Had my op 3 days ago and have to say that I don't feel as bad as I expected. Back home and have managed the stairs ok. Hey no one told me how my leg would feel like lead and weigh a ton! Didn't feel lke it belonged to me. Starting to get feeling back slowly today.
Can anyone tell me how come you can sit in car which is not high and yet have to use raised toiet seat for 6 weeks. Surely one contradicts the other.?
hello, well my dr told me that the 90 degree rule is more lke a guide , a lot of drs int he usa are not using that rule anymore as the hip doesnt really dislocate unless you do like a fast or very bad movement,
i will have mine march 9 gd willing and the dr told me that he doesnt send anymore those 90 degree rules or sleeping with a pillow in between either,
Thanks. I think I will just use my own judgment on most things. But I really do find it hard to sit on raised toilet seat and couldnt see the logic in the rule when they allow you to travel in car which is obviously fairly low.
Good luck with your op. The 1st thing I noticed when I came round in recovery was THE PAIN had gone. YEAH
Hi Glyn, the car is low, yes, but the seat should be leaning back, therefore not breaking the 90 degree rule. You should turn backwards on seat then bring legs around. do not climb in. I believe the toliet being raised is because of being able to get up off of it (not a doctor, just my opinion). Before my surgery, i could not get off of the toliet correctly. with a raised seat, you can easily get off of it. Here in the states, our toliets are pretty low. Good luck with your recovery! GInny USA - NJ
I was lucky and was able to higher the car seat, and much prefer the high toilet seat, especially since being in a cafe and having to use a normal size toilet, thought I was not going to get down!,
I am nearly 4 weeks post op and am now able to sleep better, either on my back or pillow in between legs to sleep on my good side, an managed to sleep on the operated side for a while, so things are looking up.
Good recovery
Moi,
I had my THR Sept 30th in the U.S. and I was told to follow the 90 degree rule for the first 6-8 wks. Your hip is encapsulated at 12 wks and the danger of dislocation is not as great. It just depends on the surgery, anterior, posterior, lateral. Although dislocation is rare, it still happens, so why take a chance. If you have access to an SUV or truck with seats more like a chair. even better than a car. And by the way, it was very painful for me to sleep on my side without a pillow between my legs for weeks. You don't want to let your op leg cross the body. I think you will see why you should follow the rules once you have the surgery.
Good luck!
Hi Glyn. I know what you mean about your leg feeling heavy. I came out of hospital 5lb heavier than I went in.3 weeks later it is still feeling strange but I suppose I will get used to it. Better than being in pain.
hi Glyn
congratulations on your operation the leg will feel like it belongs to someone else for a while but it will most certainly improve try a cushion when you go out in the car I sat on 1 for a couple of weeks after that you should find your ok without it
all the best
My operated leg looked a bit like a tree trunk for a couple of weeks after and the skin felt very tight, however baby lotion did the trick with that and eased it a lot. As other people have said when getting in the car you should lean back as far as you can before lifting your legs into the car. As for the raised toilet seat, it is very helpful when getting up from the toilet as you don't have so far to go. It does depend on the length of your legs as well. Longer legs have more of a struggle to get up and down from the toilet. I slept with a pillow between my legs because it was more comfortable and it stopped me crossing my legs or bending too far. Do as you are told by the hospital and you will be fine.
Hi Glyn,
Yes I agree, I am 2 weeks post op and have to say that my leg still feels like a lead weight especially at the end of the day when I am tired or when I have not been moving around. Another thing these elastic socks makes my leg go hard and feel like I have something behind my knee. I took the socks off in desperation, so if this happens dont worry, I had my clips out all normal the nurse said, but its these things they dont tell you because I suppose it doesnot happen to everyone. Hope that this helps. Im still not weight bearing which is worrying me.
Hi Glyn, I am 7 days post OP and felt the same as you on day 3. Have to say that the pain has increased in the last couple of days and the walking is more difficult due to muscle stiffness but still making progress. Regrding the seating issue my advisors (Consultant and Physio) didn't specifically mention the 90 degree rule and I am just using the standard toilet seat albeit ensuring that I make use of any available item to pull myself up with to protect the hip. Consultant said that dislocation in his experience is rare but I will still listen to all the advice around and intend to be very careful in the early stages to avoid any mishaps.