How do I help my daughter relax when she gets home?

Get some beautiful music for her to listen to.

skfinkel—That sounds like a good idea, but I’m not sure if music would be something she would want to hear at the moment.

How old is she? Maybe a stuffed animal or some balloons and her favorite foods… books? movies? maybe set up a really comfy chair or section of a sofa for her to relax if she likes to read or watch tv. glad she’s okay!

Her favorite foods, bubble bath if she is into that, her favorite magazines, and lots of love from you.

Samantha_rae she’s 17, but she loves stuffed animals. I gave her my phone today, but she used it for like five minutes and went back to sleeping. I think the screen was bothering her eyes, so the tv might not be a good thing.

Some hugs would probably be welcome, just don’t squeeze.
She probably will just want to get back to normal as soon as possible.
Was anyone else hurt?

If you are really at a loss, ask her what she wants or needs.

chyna – Those sound like good ideas, especially the bubble bath. The food will be hard because she’s having a tough time opening her mouth because it’s stiff.

WestRiverrat – her friend was hurt as well. Both are fine and should recover in a while, but her friend is a little worse off.

never too old for stuffed animals! get her a nice big one that she can cuddle with. and a cozy blanket. keep the temperature comfy for her too (i know i like my place to be really cold so i can curl up with lots of blankets)

Along with the beautiful music, some good books to read may help to relax her (mind and spirit).
I hope she is up and about soon.

Oh! and don’t forget her favorite ice cream.;-)

@Samantha_Rae Glad to see you are ok and back with us. Your mom is wonderful.

Have her girlfriends come visit for a while. Favorite foods. Does she like origami, word puzzles, sudoko? Or, maybe a jigsaw puzzle, people can help her do it when they visit, and other family members.

Maybe the jigsaw puzzle is a bad idea, typically I wind up leaning over the table and my back hurts.

If there’s a need for ice packs, use large bags of frozen peas or corn. They are soft, and wrap right around any body part. When thawed, re-freeze. If they freeze in a clump, drop them on the floor a few times, and they’ll be soft again. Be sure they are only used for cold packs (not food), because they will soon be unsuitable for anything else.

It might be that bright light hurts her eyes. Be prepared for that as well.

I remember when I got in an accident, it was just before school let out. Rather than make me take a test, one teacher had me write a paper for my final grade, but I couldn’t see to write. That, and I kept falling asleep. My mother read all the books to me, and I dictated to her what I wanted to say. It was some paper, I’ll tell you! But I passed the course.

A bell to ring when she needs help. A comfortable, full size sit-up pillow – not one of those skimpy cheap ones.

What @snowberry said, but popcorn bags(not the microwave bags) or dry rice/beans work well too. And they stand up to refreezing better.

The problem is having a cold pack that’s too heavy. You need something that’s light enough and big enough to do the job, but not cause pain from the weight. And it needs to be substantial enough to stay cold a reasonable amount of time.

Thank you to the people that offered helpful answers and weren’t spamming.

@chyna: huh?

Ask the doctor if some compresses may help with the recovery.
Nothing like being pampered when you get home from the hospital. I would just ask her what she wants.

Ouch! I’m sorry this happened to your daughter. Thank goodness she’s not seriously hurt. You’re such a good mom to be taking such good care of her.

What others have suggested sound great. Personally, I would want a tv at a good angle so I could take my mind of the pain. I broke my nose when I was 11 and it hurts! Perhaps you could read to her if she likes books.

I don’t get what people can possibly say that’s obscene on this q…what’s wrong with people? why would they do this?

Get her favorite series on DVD.

I think the fellow jellies have covered it all. Patience, a ready ear to listen to her feelings, not too much talking unless you see she really is up to it(for the first few days), your love and the sense of security you can offer her. I hope she will be fit as a fiddle in no time!

My Dad and my brother both had open heart surgery this year so I know the drill. Get a bell to put by her bed so that if she needs to call you, she won’t have to yell out. Also, put a water bottle with a sports top or fold down straw on it next to her bed so that if she accidentally knocks it over it won’t spill. Use room temperature water at first, sometimes ice water can hurt going down. Make sure you check to see that it’s full. Make sure that her blankets or comforter are warm/cool enough and also not too physically heavy. Any kind of extra weight can really hurt if you’ve been injured. You might want to get one of those bedpillows that is especially for sitting up in bed, they have armrests on the side. You will want to check her position with the pillows often, it’s very painful to have to move around and try to scrunch up pillows by yourself when you are in pain. If she doesn’t want to listen to music, she might enjoy the soothing sounds of rain or crickets. I’ve downloaded some of those off I-tunes and they’re very relaxing (look under ambient sounds or nature sounds and choose some that don’t also have music in the background). Make sure she has lip balm that she can reach (and put it in a little box or container so that it doesn’t roll off the bed) and maybe put a very dim nightlight in her room. Also, put a wet wash cloth in a ziplock bag on the bedside table so that it’s in reach if she needs to put it on her brow. You will probably need to help her to the bathroom. In addition to super soft toilet paper, have moist baby wipes on hand. Sometimes even toilet paper is too painful. You might also want to put a hospital pad under her bottom when she’s in bed just in case she has an accident. And for you, get a big bottle of hand sanitizer and use it often. Use it before you touch her or handle any of her food or medications. Make visitors use it too. She needs to avoid infection. And last, but not least, if you can whip one up quickly, put together a little photo album of 4X6 prints of her loved ones, best friends and pets to keep by her bedside. Then give her lots of love. We’re with you Mama!

Hang Christmas lights in the “recovery room.” If bright lights hurt her eyes/head, these lights will be much calmer, and will make the place cozier.

Her eyes/head might also hurt reading or watching TV, so spend time talking to her. Sit on the other end of the couch, rub her feet, and talk to her about anything—when she was a kid, when you were a kid, I’m sure there are stories from your life she hasn’t heard. She can close her eyes and listen, and it will be a relief from the boredom.

If she’s going to be home alone, leave the radio on, morning talk radio can help pass the time, if she’s not up for music.