the ones that are not stored waiting to be called into duty) so they are easy to get at as well as easy to use.

I try to use as few pots as I can, for instance when I want a chicken breast or a small steak, etc.? I make a quick "broiling pan" out of aluminum foil, do the broiling thing, throw the foil away and no pan.

Don't forget tons of potty paper along with the paper towels.

Once you have the house, car and pantry and freezer ready, it's just a matter of doing a little spot cleaning every day to keep it all up, and I try to do one load of laundry every day so I don't have to lift any loads that are heavy, and that's about it really.

Cleaning, cooking, storing.

Just try to think of it as you have to plan your life to the smallest detail for 4 months and try to think about what might come up and have it ready in the house, and easy to get at.

Don't forget medical supplies you might need as well, Tylenol, things for burns and scrapes, heartburn, etc. I always keep a pretty good variety in my first aid kit, but I also restock that to the fullest and add all the extras in the cabinet.

You become a fully self contained human, and if there is something that comes up, you are usually prepared....

hope this helps.

susan.

__________________
The game is not worth the candle.
Michel de Montaigne