hello everyone joan hear .i am due to go for thr .and i am really worried .
1 do you have epidural
2 what clothes do you have to have for day wear .can you still wear underwear .
are you in a lot of pain when they get you up out bed .i worried it will dislocate .i am 76 yrs old and had a knee replacement .but i would love any comments that will help me .thanks all
Hi Joan, everyone will say something different but personally I had THR 3 weeks ago and had a spinal anaesthetic and it was brilliant. No pain at all till the next day when tablets took over the pain relief. Felt a bit wobbly when they got me out of bed but all in all went well. Good luck
thanks susan .glad you are on way to recovery now .and thankyou for your help i think i prefer spinal anaesthetic .did you have help with getting out of bed .and how did you manage toilet .are you managing now your home
thanks joan
Hello Joan, I had my right THR last July and had epidural with light sedation, was fine. Next day had some pain but as susan52056 below said they will give you painkillers. Was a bit quezy next day but I may have had a reaction with the drugs they give you in the first 12hrs. Also had 2 shots of liquid morfine (or some substiture) to ease pain which I had a bottle of to take home with me but be aware that it can give you constipation so only as a last resort - killed the pain very quickly!. As to clothing - it was the hot days in July for me so lightweight was best. Need to take FLAT shoes or slippers with heel support. If you follow the instructions from nursing staff and physio you should not dislocate, the high risk is in the first 6 weeks. Very best of luck arthur
ps 6mths post op and walking 3+miles daily NO PAIN
Hi joan, I had my op in July, I had minimal invasive anterior I am 64 with lots of other issues, I had a general and can honestly say it was amazing, they had me up the same day with help from the pt, but it was ok, I think the thought of it is worse than actually doing it, The anterior doesnt come with restrictions but the posterior does but if you follow what they tell you you will be fine. All the best.
Hello Joan I do understand you being worried,but try and think positively,it really isent half as bad as you imagined,I just wanted my life back and beleive me this is what is happening to me now.I had an epidural with a theatre gown and brief theatre panties,I was awake through the operation and listened to Frank Sinatra and some classical music, i could hear the drill,but honestly dident worry me at all.Yes there is acertain amount of discomfort after the op.but and that is a big but,it is knowwere near the pain before the op and you know the only way is up and onwards to a normal life again.Take in a comfy nightie and shoes,if you listen to every bit of guidance you are given you will be absolutely fine! Good luck Joan
Hi Joan, I had THR 11 days ago. I am 58 yrs old. I think it depends on your surgeon, what they offer and what they recommend for you personally. I had a spinal block, which is an injection into the spine to block the pain messages to the brain. an epidural is an infusion into the spine. With the spinal block, I could either stay awake, be put to sleep or have something to make me drowsy. I personally chose to stay awake as I don't like being put to sleep and all that entails, however I have worked in theatre many years ago and aware of the noises I was likely to hear. I put staying awake on a parr with standing on top of a mountain, not a lovely view, but an achievement. I didn't have any pain at all and the theatre staff were all amazing. They are like airline pilots in the procedure that they go through to make sure everything is correct and in place before they start the op. I couldn't see anything only my anaesthetist as I had a blue sheet between me and the surgical staff. I didn't feel any pain at all, only felt my body moving, but that is difficult to explain. The noises I heard as expected were banging, drilling and sawing. I think whether yiu stsy awake or nit depends on whether you think the noises you hear would uoset you. I did have an infusion connected so if at any time I wanted to go to sleep I just had to say and he would have done that, my safety valve. I talked to my anaesthetist most of the way through the op and I was on the table for 1hr 10mins. I hope this helps in a constructive way and I think having all of the knowledge helps anyone to make the decision that's right for them along with advice from your anaesthetist.
I had no pain on waking, standing etc they fill the joint with morphine I believe and antibiotics.
I had a private room, but don't think underwear is a good idea as difficult to manoeuvre with bed pans, commodes and toilets as you can't twist and movement is difficult at first.
I would recommend knee length nightie for the same reason.
I would also recommend soft trousers if possible as I think most places wish you to get dressed and again you want the easiest clothes to put on as you can't bend either, so movement although not painful is difficult.
