New Hip Day

Carolbee

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/681725#Comment_681725

Yes, definitely!

I will start a new thread so not to distract from this honest and funny tale, or should it be tail,if a bolting horse .....

Lilymary

@Carolbee , @ET63 , I shall follow your tales with interest! and will encourage where I can - the support I have had from others on this site has made a world of difference. Do include all your pre-op assessments. I started mine the day before I went in, but others may find the pre-op stuff helpful too. xx

Jewels

Hello @Lilymary I've been reading how you are doing after your op and you seem to have overcome the ups and downs of recovery I had a rheumatology appointment yesterday and I have osteoarthritis and he said the only option I have is a hip replacement I could go on the list now or think about putting it off for as long as I can as I am only 46 and will only last for around 10 years so I really don't know what to do for the best would appreciate all opinions on this thanks x😁

Lilymary

Hi @Jewels, I think it depends a little on which type of implant they use, mine's a ceramic head into a plastic socket, my surgeon said I should get 15+ years out of it. He knows I intend to be really active (eventually) and give it a good punishing.

It's really tough when you're so young, it's a dilemma for you and for the surgeon, as they can only replace twice I think. I guess some of it will be down to how badly it's affecting your life. Mine was rapidly grinding to a complete standstill due to neverending pain and loss of joint mobility, plus I was 61 when diagnosed, so it was a no-brainer for me. My sister had her knees replaced in her mid to late 50s, and her surgeon suggested she stick it out for as long as she could. Only you know how much more you can take.

stickywicket

I'm still looking for that lupin😁 Did you forget it? Might you have to go again☺️

Lilymary

@stickywicket rear left hand corner of the boot, it's just peeping out behind the rest of the shrubbery. I will have to go again though, I've run out of tubs and compost! Will need Mr LM for the heavy lifting this time; pushing the flower laden trolley back to the car on one crutch was an entertaining experience. 😁

I have to say I'm paying for yesterday's excesses in more ways than one - I have two very grumpy hips. I may have to behave myself for a while.

Cazbaz

@Lilymary, your flowers look beautiful, I’m banned from buying anymore as hubby not into gardening and he ends up doing most of the planting, never mind there’s always next year, hope your grumpy hips are feeling a bit happier now

Lilymary

@Cazbaz , Mr LM is a reluctant gardener, happy to do a bit of hedge bashing (aka pruning), but hasn't learnt the value of digging out every bit of root with some plants, so they end up coming back and we have to do it all again. He also stops work as soon as said hedge is bashed or plant is (almost) dug up and just abandons the tools where they lay and considers the job done. 🙄 Like you say, there’s always next year to get these jobs done properly. Mind you, my approach to cooking is the same as his gardening technique. Thank heaven we got the division of labour the right way round! 😂

Cazbaz

@Lilymary hubby sounds the same as Mr LM, how are your exercises going, you appear to be doing really well, I can’t believe we are 9 weeks down the line of recovery, time flies when you are having fun 😂

Lilymary

Hi @Cazbaz , thanks for asking, lateral hip abductor exercises seem to be helping. (Lying on my good side and lifting bad leg - for yoga /Pilates peeps, the clam x 5 and same with bad leg straight out x 5, 3 times a day.) it’s an enormous effort to lift my knee much more than 9”, and involves a lot of grunting, but I’m pushing myself to get it higher each time, and I can feel my muscles waking up again and working hard when walking, particularly if I try going upstairs without holding onto anything. (another suggestion by physio, although I keep my hand hovering over the handrail, just in case). It’s good to have them back on board again! It felt like the surgery switched them off completely,.

Hip not happy about me sleeping on my side or doing too much bending in the garden, so it’s a bit sore atm. Will have to watch that. A weird selection of cushions in bed seems to help a bit.

Did my first outdoor walk with stick instead of crutch yesterday, 😃which meant I could eat an ice cream at the same time (😃😃😃!) and now shuffling round house and garden without stick, without too much wobbling if I concentrate. My supporting arm complained like mad but as I haven’t been using a stick for 8 weeks now (since pre op) those muscles have got lazy but it does make my shoulder joint sore 🙁.

Tendon in groin still grumpy when lifting leg, eg going upstairs or up hill. Tum finally settled down, last bit of wound where surgeon carved into flesh with joinery tools (😳) almost healed, Still battling fatigue and brain fog though 😢, which tbh is my biggest problem now. Hopefully once my body is well enough to re-engage with the world this will pass 🤞🤞🤞

But enough of me, how are you getting on?

stickywicket

I've found the lupin😀

Yes, leave the heavy lifting to Mr LM. You seem to have the rest under....shall we say 'mild' control? The trouble is, our minds and emotions run ahead with no need for exercises or walking aids. Frustrating but your body will catch up.

