Posted , 13 users are following.
I'm finding that the bilateral THR I'm scheduled for (10/6) is not very common so it's not easy to find out what the additional challenges will be. I have very little dialogue with Kaiser so I was wondering if there are any bilateral hippies out there who I might be able to confer with. I'd be interested to hear some of your comments and thoughts about this approach. Thanks in advance for your help.
5 likes, 70 replies
We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.
jillypops pat43245
Posted
Hi Pat - not sure if we've been in contact in another discussion so apologise if repeating myself.
I had bilat THR 3.5 weeks ago.
I was reasonably fit beforehand.
I am progressing well.
I potter round the house unaided but still use 2 crutches when out and about for quality of walking (it's easy to develop bad walking habits that can be difficult to break).
I am driving now - i am able to do emergency stop. You should check with your motor insurance company before driving tho.
I took friends up on offers of help ( i set up a group - 'Jilly's Angels - on messenger to include all friends who had offered. I live alone with teenage daughter who helps with some stuff, but i had a friend stay for 4 nights to help me out.
I could go on.....feel free to ask any questions you like. Xx
karen21427 jillypops
Posted
pat43245 karen21427
Posted
karen21427 pat43245
Posted
pat43245
Posted
amyz pat43245
Posted
I'm having the same problem finding info. Have you had your bi-lateral surgery? I'm scheduled for 4 weeks from now. Did you have anterior or posterior? How were the first few days/week? Any tips or suggestions? Thanks in advance..
karen21427 amyz
Posted
pat43245 amyz
Posted
My BTHR was anterior. I'm guessing that is the only one they will do a bilateral on. The first few days are tough but I don't think necessarily much tougher than doing one. If you have any help in the house you should be fine. I have stairs so I got a hospital bet for the first week so I could avoid going up and down. A lot of people also find that a recliner chair is a big help. You can almost put your hips in a neutral position while getting some additional sleep. I found that sleeping was one of my biggest challenges. Of course there is pain but in my case the relief of no longer having the bone on bone was a bigger relief than any post op pain. So, my suggestions would be to get some help the first week, have access to a recliner, put your toilet risers, take frequent naps and do your PT; you should do just fine.
Good luck, I'm glad to see the hospitals doing more of the bilaterals. In my opinion and if you're in good shape, that is the way to go.
karen21427 pat43245
Posted
amyz pat43245
Posted
Glad you are doing well Pat and thank you for all of the info/suggestions. I'm having my surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. My doctor and I think most of the doctors there do posterior now but there's a few that still do anterior. my surgeon is actually the one that suggested I do both at the same time given my age and that I'm in relatively good health, but the doctor I was seeing closer to my home wouldn't do both. At this point I don't feel like I really have a choice anymore because I don't have a good leg. On any given day either side can hurt worse than the other. I am not getting general anesthesia they are doing an epidural and Twilight sleep so I think that lowers the risk of some of the possible complications.
I was actually thinking of renting a hospital bed so now that you mention it I probably will end up going that route. My sister actually suggested a recliner, though I'm not sure I could sleep in one. I have my pre-op appointment this Tuesday so I'll get an answer to a lot of my questions then. I believe my post-op restrictions are different and there may be more of them because of the posterior approach. This bone on bone pain is brutal. I'm so looking forward to it being gone and getting my life back. Thanks again.
amyz karen21427
Posted
Thank you, same to you. I'll let you know my experience afterwards, but Pat's response was very thorough and she had the anterior approach that you are having.
amyz
Posted
... I'm a little nervous too!
karen21427 amyz
Posted
amyz karen21427
Posted
pat43245 amyz
Posted
Hi Amy,
Was it the anterior approach you were having? If so I think you'll find, as I did few restrictions after a few months. I haven't seen any comments on bilateral posterior approach but I would assume that the recovery restrictions could be a little different. I'm 69 year old male and as far as I can tell my hips are completely back to normal after +5 months. I hope the same results for you and others that have the option of doing both at same time. Good luck and Happy Easter.
amyz pat43245
Posted
Thank you. Happy Easter. I am having posterior. I'm sure I will find out all the restrictions at the joint replacement class part of my pre-op on Tuesday.
karen21427 amyz
Posted
amyz karen21427
Posted
karen21427 amyz
Posted
amyz karen21427
Posted
I'm so sorry. Your boss is an idiot! In case you aren't nervous enough. Don't listen to him. Can things go wrong, yes, but he could also walk out of your office and get hit by a bus tomorrow too. Of all the things people are telling us on this great blog, the word complications has not come up once. That should tell you something. There are always risks and the doctors tell us that going into it, but this type of surgery is done all the time they know what they're doing and take measures to prevent complications.
Are you going out on disability or just using your sick days? Do you have an HR department? From a legal standpoint I don't think he can give you a hard time about taking the days off for a medical reason. If he persists, you can speak to someone in HR. Hang in there.
amyz karen21427
Posted
Hi Karen. Had my pre-op on Tuesday. Saw the surgical nurse and a few different doctors including an Anesthesiologist. He's the only one that made me a little nervous. They have to cover themselves by informing you of just about everything, some of which I probably could have done without knowing. Bottom line, it's not one operation, it's two , they are just doing them consecutively, so there is double the risk of whatever they told you for one. They did say in most cases there are no issues, but they have to inform you.
They juggled my appointments around and as a result I missed the first 3/4 of the joint replacement class and I didn't have 2 1/2 hrs to wait around for the next one, but they said everything they covered before I got there is in the book including a phone number if I have any additional questions.. I'm about to read through it, so stay tuned.
Regards,
Amy
karen21427 amyz
Posted
karen21427 amyz
Posted
storygirl pat43245
Posted
Had it 1week ago!
amyz karen21427
Posted
Hi Karen thanks so much for checking in. Apologies to all for going MIA. I had my bi-lateral posterior surgery on Tues. 4/24. All went well with the surgery except it started 3 1/2 hrs late. I can't believe it's been 3 weeks (yesterday) already. I'm doing great. Came home using 2 forearm crutches and transitioned to one crutch/cane early this week. Best of all, that bone on bone Pain is gone!
karen21427 amyz
Posted
Keep in touch