1) You keep your compression stockings on day and night. I assumed you would take them off at night like tubular bandages but no, you keep them on all the time and only remove for washing.
2) Because my shower is over the bath I can't have a shower for 3 months? I think that's taking it to the extreme - opinions please.
3) The tendons round the hip that they cut to access the joint never heal (except in young children) and that's why your new hip will never be as stable as a nutural hip. Never knew that.
4) I have to take a long-handled shoe horn with a hook on the end and a sock thing into hospital. I assumed they loaned them to you but no - I bought them this morning. I suppose I will have to use them in hospital.
5) A man with much higher blood pressure than mine had his hip done last week. My blood pressure has settled down now but I think it was wrong of the nurse to imply it might prevent my op from going ahead.
6) That spike on the ball and of the artificial joint looks awfully long
Looks like you're going to be a hippie before me Cels! I had a knee op 2 years ago & supposedly had to keep the stockings on for 4 weeks! The problem was, I was flying to Italy for a wedding 2 weeks after my OP & was dreading keeping them on! The consultant made me promise that if I keep them on up to & including the flight, I could take them off whilst I was around the pool! I actually got quite used to them & I do suffer with swollen ankles so they kept my legs nice & trim! A good tip I learnt from the lovely nurse I had - use the plastic bag the stockings come in to put on your foot - it helps to slide the stockings on (ask for some spare pairs as well as each time you wash them the compression rating goes down a bit. I'm lucky that I have a walk in shower so don't need to worry about the bath! I've seen the spike on lots of x-rays & it looks like it goes all the way down to the knee! What date is your op?
Next Thurday 3 March. All a bit last minute as they had a cancellation. After two days of sheer panic I've calmed down a bit now. Today I bought a long handled sponge and a grabber. They might give me a grabber but It's good to have a spare - one for the lounge and one for the bedroom.
I'm told the stockings are blue - lovely Not that anyone will see them. They did say they would give me a spare pair for washing. My friend said she'd put them on for me every morning but now I can tell her it'll just be every couple of days. I was embarrassed to ask but she just laughed and said "You've been picking up my dog's poo for four years" (I've been walking her dog every weekday since I retired).
In a way that's good - no long months to think about it! Have you got any crocs? Not the prettiest but very comfy & you have the option of heel strap or slip on. I think I'll be living in mine when I've had my OP! My sister is going to IKEA tomorrow so I'm going to ask her to get me a long handled shoe horn just in case! My stockings were white - maybe they do have different colours. They are quite hard to get on but once they're on, they do stay put! I'm going to Crufts in a couple of weeks & will be looking for a long handled poop-scoop! Apparently you can get them! Best wishes for Thursday - this time next week it will all be over x
You've just made me think, how am I going to pick up poop when I'm back to dog walking? I might have to leave it longer than I had hoped unless my friend gets me a long handled scooper. There's no ikea near here.
my shower is over the at hand it was a good couple of weeks before I was brave enough to try to get in. I was told 12 weeks to and I not weight bearing on op leg. I sat on the side of the bath on a folded towel, swung my outstretched legs over with the help of my hubby. He then helped me to stand using my good leg very very carefully. He had to hold me so I didn't wobble (stood on one leg). To get out he helped me sit back down on the bath side and sort of carried me out with my leg straight. Probably shouldn't have risked it but it felt so good to have a proper shower!
Re the BP if I high and not well controlled with meds it's not always wise to go ahead with elective surgery until stabilized. However a spinal anaesthetic has the effect of reducing the BP.
1, I didn't have stockings except in hospital, I just have to take a blood thinning tab every night - so no help there!
2, Cornwall gives all its hippies a whole truck load of aids and one was a bath board. It fits across the bath and locks on. It had a handle on one side so that I can wiggle back on it and the lean back holding the handle and use my good leg to suport my op leg over the bath. I can then stand to shower and repeat the process backwards to get out. In the first few days my partner helped me in but after that I did it.
3. There will be lifetime restrictions for me like crouching, squatting, twisting and rotating hip and leg out to side because of this and also the protheses used but we are all different.
4. I felt much safer in my bare feet and never got the hang of 'sock thing'. My two grabbers are invaluable. I use them to put my undies on, empty the washing machine, steal sweeties! I also have a longer industrial grabber that my partner 'found'. I wrap the two pinchers in doggie poo bags and am able to de-poo the garden It was also used after my first op to hang up my chicken feeders in the coop!