Lilymary

@stickywicket 🌷😅. My body does retaliate over my ambitions from time to time, so far the score is 467-3 to my body!

Cazbaz

@Lilymary glad to hear you are getting on well with your exercises, I’m doing the exercise class the hospital put on utube but it’s very frustrating as you need a bed, chair, steps and of course resistance band, unfortunately I don’t have an indoor gym so I have to keep pausing the class to run😂(well to be honest walk) from room to room to use said items, to be honest I am feeling quite good and this is the least pain I’ve been in for over three years, still got numb lower outer leg and foot but it doesn’t interfere with walking etc. It just tends to tingle in my foot and toes are tender to the touch when I’m in bed, beginning to think it might be permanent although consultant said not. Like you I’m walking round the house unaided and using one walking stick outside, when you read it could take months to be back to normal I don’t think we are doing too bad 🙂

Lilymary

@Cazbaz , you seem to be doing far more exercise than me, well done! I have visions of you hobbling at speed around the house in Lycra gym gear, with seat band over your brow, with your lap top under your arm to the next bit of furniture! Hopefully your sock slider helps you put on your leg warmers (think Flashdance! 😅).

I’m thinking of going back to Leon’s classes again soon - the pain in my hip stopped me before. Found I was hardly even hobbling today, but my hip’s still sore, so I’m going to behave myself for a while till it settles down. I’ll keep doing the physio though, can’t believe what a difference it’s made.

Sorry to hear about your numbness and nerve damage, I was also told that nerve damage should improve eventually, and the feeling around the incision is gradually coming back. It’s funny though, the lack of pain in my hip joint hasn’t really registered with me, I guess because I came home with so many other new (even worse) pains from the surgery, but you’re right, I have no pain in the joint itself at all, and the soft tissue pain is finally going so that I can finally enjoy the benefits of all this malarkey.

Carolbee

A query for you post op people please. Any recommendations for a long handle grabber which I understand might be useful after op?

Lilymary

Hi @Carolbee , mine was provided by our local Health Trust. The hospital got in touch with them and after a telephone call to assess what I’d need, they delivered it all to my local pharmacy, including grabber, perching stool, raised loo seat and wheeled trolley. (And believe me, you’ll need all those). .... although come to think of it, the hospital physios provided the sock slider, and may have provided the grabber? sorry, I can’t remember. The hospital certainly provided the crutches, and my physio has lent me a proper walking stick (instead of the walking pole I’d been using). Have a word with the hospital, or failing that your GP, to make sure this is all organised in advance of surgery.

Carolbee

thanks Lilymary, I’m going to have the operation done privately. I’ll call them tomorrow to double check and get things in place if need be.

Cazbaz

@Lilymary the thought of me in Lycra doesn’t bare thinking about, I don’t think there is a Lycra that could hold all my wobbly bits in (post op. too many cakes and chocolates) I like the sound of a sweat band though, I would then look the part😂. I never had a sock slider, walk about the house with bare feet which I have always done, that’s my only problem at the minute wearing shoes with this stupid foot, hope it improves as I can hardly wear sandals in the winter. I’m going to start Leon’s classes again I did them for a short time pre op. Off to do my exercise class now, sweat band at the ready but no Lycra, baggy shorts and tee shirt is the order of the day

stickywicket

Re a grabber - I've just had a look and had no idea there were so many on the market now. Grabbers with magnets, hooks, shoehorns.........I swear there'll soon be one that will brew you a cuppa.

Meanwhile, just in case it's of use.......having very weak arthritis hands, I've always used this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/Homecraft-Standard-Mechanism-Reaching-Aluminum/dp/B004ULPA6O

It has a locking mechanism so you don't need a strong grip to pick up anything you've got the claw bit round. It also has a clip-on forearm support which I've never used.

I'm always offered a bog-standard model in hospital (I'm a frequent flyer) but I can only manage very light things with those.

If you go to a 'proper shop' they'll probably let you try before buying.

Lilymary

@stickywicket , I’ve got one that does all those and not only brews the tea but also cooks my dinner. I’m not sure Mr LM will like me renaming him “Grabber”.

stickywicket

But my grabber doesn't grumble😉

@Lilymary you've just reminded me of my very first post on here. I was vain enough to look it up and vainer enough to reproduce it here:

Re Lululu’s request for ‘cheap or preferably free idea for making life a little easier’. I have a sort of multi-tool - a kind of ‘Swiss Army Knife Aid’ which can make most tasks easier and will actually do them on its own if programmed correctly. It’s called a ‘Husband’ and, although it’s not free, and definitely not cheap, it will vac, dust, cook, clean, hang out the washing, scrub my back and other assorted inaccessible bits (The list is increasing) and subsequently help to dry them. It will scrape the disgusting grime from the cooker, lay carpets, mow the lawn, open wine bottles and act as taxi driver. It is truly an amazingly versatile device.

