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As the day of your back surgery approaches, you need to make sure that you are ready for the recovery period. You need an environment that will allow you to heal and be comfortable. On your road to recovery, here are five things that will help keep you healthy and maintain your mental health:

1. Foods High in Fiber

Following a back surgery, you are going to be taking pain medications. You are also going to be limited on activity and be dealing with the after-effects of the anesthesia. All of these can result in constipation, which can be extremely uncomfortable when you're trying to recover. Therefore, you need to make sure that you have plenty of high-fiber foods in the house, such as broccoli, skinned baked potatoes, blueberries, lentils, oatmeal and prunes.

2. Toilet Seat Riser

To avoid additional strain on your back when you go to the restroom, you should seriously consider getting a toilet riser to raise the height of the toilet seat. These are typically made of plastic and will fasten securely to the existing toilet seat. You will gain several inches in height with one of these.

3. Meditation

Anything you can do to reduce the pain that you are experiencing after your back surgery is crucial. Aside from pain medications and sleep, you may also want to consider mindful meditation. Your mind has a lot to do with the pain that you're feeling, so if you can reduce the brain's sensitivity to the pain, you may find that you can decrease chronic pain.

4. Silk Pajamas

Silk pajamas may not necessarily be your thing, but they'll definitely come in handy after surgery. Silk is slippery, so it will make it easier for you to get in and out of your bed. It eliminates the friction that would be there otherwise. You could use a trash bag on the bed or the seat of the car to help ease the transition as well.

5. Entertainment

Whether its books and magazines or its an online movie streaming subscription, make sure that you have plenty of things to keep you busy. Sure, you're going to be sleeping part of the time. However, when you're not sleeping, you need to keep your mind off of the pain and the fact that you are healing from back surgery. By keeping yourself busy and entertained, your mind is engrossed in something fun rather than the pain.

Recovering from back surgery isn't easy. It takes time, patience and positive thoughts. The aforementioned must-haves will help ensure your body is healthy and comfortable while also keeping your mind busy. If you have any concerns with pain or trouble sleeping following the surgery, be sure to consult with your back surgeon. For more information, contact a local clinic like Southwest Florida Neurosurgical Associates.