5. My blood pressure was high - I take tablets every day. I suppose they have to warn you but the main complication after anaesthetic is low blood pressure.
6. You will be fascinated with your 'bionic' looking x-rays after. The end of the spike is about mid thigh and I just admire how my very slight surgeon managed to hammer them home!
Cels, if you are doing this on your own then just make sure that you pre-plan every move. Leave your grabbers and crutches where you can reach them. Put everything at waist height, like cups, plates, etc. I leave all my boredom busters close to me on the sofa and don't put anything away. I make sure that chargers and phone are always near me and take my phone everywhere. I wear clothes with pockets so I can transport small things and have a thermal cup with handle (I tied a piece of ribbon around the handle to hook onto my crutch) so I can transport hot drinks.The first two weeks are hard but then it gets easier.
My BP is fine now Vicki, the nurse just frightened me
I'll resist trying to shower for as long as I can but I doubt it will be a months. I'm sure a friend with a walk in shower will come to my rescue. I live next door to a gym and leisure centre, I'm not a member but might join just to use the showers lol
Yes. the compression socks should be worn 23 hours a day. Mine were white and I was given three pairs.
My shower is in the bath and I was able to have one at 3 weeks. The trick was to bend on leg at the knee and lift my leg over the bath edge. It may have helped that I am 6'3". But the hospital lent me a bath seat to help get in and out of the bath in order to have a shower. So, in conclusion, I think it will be more like weeks than months.
The hosital also lent me a long shoe horn, a grabber, a toilet seat riser and crutches. I have not needed to buy anything.
I did not know about the tendons.
And I was told to wear shoes (from the moment of the operation) that has a back and are stable. The hospital approved my deck shoes. It will be interesting to see if crocs qualify. They certainly look comfortable, but I do wonder if they will give you the confidence of a solid base. That said, I have never worn a pair.
March 3rd will be here in a jiffy. I have my 6 week check on March 4. I can't believe the last 6 weeks have flown by so quickly!!!
Thanks Kate. I have lined up all my tins on top of the microwave, cereals on the worktop and have a window next to my fridge/freezer so I can lean on the sill, stick my leg out behind me and get things out. I'll also leave a coupe of plates and mugs on the side. I have a table next to my chair with extended plug sockets and a basker with pens, paper, remote controls etc in. On the other side of the chair I'll have my trolley with two shelves on - this is for things I have to carry from room to room - phones, drinks etc. I asked the o/t about it and she said it's okay to use, just make it high enough to walk without bending and keep my nose and toes pointing in the same direction all the time.
I look on it as a challenge Kate, but there will always be someone on the end of the phone if I need assistance. My neighbour in the flat next can be with me in under a minute. I have done a lot for her and her husband who has stage 5 kidney disease and is waiting for a transplant and she has told me it's payback time and I must call her if I need help. I will if necessary.
I feel very positive at the moment and will remain so if it kills me
My hospital seem a bit stingy, and I asked about a bath board but the o/t said no. I'm only 5' 4" but I don't think I can wait 3 months. I know I can strip wash but it isn't the same as getting wet all over at the same time. Even the Vikings bathed once a week! I'll just have to see how it goes. I could wait until it rains and run out with my shower gel and sponge
You'll be having your check up while I take my first steps then. Good luck!
First, regarding your OT's comment about tendons that are cut never healing, I would really like to know what his source for that is. The tendons are crucial for proper function of the muscles, and most people who have THR and TKR regain excellent muscle function and can walk just fine eventually after surgery without pain or limping. This would be impossible without healing of the necessary cuts. Also, the surgeons repair any cuts or tears before they close you up. As far as I know, it is expected that they WILL heal.
In my case, the gluteus medius and minimus tendon/muscles did not heal, we don't know why, and as a result I am still limping and having pain 7 months after THR. I will be having surgery to repair them so that I will be able to walk normally in future.
The "rules" about TED hose or compression socks (which are two different things, I have discovered) vary from surgeon to surgeon. It is my understanding that TED hose are for people who are mostly non-ambulatory, and compression socks are for those who are ambulatory. TED hose supposedly help reduce the risk of blood clots in the legs by giving pressure on the lower part of the leg, with the most compression at the calf muscle. As you lie in bed, blood is most likely to pool in the calf, and possibly cause clots. Compression socks are meant to keep blood from pooling around the ankles.
