Hello Herb! I have been reading your hip journey an find it so helpful in giving me insight to my left anterior hip replacement journey which is scheduled on October 1st. I only hope my experience is as stellar as yours!
My right hip is next in line... I just hope that it can handle the replaced hip for at least a year before addressing it. A few questions if you do not mind me asking you...... If these are too many, I understand. I just would so respect your feelings on what I have question for.
I too hope you have the most perfect replacement you can possibly have and that you are able to wait fairly comfortably for everything to get done.
Questions are fine by me, but do remember the answers are what happened to *ME* and may not even be the same on *MY NEXT SURGERY*.
Also, if you have read this thread, you might be able to gain find some similarities to the things you are asking. (E.g., I walked 5/8 of a mile on the 2nd morning post-op; drove on day 4 or so, washed 2 large dogs on the 6th day post-op
https://bonesmart.org/forum/bookmarks/?type=post&id=663298 etc.)
* Can I ask how soon after home you were able to say do simple things like vacuum ( do you vacuum?
) , walk up and down two flights of stairs, just do stuff at home?
I am pretty sure that vacuuming is not allowed for several years
Seriously, I do occasionally vacuum and there is no reason FOR ME not to do so at this point (3 1/2 weeks after surgery.)
It would have been POSSIBLE to vacuum on the day of surgery, but easy by the 3rd day when I was already at the gym doing LIGHT weights.
The video we made on the day of surgery on returning home which shows me walking forward and backwards CARRYING my cane (most of the limping is my knees which will be replaced next month):
Constant caveat remains: This was JUST ME and just THIS TIME.
Washing the dogs actually amazed even me.
* Did you rest in bed a lot the first week? Longer?
Not really. (But I would have done so if needed.)
I slept as much as I wished but that wasn't very much by my standards when I don't need to work or do anything. It was a bit surprising to me how much energy was available and how quickly my sleep refreshed me.
However, I spent MOST of the time the first few days in my power recliner.
Though compared with pre-surgery I was able to walk farther (including trips to WalMart etc., house hunting, etc) on the first week (days 4 & 5).
*soon were you back to driving?
Day 4 post-op but I was taking very few painkillers -- just at bedtime and not even everyday.
* How soon were you off of prescription pain killers?
Completely? About 2 weeks.
I actually only took the pain meds, Hydrocodone or Tramadol, because: Everyone including the surgeon told me to take them "just in case" or even "just to feel better."
I have no fear or particular distaste for narcotics, nor any great love of them, so I did take a bit more than really were "needed" (even to feel good) and could easily have taken none, not even the Tylenol.
In the entire event, there was precisely 1/2 second of actual pain (4 to 6 out of 10) when I sneezed on the night of the 3rd day.
*When did you start PT? I am scheduled for starting PT out of home 20 days after surgery for four weeks at 3X a week.
Day 2 after surgery I called for the home people (but had worked out briefly at my combatives the night before) and walk the 5/8th mile that morning.
My Combatives class (slow flow) on Day 2:
(I only stayed about 20 minutes however.)
The home PT guys were useless TO ME -- he did NOTHING on Day 2, came back on Day 3 and showed me (3) exercises (available here) that I had been doing since awakening from anesthesia. Ankle Pumps and Heal slides.
(I basically fired them quietly after that.)
Went to outpatient PT on day 7 (IIRC) or so but have only been using the POOL sessions of that since the first session. I can do more and better actual PT and didn't care for the therapist at the dry land session. The pool therapist has been some help but I probably do 2-3 sessions on my own for each one with him.
Within 2 weeks my standard PT has been an hour in the pool with (walking, stretching, lunging, etc.) along with 2 x 2 sets x 10 reps of: Dips & Pull-ups (on the reduced weight machine at about 70lbs), 70-80 lbs on the leg extension and the femoral biceps (hamstring) curl machine.
Also, yoga class a few times and resistance stretching.
*What type of blood thinner did they use for you? I will be just on aspirin with this hip surgery. I had both knees replace June 2013 and was on warfarin for a month. Could not stand that stuff with all the diet restrictions and the bi weekly blood tests.
Thankful no warfarin for this hip surgery
Xarelto, but that was my (prophilactic) blood thinner pre-surgery. OS reduced it from 20 to 10mg for 1 week and then let me return to my normal 20mg. He was more concerned with bleeding into the surgery site than clots, especially given my level of activity.
*Any tips or ideas of exercises I can do at home before PT starts would be so helpful. Continued good healing for you on your journey!
Joan
There are good exercise lists here on this site in the reading material. Basically the same exercises you will do AFTER surgery are pretty close.
IF you can do them without making your pain etc. worse. Also, you might include strengthening exercises for your upper body (just in case you need to lift yourself out of chairs etc.)
This last is the reason for my doing dips and pull-ups now in preparation for my BTKR -- I am expecting to need quite a bit more help from my arms and shoulders for a bit longer.
Prior to the hip surgery, I couldn't really walk far or do anything like yoga so none of that was included -- it turns out my hip had been causing much of the problems that were blamed on my knees.
To be clear, my knees are bone on bone and definitely need replacement but that is a pain and stiffness which I COULD manage for a while if there were a good enough reason. The hip was not only causing problems but was screwing up the knees even more.
Canada
