A little bit nervous.

Dhall

junior member
Joined
Oct 14, 2019
Messages
22
Age
85
Country
United States United States
Gender
Female
A new hip on November 25th and I'm a little bit nervous about the whole thing. Any good info I get here, I will appreciate greatly. I am a little "Long in the tooth," as they say. I am 81 and I've kind of gotten used to my old hip. It has turned on me, however. So, we must part ways.
 
Welcome! You are fortunate your hip has served you well this long. I have not had surgery yet, but a friend did at 90, and it was a resounding success. Now she smiles all the time.
It’s normal to be nervous. Hopefully the more you learn, the less worried you will feel.
 
Welcome to the site. One of the moderators will be along soon and point you at some especially helpful information. Nervousness is perfectly normal - it is a major operation but the success rates are amazing. Sometimes we just need to replace those parts that fail us so we can continue having a life. My husband reminds me regularly that we are lucky at the technology that enables us to alleviate this pain and allows us to regain our lives and movement. No wheelchairs. I have had one hip replaced already and two knees and am having the other hip done Nov.13.

Please come here often and read what everyone says pre and post surgery and ask any questions you have as they come up.
 
:wave: and Welcome to the forum.

I am 81 and I've kind of gotten used to my old hip. It has turned on me, however. So, we must part way
Mine both turned on me..and much sooner.
Which hip is being replaced?
We want to add the hip and date to your signature.
I see you found your way to the November Nimbles group, so you can see your recovery friends :) :-) (:
I was kind of sad to see my original parts go also but I sure wasn't sad to be shed of that hip pain.
Lots of great advice here so feel free to ask whatever you like.
 
Last edited:
Good Morning ,
You will be so thankful that you are doing this ...,I am 72 had my first THR in July and am doing the other on Tuesday Like you, I had a case of nerves as this we my first hospitalization... The new hip feels like im thirty years old on that side .... Best of luck !!
 
@Dhall Welcome to BoneSmart! As you will see if you read on this site there is no age discrimination when it comes to THR. We have members in all age groups!

Of course you are nervous. We were all in that space. And yes, some do mourn the loss of a hip. But think of it this way. That hip is worn and diseased. Time for a shiny new one!

I look forward to following your journey.
 
Welcome to BoneSmart. You are fortunate to have found this site before your surgery as there is some great information here as well as endless support. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you might have. We were all nervous waiting for our surgery. I was nearly 73 when I had my surgery but I am so glad I did it. The pain from the arthritis totally went away and I regained my range of motion as well so once again I could more easily put on socks for example. I am sending good thoughts and well wishes your way.
 
Hello and welcome @Dhall. So the hip has "turned on you" Gosh, do I know that feeling!
I am the proud owner of 2 new hips. one is almost 4 months old and I feel great. I can't wait until you can say that too. We will be here rooting you on to a successful outcome.

I'd like to leave you some reading material.. Especially since you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery and may be looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
 
Last edited:
It does make me feel better to read all of the stories here. Nice to know we are all in the same boat, so to speak. One thing I wonder about is the toilet seat height. Should I get a toilet seat taller than my 18 inch toilets? If so, what kind is best? How long do you need them? Where do you get them? Info appreciated.
 
:wave: and Welcome to the forum.

I am 81 and I've kind of gotten used to my old hip. It has turned on me, however. So, we must part way
Mine both turned on me..and much sooner.
Which hip is being replaced?
We want to add the hip and date to your signature.
I see you found your way to the November Nimbles group, so you can see your recovery friends :) :-) (:
I was kind of sad to see my original parts go also but I sure wasn't sad to be shed of that hip pain.
Lots of great advice here so feel free to ask whatever you like.
It is my right hip for the THR. On November 25th.
 
I have been reading so much here on the forum. What wonderful news. I now no longer am afraid of the surgery or outcome.Even at my age, I know I will do great. I am surprised about the stuff on PT. I read that it is not a necessity after THR. I know they will push for me to go to PT. I might just refuse. I can walk with the help of my husband. He is such a big help now and will be after surgery. He has been with me through my 10 back surgeries, so he is not a novice.
 
I am surprised about the stuff on PT. I read that it is not a necessity after THR. I know they will push for me to go to PT. I might just refuse.

