🟢 Side-Sleeper Pillow — WORTH IT

Side sleeping became my default after my flap surgery, and a supportive side-sleeper pillow was one of the specialty purchases I appreciated most.

It wasn’t about treating the surgical site. It was about making sure my neck and shoulders didn’t become the next problem after spending night after night sleeping in a position dictated by recovery.

I tried several pillow ideas during recovery, but if I were prioritizing the budget again, the main side-sleeper pillow would be near the top of my list.

🟢 Standing Desk — WORTH IT

My standing desk became command central during my Limberg flap recovery. I used it for work, email, entertainment, meals and simply having somewhere to spend time that wasn’t my bed.

Before surgery, I thought of it primarily as a way to continue working while I couldn’t sit. During recovery, it became something much more important: a way to participate in normal life while standing.

The downside was that I’m a bigger guy and wasn’t accustomed to being on my feet for that many hours. My feet and legs definitely felt it, particularly early in recovery.

🟢 Crocs — WORTH IT

I didn’t buy Crocs as medical equipment.

They became recovery gear anyway.

I could slip them on without bending down to deal with laces, and the cushioning made long stretches of standing considerably more tolerable for me. By the end of the first couple of weeks, I was wearing them around the house so consistently that they might as well have been issued by the hospital.

Stylish? Debatable. Useful? Absolutely.

Absolutely.

🟢 Bidet — WORTH IT FOR ME

We installed a bidet years before my second surgery during the COVID toilet-paper panic.

I never imagined it would eventually become one of the household items I appreciated most during pilonidal recovery.

Bathroom cleanup had been a major source of anxiety for me after both surgeries. During my flap recovery, the bidet reduced how much wiping I felt I needed to do around an area I was already nervous about disturbing.

That made me more comfortable.

This is one of those items where your own surgical team’s instructions matter tremendously. I’m describing what helped me—not suggesting that someone should direct water toward an incision or ignore postoperative hygiene instructions.

🟢 Handheld Shower Wand — WORTH IT

Once I was cleared to shower, a detachable handheld showerhead made the process considerably easier for me.

Instead of standing underneath a fixed stream, I could control exactly where the water went.

That control mattered psychologically almost as much as it did practically. Those first few showers can feel intimidating when you’re worried about stitches, an incision or a drain.

For me, being able to move the showerhead instead of moving my entire body around the water was a big improvement.

🔧 Cheap Carabiner — DIY WIN

My surgical drain bulb originally lived in my pocket.

That seemed logical until I discovered that my pockets were deeper than the tubing really wanted them to be. When the tubing snagged or stretched, I could feel it tugging at the stitch securing the drain.

Then I noticed the small fabric loop on the bulb.

I grabbed a cheap carabiner and clipped it to my waistband.

Problem solved.

It cost almost nothing and worked considerably better for me than stuffing the drain into my pocket.

🔧 Raised Dinner Box — DIY WIN

My no-sitting restriction created a problem I never would have thought about before surgery:

Where am I supposed to eat?

The dining table was too low for me to comfortably eat while standing, so I took a rigid box or shopping container, placed it on the kitchen counter and put my dinner plate on top.

That raised my meal to a comfortable standing height while still allowing me to stay near my family during dinner.

Zero stars for interior design.

Five stars for redneck engineering.

🔧 Webbing-Belt Drain Bandolier — DIY WIN

Showering created a different drain problem.

At first, Crystal literally stood beside me and held the drain bulb while I showered. Eventually I wanted to handle it myself.

I took an old webbing belt, wore it diagonally across my torso like a bandolier and clipped the drain onto it with the same carabiner.

Suddenly I had my hands back.

It looked like recovery gear designed by Chewbacca—or possibly Worf—but it worked.

🔧 Alexa Announcements — DIY WIN

One of the unexpectedly useful things we already had in the house was Alexa.

When moving around was inconvenient and I needed someone’s help, being able to make an announcement through the house was much easier than yelling for Crystal or one of the kids.

It wasn’t remotely medical.

It was simply another example of an ordinary household tool becoming surprisingly useful once recovery temporarily changed how I moved through the house.

Another benefit was that if my wife wasn’t home but I still needed her, I could send an announcement and she would get a notification her phone since she installed the Alex app! This was incredibly useful if I didn’t have my phone handy and she was out shopping and I needed something added to the list!

🟡 Knee Pillow — MAYBE

The knee pillow helped a little while I was sleeping on my side, but I wouldn’t put it in my must-buy category.

I could live without it.

If someone already knows that sleeping with a pillow between their knees makes side sleeping more comfortable, it could certainly be worthwhile.

For me, though, it belonged well below the main side-sleeper pillow on the priority list.

🟡 Extra-Long Charging Cable — MAYBE

This is one of the inexpensive things I wish I’d thought about earlier.

When you’re lying on your side, positioning yourself strangely in bed or standing instead of sitting, a normal phone charger can suddenly feel about two feet too short.

If I were preparing again, I’d have one long charging cable beside the bed and another near the standing desk.

It earns yellow rather than green mostly because it isn’t recovery-specific and whether you need one depends heavily on your existing setup.

🔴 Video Display Glasses — SKIP IT

I actually bought two different sets of video-display glasses because I thought I’d discovered the perfect solution to my entertainment problem.

I connected them to an old Roku, used a battery bank, dealt with cables and even 3D printed a holder for the setup. I held the gear in my hoodie front pocket like a kangaroo!

Technically? They worked.

The problem was that I felt disconnected from everyone around me. I could watch a screen, but I didn’t feel like I was actually in the room with my family. I returned both sets.

That was an expensive way to learn that the most technologically impressive recovery solution isn’t necessarily the best one.

🔴 Stomach / Reading Support Pillow — SKIP IT

This product looked perfect online.

I imagined lying comfortably on my stomach, propped up enough to read, watch television or use a tablet.

Reality was considerably less impressive.

I couldn’t find a position that felt natural enough to justify the size of the thing. In my house, with my body and during my recovery, it was nearly useless.

I’m sure somebody loves these. That somebody wasn’t me.

💡 BEFORE YOU BUY EVERYTHING ON AMAZON

The most expensive solution isn’t necessarily the best solution. Some of the things that helped me most cost almost nothing, while some of the most expensive recovery purchases went right back to the store.

Read The Products I Bought for Pilonidal Recovery — and Returned before panic-shopping your way through recovery.