I can do this. Can I do this? What am I doing, exactly?

[Toddlermom]

@Sommers16 So much good advice already! I inherited most of my equipment from my mom. I had 2 walkers -one upstairs/one down. Most items discussed were just enough (toilet seat, grabber, and very needed shower seat). Never used the sock thingy because I had slip on shoes and I live in warm Houston!

Best $$ spent - I rented a hospital bed for downstairs, and it was so nice to have! (@Cynthia777 found one on Craig's list). Slept there for the first 3 weeks. I was only in the hospital for 35 hours, and it was nice to have the ability to lower the bed when getting out to go to the restroom. I was able to help myself faster!!! Although I could use the stairs and could have used my bed, it was very tall, and I would have needed much help to get in/out and make adjustments. And I put a memory foam pad on the bed for added comfort.

Other items - underwear that is comfortable with swelling. Went commando for the first 4 days!
Sleeping gear - nightgowns , avoided pants style

Tip for now......start using your ice packs now! Just an extra layer of pain relief. Until the big day....good luck!

 

[Miss Muffet]

Agree with @Toddlermom about icing. And don't delay till after surgery. It's a natural painkiller and incredibly effective. I'm using it now almost non-stop (got 4 x large gel packs In the freezer rotating) and the difference it makes is astonishing. Remember this for your recovery. Swelling reduces, stiffness reduces so movement is so much easier and therefore I don't fear or avoid it and so DVT is averted. Has to be good for the muscles (athletes use it after all).

Regarding looking at - or even thinking about the procedure itself - don't frighten yourself. I elected to tackle my anaesthetist about my choice of anaesthetic - spinal and sedation) no waking up, hearing, seeing, smelling - and having ticked that box I decided the next bit was up to the expert/s. They truly know what they're doing. Having woken up on the other side I now regard a nice neat scar as the only indication that something has changed and which is going to get some cosseting and care from me. The other difference is, of course, is that the debilitating pain is a thing of the past. One day there, wake up - gone. Stiffness and swelling don't compare to my preOp pain. My view was/is - that old pain was a getting worse (almost by the day) pain, this is discomfort and is a getting better experience which will change my life! Not to be avoided or delayed. Life's too short.

Can you add your surgery details and date to your signature (see mine below) then we're all aware.

I'm only 6 days out from surgery (and they've flown by) and was a nervous wreck when I joined Bonesmart - but look what they've done for me. Coached and coaxed me bit by bit. Check my pre and post Op threads and see how things progressed. Keep tapping us for help and support - we all hold hands on here and we ALL succeed!!

 

[Sommers16]

@Chihuahuan - I see. Hmmm. (Thinking continues ...)

You won't need any kind of leg-lifting aid. You will find it hard to lift your op leg for a while, but the secret is to just hook the foot of your good leg under the ankle of your op leg and then use the strength of the good leg to swing/move the bad leg over. Hope that made sense! You might have to re-read that one a couple of times to understand. Try doing it right now while laying down and you'll get what I mean.

@Rutabaga - I get what you are saying. Thanks.

Question on the toilet seat riser. I got the kind with attached handles on each side, works great, but my feet barely touch the floor, I feel like a little kid on that thing lol. Is that ok? It's 5" and I didn't see any shorter ones, maybe I don't need it. I'm average height, not petite.

@Horseshoe - I haven't gotten the toilet seat riser yet, so I'm afraid I don't know what is out there for options. Maybe others can add input.

I had that sort of uncertainty pre-op but I found my body pretty much limited me to what was advised anyway. For the first few weeks I didn't feel able to bend and twist like normal and it was only when I was coming up to six weeks that any of the restrictions felt like something I had to deliberately avoid. Both pre and post-op, I had time with a physiotherapist to show me movements to avoid and the best ways to manage instead.

@Zelda - Thanks for sharing your experience. I know I won't really know until I actually know, if that makes sense. What I mean is, I want to do my due diligence for prudent prepping and know what to expect. And some of that information is general and more or less universal for all us THR warriors. But then there are other things I just won't know for me until the time comes. How much pain will I be in? Will my existing limp be better or worse? How much work will I actually need to miss? What will a day in the life look like, feel like, be like for ME 1 day after surgery, 1 week after surgery, 1 month after surgery, 1 year after surgery? At times the not being able to know the future is comforting, because it means just taking one thing at a time and just focusing on the here and now. At other times, I am frustrated, because I do want to know with some kind of unavailable crystal ball clarity, what's exactly ahead. It's challenging being a "control enthusiast" and in a situation where you feel out of control, dependent on others and weak. I know it's only temporary, though. It feels like standing on the edge of a cliff, and behind you, over your shoulder, you see lions charging toward you, and you can't keep standing there, but jumping is scary. What I mean, of course, is I can't continue forever with a bad hip, but getting to the new hip (jumping off the cliff) is like a big trust exercise.

 

[Chihuahuan]

@Sommers16 Love the term "control enthusiast" I'm one also...... Met the OS today and feel so much better. Next appointment is June 21 when all the pre-op blood work and other tests will be scheduled. Surgery set for July 6

 

[Sommers16]

Best $$ spent - I rented a hospital bed for downstairs, and it was so nice to have! (@Cynthia777 found one on Craig's list). Slept there for the first 3 weeks. I was only in the hospital for 35 hours, and it was nice to have the ability to lower the bed when getting out to go to the restroom. I was able to help myself faster!!! Although I could use the stairs and could have used my bed, it was very tall, and I would have needed much help to get in/out and make adjustments. And I put a memory foam pad on the bed for added comfort.

Other items - underwear that is comfortable with swelling. Went commando for the first 4 days!
Sleeping gear - nightgowns , avoided pants style

Tip for now......start using your ice packs now! Just an extra layer of pain relief. Until the big day....good luck!

@Toddlermom - I am thinking about renting a hospital bed too. I need a new bed currently, but it occurred to me yesterday that I can't really evaluate a long range (like the 8-year standard) bed right now. I was reading on Consumer Reports (yeah, that's exciting me - ha ha) that when mattress shopping, you should spend a minimum of 15 minutes lying on a bed to see if it supports you as needed. But "Sommers16" now isn't going to be "Sommers16 2.0" later. It has become too painful for me to sleep in the bed I have now, so I am sleeping in the recliner.

I've gotten a couple of knee length gowns and should be ok undies wise.

Using the ice now intrigues me. I see you've mentioned it and @Miss Muffet also mentions it. In all these years with arthritis, I've not used ice. I've associated cold, damp and rainy conditions with more pain. I've preferred heat, like with a heating pad or warm bath. I know ice post surgery helps with the swelling, but I've never thought ice on my arthritic hip pre-surgery would work, so I haven't done it.

 

[Chihuahuan]

@Sommers16 I use an ice gel pack also --really helps with the inflammation from arthritis.

 

[Sommers16]

@Miss Muffet - thank you for the tips. Wow - only 6 days out - I am proud of you! I will be proud the day I am successfully in the "after surgery" camp and not struggling in the "before surgery" camp. All part of a process, I guess.

My hip pain has been worse today, and in a crazy way, I am appreciative, because it serves to remind me why I am doing this, and I want to record what it was like when I no longer have the issue to deal with. I won't type what I said out loud to it this AM, because it's not appropriate. (#$%^&*!) Ha Ha It's amazing what we get accustomed to as normal and ok. Until we can't anymore.

I believe I've added my surgery details correctly as you requested. Thank you for your support.

 

[Cynthia777]

I completely understand appreciating the pain pre-op! My pre-op lasted a year because my pain would disappear weeks at a time. Once my pain was pretty constant, I knew I would view the recovery period in a much more positive way, so moving forward became a no brainier.

 

[Toddlermom]

@Sommers16 Why not? Try ice?!?! Leave it for 30 minutes. It helped me in the last few weeks at night specifically. Arthritis is inflammation... And a physical reaction to irritation. (My doc said that they were very angry tissues). But every person is different. I also used the seat warmers in my car....as a heating pad periodically too. At night I would take a short warm bath, and THEN ice for 30 minutes. I think that I liked the weightless feeling of the bath to remove some pressure.

And the beloved hospital bed!!! I bought a cheap memory foam topper from Walmart for the hospital bed matress. Many swear by a recliner, so you could gather the bed rental information before surgery and have it delivered after you have used a fancy one in the hospital....IF you decide you want one. I didn't have a recliner so you might just compare. Small adjustments really help in the first 7-10 days, and the 'home' beds give you some back and leg incline options. And it was so nice to lower it while learning how to lift that leg into/out of bed. My bed is sooo tall. I would have needed help.