Hi there @Dhall
I never refused PT... instead did all the suggested exercises only when and IF I felt ready to do them.
The key is to take it easy and not to overdo it. :loll:
 
Does your surgeon insist on PT? Mine insisted not; at least for six weeks. He gave me a sheet of exercises to do ( mild) and said just walk. And if it hurts don't do it.
After some healing PT could be useful as it sounds like you can't quite walk properly now and may need to unlearn old habits. Gait training can be very useful.
I can only speak to me regarding toilet seats. Ours is 17.5 inches. If I put a riser on it my feet would not touch the floor. If your seat is below your knee level you might want to get one.
 
My surgery is scheduled Nov 5. I have the newer toilet height and it will be fine. You just don’t want the hip bent at more than 90 Degrees. If you think you might want arms to assist you when rising, you can get them on Amazon. They attach under the toilet seat using the same holes and bolts. I have arms left over from my elderly dad that I will put on. Very easy to do! Good luck!
 
Best deal I found for the toilet is a bedside commode. It has a removable bucket that can be removed so it fits right over your existing toilet. It is adjustable for height and once I started using it we adjusted the height to make it more comfortable. It also has very sturdy handles which is important so you can lift yourself up but it's also important for sitting down also.
 
I did not mention that I have been using a cane on my left side for about 6 years.Not for my hip, believe it or not, but for two muscles that are atrophied on my right side. I suppose I will still need the cane after surgery. I will try PT and see if they can help me with gait training. I will not overdo it though. I will try to walk as much as possible. Thanks for the help regarding the toilet. I think the bedside sounds pretty good. Not that I will be in bed! I intend to go Austin, which is 3 hours from me. I want to go for Christmas with my 5 great grand daughters and 2 grand daughters.Hope I can travel that soon.
 
Best deal I found for the toilet is a bedside commode. It has a removable bucket that can be removed so it fits right over your existing toilet. It is adjustable for height and once I started using it we adjusted the height to make it more comfortable. It also has very sturdy handles which is important so you can lift yourself up but it's also important for sitting down also.
I think this is a great idea. I will try the bedside commode. Thanks.
 
Good Afternoon,
I am 75 years old. I am 19 days post op from a total left hip replacement. This was a Direct Anterior Approach surgery. I had a total right hip replacement in 2004. It is a different world today. I would have been sent home the same day if under 70, but alas I am 75, I had to stay overnight. Had me up walking with walker late afternoon of day of surgery. (I will say this isn't too much different than 2004......walking same day and home on am of day 3). Both instance came home with cane. This time I am walking without cane since day 10. Very little pain and no pain meds (same as in 2004).
Things that are different.......not on Coumadin, no restrictions with 90', no PT - walk, walk, walk is the current rule, no pt. no need for higher toilet seat, no restrictions with sleeping (sleep on any side, etc.), 2004 procedure incision was closed with staples. This one they now use Dermabond Prineo Skin Closure System (basically gluing the incision together with mesh and liquid adhesive). Look it up online very interesting video.
The Anterior Approach is a one hour procedure. Muscle and ligaments are not cut.....they are moved out of the way so that the ball and cup are available for the surgeon. This is tremendous advance for the healing process and cuts down the likely hood of blood clots.
BTW.....my surgeries completed by Rothman Institute surgeons.....2004 Dr. Hozack, 2019 Dr. Ong. Both excellent surgeons and both worked on this new procedure.
My OS told me I would be glued together! No staples or stitches. He did say that I could sleep on my unaffected side with a pillow between my legs. I don't know if I will have an Anterior or Posterier incision. If it is posterier, they assured me that they do not cut the muscles but rather move them out of the way.
 
My surgery is scheduled Nov 5. I have the newer toilet height and it will be fine. You just don’t want the hip bent at more than 90 Degrees. If you think you might want arms to assist you when rising, you can get them on Amazon. They attach under the toilet seat using the same holes and bolts. I have arms left over from my elderly dad that I will put on. Very easy to do! Good luck!
Good luck on your surgery. November 5th is not too far away.I think this forum is wonderful. It has eased some of my fears and given me great information. I bought two ice bags and I know I will need them. :)
 
@Dhall I had to figure out the toilet deal the hard way. Started with one of those clamp on donuts that had handles. Let's just say the opening was too small. I searched Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace and got lucky. Found someone within a few miles of me that had one so I sent my wife to go get it. I think we paid $20 for it, had never been used.
My trip home from surgery was about 2 hours, just had to stop and get out of the car for a little while and walk a little. I could drive at 2 weeks since it was my left hip and it was probably at around 4 weeks I was able to drive my pickup to visit my daughter which is about 3 hours. All I did was stop every hour or so and walk around a little.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • mendogal
    Staff member since November 10, 2023

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,053
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom