The 15 July hip replacement club

Jaceyduck

Carolbee good luck for your pre op tomorrow, it would be great if you could let us know what it entails. Thanks

frogmorton

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/681992#Comment_681992

Make sure you don't drink the hibiscrub and don't wash with the drink!

Carolbee

thank you. Appointment is at 2.30 so I’ll report back later. I will indeed make sure to use the liquids in the appropriate places 😀

Carolbee

ECG, blood, urine and MRSA all being checked. Got the shampoo etc to use for five days before.

very efficient and informative. Having spinal anaesthetic with a sedative, like being lightly asleep. Reams of reading and some exercise to do.

excellent, professional and friendly. Spotless with good Covid precautions.

told me what would happen on the day, don’t feel so anxious now, it’s that fear of not knowing isn’t it?

i also paid the bill ........

Cazbaz

@Carolbee glad everything went well today, I felt much better after my pre op, just kept thinking of being pain free after 3 years, I also had reams of reading and exercises to do, it certainly kept me busy in the lead up to the op. Have you got to self isolate before your op?

Carolbee

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/682260#Comment_682260

Hi, have to isolate from 12/7, after Covid test. I’m keeping a very low profile though, no visits to us or others indoors. Very few excursions, even down to the village.

Thanks for input, information gathering helps us so much.

frogmorton

Well that is good everything going as it should I am so pleased for you 🙂

Hope you have reams of reading and things you want to watch ready for your recovery?

Jaceyduck

Thanks for the update Carolbee I know what to expect now when I go for my pre op on the 15th. I’m hoping I am offered a spinal as I don’t fancy a general - hope there is a choice che at the Nuffield where I’m going.

Lilymary

I’m pretty sure they’ll l offer you spinal plus sedation @Jaceyduck , they try to avoid generals as much as poss these days as it slows down recovery, and it’s more risky if you have other health conditions .

Carolbee

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/682266#Comment_682266

I’m an avid reader and been stockpiling, and can also order on line from our fabulous library. They even offered to deliver to me!

I'm wondering how soon after I’d be able, and comfortable to go to hairdresser? I’ve got an appointment pre op for a trim, but trying to only do absolutely necessary indoor visits, ie have to get gel nail polish removed.

Lilymary

Given the paddy my body threw over surgery, I left it till about 7 weeks post op for the hairdresser, but to be honest I probably would have been ok going sooner. I was a bit worried about the steps up into the salon more than anything. Just see how you get along.

Carolbee

Started the post op exercise today in prep. Cutting down on coffee too, I’m an addict, as BP quite high. When mostly all you can do is sit about, a coffee in hand is perfect!

frogmorton

WEll done @Carolbee giving up caffeine is tricky, but will really help.

I have given it up totally and my brother had a very scary incident off high heart rate which raised even more on rest! he is waiting fo tests, but given up caffeine and his heart rate is decreasing phenomenally!

Scary stuff eh?

Carolbee

Just had physio phone call, told me exactly what to expect whilst in hospital and discussed current pain and exercise. Really useful. Also different aid I will come home with, perching stool and toilet frame, plus the crutches.

ten days and counting .......

Lilymary

@Carolbee and @ET63, hope your Big Day has gone well and you're not too uncomfortable today. The next few days should be the worst bit. Hope they’re taking good care of you both xxx

Cazbaz

@Carolbee and @ET63 hope you are both feeling well after your THR yesterday

ET63

Hi guys

thanks so much for the checkin, Lilymary.

I am awful at navigating sites and couldn’t find your blog.

I went down for my surgery at 15:00 on July 15, back to the ward by 18:00.

