THR - what help will I need?

distantshores

Finally I have given in and am having the right hip replaced 26 November. It seems there is very little support after. I have just spoken to physio at the hospital and they said that I will be given the equipment (including raised toilet seat) to take with me so have to fit the toilet seat myself (well someone else will have to do it). I was also told that it would be best to have someone to stay with me for 2 weeks which is not going to be possible. I have someone who will stay for possibly 4 or even 5 nights but not 2 weeks. I will be paying someone to come in to help with things for a while.

The physio was not impressed when I said I would be moving downstairs as the bathroom is downstairs and I don't feel that I would be happy coming downstairs on my own especially in the middle of the night. She said that is OK for a couple of days but it will be longer than that. I have just paid someone to take the sofa upstairs and have ordered a single bed so plan to stay downstairs for a few weeks! Someone I know who had a knee replacement moved downstairs for at least a month.

I am extremely stressed and anxious about the whole thing but if I don't get it done I might end up not being able to walk. I would be interested to hear other people's experience of living on their own and managing after hip replacement.Thanks

MaryL44

Hi @distantshores

Sorry to hear how stressed you are feeling. I have had a THR but was not at home alone but I can assure you that it's not as scary as you think and your body is very good at healing itself! I think the physio would be concerned about you 'living' downstairs for a long time because you may get out of the habit of using stairs. However, I completely agree with you that you have to do what works for you and I wouldn't want to be negotiating stairs in the middle of the night! Maybe, once you are confident, you can just walk up and down the stairs (with your crutches) during the day and particularly when you have someone available to be with you.

It looks like you've got your recovery planned with having someone stay for a few days but you may want to contact our Helpline (details at the bottom of this message) - they may be able to give you some more advice.

Good luck with the op and let us know how it goes.

Mary

Janlyn

@distantshores I understand your concerns and it is important to be prepared, especially when living alone. I live alone and was worried but actually I managed well, although getting up and down stairs was very slow in the beginning. I was scared of falling or tripping in the night so it's good you've someone with you at least for the first few days.

My hospital doesn't use raised toilet seats and so I didn't have one to bring home but I've handrails on the stairs and my physio actually said she liked it when people lived alone as they had to do things for themselves and it made for a speedier recovery. I did have family pop in for half an hour a day for the first few days but really there was very little I couldn't do, albeit not very fast or well.

I found sleeping the hardest - my leg felt so heavy and numb and getting into and out of bed was so difficult. Back sleeping was very uncomfortable and I struggled so used to get up and sit in a chair and then usually promptly fell asleep. But really looking back it was only for a few days and then the worst was over. I organised things I needed in the kitchen before my op and made sure everything I was likely to need was at a height I could reach and got plenty of easy to prepare, nutritious food in. I had a craving for oranges and orange juice so imagine my body was telling me that was what it needed. Getting dressed wasn't easy but I managed by using clothes that were easiest to get on and off.

It does sound as though you are right to choose to have it done now as you really don't want to get any worse. I found my surgery amazing. After the first few weeks I was walking further than I had for a long time and went on a long train journey with luggage on my own after three months and managed. Since then I've had two European trips where I've been on and off of trains - something that had become impossible. It's almost twelve months since my surgery and my life is so much better now and I really hope yours will be too.

distantshores

@Janlyn Very encouraging to hear that you managed so well. I have ordered some ready made healthy vegan meals for the freezer and made some soup. I will make a couple of other things for the freezer later this week. The problem with that seems to be that you can't bend and I have a fridge/freezer so not sure how I will get the food out.

I managed a flight to Greece in October on my own and travelled by ferry from one island to another but I don't think I would have managed a train journey in Europe. I am keeping up exercise and will go to Zumba Gold later this morning. I also do Dancefit and Dancercise as well as Nordic Walking (but that is dependent on weather and at the moment it is very wet here and I don't like rain so will see if I can get one more walk in before next week). I am hoping this will speed up recovery.

I have handrails on both sides of the stairs and I will go up and downstairs when someone is here but will sleep downstairs for a while. I have bought an over chair tray (not sure what to call it) so that I can work on my laptop. Just hope it goes OK

@MaryL44 I will use the stairs during the day when someone is here. I don't think I will get out of the habit of using stairs as I don't like lifts so always walk up and downstairs but it is the prospect of using the stairs in the middle of the night that I find worrying so that is why I have decided to sleep downstairs. I will let you know how it goes

Janlyn

@distantshores I feel relieved reading this. I also feel sure you will figure a lot out - it's hard to know what you'll face until you do, but amazing how we learn to cope. A litter picker, grabber-type thing could become your best friend. I'm assuming your freezer is at the bottom of the fridge-freezer? Mine is and you will be surprised at how you learn to bend - you can bend down by sliding your operated leg backwards - I think it's a golfing move which I found came to me naturally and I could even pick things up off the floor. But if you put your meals in plastic bags with handles you can use your grabber to lift them out. The main thing is that you've easy to prepare food as you won't feel like standing for too long.

Well done with your Greek trip last month, that's amazing. And any exercise you can do now will help but if you can't don't worry - you're so close to your op it's more important to stay safe, you don't want to risk any injury or anything that will delay surgery.

Handrails will be good to use when you're not alone - I was really scared at night but I'd no real choice but to go up and down stairs but I was so cautious.

You will be amazed at how inventive you become to do what you want to do. I decided I wanted to wear some boots with a zip and there was no way I could get down to zip them up so I put a keyring on the zip and threaded some string through it to pull the zip up, then pulled the string out. I hadn't thought it through and struggled to get the zip down again to get them off!

alwayssewing

You will manage better than you ever thought you would. Lots of good tips have been given already.

I had a occupational therapist sent to my home by the hospital before my op and she organised equipment that I needed. She also gave me advice on how to do things like getting in and out of bed. Also my husband was given instructions for what I wasn't allowed to do in the early days.

I had both hips replaced, one in February and the other in May. It has been life changing for me. I actually walked out of the hospital to the car the day after I had the second operation.

Just take each day as it comes.

distantshores

@alwayssewing I will be given the equipment I need the day I leave the hospital but nobody is coming to the house - my sister had a hip replacement about 18 months ago at the same hospital with the same surgeon and someone came to the house to organise the equipment but things have clearly changed since then. My daughter is arranging for a private physio to come to the house a few days after I get home and then once or twice more but other than that it seems no help or support is offered. I will probably have to have both hips done at some point.

Hopefully, i will be able to manage. I have kept quite fit as despite the fact that it is stage 4 osteoarthritis I have not been in agony and have managed to keep up a lot of exercise so that (I hope) should help the recovery process.

@Janlyn Yes my freezer is at the bottom. I already bend down using that move but didn't know it was a golfer's move! It's the only way I can bend down now. It was fine in Greece and the only problem was getting on and off the ferry so I had to ask for help - luckily my Greek is reasonable so I am confident I can ask for help and I am very familiar with the country. Once this is done I will be planning my next holiday.

I know others have been given a 'perching stool' but there was no mention of that when I spoke to the physio the other day and I forgot to ask so will have to ask when in hospital. That might be useful for preparing food.

Nurina

I've just received a call from an OT. They've asked many questions mainly about how I managed my first hip and they've probably found out that if I survived, I will survive the next. They've offered me a high chair (is it that a perching stool) to use it when I have to be stand like washing myself or preparing food. I told them I don't need it because I don't think I can move it on my own but they've insisted to lend me one. I hope it fits in my minicar.