I am told knee replacement is more painful.
I was paranoid about dislocation but as long as you do what your told, you really shouldn't worry as the last thing, the surgeon and nursing staff want is for you to dislocate your hip or you'll be in hospital longer, will cost more and they'll have to operate again to put it right.
Good luck I'm sure all will go well and look forward to hearing from you after your op.
Christine
thankyou so much sylvia .it is very helpful to chat with people who have had it done ,the hospital said comfy day wear ,but i would have thought a nightie was all you needed
thanks again x
thankyou so much arthur .i feel a lot better with all the help from people .i am so glad everything went well and i will let you know how it all went x
Dearest Joan, I was given suggestions by my friend, Joan also, to wear skirts, dresses or loose fitting pants, no underwear. I am 6 days out and still need help pulling up pants, but am getting proficient with grabber to help you with many tasks, shoes, slip on rubber tread, picking up clothes, etc.
I did have an epidural and all went well, this is second time having one. There are many advantages to having one. For one, the acute recovery period goes easily, not the groginessand after effects from general anesthesia. After given a IV sedative, I was sitting on the table and felt nothing or remebered anything afterward. Woke up in recovery room quite awake. Hope this helos settle your fears somewhat, but you will be talking to the anesthesiologist first before the surgery.
For going home, something to put on, again the underwear is complicated getting on and you have enough to manage getting around. Best of luck on your surgery, hope you will be surprised in many good ways,as I was afterwards, take care, susan jody
Dearest Joan, I was given suggestions by my friend, Joan also, to wear skirts, dresses or loose fitting pants, no underwear. I am 6 days out and still need help pulling up pants, but am getting proficient with grabber to help you with many tasks, shoes, slip on rubber tread, picking up clothes, etc.
I did have an epidural and all went well, this is second time having one. There are many advantages to having one. For one, the acute recovery period goes easily, not the groginessand after effects from general anesthesia. After given a IV sedative, I was sitting on the table and felt nothing or remebered anything afterward. Woke up in recovery room quite awake. Hope this helps settle your fears somewhat, but you will be talking to the anesthesiologist first before the surgery.
For going home, something to put on, again the underwear is complicated getting on and you have enough to manage getting around. Best of luck on your surgery, hope you will be surprised in many good ways,as I was afterwards, take care, susan jody
Also to say received help the first two days, by day going home, showered on my own and called for help to go back to bed. At home, had plastic chair in bathroom, showered each day since, dressing gets easier and going to the restroom works fine with elevated toilet seat. My only issue is food, stomach does not tolreate meds well, so for breakfast eating veggie broth and crackers, not sure dairy is good idea and drinking tea.
Hi Joan
It's down to yourself and mainly your anethestist if you have the epidural or not,
he will give you all the info going off your present health and how it is. Apparently you recover quicker from the epidural, and you don't have the after affects of the general ie sickness etc,. I had the general but that was my choice.
I had my op in the afternoon and they had me up and on the loo later on in the evening. The following day I wore a nighty and dressing gown with non slip slippers. I wore underwear and loose clothing jogging pants and loose tops in the following days I was in hospital, they will have you up and walking quite quickly, don't worry Joan they will look after you, my hospital stay was wonderful, really lovely nurses and care good luck 😃
Hi Joan
As to what clothes to wear, wear lose fitting roomy skirts so it is easy to get on and to be able to have the room to do your exercises, as to night wear and day wear make sure the material is not too slippery I had quite a fight trying to keep my more slippery nightdress up,and sort my self out Crutches etc to sit on the toilet and when desperate NOT FUNNY I will not go into any further grafics
I hope this is helpful good luck
very best wishes
Carol
Hi Joan. I chose not to have a spinal injection as I really don't like needles. I had no pain at all. Although I was on a morphine drip because I didn't have the spinal injection. I didn't have to top up the amount at any time but it was nice to have the reassurance that I could if I needed to. I didn't gave any pain just what I would call an ache. I spent the first day mostly in bed so dressing gown and nighty was best with underwear. Following day needed some lose trousers and tee shirt for physio along with trainers. There are no set rules but you will feel better in loose, soft and comfortable clothes. It will be much less painful than your knee op. X