I had a spinal block with sedation which worked so well. Strange sensation tho, feeling your body go all tingling and then numb. Being positioned on the table by all the surgical team was something. I literally couldn’t feel a thing from my belly button down. i slept all through the procedure and woke up as they were flipping me on to my back. My Anaesthetist was excellent as was my Surgeon. All in a days work to them

I was quite awake and alert immediately and had no ill affects from the sedation. Back in my bed by 18:00 as I said. Bed rest until the morning as I missed the physio that evening. The sensation started coming back to my feet first by 18:30, and completely back all over by 20:30. I had to use a bedpan which wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought, and I passed a lot of urine in the night. I was filling that bedpan every 3 hours! Not conducive to a restful night but better than the alternative. My pain relief was very good, and my Anaesthetist explained what he had prescribed. I believe in keeping topped up with medication. It works better at keeping the pain under control if you take it regularly as prescribed, rather than letting it get to the teeth gritting part, and then trying to get back to a pain free zone. Anyway it worked for me, my only problem was convincing the nurses to dispense what was prescribed.. They seemed to want me to wait until pain was a 5-8 on their pain scale. I believe you need something when it gets to 2! We agreed to disagree

The next morning, I saw physio, walked with my elbow crutches and they were happy with my gait and said I could go home as far as they were concerned. Score! Saw the Anaesthetist at noon, he was happy with me and said I could go home , ✅. So two down and one to go! Had my X-ray and then had to wait for my surgeon to finish his afternoon list. Saw me and my X-ray and said, yes I could go home, but be careful . I didn’t need telling again I only lived 15 miles away so I was back in my own little house by 22:00

So a very quick turnaround, but I am a retired nurse and my daughter is a nurse specialist. I live in an annexe with her so I wasn’t alone. I had prepared my living space to accommodate my recovery and I had everything I needed. So not a great leap of faith to come home really.

A little bit about my surgery, it was a posterior approach, I think as it curves round under my bum cheek. very neat small scar. I was told no major muscles would be cut except for the piri formis, which he would reattach if possible. I had the Polar R3 implant, ( I asked 🙄) which is a titanium ball and stem and some fancy acetabulum (cap) , supposed to mimic your natural hip movements. It is not cemented and my bone should grow around it and this improves stability and longevity of the new hip. My incision was glued, so no clips or sutures to worry about, and I had no dressing , other than a waterproof mesh. I could have a shower immediately , just not to get it saturated and only pat dry!

I had a slight hiccup on Sunday, 48 hours post op, had a temperature and felt sick. I was badly advised and ended up in A&E for 7 hours with no place to sit with my leg hanging down , in a uncomfortable waiting room chair, nothing to eat or drink and no pain relief until I was nearly ready to go home. Turns out, a temperature is common after surgery as your body is recognising the “foreign body” ie implant.. Don’t do what I did and call 111, stay at home and take plenty of fluids and paracetamol . And monitor your temperature Mine was gone back to normal by noon, unfortunately I was stuck and didn’t get home until 5pm. That was the worst part of my hip surgery!

I hope I haven’t bored the pants off you all by this stage, I’m nearly done! I am now 9 days post op. I take paracetamol 3 times a day and ibuprofen in the morning and at night. I was given Dihydrocoedine for pain as well and I take it as and when I need it, which has been once daily which is usually at the end of the day. I am walking quite steadily indoors , only needing my crutch if I’m tired. I’m on one crutch outside and I do one 15 minute walk daily and my exercises from the physio. I can’t fully weight bear on my new hip for a few weeks as it has to have time to bed in. My operated leg is definitely longer and I may well have to wear a lift in my other shoe. I must admit to being quite disappointed as I expressly remember asking if he could do his best to make them equal. But it may improve as time goes on and I always researched why this is so common . I listened to a podcast and a surgeon talks about why this happens. It settled my mind and the reasoning behind it made sense. In a nutshell, they don’t know what they will find until you are open on the table, they then have to position the hip in the best place to maximise mobility and prevent dislocation . He said if you have a stable hip with a lift in your other shoe, then you can live with that. If you have equal length legs but an unstable hip prone to dislocating, you have a problem . I tend to agree with that logic

plus I’m a few cms taller, so happy with that.

That’s all I’ve got, my firstphysio is August 2 so I look forward to seeing what pleasures are in store for me then If anyone has any questions, I’m happy to answer them if I can.

Lilymary

That’s great that the surgery went so well @ET63 , you’re doing really well. Not so great about the pain relief in hospital, or the sudden fever though, that sounds pretty unpleasant. Glad it was only fleeting. I hear different leg lengths post op isn’t uncommon, I hope yours is easily sorted and doesn’t impact you too much.

Do keep us updated with your progress, it’s so helpful for others to hear.

@Carolbee , I hope you're doing ok too.