I definitely needed a heating pad for the pain in my shoulders, liquid Tylenol for when I ran out of the Hydrocodone, and most importantly... chewable Gas X (in mint flavor). I was popping Gas X like crazy. I had a lot of gas pains in my stomach for about a week afterwards. Oh, and as far as showering, I would have loved to have had a loofah or brush on a stick sort of thing to wash myself so it didn't hurt so bad when I bent over. Hope that helps. Good luck.