Hair Presentation at TKR surgery

[pdlinda]

I need help sorting out the nagging issue I have with my hair.

I have been wearing a wig for the last 3 yrs because my own hair simply became too unmanageable and time consuming to maintain. The wig I have is the answer to my hair prayer as it always makes me look well-groomed and attractive. My appearance is MARKEDLY different with and without the wig.

When I had my consult with my OS I was, of course, wearing my wig. My post op care team has also only seen me with my wig on.

Any suggestions as to how I handle my hair after surgery to avoid feeling very self conscious??

 

[Jamie]

Trust me. After surgery your hair will be the last thing on your mind. Your medical team does not expect you to be street presentable following surgery. If you must have it, wear or bring the wig with you on surgery day. If you feel up to it while you're still in the hospital, no one will mind if you want to wear it.

What did you do for your THR 2 years ago? And, I notice that your birth date in your profile is incorrect. Can you please either provide the correct date for us or change your profile to reflect that date? We sometimes need to know your age when providing advice and it helps to have that at hand. If you prefer not to have it showing on your public profile block, you can check the box and it will only be in your private profile information.

 

[luvcats]

How about wearing a pretty scarf tied around your head the way cancer patients do to hide a bald head?

Have you asked anyone on your care team about it specifically?

 

[Jockette]

How about a new short haircut and maybe color?

Do you think they might not recognize you without your wig?

I would love to try a wig, but I’m so hot all the time, I think it would feel like I was wearing a hat. Is your wig hot?

 

[pdlinda]

@Jamie

When I had my hip replaced 2 yrs ago I think I wore the wig when I arrived at the hospital then went au natural with my hair. When I was picked up by my care giver i put the wig on to go home I THINK ( don't quite remember LOL). Different care team this time.

Please tell me how to get Profile info changed. Not sure how to find what I provided. Thanks.

 

[Jamie]

It would be easier if you'd just PM me with your correct birth date and I'll change it for you. Now that I think about it, it may not be possible for you to change this yourself once you register.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

Truthfully, after this surgery you won't be thinking about how you look, and neither will any of the medical staff. You will be thinking about keeping any pain away, walking around, how to use the toilet, getting in and out of bed, etc. Believe me, the staff at the hospital has seen it all and then some, and really won't notice your hair. I know this as I have hair that is really fine and gets knotted and snarled really badly when lying down. I knew it ahead of the surgery, and knew it would be a problem afterwards when I was feeling better as after a prior surgery it was so knotted and snarly I had to have my hairdresser get the snarls out! But after my revision it wasn't even a thought on my radar, other than when the aide helped me with a shower and we combed it out. But I didn't care what it looked like in the least-and didn't care what the staff thought about it. I cared about the help they gave me, which was wonderful, I didn't care about my looks.

I also have partial dentures and I left those at home as I didn't want to take a chance on them getting lost since they'd have to be out of my mouth during surgery, and my dentist told me he's had many patients who lost theirs while hospitalized so they had to get new ones. Leaving them home meant my missing teeth showed, but I didn't care-it was more important to not have to get new ones, plus taking care of them after surgery would not have been an easy task. Plus, as I said the staff has seen everything and a few missing teeth is nothing compared to what they see every day.

My advice is leave the wig at home and worry about your looks again when you're feeling better. You really have a lot more important things to worry about before and after this surgery-I'd focus on those things.

 

[pdlinda]

Jockette:

I do have a short haircut but "wash and wear" it (no styling) because I style the wig each day.

I would say that I might not be recognizable to people with my own short hair so I'm going to share my situation with new care team prior to surgery.

I'm in AZ and it's scorching hot this time of year but the wig is not unbearable to wear. I do remove it, however, as soon as I cross my front door..

 

[pdlinda]

Luvcats:

I like your idea. I'm also thinking of a headband when I enter the hospital and after the surgery.

 

[pdlinda]

Lovetocookandsew:

Thanks so much for putting this situation in perspective. That's why I posted what I, too, considered to be on the trivial side of things. Now I'm at peace with notifying my care team that my appearance will be different when they assist me post-op.

I also have a 4 tooth partial denture that I MUST USE in order to chew. I'll put that in a plastic bag in the compartment of my bag that I will stow with my insurance card in the little suitcase I'll take to the hospital with me.

 

[alexthecat]

I used bandanas. I've been collecting them since high school. I don't even remember why I started, but I have some really cool ones. After surgery, if I hadn't shampooed lately or if I was having a bed-head day, I'd put on a bandana.

Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

 

[Jamie]

@pdlinda .... I think your plan is perfect.

 

[lovetocookandsew]

My dentist told me partials need to be kept in water (or the cleaning solution) whenever they're not in my mouth so they don't dry out. A plastic bag is not sufficient, according to my dentist, unless you fill it with the liquid, and hopefully it doesn't leak. I need mine to chew also, but hospital food isn't difficult to chew so I left them at home to be safe. I have both an upper and a lower partial, so I need mine also. But I made it through my week-long hospital stay and put them back in after I got home. I think if I were to take mine along, I'd use a leak proof plastic container of some kind and fill it with the cleaning solution.

I'm glad you realized your wig is not needed and are not going to worry about it any more. I like your new plan a lot more.

 

[Hopeless]

Lovetocookandsew:

Thanks so much for putting this situation in perspective. That's why I posted what I, too, considered to be on the trivial side of things. Now I'm at peace with notifying my care team that my appearance will be different when they assist me post-op.

I sympathize with your hair issue. Me & my sisters have “received” fine thinning, partial balding hair from our mother. Summer is the worst when I sweat I look totally bald. Wore bandanas a lot. Finally decided to “let it grow” No stylist needed. It is what it is. I like to bleach it blonde, but can’t keep up with it now. I’ve people look at me startled ! I just don’t care that much anymore. Best to you pdlinda

 

[pdlinda]

@Hopeless
I hear what you're saying and am accustoming myself to dealing with the au natural look I will have during and immediately following my surgery.
So nice to know I'm not alone!

 

[Carole4815]

I don't usually do much with my hair (as you can probably guess from my avatar). Two days before surgery, I had it cut really really REALLY short, in a layered bob since my hair has a little wave/curl in it that shows up when it's very short. That worked out really nicely.

I think the style that requires the least care is the best one for TKR surgery. Many women find that if their hair is really short, they don't have to mess with it much for it to look reasonable. At least, that has been the case for me. I can rumple it around with my hands and it just falls back into place, as though I had just brushed it.

Your OS and surgical team will just think you got a haircut. My guess is that they won't figure out that you had a wig before.

I will probably grow it out a bit later on, but for now it's nice to not have to fuss with my hair.

 

[pdlinda]

@Carole 4815
I'm psyching myself up to simply focus on the procedure and all the pre and post-op planning I'm going to have to do.
Included in that planning is finding a decent post-op facility that I can transition into for about 5 days if that's what the OS and I decide is what I need.
I'm also thinking of buying a wide headband or two to kind of frame my face and hide my hair