I wore TED hose around the clock during my 4 days in the hospital, but when I went home was told that I only had to wear them during the day. I never had to wear compression socks.
And, finally, we get no free-bees from our insurance or hospital, so I purchased a tub bench/extender for myself, and I am so glad I did! Took my first shower 9 days post-surgery, sitting down on the bench, feeling 100% safe and comfortable and loving all of those soapy bubbles everywhere! I needed help from my husband to swing my surgical leg up to the level of the tub and over (while I was sitting on the bench) and then back again after the shower for a few weeks, then I was able to do it on my own.
I admit I was surprised too because I was under the impression they healed and I've just done a few quick searches and found a site that explains the process of tendon repair and the subsequent healing so I'm confused now. Maybe she just meant they're never like new again,
I don't know.
Re the stockings, I meant TED stockings, I didn't realise there was a difference and compression was easier to type.
As for showering, I will be exploring every weird and wonderful way to stand under a shower. I can't even imagine not washing my hair every day let alone showering. I think that will be the hardest thing for me.
You our can not keep them on 24/7 for 6 weeks. Your skin will end up sore will crack and there would be a chance of infection.
This has come direct from my surgeon and the nurses at my hospital.
Make sure urge you get more than 2 pairs try to get 3 or 4 pairs.
Take me your stockings off for about an hour every day to wash your lower legs. Apply small amount of moisturiser cream on your legs after they have dried. Make sure your legs and between your toes are totally dry before putting stockings back on. Use one pair of stockings for two days. Then use a new pair and wash the old pair in washing machine. Make sure you keep the plastic bags the stockings come in. Put them over each of your feet and it will be easier to get the stockings on. You just put your foot through the toe hole to pull the bag off one the stockings are back on. Don't pull the stockings higher than an inch below the knee of the back of your knee will get sore. Hope that helps 👍
I was flat-out unable to stand to take a shower for 6 weeks. I know others can do it much sooner. I was just way too unsteady on my feet to stand there long enough to somehow get my body washed and my hair washed, bending over, etc, while standing on a slippery/wet tub floor, without holding on to anything. SO much simpler to just sit down on the tub bench extender. No fear, no strain, no pain - just bliss.
I am sure you will work out a way, as we need our showers!
Many people DO have all of their muscles/tendons in perfect working order after joint replacement. We only have to read all the success stories on forums like this one to see that.
1. Yep, just what was implied, but not actually told to me. Having 2 pairs of TEDs helps considerably.
2. Getting into the bath means breaking the 90 degree rule - so 3 months is the 'standard' time to allow that. IF you can find a way to get in without the bending, and without danger of slipping over, then it's probably OK.
3. Anything cut will never be as good as it was originally, so I guess yes.
4. I was not issued with long-handled shoe horn, and took mine in the second time around. I managed to get by without it the first time.
5. Sounds like that nurse was very wrong to imply it might prevent your op, I guess if they can control your BP within limits, then any risk is reduced.
6. Looking at X-Rays, the spike is long, isn't it - I wonder how long it actually is?
There always was a low risk, that you would dislocate your hip even before surgery. The surgery increases the risk considerably because the joint capsule is cut, but over the weeks this reduces as your muscles gain strength. By 6 months, you are almost back to a normal amount of dislocation risk.
Yes, I will take that advice Hailea. They did say they would give me a spare pair for washing but if they only give me 2 pairs
I will buy more. My o/t said my stockings will be probably be thigh length but that each surgeon does things differently. The o/t I saw is the one who works on the hip replacement ward but I'm sure I will be getting more advice from the nurses and my surgeon.
If there's one thing I've noticed from being on this forum it's the differing opinions of medical staff. Confusing.
You remind me of howlovely it was to get in the hospital shower, absolute bliss. I was able to stand and have a shower on the second morning after surgery by hanging onto the grab rail. It was lovely to just stand and feel the water washing off those hospital smells.
It is amazing how we all differ in our recovery after THR, I was weight bearing immediately, others take weeks. I know someone who walked from the hospital holding her sticks after 3 days, I certainly could not have done that. Why are our recoveries all so different? We all have basically the same things done to us.
Not that anyone will see them. They did say they would give me a spare pair for washing. My friend said she'd put them on for me every morning but now I can tell her it'll just be every couple of days. I was embarrassed to ask but she just laughed and said "You've been picking up my dog's poo for four years" (I've been walking her dog every weekday since I retired). 
