Hip Replacement- agony getting in to bed

Hi Sukibea 

I am 7 days post op and I hate to tell you there is absolutely nothing you can do to ease her pain my husband feels the same, all I can say to you is be there for her with lots of TLC and patience.  My pain this time around is horrendous compared to my first   hip. I had the district nurse in changing my dressing today and she said just to make sure the wound doesn’t feel hot as that might mean there is infection there so just be aware of that and the pain she is having is probably post op pain and she has no hip pain that was me the first time round hope she feels better soon.

Big Hugs

Jacq x

Hi Suki just noticed your heading agony getting into bed I’ve not been in my bed since I came home from the hospital on Saturday I am on the recliner chair as my bed is quite high so maybe try that if you have a recliner.

Good Luck

Jacq x

It gets better fast,  the first week or two, should be in bad on ice, and elevated. Lots of ice!! I bought 2 big ice packs , colpac cold therapy Chattanooga, I wrap my thi and but in each every night. Also use a leg strap to left leg into and out of bed, when in bed, keep that leg elevated above heart! I used a upside down laundry basket with pillow on top. See dr also asap. Most of us endured bad hip pain for so many years before surgery, that the pain after surgery isn't usually to bad, (Except first couple nights). If its the cut is hot, that's not good, if it is oozing not good, keep that ice on everything! the entire thi and but cheek!

Good luck

Hi Suki. I’m 3 wks post op and this is my second. I too started with buttock pain and down the side/back of my thigh. I’m very pain tolerant and I’ve had a very uncomfortable feeling in that area. Patience is the best thing. Just  2 or 3 days ago I wrote here on the forum that I could not deal with the buttock pain anymore. Lo and behold now it’s gone. 

What also helped me a lot was when the bandage was taken off. I always felt it was on too tight. Once it was off the swelling started going away. That was on Friday so maybe the swelling had something to do with it. 

I still feel uncomfortable behind the thigh and the side but the buttock pain has gone away. 

Btw wen laying in bed with my knees bent and feet flat on mattress that gave me some relief. 

Hope ur feeling better real soon. 

Yes... tell the physicial therapist and they will help so much with physical aides and better movement positions from a sitting to standing using a Walker/leg lift and exercises to help heal! 

Have you checked the height of the bed it must be high enough not to break the 90' rule. And taking pain relief as prescribed by doc is important.  Thr is major surgery  which left me feeling as if I had been thru a major overhaul at the auto mechanics garage! 

You are obviously a concerned hubby! Thr recovery takes time . 24 days only three weeks from now, provided good physical therapy and medications taken regularly to exercise while using pain meds will just be a memory and life will resume. Every day new tasks are acheived and healing begins to take place and it is so encouraging to have a loved one there for support to help thru the healing process.

I had thr revision last Jan. I can do everything I love to do now and no pain! It's worth all the stress now getting thru therapy and exercise is so important! Never over do!  A few months down the road life will be so much better for you both. It's so overwhelming at this point. It will get so much better and so worth all the struggling thru the adjustments of learning to function after  THR...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS 🎄

Hope 😊

Hi Suki i was in so much pain in thigh post op and my leg was really swollen. It took me around 8 days to lift my leg in bed by myself and it was still grim to do. Just make sure she is doing her exercises and going out for a little walk each day gradually building up. I was not given any aid to help. I also was told to go to bed every afternoon for two hours even if I didnt slerp. This helps get rid of fluid. But patience is the key. Things will get better.

Hi Suki, I am 12 days post op and until 3.30 this morning I can truthfully tell you I haven’t been able to sleep. The buttock pain was horrendous as well. I am on my own so I’d already bought some Biofreeze ROLL ON and kept going lightly up and down my thigh and buttock. It was so painful. I used a dressing gown belt under my foot to slowly slowly get the leg onto the bed but I was in so much pain on the bed I went onto a recliner like Jacq and put frozen peas in pillowcases all round my thigh and buttocks. Suki do not let your tissues seize up. I have a physio (NHS) come in every day to watch me do the exercises and without her I wouldn’t probably have done the required number due to the pain. So I hope you have one coming in to watch you do them too. 

The 3 biggest things that have helped my terrible pain go down are 1). Co codamol  2). Ice ice ice   3) doing my exercises religiously. Little bit by little bit. 

Don’t do what I did and over-do the more easy ones because I got more pain back overdoing them. 

A day or so ago I wrote I wished I’d never had the operation. At this moment in time I now take that back!!..........

Take your pain meds and just walk across the room with your walking aids every hour. Just slowly to keep things ticking along. 

I had horrible pain too and had to switch pain medicine. Some people get no relief from the usual meds. You have to ask for a different one and insist!  Once I changed I found relief. I also lay with leg elevated, iced constantly where it hurt and did foot exercises in bed to improve circulation. Swelled was bad but went down slowly.  Sorry for her. Good luck.

Ps like Joyce says I too had to get my medication changed. The morphine was doing absolutely nothing and as for the paracetamols no comment. My GP has given me co codamols and they do take a lot of my pain away but they make you very very constipated so I’m taking sennokot at bedtime and Laxidol and stool softeners throughout the day. 

Thanks for all your advice.

Getting into bed-try sitting on the bed about half way down-same side as THR  if possible ,and angled towards the head board, or even start at the bottom of the bed if accessible, and use your arms to pull/slide you on. As you move , you will find that the bed itself will raise the  op. leg.

I am 12 weeks THR.  I still have pain when I’m sleeping.  When I get up after sitting, pain, until I walk around.  Then then pain lessens.  It will take time.  The most important thing is does she feel better after the operation.  The pain will subside in due time.

Steve