7/5/17 Right THR . . pre-op questions

Suttree

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Hi . . I'm scheduled for Right THR early next month. Posterior approach. Some pre-op questions as your time allows . .

1.) I have a memory foam bed. They are mighty comfortable but can be a little harder to get out of or just try to re-position yourself. Should I kick one of my sons out of their room so I can recover on a normal mattress?

2.) I've been stretching relentlessly for the two years I've been trying to figure out what's up with back / hip. Its not one of those things that ever became an easy habit for me. I'm sick of stretching and find that I care less about it now that I know the THR is coming up. Do stretched and loose muscles prior to surgery translate into a more optimal recovery? Or do knotted and tight glut muscles at the time of surgery make for a tougher recovery?

3.) Ice packs . . I've been using "Smart Temp" reusables that have the handy velcro straps to keep it in place. I was going to order some additional ones but thought I'd check and see if you good people have a preference that should be considered.

4.) Gimme one part of your THR experience that caught you off guard even though you thought you were prepared.

Great website . . thanks in advance for any feedback. I'm sure I'll add more questions to this thread as the date gets closer.

Suttree
 
Should I kick one of my sons out of their room so I can recover on a normal mattress?
Try your bed, if it is not comfortable, take over your son's bed.

Do stretched and loose muscles prior to surgery translate into a more optimal recovery? Or do knotted and tight glut muscles at the time of surgery make for a tougher recovery?
Suggest you try a gentler easier stretching program, do a few gentle stretches, no need to spend a lot of time, or push past a gentle stretch. You can also try a massage to loosen those tight muscles before surgery.

Ice packs
Use what works best for you.

THR experience that caught you off guard
I had a knee replacement, but the amount of time to recover took me by surprise. FYI, generally knees have a more challenging time than hips. TKR or THR: which is more difficult surgery for recovery?
 
Do you have a comfortable recliner? That is where I spent most of the first two weeks, even after I was moving around quite well, I could not get comfortable in bed no matter what I tried. The recliner was by far the easiest place for me to get to sleep in the early going.

I don't know that it will make a big difference either way with your muscles. After the surgeon gets through with what he's doing, everything is tight and sore... feels like you just did 5000 squats!

Any type of reusable gel packs are great. I just used a small towel to help wrap the pack around my hip so I could get the most coverage from the ice.

I can't think of anything that really surprised me about the process or the recovery (so far). I found things were easier than I feared it would be.
 
I was given two ice packs at the hospital to take home, so check and you may not need to buy any.

Ditto on recliner, I spend most of my time there! I have slept in my bed every night, and agree with the suggestion to play that by ear - try it, but if it doesn't work then use another.

I was expecting recovery to be much more painful - and hopefully I'm not jinxing myself, since my other hip is being replaced next week on the 20th (first one done 6 weeks before that on May 9th).

I would say the biggest thing I learned is to listen to my body [emoji23]


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Hey @Suttree you are coming up soon, so none of my replies are worth much to you, but here goes:
1) I did my first recovery on a waterbed. Loved it. And...waterbed died, have been sleeping on (no kidding) an inflatable mattress with memory foam on top of it for 4 years. I've just purchased a memory foam mattress, and it arrived today. Once the stink airs out, I'll give it a run. Hoping it will be comfy for all my pressure points for years to come.
2) massage!!
3) I lived with ice 24/7 for the first two weeks of first hip, and my favorites were the smallish cheapo gel pack ones from your local pharmacy. I also bought a gigantic one, but it turned out to be painfully heavy, so that was a bust. My others were homemade alcohol+water in nested ziploc bags. They were very good. This time around I'm also going to rig up some pocket system to hang a cold thing from my waist, and secure it at the bottom around my thigh. This will be for a plane trip I take at 5 weeks. I'm having anterior, so it's all in front where I can see it and not have to sit on it. I had 4 of the Rite Aid ones, and a gallon and a quart alcohol one. My freezer was fast, but some days it still didn't keep up with demand.
4) I was discharged the next day, and the process started right after breakfast. There I was all looped up on percocet and GA residue, and they were expecting me to sign legal documents regarding from whom I'd get my visiting nursing and PT care. The hip class had not prepared me for the hard sell, and nor did I know that my insurance Did Not Cover home health! The hard-sell staff member who was doing all this "checked with the office" and said that my insurance would cover it. So I signed. Two visits later, I found that no, my insurance did NOT cover it, so in those early days I had to contest that and get my money back, which I finally did, but it wasn't easy nor fun!
Bonus 5!) you are very young, and will have a better healing experience than I, who was 61 for the first and now 65 for this month. Ugh.
 
I was told that the knee should be below hip height so I'm confused with how people are laying in recliners. Would love some input.
 
Do stretched and loose muscles prior to surgery translate into a more optimal recovery? Or do knotted and tight glut muscles at the time of surgery make for a tougher recovery?
Not either way. You'll be surprised how your body bounces back after the surgery.
see if you good people have a preference that should be considered.
Not really - use what you feel comfortable with - what works!

I'll leave you with our recovery articles which should gear you up for the big event!

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

I'm confused with how people are laying in recliners.
With pillows under the legs - how else!!
 
hi @leenie60 I don't have a recliner, but I do know that I think my own method of elevation for my first hip may have caused swelling to stick around longer than needed. I have this lovely big wedge, and first I tried putting my legs up on it while sitting straight up-ish on my couch. That was obviously wrong-- more pain very soon. So I dropped the wedge, and spent the rest of my elevation time (nearly all time in the first two weeks) just sitting longways on the couch, or slumping down in a soft big chair, with my feet up on an improvised footstool. This time, I'm going to spend significant time "toes above nose", which hopefully will help get rid of the swelling sooner.

I see you are scheduled for the day before me! Have you gone to the top of the hip pre-op forum page and "announced" yourself in the July Sparklers thread? And you can even start your own pre-op thread, and people will come visit you there, too! chris
 
Don - I have announce that I am a July Sparkler! HHHmmm I understand toes above the nose, which, again, I find confusing because my literature from the doctor/hospital specifically states that the knee shouldn't be higher than the hip. I wonder if that means after the initial early days of postop when elevation is so important. I don't see my surgeon until the 11th and I have a full list of questions including the elevation question.
 
Thanks people! I appreciate all of the feedback. One day out and looking forward to it.


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Good luck today @Suttree I Will be thinking of you sending positive thoughts post when you can, I'm one day behind you!


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@Suttree all the best today! See you on the other side soon!
 
@Suttree Good luck today! My answers won't mean too much for some stuff, but for what it's worth...

1. Bed - everything will be uncomfortable at first. Try all your options (various beds, chairs, couches, pillows) as you move through your recovery to find what works best for you. I found laying flat in my memory foam bed with pillows under my feet worked best but everyone is different.

2. Stretching - too late for before, but I found GENTLE stretrching really helped my pain levels starting at around 2 weeks. You'll be waaaaay to sore before then to even think about it.

3. I had an ice machine and LOVED IT. It was, and still is, my best friend in pain management. It lasts a lot longer than ice packs so you are not having to constantly ask your support peoples to change them out, attaches to you so you can shift without have to reposition the ice, and makes a soothing white noise to help you sleep :)

4. Recovery took waaaaay longer than I expected. I had more pain than I expected. I thought I'd just hop right up and go after surgery - done and done. Um, no. Recovery takes time and a crazy amount of patience!

Sending good thoughts your way!! Best of luck!
 
Thanks everyone ... I'm in pre-op. Feeling good and ready to get this done! Will report back from the other side.


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