It is nearly 9 weeks now since my op and I am feeling great now. I had an epidural, first he gave me an injection in my arm just to relax me, he said, but I must have a quick reaction and of course fell asleep almost immediately. I had an epidural and was awake when the surgeon was just finishing off putting the stera strips on and the dressing. I was 'glued' not stitched. Then about half an hour after that I was given a cup of tea through a straw and a piece of toast in the recovery room. The feeling came back in my legs after about an hour and although feeling tender, had no pain at all. I would definitely have an epidural again as you feel so much better afterwards, without any fuzziness. No need for them to put anything down your throat either for breathing purposes as they do with a general anaesthetic. I didn't need any clothes for day wear, I took cotton shortie pyjamas and a light dressing gown and just the clothes I arrived in. The nurse helped me put the pj's on the day after the op. Take some non slip slippers or easy to put on shoes to wear when you are up and about. The nurses help you out of bed and tell you the right way to get in and out of bed. If you have a grabber take that with you, they are a great help. The clothes I wore to go in were loose fitting track suit bottoms with a t-shirt and cardigan as these seemed the easiest to put on again after the op. Don't worry about dislocation you will be quite safe in the nurses' hands, just follow their instructions. They do bring you painkillers round every 4-6 hours so take them and you will be fine. They also check your blood pressure and temperature every few hours and during the night as well. I was also given two injections to guard against any blood clots and an antibiotic given intravenously. I also had ankle pumps for 24 hours to stop my ankles swelling too much. Some hospitals put ankle pumps on and some put long white socks on, depends on what their practice is. Listen to their advice and follow their instructions, you will be fine. As for managing the toilet they will provide you with a toilet seat raiser for when you get home. I had one with a frame and they are very good, so had no problem with that. You could say "I've Been Framed!" Good luck, you will be okay.
Hi
My 2nd THR was a year ago but i was given a spinal block both times which was excellent. Our hospital that particular surgeon favoured spinal block so I went along with it....as long as I didnt have a general anaesthetic I was happy.
I was given a choice about sedation, I chose to have enough to make me feel drowsy but not enough to completely knock me out if you know what I mean
I was aware of things going on around me but didnt hear any noises like sawing hammering etc.....just things going onand that was it.
As for clothes....I tend to live in jeans anyway so I opted for trousers....loose jogging bottoms.
Some say they were in their nightwear most off the time
I had my op on Fri, late on Fri 2 nurses got me up but my blood pressure was low so I had to have a transfusion.
Next morning {Sat} I got dressed with the help of a nurse and sat on the chair, occaisionally I lay on the bed fully dressed, physio came that day to get me up and walking with help.
Sunday much the same...help to get dressed {and washed of course} only less help. By then I could just the walker and go to the toilet myself except in the middle of the night I was told to ring for the nurse.
Monday......they sent me home
So joggin bottoms and different loose tops, I used a pair of "hotter" sandals as slippers, dont feel safe in flat slippers.
I had the matching jogging top if I got a bit cold but that was unlikely in the hospital......I used that to go home with a coat on top.
Anything else just shout and we'll try to help...I think we have a reasonable amount of experience between us all
Love
Eileen UK
thankyou so much eilleen ,and glad all went well for you .i also live in jeans so your coment about joggers was very helpful ,i was worried you couldnt put them on because of the bending .i have hotter sandal so i will take your advice and take those instead .you made a marvellous recovery .thankyou so much for your help
love joan x
thankyou so much susan for your help .i am so pleased to read theses comments from people who have had it done .it really helps with thinings i was worried about .i have a shower with a chair in it so that will be helpful .and joggers i dont wear skirts very much now always in trousers or jeans .so thats also a big help
people are so nice it makes you feel better to read what others say that have had it done .and it has all been positive
love joan x
Hi Joan
You're welcome
The nurses should help you to start with and show you how to use the grabber to pull them up.....they tell you which leg goes in first to make it easier LOL
I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that they dont want to fiddle on with buttons as well
You'll be fine
I was told to buy some "knickers" a size bigger.......because of the swelling....I did but didnt have much swelling but thought I would pass that on.....you may not need them but
Love
Eileen
UK