Posted , 20 users are following.
This is my first post on here. Total right hip replacement 11 days ago. Recovery going Ok with the usual not sleeping etc. My consultant directs that compression socks are to be worn for 6 weeks. I am finding that towards the evening they drive me nuts and I am wondering what harm would be done by removing them for say 30 mins just to obtain such relief. Or maybe someone here has some other advice ?
1 like, 35 replies
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Pinkpink61 Jillie001
Posted
Hi, I am now into my 5th week & cant wait to be rid of the dreaded socks, I have been taking mine of & soaking my feet in a warm
foot spa than letting them dry off for 30 minutes or so just to get some air to my legs & wiggle my toes!
gdoug Pinkpink61
Posted
PinkPink61,
how did the surgery go?
how's the recovery coming along?
Pinkpink61 gdoug
Posted
went really well thankyou, getting frustrated as I want to be doing more but trying to stick to 6 week hip restrictions....there is light at the end of the tunnel!!!
Chloeparrot Jillie001
Posted
My surgeon also stipulated that I should wear compression socks for 6 weeks. Personally, I feel they are a form of torment and must have been invented by the devil.
Normally, I don't wear socks, not even in the winter, so having to wear them with after my first THR was torture to me. However, I was very good for the first 3 weeks, but then the weather got warm and I ended up scratching my legs really badly whilst asleep, so I took them off. And I just couldn't face putting them back on again.
Fortunately, I didn't suffer any side effects of removing the socks......
joan23085 Jillie001
Posted
I changed the socks daily and used E45 cream on my calves and feet when I changed them at shower time. That way I managed to keep it up for 6 weeks. But I was very, very pleased when the time was up!
Joan
Guest Jillie001
Posted
They drove me mad too. I wore them for 4 weeks and then was told by a nurse that, though she couldn't really advise me, they were designed initially for patients who were not moving much, and, as I was walking round the house and managing stairs by then, I should be ok. So I took them off and I was fine.
Just saying!
Anne68156 Jillie001
Posted
I think this is mostly a UK thing. I'm in the US and compressions socks were never even mentioned! I did have the compression equipment on my legs while I was in the hospital for about 24 hours, but that was it. I could not even imagine wearing them here in Georgia in the summer! I would never venture outdoors with them on!
Nomorerun Jillie001
Posted
Hi, really depends on your other risk factors for a deep vein thrombosis as for how many weeks to wear them. However when you remove them for bathing your feet or showering each day then delaying replacing them for up to 30mins should be fine.
Small inconvenience in the grand scheme of things, although i do feel for those living in hotter temperatures.
good luck, keep taking your anticoagulants and doing the exercises.
john26284 Jillie001
Posted
I guess you are not in the Uk? My surgeon prescribed a blood thinning med that meant no need to wear the dreaded stockings which seem to be an old style prescription
ptolemy john26284
Posted
In my hospital in UK they prescribed anti coagulants, stockings and the twenty four hour leg machine.
Lilylou1 Jillie001
Posted
Hello
Thankfully and surprisingly i didnt have compresssion stockings. My specialist said they didnt stop bloodclots. I was on asprin for the first 6-8 weeks to prevent bloodclots.
Inbetween walking etc if i was resting i would go to my room so i could elevate my legs properly and without fail i would use an ice pack.
I also took the occasional sleeping pill too.
Thankfully all of this discomfort is temporary.
I wish you all the best.
daniel98313 Jillie001
Posted
Hey,
I've just had my second THR on friday and theyve given me socks this time. They didnt the first time! I don't know if this was an error or on purpose. i had a clot last year so i'm assuming error but i'm also on tinzaparin injections for 28 days instead of the usual 14.
i would suggest wearing them but to get some relief take them off - they took mine off in hospital for the sake of cleaning myself so what is the difference? also they expecting you to be less mobile but if are up and around a little surely you can take your socks off to compensate for the mobility.
kr
dan
HLMUK Jillie001
Posted
Hi, I was prescribed asprin for 6 weeks and also had the socks, told to wear them for 6 weeks. Belt and braces from my surgeon, I think. I left them off for a good hour after every shower and after 3 weeks or so got rid!! I Don't advocate this as age and mobility can be a factor but I was out everyday walking and around the house no problem after a week. Also swelling was not a problem for me after the first few days. UK based and posterior approach for me
linda08893 Jillie001
Posted
I had an operation in December,the hospital sent my discharge instructions via the post,and being xmas and the fact I never got to the letter box till end of January I didnt know I had to leave them on!!! Anyway, had the do it yourself injections etc for 14 days after hospital release and I took of the stockings probably a couple of days after coming home. So, I lived to tell this tale!!
ptolemy linda08893
Posted
It is like insurance, everyone may pay in, but not everybody will require it. Same with socks, you may be the lucky one or the unlucky one who get a pulmonary embolism.
carol94318 linda08893
Posted
I did the same. Took them off after a few days. I'm in Canada... My surgeon was the only one at my hospital that used the stockings. I have been active and had no problems with swelling etc after the first week. Each of us has different health issues so I guess we should do what is best and safest depending on our individual needs.