If you or someone you know is having surgery soon, installing a bidet toilet seat can be a great tool to help alleviate some bathroom related stress during the post surgery healing process. This is especially true for surgeries that will result in some mobility issues during the healing process. How can I clean myself after using the toilet if I’m not able to wipe? Will I need a caretaker? Will my spouse have to help me each time?
A bidet seat can be extremely helpful for someone lacking full mobility or decreased flexibility of their hands, arms, legs, or back stemming from a recent procedure. Whether this decrease in mobility is due to painful movements, lowered strength or swelling, an electronic bidet toilet seat can help you maintain hygiene and independence in the bathroom.
In this article we will discuss how a bidet seat can benefit you or a loved one that is scheduled to have surgery where physical movements will be limited during recovery. We will recommend the best types of bidets for this situation, tips on how to best use a bidet post surgery, and how the various bidet features can help during the healing process.
Types of surgeries that can lead to limited mobility post op
Surgeries focused on the back, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, or elbows often result in a recovery period that includes a decrease in flexibility and limited range of motion. This decrease in flexibility can result in extreme difficulty when attempting to clean oneself after using the toilet. The inability to bend one’s arm and reach behind to wipe often leads to being reliant on someone else to do the job for them. This loss of independence in the bathroom can lead to unneeded stress during recovery.
This can also be said for lower body surgeries as well. Surgeries focused on the hips, legs, knees, ankles, and feet can cause serious issues with standing up or bending. Standing up and bending over to clean oneself after using the bathroom can be very difficult, if not outright impossible, during the post op healing process. This inability to clean oneself can add to the stress associated with the post op healing process by having to rely on a caretaker or spouse. But, with a fully featured bidet seat installed on your toilet, this isn’t the case!
Some common surgeries that result in limited mobility post op are:
- Spinal fusion
- Laminectomy
- Discectomy
- Foraminotomy
- Diskectomy
- Disk replacement
- Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF)
- Meniscectomy
- Meniscus repair
- ACL reconstruction
- Arthroscopy
- Joint replacement
- Hip replacement
- Hysterectomy
- Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy)
The benefits of using a bidet seat for post op healing process
The great benefit of having a bidet seat installed on your toilet is the ability to clean and dry yourself all with the press of a few buttons. There is no need to reach, lean or bend over to wipe yourself clean after using the toilet. A bidet toilet seat can fully wash and dry you while you are seated on the toilet.
Once the bidet is finished washing and drying, you can simply stand up and go about your day. You won’t need to bend, twist, reach, or go through any painful movements to clean yourself. You simply press a few buttons on a wall mounted remote control as if you’re changing the channel on the TV.
Bidet seats we recommend
There are many different bidet seat models to choose from with different features included with each. But, if you are going to be using your bidet as a tool to help with the healing process after a surgery, you should find one with the following features.
Wireless Remote Control - We highly recommend a bidet model with a wireless remote control. This will allow you to easily access the functions on the bidet, as opposed to a bidet with a side panel which requires you to turn your body slightly to one side in order to access the bidet’s functions. With a wireless remote, you can either choose to hold the remote with whichever hand is most comfortable for you, or you can attach the remote to the wall and use it as a wall mounted control. Whichever way you choose, having a wireless remote gives you more options as to how to best access the functions on the bidet.
User Presets -We also recommend bidet seats that have the ability to save user presets. User presets will allow you to save all your preferred settings on one of two designated presets. This feature is useful by allowing you to save the pressure strength, water temperature, nozzle position, seat temperature, and oscillation mode with one press of a button. Bypassing any fumbling or second guessing of which features and settings you like.
Warm Air Dryer - Having a warm air dryer on your bidet is another essential feature you will benefit from during recovery. The warm air dryer will feel like a hair dryer on a low setting and will effectively dry you off after a front and/or rear wash cycle. Bidet air dryers are not powerful fans and can take 2-4 minutes to fully dry you. But, when you’re unable to wipe, they are a godsend.
Some popular bidet seat models that meet these criterias are:
Alpha UX Pearl
Brondell Swash 1400
Clean Sense dib-1500R
TOTO S550e, S500e, K300, C5
Bio Bidet DIB
Additional hardware parts to consider
Along with a bidet, you may want to consider adding some additional items that can improve your post op healing process.
Adding a compatible seat riser (like our hinged elevated toilet seat), will add 3 inches of height to your bidet seat, making it easier to go from a standing to a seated position; thus decreasing any pain or discomfort that can be attributed to your post op.
A wall mounted grab bar or compatible safety rail system (like our free standing safety rails) can also provide an extra level of safety when sitting down or standing up from the toilet.
The best time to install your bidet toilet seat
With all this said, we highly recommend installing your bidet seat several weeks before your actual surgery. This is essential as installing the bidet seat well before your surgery will, for obvious reasons, be a much more stress free experience as opposed to installing it after your operation. Installing your bidet a couple weeks before your surgery will allow you plenty of time to troubleshoot any installation issues you may come across. Also, although relatively easy to use, bidet seats have around a 2-3 week learning curve to master. Most customers can become familiar with the basic functions of their bidet seat within a couple days. But for one to be completely comfortable and get the most out of all the different functions and features on their bidet, it can take 2-3 weeks. Giving yourself this extra time to learn the ins and outs of your bidet before your surgery will make your toileting experience post op that much easier.
With the proper planning and selection of a bidet seat with useful features, recovering from your surgery can be made significantly easier. And you will find that, once fully recovered from your surgery, your bidet will still greatly benefit you by giving you a more efficient and hygienic cleaning experience overall.
