United StatesI wish I had come across this board prior to surgery, I had so many questions! Well now at least I can post my experience for the benefit of others.
I'm going on 60 act like 40 and stubborn. Overweight mostly because I've been inactive for so long because of this hip issue. Always been a very active person, played sports my entire youth and active in skiing and tennis into adulthood until the hip issue got to the point I couldn't even go for a walk.
Finally I went to see several surgeons. I opted for a Complete Hip Replacement direct anterior approach at one of the top clinics in the US. The surgeon told me that their procedure would give me the best option for my goals which was getting back to my sports, in particular skiing....as compared to the other surgeons who told me my skiing days are over! I could not accept that.
I had my surgery date within 4 weeks of the consultation and x-rays. The x-rays showed that I had been bone on bone for some time.
Firstly, I was very nervous about the surgery, I had never had surgery before, so it was weighing heavily on my mind. Turned out it was a nothing burger! The surgery was scheduled for early afternoon, perfect for me since I am not a morning person.
Probably had the BEST sleep and rest in decades after I gently fell asleep while I looked up at the ceiling of the OR not even realizing I was entering unconsciousness.
Waking up I slowly noticed growing pain from the incision, but that was taken care of in quick order with pain killers. My wife finally got to come into the recovery room and we talked. I was starving, so ordered my dinner and ate. I had a really good rest that night, and the next morning I was assessed by the PT person, I got out of bed with assistance and was able to use a walker to walk the corridor without any issues and walked up some test steps and returned to the room. I was released that afternoon.
Later that day we went to dinner, I walked with a walker from the car to the restaurant. It was a little difficult getting in and out of the car, but walking was easy, I felt as if I could go much farther if needed. Headed back to hotel to stay the night.
That evening I learned quickly that managing pain was going to be important, stayed on the med schedule and tried not to let it get out of hand. Sleeping was OK, slept on good side or on my back most of the time. Getting out of bed needed a little help the first 2 or 3 days. I did the exercises as prescribed 3x per day.
Since I chose to get the surgery out of state, I had to travel back. It was a long day, but it wasnt too bad. Had scheduled a wheelchair at the airport, so i just had to use the walker to get into the terminal and they took it from there. Kind of funny to see that it was usually a tiny individual that was to take me 255 pound nearly 6' guy to and from the plane!!! Unfortunately it was not a direct flight so got to experience this several times.
Wheelchair took me to the aircraft and then I used a walker to get to the isle then I walked holding onto the top of the seats to aid me to my row. I booked first class so I did not have to walk far and had plenty of legroom.
The flight was no issue, I got up to use the restroom and again used the top of the seats to make my way there. I had no balance issues and while I had a cane with me, I never used it, nor have I since.....a complete waste of money for me.
The first two weeks at home were the most difficult in terms of pain, but it was managed well with what was prescribed, Oxy, Tramadol and Tylenol. It was usually a Tylenol and Tramadol combination that got me through the first 2 weeks, with Oxy only a few times. I should note that I tend to push myself, so a lot of the pain was from me doing more than most people would.
It was only a few days at home before Im using the walker 50% of the time. By the end of the week I was 90% walker free. Into the second week, I rarely used it.
The biggest issue the first 2 seeks was swelling, but icing helped, and lots of rest with elevating the legs. I was walking around the home a fair amount. I could NOT go upstairs the first 2 weeks, it was too painful to do that, but I could walk down to the end of our driveway about 75'.
I got into my car a couple of times just to try, it was hard but taking my time it was manageable. By the end of the week I could operate the car but didn't go out on the street.
Week 3 was like a SWITCH was turned on! The swelling rapidly went down, but the stitches still seemed a bit "raw" so I didn't push it for fear of opening them. I could go up the stairs one step at a time, it felt weird at first. The most incredible thing to me was the lack of pain and ease of movement to something I had not been able to do for a very long time.
By the end of the 3rd week, I could go up the stairs normally using the handrails, and down cautiously. I could get in my car, and go to the store. It was a little hard getting in and out but manageable.
At this point Im realizing that my range of motion is increasing dramatically. There is only surgical pain and now I'm off painkillers during the day.
But by the evening I feel drained and need sleep. Should be noted that GOOD sleep has been difficult.
