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THR Gillywigs has a new hip!!!

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@Gillywigs - so good to hear from you and that your physio went well; a good night's sleep; a long and lovely nap. All sounding very good and lovely to see those who cared for you. I guess regaining your confidence will be normal and tricky. After all that's been done I think I will be slightly nervous of damaging my new hip. I've decided it should be christened, and haven't yet settled on a name for my new bit. PLEASE tell how she told you how to wash your hair over the sink - that is something I dearly need to know! Just explained to @CatLady1 that' today hasn't been my best. Just feel a bit tearful and useless. Tomorrow will be different. Really good news that you've had such a great boost today, that must buck you up tremendously! Keep in touch xxx
 
@Gillywigs, it sounds like you're doing great! How wonderful that you got some good rest and had a good physio session. Fingers crossed that you'll be able to go for your coffee and cupcake tomorrow. :)
 
@Miss Muffet - I am sorry you are having a low day. I had quite a few of those while anticipating my surgery. With all your excellent preparations and research, it sounds like you are ready to get this done! I hope you can get an Op date on Thursday. That will help you feel like you are really moving toward your new shiny hip! I am meeting on Friday with the surgeon who is going to do my 2nd hip. I am going to push him to settle on an Op date.

I believe it was in another post that you mentioned you wanted to christen your new hip and give it a name. (I think that was You!?...) Made me laugh - what a great idea! Have you come up with any names yet?

Hope your blue mood turns rosy pink soon. :console2::SUNsmile:
 
@Gillywigs - Great update! Glad you got a good dose of sleep! And sounds like physio went very well, too. Coffee and a cupcake is a delicious prescription for recovery. :egypdance:
 
@Gillywigs - gorgeous as ever! Where do you continue to find all those wonderfully warm words?
Hip names ... well the current one is Hagar the Horrible :tantrum2: and still pondering on the new one :angel:

Must ask again for hair washing over the sink without 90 degree rule break instructions- am sure the rest of the gang will be desperate to know too. Hope you have a fab cup cake outing - you've earned it. Nite nite :flwrysmile:
 
Lovely to see your post and know you are OK @Gilliwigs. Waitrose and cupcake sounds like a brilliant idea. All my first walking outings were to coffee shops, gave hubby an incentive to accompany me!


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016
 
@Miss Muffet - I didn't have the issue of needing to wash my hair in the kitchen sink. I was told it was ok to get a shower from day one when I got home (the aquacell bandage over the incision was water proof) - so it was no big deal. OT showed me how to step in and out of the shower safely, and after that it was go. Have you been told you can't shower?

As for hip names, when you said that, I immediately thought of Metal Head --- although I'm not really big into naming inanimate objects. Three years from now it will still probably be called the bad hip (even though it will have transformed) - just because it won't be my original bones. There is a Nashville musician who formed a band called them - "the new hip" (She was always announced as "Missy Raines and the New Hip"). I always thought it referred to new hip music - now it makes me wonder if there was some secret new body part installed that the band got named after???
 
Ha ha @CatLady1 .. Love Metal Head for starters! :giggle:

Just trying to get my head around the hair washing in sink thing (pardon the pun) if you can fill in some detail. My shower has a step up into it which I'm not sure I'll manage - it's deeper than a stair riser. That's really why I want to understand the logistics involved .... I haven't been given any instructions re showering as I've still not had a pre-Op. Being fresh and clean (and smelling less clinical!) is vital to me so not showering or hair washing will drive me batty. And I wonder how stable you feel inside the shower - isn't that a problem?
@Gillywigs - will be zooming off for her cup cake and no doubt she'll come back with some advice too :dancy:
 
@ Miss Muffet - shower step may well be easier than you think but if not council OT folk should be able to fix you up with a little extra step to put in front of it. They did this for my Mum and it worked fine. If shower floor is slippy you might need a non slip mat, ours has a floor with sort of bobbles on it that feel quite safe. Re security in shower - if there is nothing to hang on to for stability (i managed fine with door frame), OT from your local council social services may be able to fit grab bars. In fact, worth pointing out three important things that i did not realise until I went through the process-
1. You will be asked stuff like height of shower step etc at pre op, and to provide measurements ( I had a form to complete in advance)
2. Pre op physio/nurse can then relay any requirements to council OT aids folk who will come round and deliver/fit everything. You are entitled to this whether op is at a private or NHS hospital.
3. Hospital OT should help you to shower safely before you are discharged.

Hope this helps - should add that i have also been hair washing in shower, should think thats easiest unless there is a problem with wound or its dressing.



Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016
 
I bought a small shower stool so I could sit down if I was feeling the least bit unstable in the shower. Worked great!
 
