The autorickshaw ride home after surgery

Nobody warns you about the rickshaw. The hospital sends you home with a discharge summary and a bag of medicines, and then you are standing on the kerb looking at a seat that is 40 centimetres off the ground with a bar across the entrance. Here is how to make the ride home, and the follow-up trips, easier.

Getting in

• Ask the driver to pull up on the side that lets you sit down with your operated leg towards the open side.
• Back in. Turn so your bottom faces the seat, hold the frame, and sit before you lift your legs.
• Lift the operated leg in last, using your hands under the thigh if needed. Nobody minds.

Sitting

A rickshaw seat tips you backwards and bounces. A small cushion or a folded towel under the operated knee keeps it slightly bent and stops it locking on every pothole. Your back does not need the cushion; the knee does.

Getting out

Reverse the order. Legs out first, both feet on the ground, then hold the frame and stand with the nose-over-toes rule. Wait a second before you walk. The first step after a bumpy ride is when people wobble.