I'm now also sleeping on the surgical side part of the night, no issues. I realize that Im probably doing MORE now than before the surgery where the pain was so bad that it was difficult getting around, rolling over in bed or getting up. The only issue is fatigue, and I take multiple rests during the day. I found it helpful (or my imagination) to sit outside and expose the incision to sunlight and heat. It seemed to heal faster after I started doing this twice a day.
Im approaching the beginning of week 4 and there is no issues with me getting into the car, driving or going to the store for a short shopping trip. I doubt I could take an hour car drive or sit in a restaurant chair for an hour but its no problem moving around.
The pain is almost all gone even at night....only need to use Tylenol at night if I had a lot of exercise during the day. Im now walking without a limp!!! First time in 6 years!!! My biggest challenge right now would be getting up from a sitting position on the ground.....that still takes a lot of effort, but I'm getting there. My energy is getting a bit better each day, the Dr says that's normal since the body is expending a lot of energy on the repair process.
I'm anxious to get into the pool, but my Dr wants me to wait another 2 weeks before I do that so not to risk an infection. He examined the incision a few days ago and says it looks great and I'm almost there.
In summary, I cant believe I waited so long to get this done, but I'm glad I did the research for the best options and finally pulled the trigger and now can look forward to getting back to my life and doing the things I used to . One of my goals is to get back to the ski slopes, but my Dr says I need to work my way up to that and it could take a year before I take that one on, but right now I'm positive that day is coming.
Hope my experience might help someone
********UPDATE
Pre surgical I was really concerned about what to do in terms of "adult beverages" and medication.
The opinions were all over the place. So I cut back the last week and a half to only a half glass of wine per day. I don't really take meds, but they had given me advice on what to eliminate weeks prior. Mostly things that are "blood thinners". I still could continue to take Xanax to sleep if I needed it. My Pre Op visit 3 days prior to surgery I asked about alcohol and they said normal use is ok prior to surgery, so I had a glass of wine the night before which helped me relax. Im not suggesting this is OK for everyone, but it was for me and that consultation put my mind at ease after reading so many varying opinions.
Post OP I was on my best behavior, no alcohol for the first week, then after that just a half glass of wine before bedtime. Only now am I increasing it to 1 glass per day and will stick to that until I'm off the Tylenol.
I'm going on 60 act like 40 and stubborn. Overweight mostly because I've been inactive for so long because of this hip issue. Always been a very active person, played sports my entire youth and active in skiing and tennis into adulthood until the hip issue got to the point I couldn't even go for a walk.
Finally I went to see several surgeons. I opted for a Complete Hip Replacement direct anterior approach at one of the top clinics in the US. The surgeon told me that their procedure would give me the best option for my goals which was getting back to my sports, in particular skiing....as compared to the other surgeons who told me my skiing days are over! I could not accept that.
I had my surgery date within 4 weeks of the consultation and x-rays. The x-rays showed that I had been bone on bone for some time.
Firstly, I was very nervous about the surgery, I had never had surgery before, so it was weighing heavily on my mind. Turned out it was a nothing burger! The surgery was scheduled for early afternoon, perfect for me since I am not a morning person.
Probably had the BEST sleep and rest in decades after I gently fell asleep while I looked up at the ceiling of the OR not even realizing I was entering unconsciousness.
Waking up I slowly noticed growing pain from the incision, but that was taken care of in quick order with pain killers. My wife finally got to come into the recovery room and we talked. I was starving, so ordered my dinner and ate. I had a really good rest that night, and the next morning I was assessed by the PT person, I got out of bed with assistance and was able to use a walker to walk the corridor without any issues and walked up some test steps and returned to the room. I was released that afternoon.
Later that day we went to dinner, I walked with a walker from the car to the restaurant. It was a little difficult getting in and out of the car, but walking was easy, I felt as if I could go much farther if needed. Headed back to hotel to stay the night.
That evening I learned quickly that managing pain was going to be important, stayed on the med schedule and tried not to let it get out of hand. Sleeping was OK, slept on good side or on my back most of the time. Getting out of bed needed a little help the first 2 or 3 days. I did the exercises as prescribed 3x per day.
Since I chose to get the surgery out of state, I had to travel back. It was a long day, but it wasnt too bad. Had scheduled a wheelchair at the airport, so i just had to use the walker to get into the terminal and they took it from there. Kind of funny to see that it was usually a tiny individual that was to take me 255 pound nearly 6' guy to and from the plane!!! Unfortunately it was not a direct flight so got to experience this several times.
