THR Gillywigs has a new hip!!!

[Gillywigs]

Hi all. Thank you as always for your kind wishes which keep me going. A better day today (exactly a week after rthr). Walking with crutches is slow but steady and getting on/off the loo a little easier. Pt exercises are going slowly and carefully. Do feel much better in myself though and appetite seems to have come back. Thinking of you @jomarie58, @Widge422,@abusby and @deep breath. Hope you are all going on well. It takes time but you will feel better without so much pain. Hang in there xx

 

[Jaycey]

Sounds like you are doing just fine in this recovery @Gillywigs ! Slow and steady is the best strategy. What seems impossible one day will be easy the next. You'll get there!

 

[Miss Muffet]

Happy Saturday @Gillywigs and @bettifloss - not to exclude our lovely US friends, but would appreciate some UK advice here.

I want to start preparing and would like advice in what the NHS dish out in terms of aids. I know these are loaned so don't want to double-up in my enthusiasm to get organised.

Am assuming raised toilet seat (does this include bars each side?)
Do they supply crutches AND walking frame?
Is anything else supplied?

What other stuff do you recommend from your experience on the other side? ..... eg ...
Cooling pads (am guessing I can get these via Internet)
Wedge pillow
Grabber
Sock putter-onner

Any and all suggestions will be most welcomed

Hope you're both doing well and look forward to hearing your updates X

 

[bettifloss]

Hiya Miss Muffet. I had my op done at a private hospital but think the aids supplied do follow pretty much the same pattern on the NHs. This is what happened:

1. Hospital gave me a 'hip pack' at the preop appointment which included a grabber stick, sponge on a stick for washing feet, shoe horn and sock aid. They also gave me crutches, adjusted them, and told me to practice with it all and bring everything to the hospital on operation day. Zimmer frame was used just once in hospital on day one but not needed at home (though they seem standard in the US)

2. I also had to bring with me to the preop a completed form with things like our existing toilet seat and chair height. Preop nurse then checked this against my calf measurement, and phoned order through to local council social services OT department for what i needed in terms of toilet seats, bed and chair risers etc.

3. Social services then rang up to arrange to deliver aids before the op date. I got two toilet seats, one for each toilet, if i had not already had them (from my Mum's house!) they would have supplied bed and chair risers and perching stools as well. I m not sure if they would automatically have supplied a kitchen trolley, which I was able to borrow, but I think they do have them and it would be worth asking as I found it invaluable for moving drinks around the kitchen when on two crutches! One toilet seat came with frame, which is preferable, the other just screwed on as no space for frame. They checked the positioning and did the screwing on delivery.

4. Things I bought that are not usually supplied and that I found invaluable - bed wedge, extra grabber sticks for when you drop the original grabber stick...a friend got me a couple of flimsy ones from pound land that are good to leave in different rooms around the house. A rucksack to put all the bits in. A small solid cushion that fits in the rucksack to raise chair height in cafes. A sheewee for when you need a pee and there is no disabled loo. Wetwipes for washing when you cant face wrangling your way into the shower in that first tiring week. Slip on shoes for indoors and Velcro fastening boots for outdoors. High leg knickers that don't irritate scar. Baggy track pants that are easy to get on. Floppy socks that are easy to get on with sock aid. Nice soft but thin down pillow to put under heel of operated leg to reduce rubbing when lying on back. Another firm small pillow or rolled towel to slip under operated knee.

Everyone on here also seems to swear by ice packs but I have actually found my nice warm electric blanket indispensable when feeling restless and fed up in the middle of the night!

Think thats it but will ponder if there is anything else.




Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016

 

[Miss Muffet]

@bettioss Wonderful- thanks so much! I am NHS but fortunately for me my surgeon is fully booked at the local hospital so I am being done at the Nuffield, which is no hardship and actually only 15 minutes away from home so that dreaded first car journey won't be too prolonged. Still waiting for date, but all this extra intelligence is invaluable and means I shouldn't end up doubling up on my survival kit. Seeing the surgeon this Thursday so will be able to check if the list you've given will match what I will be getting. Will investigate bed wedge as most of you post-Ops seem to rate them.
How are you doing today? Progressing day by day and feeling positive about your results I hope. Bless your cotton socks for helping with this xx

 

[Hipster Girl]

@Gillywigs you sound like you are doing great! Keep up the good recovery. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[bettifloss]

Nuffield sounds like a good option Miss Muffet. I forgot to add that i have been very glad of the riser recliner chair that we originally got for my elderly auntie - more comfy than bed for a quick snooze. I think it is getting less important two and a half weeks post op, but still quite nice to have if you can borrow one or get one on ebay.

All going well here, just trying not to do anything daft or overdo it. Precautions are easy to remember early on, but are getting easier and easier to forget!


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016

 

[Miss Muffet]

Yes aren't I lucky! We do have a recliner but it isn't the sort that tips you up and decants you into the room - just reclines. It isn't high either, though I'm a shortie st 5'2" so I guess the hospital people will tell me if that's ok or not when they get my measurements...?

Just take care and don't undo all the good. My plan (at this stage) is to follow the book by the letter, but I'm certain it's very easy to forget once you start to feel like your old self again - or should that read NEW self?

Steady as you go x

 

[CatLady1]

Sock putter-onner

I know, I know... I'm in the US, so ... but that sock putter-onner has been a total waste for me. I thought it would be handy, but the one I got in my hip kit is sized for big man sized ankles and most of my socks won't even slide over the bottom of it (unless they are very stretchy socks). Around the house I wear my slippers, and if I want socks on, 90% of the time hubby helps put them on.
I'm thinking the kits should at least offer a small or large sock aid.

Ok, now I'll go back around the corner and just listen....

 

[Gillywigs]

Hi @Miss Muffet . How are you doing? Im doing ok I think. I can trot to the loo at night independently and get in and out of bed with less pain now. The raised toilet seat they give you is vital. Mine just screws on and off. Wouldnt be able to manage without it. I havent used any sort of pillow between my legs to prevent me rolling over as so far the weight of the leg and the discomfort remind me to stay on my back. The crutches were supplied by the hospital and that was about all the supplies I was given really. I found nighties/pjs/undies made of silky material helps me to slide across the bed more easily. Lots more confident with the crutches and so far very steady on my feet. Anything loose is good to wear. Have definitely regained my appetitebut am trying....to eat healthily. Worse part for me are the nights. I seem to drop off quickly into a deep sleep but wake suddenly after 2 or 3 hours unable to go back off and wandering how to spend the rest of my night. I have found it useful to have anything I might need in the night, eg book, glasses, relaxation cd and player close to my left hand on the pillow to avoid twisting. Keep us posted about your meeting with the surgeon. Fondest thoughts xxx

 

[Miss Muffet]

@CatLady1 - want (and value) ANY input regardless of location - so thanks for sock putter-onner Advice! My initial question really related to what aids are provided here in UK - I know arrangements are different in the US. Don't hide round the corner please - (and PS love your humour )

@Gillywigs - just having a particularly painful day, but only because I overdid it yesterday. Good to read your upbeat update - am devising my shopping list, which will include some silky stuff. Having things ready and to hand will help to cut down on frustration.... Great advice. Enjoy the rest of your day and don't lose touch - your posts may not seem much to you but mean the world to me! Hugs and thanks xxx

 

[Miss Muffet]

Smee again. Just popping up with another question.

Apparently I will be having epidural with sedation. Can you tell me

1. How long it takes to "come round" from the sedation once surgery has been completed?
2. Do you feel at all woozy from the sedation - or so you simply "wake up" again?
3. I can't get my head around some people telling me they remember talking to the anaesthetist yet don't remember being operated on .....?
4. How long they keep you in Post Op?
5. How long it takes for the epidural to wear off
6. How they overlap pain management as the epidural wears off .
7. Did anyone ask for something to relax them when they arrived at hospital - I palpitate like crazy when nervous, and am really bothered the to will jump when they insert the epidural.