Hi all. As always thank you so much for the lovely thoughts. Well I.didnt get to the coffee shop today. Had a night last night where I was awake literally every hour. Not in pain just couldnt sleep. Its also blowing a gale and pouring so I thought I would leave it till tomorrow. Re showering/ hair washing I have been told on no account to get my scar wet. We have a shower over the bath. The bath is extremely high so there is no way I could step into it without severely compromising the 90 degree rule. Physio said I could safely lean forward over the bathroom sink to wash it as long as I didnt bend to 90 degrees. She also said I could sit with my head back in the hairdressers chair if I could get into town to have it down. We are going to have the very high bath taken out and a walk in shower put in instead which will be better. Having a "tired" day today but hope to be choosing my cupcake tomorrow. Fondest thoughts all
 
Tomorrow is another day, the cupcakes will still be there. Have a good rest today.


Bettifloss - RTHR 5 January 2016
 
@bettifloss - thanks for shower advice, will be poised with sharpened pencil filling in the info for pre-Op people.

Bit confusing that they didn't stop you from showering, and therefore getting sound wet, yet @Gillywigs was told not to ....? @Jaycey - am wondering how low the shower stool was? Just thinking I may get seated and then unable to stand up again.

Oh Gillywigs - so sorry you had a bad night. The high winds have been waking me early most mornings just lately. You'll need some good solid naps today - then you'll be geared up for cup cakes maybe tomorrow? Hope all is well otherwise x
 
Miss Muffet said:
am wondering how low the shower stool was?
Click to expand...
The legs were adjustable so that the front could be slightly lower than the back. I just perched on it and could easily stand up. I did have a grab handle as well.

Most people get a waterproof dressing post op. This allows you to shower as long as you don't let the water run full force direct on the dressing. Sounds like Gilly's surgeon didn't use this procedure.
 
Could you wash your hair in the kitchen sink, and use the sprayer to help rinse it? Back when I broke my arm, I came home from the hospital with a 'pic line' attached to me that was placed in my shoulder towards the shoulder joint, and was told I couldn't get it wet until the pain medicine was finished dispensing. I took sponge baths, but didn't tackle washing my hair for a week. When I finally got in the shower for a real shower, it was just ahhhhhh! what a lovely feeling. There's no describing it!
@Miss Muffet - every doctor has their version of this surgery. I think the interesting thing here is to read all the hippy's accounts of what they can / can't do, and at what stage.
Our shower/bath tub combo is a low one (14" tall). I had measured quite a few things in the house presurgery so when I was at PT or OT, I could advise them with what I had to deal with. Since our tub is so short, I was taught how to step into it on the back side, then out of it on the front side. Hubby babysat my first shower when I got home, but we both discovered it wasn't that challenging, and I've not needed any assistance. I did buy a long handled sponge (part of the hip kit), that works out well to avoid breaking that 90* rule.
 
@CatLady1 - thanks, will look at possibly re kitchen sink, and long handled sponge sounds like a wonderfully helpful aid. All more useful stuff ... I copy and paste these gems into a document for reference so I don't overlook anything x
 
@Gillywigs just wondering how you are getting on with this recovery. All good I hope!
 
bettifloss said:
1. You will be asked stuff like height of shower step etc at pre op, and to provide measurements ( I had a form to complete in advance)
2. Pre op physio/nurse can then relay any requirements to council OT aids folk who will come round and deliver/fit everything. You are entitled to this whether op is at a private or NHS hospital.
Click to expand...
I'm puzzled because I've not been asked anything at all regarding providing measurements. There was no form provided with my preOp instructions .... When I rang the physios at the Nuffield (where my Op is taking place) to query this they passed over it. Can anyone else (this side of the ocean) advise please?
 
@ Miss Muffet -- I'm on the opposite side of the pond, but I didn't get asked any of those questions either. In fact, the discussion of the furniture at my house didn't come up until I was post-op and talking to a PT in the hospital (who was having me walk the hall), and most of it was with the OT person who showed me how to get dressed (talked about sitting on the side of the bed and what height it was), then took me down the hall to the OT lab where another person talked / showed how to get in and out of the shower (discussion of the bathtub height came in here) - so she could talk about what way worked for my situation and how to sit in the car going home. I did make notes of the various items in our house - steps up to door, bathtub height, toilet height, bed, etc... then took a photo of my notes with my phone so it was one less piece of paper to remember where it went. Never once was I asked about what chair I was going to sit in. Hip class did talk about getting furniture (or using pillows on top of) to raise your sitting height, and the book we got also showed examples of how to get up or sit. The OT lady did talk about raising the bed (or sitting higher) when getting dressed, and what part of my clothes to put on first (top first, then bottoms), etc.

Hope this helps. I've found (reading here) everyone gets asked / told different things, different restrictions, etc. You just have to go with the flow and ask whatever questions when the time comes.
 
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