Newbie to the board, THR planned for August 4
- Thread starter muckingabout
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bamagirl
member
@muckingabout Welcome to the Forum. This place is a wealth of information and got me through two hip replacements. I'm wondering if the recliner you purchased has to be pushed down with your legs. Going back may not be a problem, but getting out of the recliner could be if you have to push on the bottom part. We purchased a reclining sofa with electric push button up and down before my surgeries. Was a life saver. Even slept there for a few weeks after surgery since getting in and out of a high bed was tough (your operated leg will feel like a tree trunk for a while!).
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Poppet
Nutritional Advisor
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Hi @muckingabout - you might like to read this article about recliners 
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads...o-know-if-buying-one-for-your-recovery.21212/
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads...o-know-if-buying-one-for-your-recovery.21212/
WaterGirl12
member
Dear @muckingabout, Welcome to this wonderful blog. I have been meeting people and listening to various versions of experiences for three days and already have found it to be so helpful in decreasing anxiety related to the postop side. I wish I had been as smart as you and found it before.
My doctor also used the term "bone on bone" to describe the arthritic degeneration of my hip which was pretty clear on my x-ray. I think it's essentially a doctors way of providing a simple description of the area between the acetabulum (the ball) and the socket it sits in, when there is no visible "darkened" area, which in a healthy hip would be there. You're probably feeling it. The burning, weakness and inability to do may things you used to be able to.
If you are where I was at it's time. Everyone I met who had the surgery said they had waited to long. I feel like I did too. It's going to be a tough few months but not in a bad way especially since you had the brains to get hooked up with this great site.
Welcome from a newbee!
My doctor also used the term "bone on bone" to describe the arthritic degeneration of my hip which was pretty clear on my x-ray. I think it's essentially a doctors way of providing a simple description of the area between the acetabulum (the ball) and the socket it sits in, when there is no visible "darkened" area, which in a healthy hip would be there. You're probably feeling it. The burning, weakness and inability to do may things you used to be able to.
If you are where I was at it's time. Everyone I met who had the surgery said they had waited to long. I feel like I did too. It's going to be a tough few months but not in a bad way especially since you had the brains to get hooked up with this great site.
Welcome from a newbee!
I just received my pre-op patient pack and apparently I have to wear TEDs for only 2 weeks and will also have the warfarin injections. I had a bad reaction to Xarelto after my LTHR so I guess it's the lesser of 2 evils.
OP
OP
muckingabout
senior
My pre-op testing and joint replacement class are both tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes
WaterGirl12
member
@muckingabout
Good Luck at your class tomorrow, Don't forget a pen and pad as you will forget every last thing they say!!
Good Luck at your class tomorrow, Don't forget a pen and pad as you will forget every last thing they say!!
OP
OP
muckingabout
senior
I have a little notebook with questions ready to go
WaterGirl12
member
Good thinking! I should have been so smart. At least my hubby did it for me....and kept good notes...you're on your way to a less pain free more mobile life!
OP
OP
muckingabout
senior
Thanks! Had my hip class and pre-op testing today. That wedge pillow is gigantic! And they want you to take it home with you to use for the first couple of weeks. At least I'll finally have that thigh gap.
My classmates seemed eager to go to rehab which was confusing to me.
My classmates seemed eager to go to rehab which was confusing to me.
WaterGirl12
member
Congrats! A little closer to having that constant burning and weakness gone, keeping in mind that we're all different of course. Yes the pillow is strange. I used a body pillow from target but one of the traditional ones given to you by your OS (with the velco straps?) certainly has less room for error if you try to turn in your sleep.
Rehab will make your affected hip as strong as your other one. Perhaps that's why your classmates are excited. I know I get more excited the more progress I make.
Hey, Congrats on the thigh gap!
Rehab will make your affected hip as strong as your other one. Perhaps that's why your classmates are excited. I know I get more excited the more progress I make.
Hey, Congrats on the thigh gap!
