Mom has THR today and I have a cold

Dirty hands are the biggest threat, not air born respiratory stuff as far as bone or wound infections. Your mom coukd catch the cold, which will make her more miserable, but just remember to always wash your hands.

 

If you are sneezing and blowing, then perhaps you could wear a mask when visiting your mom. You definitely don't want to give her a cold, as that will make her more uncomfortable. And I would keep hands off, no hugs and kisses. You can show your love for her in other ways!

It's 3 hours now and she's still in the OT. The asst. said its taking long as her bone structure is weak.

Be sensible about people visiting who may have infections.

Not just for mum but other patients too.

Only stay a short while, no kissing and touching/sitting on beds/sharing food/utensils.

And always wash hands/use sanitiser.

Limit visitors numbers too.

Hip surgery is major so tiring for the patient. Much as you love to see friends and rels and they are wanting to see the pt it can be too much. Again so many visitors are disruptive to the other pts too.

Noise really affected me post op.

Dont be concerned about time of op. Often you are away from ward due to delays that are not that pts fault.

It can be staff delays, xrays, recovery times. Just be reassurred she will be in good hands and taken care of. Also will be getting spanking new hip and on road to recovery.

Get well wishes to your mum.

Hope your cold is better soon xx

Here in the UK there was a campaign aimed at reducing transmission of respiratory infections called called Catch it, Bin it Burn it. In essence sneeze or cough into a tissue, dispose of the tissue in a bin, and then the contents of the bins were disposed of. Coupled with washing or using the antiseptic gel each time you go in her room you should all be fine. Cleaning your hands will remove both respiratory viruses and any bacteria that would potentially cause a post op wound infection. Having said that if someone has a really bad cold they may be advised not to visit for a couple of days. Sounds as if she will have plenty of visitors, be careful that they do not tire her too much. I am sure all will be well

Thanks friends. I got a mask for my cold (as I'm in the room all the time) and also making sure everyone uses sanitizer when they enter.

I'd be more worried about the number of visitors you expect to come. It probably depends on the hospital but the one I was in limited you to 2 or 3 visitors per patient. Perhaps worth asking what the rules are at your mother's hospital. You don't want relatives to be turned away after they've made a special effort to visit. There may be other restrictions eg they didn't allow flowers in the ward where I was and sometimes there are restrictions on young children visiting.

 

We've asked most of them to come tomorrow.

After my THR while in the hospital (4 days), my sister visited during the day and my husband came in the evenings. I could not have handled anymore than that. I slept only 1 hour a day while in there, and appreciated every minute of sleep I could get. I was hurting and miserable with no appetite, actually throwing up occasionally. It would have been just awful for me having any extra visitors. Your mom may feel differently, but just wanted you to know how I felt.