The 15 July hip replacement club

@Carolbee good luck to you and ET63 on 15th July, I had my op. nine weeks ago and I have to say this forum has kept me both amused and informed so glad I joined

@Carolbee, not doing too bad at all, one or two little hiccups along the way, I have never exercised so much in my life but it is all worth it, I am so glad I had the op. this is the most pain free I have been for over three years so it’s onwards and upwards, look forward to reading about your journey to a pain free future

I agree you all are 👏😁

Hi @Jaceyduck , I felt very vulnerable the day I was discharged, and the journey from car to front door felt very scary (14 steps and a long sloping path), but I took it very slow and made it ok. My husband had several all day commitments over the next few days which he was prepared to cancel, but I know how much these meant to him and tbh, sitting watching me doing not very much was a poor substitute, so we agreed that it would be fine for him to go. I was capable of getting myself in and out of bed, up and down stairs, and on and off the loo, albeit very slowly and carefully, so I decided I could handle this. I had a trolley on wheels, a perching stool in the bathroom to help me wash, raised loo seat with handles, and a grabber for if I dropped stuff and to help me get dressed, and a sock slider and shoe horn, so we were good to go. I was able to make a cup of tea, make myself a light lunch and kept the phone handy at all times. I used the wheelie trolley pushing it ahead of me while I wobbled along on crutches (it’s not stable enough as a walking aid) to carry tea and food from the kitchen to my heavily padded throne in the living room. I also used a large soft shoulder bag to carry stuff up and down stairs, including grabber, drugs, bottle of water, books, phone and iPad etc, so I didn’t need Mr LM to carry stuff round the house for me.

the physios at the hospital arranged for all the equipment I listed above to be sent to me ready for when I got home, and that went really smoothly. They delivered it to our local pharmacy, and someone (in my case hubby) just had to go and pick it up.

So on Day 2 at home, I was managing fine. Yes, I had to concentrate and take things slowly, and I was grateful to Mr LM doing the shopping and cooking the evening meal, but you’ll be surprised how well you’ll manage. I did my first foray out of the house on about Day 3, just a few hundred yards down the road and back, and the obstacle course to the front door. I was also very tired, the effects of the anaesthetic and surgery, so I needed to go to bed from time to time for an hour or two’s sleep, but that’s normal.

i won’t lie, it is a bit of a daunting prospect, but you’ll be surprised how quickly you regain basic mobility and independence.

@Jaceyduck they came from our local health care trust, not sure whether, or how, they’re expecting to get them back. Might be worth checking with the hospital to make sure this is how it will work with you, or if they are sent in advance, as you’ll need them from the moment you get home.

One more tip, if married/co -habiting, you might find it easier to sleep in separate beds for a while. Both Mr LM and I are light sleepers, and if I’m honest, the nights were worst for me. I know I’m not a typical patient, but my rump was incredibly tender, which meant I had to sleep on a line of soft pillows. I also had groin pain due to a pulled tendon (which can happen but not always), which made lifting my leg very painful. Plus having to sleep on my back for 6 weeks (part of the post op requirements), which was very unnatural for me and contributed to restless legs and hours of solo horizontal tangoes. Well, you get the picture, night times were an ordeal. It’s even worse if you’re lying there trying not to disturb someone.I hope it’s not this bad for any of you, there’s no reason why it should be, but we certainly found it necessary for both our sanity and a chance of a decent nights sleep to make use of the spare room for the duration. There were times when I could have done with a hand getting in and out of bed to get to the loo in the night, but I managed.

However, I know some haven’t had to resort to this, you may be ok, but just be prepared.

Thankyou all for your very helpful tips, I’ll try and prepare as much as possible prior to op and stock up with convenience foods etc. I might enquire about a short care package when I’m next in touch with the hospital. I’m just going to try and get out and about as much as I can over the next 6 weeks as I’ve shielded my husband throughout Covid and now we are both fully vaccinated I feel brave enough to go out more. I need to make the most of this lovely weather before I’m restricted during my recovery.

Lovely to read all about your recovery journeys.

Take care.

Me too! Xx

Hi Carolbee, not long for you now, at my pre op. assessment I had the usual blood tests, ECG,,MRSA/MSSA groin swab, blood pressure and weight check, I came home with bottle of Hibiscrub to shower with and a drink which I had to take day before op(can’t remember exactly what that was for) few days later saw the anaesthetist who checked my results, checked my spine (I was having spinal anaesthetic) and talked me through everything. I felt a lot happier when all this was done.