Sorry if these seem trivial but for me they are big real concerns.

Thanks Team xxxxx

 

[CatLady1]

@CatLady1 - want (and value) ANY input regardless of location - so thanks for sock putter-onner Advice!

If there was a way for me to put mine in a box and ship it to you (without it costing more than you could get one in UK), I'd be more than happy to send it. Anyone in the US need a sock put-ter on-ner??

 

[CatLady1]

@Miss Muffet - I started to answer this, then realized that you're better off hearing from someone in the UK... where things are done so differently. You have great questions, BTW!

 

[Miss Muffet]

@CatLady1 - SO sweet of you to think of me! Am just picturing what a Georgian sock putter-onner looks like - elegant! And yes, I guess my GB friends will burst in with advice on sourcing something this side of the ponds.
News bulletins will follow. Luvyaall xx

 

[bettifloss]

OK Miss Muffet, i think a nurse may give you a more accurate answer about the spinal and sedation etc, because one of the effects of sedation is that you forget most of it! But i think I can throw some light on some of your questions. In chronological order...as well as i can remember it and apologies if i have made any mistakes....

1. About an hour before i was due to go to theatre i was given several pills. An antibiotic, and some gabapentin, which acts as both a painkiller and an anxiolytic. I was asked a bit later if I felt woozy from the gabapentin but i didnt. If you are especially anxious maybe raise that at preop or when admitted as they do seem keen to make sure you are not stressed.
2. I walked with one of the porters up to a holding area, where i just sat and chatted to a very nice nurse.
3. I then walked into an anaesthetics area outside the operating theatre, where i was prepped for the spinal by another lovely nurse - got a cannula in my hand and bp, taken, eeg connected. Anaesthetist joined us and chatted, explained what would happen with spinal and sedative . Surgeon breezed through on his way to theatre and said hello. Bent forward in sitting position and anaesthetist put in local anaesthetic on my back, then spinal injection. I had brought along earplugs in case i heard anything while sedated and anaesthetist said now was the time to put them in, if i wanted to. Thats the last i remember, so the earplugs were completely unnecessary! Absolutely no memory of operating theatre.
4. Remember waking up slowly in recovery area but no recollection of how long or being transported back to my room. Someone gave me some oxygen in recovery and checked if i was feeling any pain. I wasnt.
5. Spinal seemed to wear off gradually over a couple of hours, but really not sure how long. Nurses kept checking on pain, of which there was very little. Offered oral morphine if i wanted it, settled on codeine, which i know works fine on me and doesn't make me dizzy, paracetamol and more gabapentin.
6. Helped onto commode after a couple of hours for a wee - found i had wet the bed, which i had been warned usually happens with spinal, really not bothered as everyone seemed to expect it. Control of bladder fine after that. Woken up a couple of times in night to be given painkillers and helped to commode.
7. Up next morning to get to loo with zimmer, OT to help wash and dress, and first session with crutches later in the day. Anaesthetist and consultant popped in to see me. More antibiotics each day. Nurses always checking re pain.
8. Next day, Couple more physio sessions, including stairs, xray, consultant called in, pharmacist to discuss painkillers to take home, and discharge at teatime. Just two nights in hozzie. Was originally told three nights and if i had felt unwell or unsure they would have happily kept me another night. could not have been happier with care i received.

I am guessing that would be pretty typical of UK procedure, hope it helps!