OP
OP
muckingabout
senior
No, I meant they were looking to go to a rehab facility rather than home. Also, I was pleased to learn that the hospital will provide walkers, wheelchair, grabber, etc
forbesy
post-grad
That sounds like a fab idea, I got this rather uncomfy piece of foam from the NHS to put on my chair but managed to get a chair for the second hip. Not to long to go muckingabout fingers crossed you will rid of all that nasty pain.
Billy
WaterGirl12
member
@muckingabout
Oh I see.. I don't really understand why folks would be happy to go to a rehab center. Honestly I really think that would have made me miserable. But we are younger to.
But it is really important to have serious supportive friends and family the first 2-3 weeks because even the simplest things....and I mean the simplest things, end up taking a really long time and sucking every bit of energy from you. I had one girlfriend stay with me for seven days, another here every day (a nurse), my husband (for the heavy lifting!) and my house is set up perfectly. It is One floor, has a shower stall not a tub, three steps up to get in the door.
I was discharged within 24 hours. There was a visiting nurse at my house the next day to do things like vital signs and check the wound. PT was there the day after that. The most important piece of adaptive eqiupment to me was the elevated toilet seat. Without that I would be dead in the water!! And if your toilet is on a different floor what do you do?
So I can understand that if one thing wasn't right or safe at home, a rehab center would be a Godsend (maybe people were happy their insurance companies would pay for it because their homes weren't set up right) or they didn't have support. You really do need a lot of support for the first month because if you don't have it you end up doing to much or not resting enough or paying attention to the rules or managing your pain well.
And hey, my friends cooked for me. So I had good nutrition the first week as well!
Oh I see.. I don't really understand why folks would be happy to go to a rehab center. Honestly I really think that would have made me miserable. But we are younger to.
But it is really important to have serious supportive friends and family the first 2-3 weeks because even the simplest things....and I mean the simplest things, end up taking a really long time and sucking every bit of energy from you. I had one girlfriend stay with me for seven days, another here every day (a nurse), my husband (for the heavy lifting!) and my house is set up perfectly. It is One floor, has a shower stall not a tub, three steps up to get in the door.
I was discharged within 24 hours. There was a visiting nurse at my house the next day to do things like vital signs and check the wound. PT was there the day after that. The most important piece of adaptive eqiupment to me was the elevated toilet seat. Without that I would be dead in the water!! And if your toilet is on a different floor what do you do?
So I can understand that if one thing wasn't right or safe at home, a rehab center would be a Godsend (maybe people were happy their insurance companies would pay for it because their homes weren't set up right) or they didn't have support. You really do need a lot of support for the first month because if you don't have it you end up doing to much or not resting enough or paying attention to the rules or managing your pain well.
And hey, my friends cooked for me. So I had good nutrition the first week as well!
OP
OP
muckingabout
senior
Thanks Billy! Nervous, but pretty much ready
OP
OP
muckingabout
senior
@lee0605 my house is two floors. I have my husband and my 21 year old daughter home. My plan is to go upstairs when I get home from the hospital. I have my bed and a bathroom with a walk in shower and I'll put a chair with arms in there. After 2-3 days I'll spend the day downstairs. I have a recliner and may even be able to lay on the sofa since it's pretty firm. And then just do upstairs for bed.
WaterGirl12
member
@muckingabout
I think a full flight of stairs after 2-3 days is going to be tough. I know you have looked around this site and are having an anterior approach. If you look to my thread you will see a lot of questions I asked because I thought I was supposed to much further along at six weeks because of this approach. In fact I was not as far along as I thought I would be. I'm just telling you this because on day three a full set of stairs would have been so very hard and I think hurt a lot. And I'm in pretty good shape considering the progression of my hip degeneration.
I actually found this blog because I was really afraid that at six weeks out of an anterior approach I was not progressing as I should be. You really read a lot about how fast the recovery is and while it is much faster, it's major surgery and you are very very tired and everything takes so much longer.
Maybe you would want to check out the answers I got to my questions on my thread when I was freaking out:
My Recovery thread: https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/six-weeks-out-from-an-anterior-hip-where-should-i-be.25515/
I think a full flight of stairs after 2-3 days is going to be tough. I know you have looked around this site and are having an anterior approach. If you look to my thread you will see a lot of questions I asked because I thought I was supposed to much further along at six weeks because of this approach. In fact I was not as far along as I thought I would be. I'm just telling you this because on day three a full set of stairs would have been so very hard and I think hurt a lot. And I'm in pretty good shape considering the progression of my hip degeneration.