And I would hesitate on a bed purchase too. Pre-surgery, I was hardly sleeping. I had so much back pain prior to surgery, and now my bed is just fine. My pain was related to my pelvic tilt. (Still a bit of insomnia, but not pain related:rolleyes

 

[Sommers16]

@Toddlermom - Thanks, I will try the ice both before and after. I began inquiring about the hospital bed yesterday, and am hoping to make that work out. I am looking at the "real" new bed as a reward for the future when I am well again. I have a recliner, but as I've mentioned, it is many years old, and it is low, and it rocks, and I don't know if it will be suitable for sleeping after surgery. I am sleeping in it now every night, but that's different. So many items on my "to-do" list, but taking things one at a time, and I am glad the information of what to do is available here.

 

[Chihuahuan]

@Sommers16 No space in our house for a hospital bed so that's out for me. I'm hoping the recliner will work; now that I know I'm having an anterior approach I'm not so concerned about it. Have you thought about elevating the recliner -- I think there are instructions somewhere in Bonesmart. I plan to sleep in my own bed or if it's too high in the guest room one that is lower. Ordered the toilet safety frame today as we already have a higher toilet https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Health-Brands-Toilet-Safety/dp/B000N5W9SS?tag=ate362da-20
It will be super hot here in July so no issues re clothes, except undies, or shoes for me. I am so looking forward to being able to walk well again

 

[Sommers16]

@Chihuahuan - I have a small house too, but am hoping to make a hospital bed work. I may have to look into the recliner being modified, however. Things with the bed aren't panning out so far, but I am not ready to give up just yet. I contacted the medical supply company to ask about the process for renting a bed if you want to see if your health insurance will help cover the expense. He instructed me to contact my general physician (who referred me to the surgeon and suggested I do it sooner than later). This may be common knowledge, but as I have never had the need before to know all this, I didn't know it. Apparently, the general doctor writes a prescription for the bed, authorizing that it is medically necessary, then this is sent to the medical supply company, and the insurance company is brought in to review and approve. The medical supply company rep suggested I get my general doctor to authorize this and not the surgeon, because the surgeon is much less available to do the paperwork. So I called my general doc's office today, but he later sent word to me through someone there that I would have to wait until I am actually physically in the hospital and then take the matter up with a case worker. That doesn't sound right to me. I am frustrated that what should be routine, common needs and questions for those in medical positions are somehow unknowns and obstacles. I've been trying to relax about the surgery, comforting myself by saying "they do this all the time, they have it all figured out, don't exhaust yourself trying to be in the driver's seat." But then my confidence is shaken when in the course of my journey I ask basic questions that are met with, "Um..." and "Well ..." and "Here's another number you can call and ask them."

 

[Chihuahuan]

@Sommers16 The "hospital" bed, or any medical device, has to be medically necessary for insurance coverage (if it is covered at all) not a nice to have. Can you imagine the cost to the company of supplying one routinely to all hippies or TKRs. @Cynthia777 found hers on Craigs list. Before we leave the hospital the PTs will make sure we can get in and out of bed -- I think I'm going to measure the height of my bed and practice in the hospital when it's set at that height.

 

[Cynthia777]

@Sommers16
My surgeon wouldn't approve one because he said I didn't NEED it. As @Chihuahuan said, it must be "medically necessary" and I don't think a THR falls into that category (in most cases). I will say that you should stay on top of things because although our OS's do this surgery day in and day out, I found a few things that could have easily fallen through the cracks (like my PCP forgot to do the nasal swab to check for MRSA. Thank goodness I had read about it, so I had to remind them). If I were you, I would at least try and push the issue with your OS and your PCP). Tell them your bed has broken down, you can't afford a new one and you have to sleep on the floor (you never know, maybe it could work). Good luck!

 

[Sommers16]

@Chihuahuan & @Cynthia777 : Thank you - I'm going to keep on working on it.

 

[Zelda]

hi, @Sommers16
It looks like we're going to be hip-buddies. I just got confirmation my 2nd hip will be the 17th of May!

 

[Simplieme]

@Zelda wow that's soon!!! Hope all goes well. Hugs xxx

 

[Zelda]

@Simplieme 12 weeks and 1 day since the first one. I think the date was fixed all along but they didn't tell me in case there was a problem and it had to be put off a bit.

 

[Sommers16]

@Zelda - Thanks for letting me know. 25 days from today for us. We will do this together!

 

[Zelda]

I don't have a time yet but I assume I'll be going first. What's the time difference? If the times are right I may even be able to wish you luck after mine and before yours!