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016

 

[CatLady1]

@CatLady1 - SO sweet of you to think of me! Am just picturing what a Georgian sock putter-onner looks like - xx

It's not very elegant. Looks like a plastic pipe, cut in half (diameter) so you only get the bottom half - about 8" long, with two rope handles connected -- one on either side of one end. Something like this:

The big problem, it's too big. I think the next time I visit the orthopedic OS, I'll donate it. Yesterday, while checking in for my post surgery checkup, & went to sit in a corner of the room & noticed a big plastic barrel across from me. There were a couple of metal crutches and a walker in the barrel. Above it was a hand written sign, reading - "This is not trash. Please place your donated ortho items here." I thought it was a great idea.

 

[Miss Muffet]

Hey @CatLady1 - what a great idea that people can donate what they don't want. Others would be so grateful. Not worried in the least about inelegant - I've lost so much dignity in the past few months by degrees. I've got tiny feet (size 3 is too big for me) so that's another thing to consider. I guess there's more to be shed in the coming months too! How are you doing today and how did your post op appraisal go?

 

[Miss Muffet]

@bettifloss - oh that's EXACTLY the sort of fine detail that helps SO much . Many many thanks. I will ensure I ask the anaesthetic questions when I go for my pre-Op appointment. I have a list of questions alreay. Hubby's approach is not to know anything - just let the Pros get on with it - whereas I'm one for knowing all the bits that I am involved in and want to know about. The Op itself I will allow the surgeon to do! I prefer to picture everything before it happens, so nothing comes as a shock - then I can focus on it and go through it in my mind. We're all different.

I was prescribed Gabopentin to take daily along with my anti-inflams and Omiprazone (to counter indigestion, which the Naproxen gave me) I really didn't like it. It made me feel clumsy and out of touch and unable to concentrate. Not sure if that is a normal response, but when I raised it the Doc said I could reduce then stop it. Presumably the Gabopentin they gave you was a much bigger, one-off dose?

Do they ask you to stop all your medication in preparation for the Op, I wonder how long beforehand?

Isn't it strange that some people I've talked to remember chatting to the anaesthetist during the Op, and even small details, and others say they recall nothing.
Others say they wake up freezing cold in recovery - is that to do with them checking with ice water if you're still numb I wonder?

Details like wetting the bed are actually very helpful - it would upset me if I wasn't warned. Thanks.

My other bit of prep is to drop a few pounds ahead of surgery. Being inactive means they've crept on. I'm not exactly big (less than 9.5 stones), but this is the heaviest I've ever and want to get below 9 ..... every pound must be an extra one to cart around and extra stress on my poor joints. It should also make for a smaller wound to heal is my thinking!
Sooooooo grateful for all your input. Hope you have a lovely day with progress and the right amount of rest. Sun is shining here - hope it is over there? :cool: xxx

 

[bettifloss]

Hi again Miss Muffet, i don't think it was a specially high dose of gabapentin - just one tablet - but i don't think i am very susceptible to the spaced out effect it may have. I had a couple more gabapentin tablets while in the hospital but cant say i noticed any difference, though it may well have been acting as a painkiller. If it is not a drug you are happy to take you could mention it at preop.

Re stopping medication before op, they ask you at pre op what you are taking and i guess it depends what you are on whether you have to stop. Although at various times in the last year I have been on naproxen (didn't work for me), diclofenac (worked but not great for stomach even with omeprazole), and tramadol (worked really well but range of 'interesting' side effects!), and a steroid injection (sadly no effect) but at the time of the op I was just taking max doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol, which I was not asked to stop, and went back onto same pills after the op (plus a bit of codeine). Three weeks in, I am on paracetamol only, but everyone is different.

In fact, just to mention, nurses were excellent at asking about pain control, but if you know physio is coming, and you are also due a dose of painkillers, its not a bad idea to say will you give me my pills before the physio arrives, so they have half an hour or so to kick in!

Also worth asking at your preop what the anti dvt regime is - i felt very fortunate that my surgeon does not believe in the compression stockings, so have just given myself nightly clexane jabs. hubby would have been hopeless at putting the stockings on me!


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016