I actually found this blog because I was really afraid that at six weeks out of an anterior approach I was not progressing as I should be. You really read a lot about how fast the recovery is and while it is much faster, it's major surgery and you are very very tired and everything takes so much longer.
Maybe you would want to check out the answers I got to my questions on my thread when I was freaking out:
My Recovery thread: https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/six-weeks-out-from-an-anterior-hip-where-should-i-be.25515/
WaterGirl12
member
@muckingabout
But you're going to do great. ut as I said I wish I had been as smart as you to have found this blog before my surgery. But everything takes longer. Take some time now to set up a table next to your bed with everything you will need. But remember you shouldn't be twisting so keep that in mind.
But you're going to do great. ut as I said I wish I had been as smart as you to have found this blog before my surgery. But everything takes longer. Take some time now to set up a table next to your bed with everything you will need. But remember you shouldn't be twisting so keep that in mind.
WaterGirl12
member
@muckingabout
Here is a little joke I sent to another hip friend here...
Remember before you lay down be ready with your can, picker upper and picker-upper for your picker-upper.
And also be ready for
1) The stuff that comes flying out of your pocket when you try to set everything up next to your bed
2) The extra pillow you will wrestle with until it makes you cry
3) The lip balm you are sure will make you feel better but you just can't find
4) The blanket/throw to get tangled up in
5) The TV remote you won't use but will want next to you that you left in the other room
6) Ditto for the book that seems so hard to get through because pain and strange feelings in your new hip lessens your concentration
7) To feel guilty that the house is a mess
8) To feel guilty for feeling bad for yourself....
9) To get finally get comfortable only to realize you have left your pain meds somewhere other than where you are
10) To knock over your cane when you get up to get them
11) To drop picker-upper #1
12) To swear as you try to retrieve it
13) To get comfortable once again and realize you have to pee
14) This will happen at least two times every time you lay down
15) To struggle with footwear, even to go to the bathroom...barefoot is not good, you should have good shoes. NEVER WALK IN SOCKS OR SLIPPERS THAT MAKE YOUR FEET DRAG.
14) And to feel absolutely exhausted when this whole process is through and you finally can lay there and feel like you're 100 years old.
There are also about 20 other steps I've forgotten to mention.
This is kind of the reality for the first (three in my case) weeks and periodically since. Like today which was a bad one.
Here is a little joke I sent to another hip friend here...
Remember before you lay down be ready with your can, picker upper and picker-upper for your picker-upper.
And also be ready for
1) The stuff that comes flying out of your pocket when you try to set everything up next to your bed
2) The extra pillow you will wrestle with until it makes you cry
3) The lip balm you are sure will make you feel better but you just can't find
4) The blanket/throw to get tangled up in
5) The TV remote you won't use but will want next to you that you left in the other room
6) Ditto for the book that seems so hard to get through because pain and strange feelings in your new hip lessens your concentration
7) To feel guilty that the house is a mess
8) To feel guilty for feeling bad for yourself....
9) To get finally get comfortable only to realize you have left your pain meds somewhere other than where you are
10) To knock over your cane when you get up to get them
11) To drop picker-upper #1
12) To swear as you try to retrieve it
13) To get comfortable once again and realize you have to pee
14) This will happen at least two times every time you lay down
15) To struggle with footwear, even to go to the bathroom...barefoot is not good, you should have good shoes. NEVER WALK IN SOCKS OR SLIPPERS THAT MAKE YOUR FEET DRAG.
14) And to feel absolutely exhausted when this whole process is through and you finally can lay there and feel like you're 100 years old.
There are also about 20 other steps I've forgotten to mention.
This is kind of the reality for the first (three in my case) weeks and periodically since. Like today which was a bad one.
OP
OP
muckingabout
senior
That was really funny, but I'm sorry you had a tough day today.
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