So many questions, So little time till Jan 12 2014

Status
Not open for further replies.

shibalover

new member
Joined
Dec 15, 2014
Messages
1
Age
75
Location
Walnut, CA
Country
United States United States
Gender
Female
Hi there all, I am a newbe to this site and am going for right hip surgery Jan 12th. I have been reading the site for about a week and I have read some great information as to what I can expect. I elected to have the Right Hip first as it will take the longest to recover from. The one question that I haven't seen much on is about choice of Beds or how to sleep with the restrictions of the pillow between the legs. I can't lay flat on my back as I also have lower back issues, stenosis, bulging disc etc. So I sleep on my sides, having said that how do you get into bed and sleep with a new Hip? Do people rent hospital beds that rise up? Also anyone dealing with severe cramping of the thighs or feet after the Hip operation? I mean the ones that make you scream and almost pass out?
 
Hi there all, I am a newbe to this site and am going for right hip surgery Jan 12th. I have been reading the site for about a week and I have read some great information as to what I can expect. I elected to have the Right Hip first as it will take the longest to recover from. The one question that I haven't seen much on is about choice of Beds or how to sleep with the restrictions of the pillow between the legs. I can't lay flat on my back as I also have lower back issues, stenosis, bulging disc etc. So I sleep on my sides, having said that how do you get into bed and sleep with a new Hip? Do people rent hospital beds that rise up? Also anyone dealing with severe cramping of the thighs or feet after the Hip operation? I mean the ones that make you scream and almost pass out?

Welcome to Bonesmart, we are very pleased you have joined.

I have severe chronic lower back issues since I fell in my early 20's and sustained a hairline fracture and suffer similar symptoms as yourself. I was also concerned about laying flat on my back, however found if I popped a pillow under the knee of my operated leg lengthwise ensuring that my foot did not drop at the end of the pillow, it helped immensely.

You will be shown how to get in and out of bed by the hospital PT, as well as how to walk up and down stairs before you are discharged. In Australia it is a mandatory part of the discharge protocol. I also experienced the 'log leg' sensation and my hospital PT showed me how to use the long belt of my terry bathrobe to hook it under my foot to assist in lifting my leg onto the bed.

I didn't require a higher or adjustable bed at home as my bed is quite high anyway. I was shown to judge the height by prior to surgery, backing up to the side of my bed that I would get into and if the top of the mattress was level with the back of my knee it was the perfect height for me.

I actually found the pillow between my legs quite comfortable as it positioned my hips in the correct position laying in bed. But that was me of course :)

Regards the muscle cramps you have described check out the article regards Magnesium in my Nutritional Library...

Nutritional advice for pre op and recovery

The following link refers to my ongoing research..

nutrional-snippets
 
Hi, @shibalover! Glad you found this site - the information here was truly the best resource possible for me.
I hated sleeping on my back, also - longstanding low back issues.
I used this pillow recommended by someone here on BS. It was a bit expensive, but worth every penny. It kept my legs at the perfect angle for both hips and low back.
https://www.loungedoctor.com/
( I'm now 5 weeks post op, doing great, with significant decrease in low back pain - lots of stress on low back can be from the alignment being stressed from the bad hip.)
Best wishes - you will get lots of great help and support on this site!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I found that immediately after my THR my back pain disappeared however, I like you have bulging discs and unfortunately being a longstanding chronic issue, eventually it returned. But as Hope indicated some folk find that they achieve various degrees of improvement with backs. :)
 
I purchased a power recliner ( I found it at Costco for less than $300) before my THR and slept in it for a long time. I bought an egg rate mattress topper and cut it to fit the recliner. I was able to arrange myself on the good side without being flat on my back. I could not get comfy in bed.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jaycey
    ADMINISTRATOR Staff member since February 2011

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,167
Messages
1,596,863
BoneSmarties
39,356
Latest member
JanieMarie
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom