THR My Special Needs brother

[Grammy211]

@CricketHip my brother has limped for many years and does have trouble with balance. Supposedly he has had the extreme arthritis for years, had an old fracture that was never detected and the surgeon found a large benign mass in the hip area that he believes my brother was born with. As a result, the surgeon feels that he has never walked properly. Routine is extremely important to my brother and any habit is very hard to get him to change however, he is very good about trying to do what he’s told as long as I keep reminding him. At the same time, it can be hard for him to understand what he’s being shown to do and how to follow instructions. I guess I will see what the surgeon says next week but I’m sure he’ll suggest more therapy.

 

[Eman85]

Pretty early on for any type of exercises in my opinion. I found walking slowly with good form to be the best PT I did for getting back to full function. Just something that worked for me was walking at my local super Walmart. It was good for me as my recoveries were both in the winter. Walking with a shopping cart gave me stability and kept anyone from bumping me. Also made me kind of invisible as I just blended in while I was getting my walking in. My recoveries were all pre-Covid so I understand if that's not where people want to be now. If I didn't go to the store I went to the small walking track at the local park. I used my cane and walked nice and slow with good form. Plenty of benches to take a rest if I needed. The few exercises I did were at home from a handout from my OS. I stuck to the exercise regimen with my first and didn't really do them with my 2nd, no real difference in the end result.

 

[Grammy211]

Approximately how long does a THR patient need to use the toilet extender? My brother is fine getting on and off the toilet but has to use the supportive arms on an extender in order to get up. He is almost 5 weeks post op. Is this normal or do I need to encourage and work with him more?

 

[subie2021]

I used mine for months. And when I got tired of looking at the big one with arms, and was able to get by without the arms, I bought a smaller raised seat without arms, and used that for at least 6 more weeks.
And this all was with a new comfort height toilet.
When I finally ditched the smaller seat, there were times I wished I still had it.
At almost 6 months out from surgery, I'm ok with just the new pot. But when I visit my daughter, I hope I don't 'gotta go' because her house has the little short squatty toilets. Yikes! A challenge both sitting down *and* getting up!
Give the poor fella a break LOL.

 

[benne68]

Is this normal or do I need to encourage and work with him more?

Yes, it is very normal to still need the riser at five weeks. He is still early in his recovery, which takes months. I used mine for two month after both my THR and TKR. Give him more time to heal.

 

[Elf1]

I used mine forever it seems. We have older toilets that are very low so got to really like the higher seat with arms.

 

[Eman85]

I absolutely hated my raised toilet, but I had restrictions and stuck with it for 6 weeks or so. When going back to the normal height toilet the trick is setting down without a crash landing if the strength isn't there in the hip yet. I used my hands and it's easy to reach between the legs to grab the seat and ease down. Same getting up pushing off between the legs to get up easier.

 

[Layla]

the trick is setting down without a crash landing if the strength isn't there in the hip yet. I used my hands and it's easy to reach between the legs to grab the seat and ease down. Same getting up pushing off between the legs to get up easier.

It may sound gross to some talking about hands on the toilet, but I did the same initially. In placing the palm of my hand there I felt secure, knowing I wouldn't fall. I would bear weight on my hand until seated, the ability to hold on to SOMETHING gave me a sense of security until it became unnecessary. Good reason to keep the toilet “extra” clean during early recovery.

 

[Grammy211]

I have another question- my brother fell down our carpeted stairs . He seems to be ok (just shaken up) and not hurting anywhere but do I need to call his surgeon in the morning and have him checked? Are there signs I need to watch for in case he dislocated the hip? He is 5 weeks post op and just had his month follow up last week.

 

[djklaugh]

@Grammy211 If he had dislocated the hip you would know immediately -- he'd be in horrible pain and would not be able to walk on the leg at all! Have him elevate the leg and ice his hip. Watch how he is walking this evening.. Do call the surgeon if he has increased pain, is limping a lot more than he's been doing, or if there seems to be any bruising or inflamation around the incision.

From what you wrote it sounds like he's OK and thank goodness for carpeting.

 

[Grammy211]

Thank you @djklaugh! He said he has no pain and even took a shower (with me right there) but I will watch him closely.

 

[Layla]

Poor guy! Falls are scary, but most often do not result in serious injury, thankfully.
I agree with all (djklaugh) typed above. I’m betting your brother will be just fine.
Wishing your household a peaceful evening and week!
@Grammy211