Here Is A Surprise – When you get home from hip replacement surgery you are going to be tired, sore and a bit immobile.

Think About It As A Couch Potato Graduate Degree – For the first few weeks you will be highly “energy efficient,” meaning that you are not going to get up and move about unless you have to (it’s what my mother-in-law calls my normal state of being). You will want to think about all the typical daily movements you do while at home and attempt to either eliminate or consolidate those activities. Your ‘Creation Station’ will be your command post for the first few weeks (months?) following surgery.

Hip Tip – Don’t Do This – My first attempt (‘Creation Station v1.0’) with turning my regular couch into super couch was to snap my fingers and signal towards my mother-in-law to fetch me a beer – that didn’t go over too well, with her… or my wife.

Hip Tip – Do this before you go to surgery. You want this ready when you return.

Below is a re-enactment of what I went through when I designed my ‘Creation Station.’

Hip Tip – Imagine The Biosphere 2 Project – Much like greenhouse-like enclosure that was designed to be totally self-contained, your creation station should be the same way. Establish your creation station by bringing all your necessities to one location, often near the couch.

What To Include In Your ‘Creation Station’ – You will have meds, TV remote, landline, cell phone with charger plugged in, tablet or laptop with electrical connection, a place for your crutches or walker, blanket, extra pillows, magazines and books, space for your favorite beverage and, if you are really into efficiency, a small cooler.

Hip Tip – Multi-Level Homes – If you have a multiple story home where your kitchen, bathroom, and living room are on the main floor and the bedroom is upstairs, you might set up a temporary bedroom on the main floor, complete with another ‘Creation Station’ so you don’t have to navigate stairs.