At this point you’re all clamouring to know where you can get one but, first, let me list the disadvantages. Despite its ability to accomplish most household tasks, the husband will tend to create two jobs for every one it deals with. If it washes up, someone will have to dry the floor & remove all the gunge from the plughole afterwards. If it cooks, someone will need to de-grease the kitchen and order more veg. Sometimes the gadget will simply go into ‘sleep mode’ for no obvious reason and no amount of button pushing will restore it to its normal functioning state. When it does this it emits low, increasingly loud sounds, just like snoring, and it can happen anytime, anywhere. It occurs most evenings and after extended use but other known triggers are boring visitors, church sermons and long concerts. The husband is an excellent wheelchair operator provided it does not have access to alcohol. The latter sends it automatically into ‘superfast’ mode in which kerbs, road bumps and other obstacles are negociated at Olympic speeds. If the wheelchair occupant falls out as a result, it is most unlikely that the husband will register this. Occasionally you will mislay your husband completely. Don’t worry. This is quite normal. It will usually turn up on the golf course or in the nearest hostelry.

If you are still resolved to get a husband, I would advise a small or medium sized one. The large ones, while wonderfully warm to hang on to in bed (No microwave needed) do tend to lie diagonally and reduce the owner to a huddled ball, clinging desperately to the edge. They are also magnetically attracted to duvets, blankets etc in winter though, in summer months, the magnetic poles seem to reverse and you will wake up in the night, lathered, beneath a double layer of bedding.

All told, however, the husband is well worth persevering with. I’ve had mine for over forty years and most of its functions are still working more or less perfectly though it does need the odd overhaul from time to time. In fact, the only gadget around which is more durable, versatile and quicker at multi-tasking is, I believe, a wife. Does anyone know where I can get one?

Lilymary

@stickywicket 😂

Ah, I have a similar device, but an all terrain version. It is equally adapted to both the domestic environment and outdoor situations and is often found roaming half way up a mountain. It is well suited to steep gradients, bogs, rock faces and large bodies of water. It can perform in all climates, including extreme cold, rain, high wind speeds and low visibility, coming with an array of different outer coatings to suit ambient conditions. It is relatively low maintenance, being easily recharged at obliging hostelries or coffee shops.

Within the house, it tends to work at much lower speeds and often requires restarting and additional programming, but becomes enlivened when placed in front of screenings of a wide variety of sporting events. It comes with a host of attachments, and achieves optimum functionality if enabled to choose it’s own upgrades, whereafter it will happily utilise them around the house with abandon. It produces a wide range of nutritious meals, although inexplicably almost all are accompanied by broccoli and carrots. In standby mode it emits a wide range of bewildering noises, but I have been assured by the service department that this is within normal parameters. While later models may be available, it is so well programmed for its current application it is considered irreplaceable.

Lilymary

With apologies for depersonalising and commodifying my much loved and valued hubby, Mr LM, aka Pete, without whom the last year or so would have been unbearable xxx

ArtiOSTEfy

Hi there,

I feel for you Lilymary. I had my hip op 5yrs ago and haven't looked back since. There was lots of pain and tears after ...my poor career. I live on my own so had care free for six weeks.

After 2wks of feeling sorry for myself, determination head set in. I started to make my own bed (took forever). Walked with just one crutch around the flat. On my forth week was walking around indoors with no crutches. Went to physio by taxi because it was raining, so going to catch one home didn't take crutches. Was beautiful when I came out so decided to walk to bus stop across the road. I ended walking into town (about 1/2 mile) and caught the bus home from there. Ached quite a bit but felt so good in myself. Severely told off by district nurse because she said it was to early.

I wouldn't recommend that anybody else should do this, what I would recommend though is just listen 👂 to and feel your own body talking to you which is what I did and it was ready.

Lucky me ...I didn't loose any length off my leg either which was great.

Got to have x- ray on right leg now as that now needs to be done. I just hope that I'm going to be just as lucky 2nd time round.

Lilymary

Thanks @ArtiOSTEfy , that’s good to know. I reckon it’s ok to have moments of feeling really sorry for yourself, it’s a lot to go through, but like you there are also times when you have to gather yourself and get on with nursing your body back to good form and putting life back together again. I’m sure I’d get told off for some of the things I've got up to. I’ve been pushing my luck lately with far too much bending, mostly when gardening, so my new hip is pretty sore right now, with referred pain down my leg (I suspect an old sciatica problem). So I decided to rest it yesterday. What did I do? More gardening. Idiot. Anyway, I’m properly resting it today.

I hope your consultation for your other hip goes well. 🤞