THR My Biggest Concern

CatLady14

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How hard is it to get yourself out of bed that 1st night you are home? Since I live alone my biggest fear, besides being stepped on by one of my 19lb cats is trying to get out of bed in the middle of the night. I and preparing to cocoon myself at night so my cats are not able to hurt me. But I guess the unknown is what scares me the most. I have had shoulder surgery, neck surgery, and a hysterectomy but I always had someone very close by. Now it's me and my 89 year old father that lives 5 miles away. I'm not calling him in the middle of the night. I was just wondering if anyone else can offer suggestions. Thanks
 
@CatLady14 You should be able to get out of bed OK. Practice now pretending that bad hip has already been operated on and is swollen, stiff and sore. You will be slower to get up but should be able to manage OK. The heavy cat problem though ... I had 2 Maine Coon cats - big girls - one was about 22lbs and the other was 18lbs. Both liked to snuggle but the bigger one also liked to walk on me OOFFF. I ended up having to banish them from my bedroom until I healed enough to tolerate their shenanigans. Would it be possible for you to get some one to stay with you for a while - friend, other relative, neighbor? I had my cousin with me for about a week after I came home from the hospital and that was a real help.
 
I have considered asking my retired sister to fly down to help. I do love that you mentioned how your one cat loved to walk on you OOFFF because my Cotton does the same. I actually have quite a few of my cats that like to walk on me throughout the night. I have purchased a U pillow and have even considered a coffin since it's Halloween lol. I do try to keep this situation light! I am having the right hip done and I watched videos and they say it's easier to get out of bed with the surgery leg 1st. That means switching sides completely. I also have a sleep number bed that I tend to keep it rather soft. I've considered pumping it to the max hardness to get up easier. I'm very thankful for this forum.
 
Have a cane or leg lifter around in case your operated leg goes log-leg on you...it just.won't.move for a while and will need someone or something to heft it up onto the bed. Gravity will help to get it off.
 
A leg lifter is so helpful and does just what is called... helps you to lift your leg..

I have another suggestion and I promise that I don't get commission for suggesting this, I seem to recommend it quite a bit.. :heehee: It's just that the electric lift recliner helped me so so much. I rented one for one month from a Home Health Supply store and it was the best money spent.
Mine was like a zero gravity chair so I could lay pretty flat and sleep very well and in fact slept in it most nights for the first two weeks.
The lift feature gets you up and going easier, too.

It's not a must have, many can do without it, but I'm glad I had it for the first few weeks.
 
I slept on the same side of the bed with both hips. Having a bed that's a good height so you can slide out of it worked good for me. The night after surgery I was up and to the bathroom a lot and didn't need any help. Keep the walker right next to the bed and know you can get it into position in the bathroom. my fear with any animals would be them getting under my feet and throwing me off balance.
 
Practice before you have the surgery.

I found that the most awkward thing wasn't the getting in and out of bed, but due to the 90 degree hip bend restriction - getting the bedclothes comfortable!

I found that when lying back on the bed and rotating to get straight, it was easier if I only folded the top half of the covers sideways to get in near the top of the bed. When lying back, I bent my knees up and slid my feet closer to my bottom, making it easier to slide my feet under the covers while holding them up with my hand. That meant I didn't have to reach down so far to adjust everything.

For the first few days, using a walking stick in bed to adjust the bedclothes also worked well.
Just slide the stick down under the covers beside your leg, then lift to push the bedding down, or sideways.

Getting out of bed is not very different to getting out of a chair, You should be able to do both competently before they let you leave the hospital, but you can still practice, and practice some more before you have the surgery.
 
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I have a load of exercise equipment including loop resistance bands - the long ones, not the ones you put round your thighs. I found using one of these to help lift my operated leg made getting in and out of bed (and in and out of the car) straight forward. They are cheap and easy to source. Alternatively something like a dressing gown waist tie would work much the same.

I would also say make sure you your duvet or bed coverings are loose and not tucked in. Keep a jug of water by your bedside, you will be astonished how much you need to drink if you are lying on your back.
 

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