Wheelchair took me to the aircraft and then I used a walker to get to the isle then I walked holding onto the top of the seats to aid me to my row. I booked first class so I did not have to walk far and had plenty of legroom.
The flight was no issue, I got up to use the restroom and again used the top of the seats to make my way there. I had no balance issues and while I had a cane with me, I never used it, nor have I since.....a complete waste of money for me.
The first two weeks at home were the most difficult in terms of pain, but it was managed well with what was prescribed, Oxy, Tramadol and Tylenol. It was usually a Tylenol and Tramadol combination that got me through the first 2 weeks, with Oxy only a few times. I should note that I tend to push myself, so a lot of the pain was from me doing more than most people would.
It was only a few days at home before Im using the walker 50% of the time. By the end of the week I was 90% walker free. Into the second week, I rarely used it.
The biggest issue the first 2 seeks was swelling, but icing helped, and lots of rest with elevating the legs. I was walking around the home a fair amount. I could NOT go upstairs the first 2 weeks, it was too painful to do that, but I could walk down to the end of our driveway about 75'.
I got into my car a couple of times just to try, it was hard but taking my time it was manageable. By the end of the week I could operate the car but didn't go out on the street.
Week 3 was like a SWITCH was turned on! The swelling rapidly went down, but the stitches still seemed a bit "raw" so I didn't push it for fear of opening them. I could go up the stairs one step at a time, it felt weird at first. The most incredible thing to me was the lack of pain and ease of movement to something I had not been able to do for a very long time.
By the end of the 3rd week, I could go up the stairs normally using the handrails, and down cautiously. I could get in my car, and go to the store. It was a little hard getting in and out but manageable.
At this point Im realizing that my range of motion is increasing dramatically. There is only surgical pain and now I'm off painkillers during the day.
But by the evening I feel drained and need sleep. Should be noted that GOOD sleep has been difficult.
I'm now also sleeping on the surgical side part of the night, no issues. I realize that Im probably doing MORE now than before the surgery where the pain was so bad that it was difficult getting around, rolling over in bed or getting up. The only issue is fatigue, and I take multiple rests during the day. I found it helpful (or my imagination) to sit outside and expose the incision to sunlight and heat. It seemed to heal faster after I started doing this twice a day.
Im approaching the beginning of week 4 and there is no issues with me getting into the car, driving or going to the store for a short shopping trip. I doubt I could take an hour car drive or sit in a restaurant chair for an hour but its no problem moving around.
The pain is almost all gone even at night....only need to use Tylenol at night if I had a lot of exercise during the day. Im now walking without a limp!!! First time in 6 years!!! My biggest challenge right now would be getting up from a sitting position on the ground.....that still takes a lot of effort, but I'm getting there. My energy is getting a bit better each day, the Dr says that's normal since the body is expending a lot of energy on the repair process.
I'm anxious to get into the pool, but my Dr wants me to wait another 2 weeks before I do that so not to risk an infection. He examined the incision a few days ago and says it looks great and I'm almost there.
In summary, I cant believe I waited so long to get this done, but I'm glad I did the research for the best options and finally pulled the trigger and now can look forward to getting back to my life and doing the things I used to . One of my goals is to get back to the ski slopes, but my Dr says I need to work my way up to that and it could take a year before I take that one on, but right now I'm positive that day is coming.
Hope my experience might help someone
********UPDATE
Pre surgical I was really concerned about what to do in terms of "adult beverages" and medication.
The opinions were all over the place. So I cut back the last week and a half to only a half glass of wine per day. I don't really take meds, but they had given me advice on what to eliminate weeks prior. Mostly things that are "blood thinners". I still could continue to take Xanax to sleep if I needed it. My Pre Op visit 3 days prior to surgery I asked about alcohol and they said normal use is ok prior to surgery, so I had a glass of wine the night before which helped me relax. Im not suggesting this is OK for everyone, but it was for me and that consultation put my mind at ease after reading so many varying opinions.
Post OP I was on my best behavior, no alcohol for the first week, then after that just a half glass of wine before bedtime. Only now am I increasing it to 1 glass per day and will stick to that until I'm off the Tylenol.
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)) welcome to the club. Yes get off Tylenol before more than 1 glass of wine a day. But man its so good to walk w/o Pain!!!
@rick999
