THR THR February 5, 2024

[Law]

Feb 5th, right, anterior. First surgery ever and terrified. Plus stressing about weather day of and day after.

 

[Jockette]

@Law Hi and Welcome!

I moved your post and started a pre op thread for you. More members will see it here and respond with lots of support.

I think many of us are scared and stressed quite a bit, especially if it’s our first joint replacement. I wanted to cancel mine but didn’t want to have to face my friends to say I chickened out, so I went through with it.

Best wishes to you!


Here is some pre op information for you:

If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:
Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic hip?
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:
Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing hip recoveries

 

[MissFanny]

It wasn’t as painful as I thought, but the first 10 days are challenging. You’ll be fatigued and have to spend a lot of time in bed with your feet up. I thought I would be reading books and watching lots of movies, but in that first week, I was pretty out of it. I think the biggest challenge is not having your usual mobility and freedom. But after about 10 days or so (for me), I started to come out of it. Getting around was easier. I could start cutting my pain meds. My appetite returned. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. With my 2nd THR, I did a moderate, 1-hour hike to celebrate my 2-month anniversary of the hip replacement! So once you get through those first miserable days, healing seems like it goes pretty quickly. And it was soooo worth it! I love my hip pain free life.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Eman85]

Date is set and you can't change the weather so why worry about it. Concentrate on being prepared and understanding the recovery and accepting it.

 

[benne68]

Welcome to BoneSmart, @Law! So glad you found us before your surgery.

Being scared prior to surgery is completely normal. I've felt that way before each of mine -- and I've had a lot of them!

But know that we are here to support you now and in your recovery. If you have questions, ask. If you have concerns, share them. Everyone here has been down the joint replacement road and will be happy to share their experiences with you.

 

[Law]

Date is set and you can't change the weather so why worry about it. Concentrate on being prepared and understanding the recovery and accepting it.

Well I'm worried about weather because I live alone, so I'm going back to my parents' place for a week or so. But they're not that close to the hospital, and right now the forecast is for snow the day of and sleet and freezing rain the day after. My dad is 83 and if that is the weather I just cannot have him driving in that. I would not really want to have anybody driving in that to pick me up and bring me to their house. So that's why I'm worried, but because I a planner and an organizer, I am checking with the nurse advocate at the hospital to see what they do if the weather is so bad that someone cannot be discharged to their home safely. I'd rather know now than have to figure it out a few days beforehand.
But because it is an early forecast hopefully it will change between now and then.

 

[benne68]

I am checking with the nurse advocate at the hospital to see what they do if the weather is so bad that someone cannot be discharged to their home safely.

Smart move! Most hospitals will not release post-surgery you unless you have a ride home, and may be able to put you in touch with a service that will provide transportation to your parents home.

Please keep us posted on what you learn. I'm sure the information will be helpful to others here.

 

[djklaugh]

@Law Yes very good idea to check things out in advance. You might ask the nurse manager if there are "Care Cars" available to take you home. When I had my my hips replaced I was sent home via a care car as I had stairs to climb to get into my home and hospital staff felt I needed more help than just a passenger car. These are NOT ambulances but do provide additional support and safe transportation. Or check with your folks to see if they have a responsible younger neighbor or friend, maybe one who has a 4 wheel drive vehicle who would be available to help out.

Best of luck to your and sincere hopes for benign weather!

 

[Law]

@Law Yes very good idea to check things out in advance. You might ask the nurse manager if there are "Care Cars" available to take you home. When I had my my hips replaced I was sent home via a care car as I had stairs to climb to get into my home and hospital staff felt I needed more help than just a passenger car. These are NOT ambulances but do provide additional support and safe transportation. Or check with your folks to see if they have a responsible younger neighbor or friend, maybe one who has a 4 wheel drive vehicle who would be available to help out.

Best of luck to your and sincere hopes for benign weather!

Thank you! They live in a 55 and older lol so everyone is pretty much around their age. But I did hear back from the nurse navigator woman at the hospital and she suggested an ambulette if it ends up the weather is going to be that bad and it's really not that expensive. And it's worth the price for my piece of mind.

 

[mendogal]

That's a fine plan!