Hip replacement booked for 19th Dec
Posted , 14 users are following.
hi,
I was born with dislocated hip. literally I was born on the left side with the ball only no socket but through my life never stopped me doing anything, but always had a limp. As I have got older the hip is riddled with arthritis but causes me no issues, but its taken its toll on my right hand side and I've been struggling since 2o17 with pain in the right hip and gradually got worse to the point struggle to walk, cannot bend down, cannot fasten shoes and crawl upstairs. I'm therefore having hip operation where I've been told I will be awake and feel tugging etc to which does not phase me, what phases me is do you have catheters fitted? I don't do dresses or skirts and it says to take this type of clothing for recovery. I'm hoping other females on here can put my mind as rest regarding this and how long before you can wash your hair etc . I'm on gabapentin 300g x 3 times a day, along with ketaprofen at night and 10mg of morphine twice a day to help me function and control pain. I am looking to eventually be pain free and feel like a person again and not a hindrance to others. I just a little disappointed that the hip born with doesnt need operating on yet as no pain from it so will still after the op have a limp as my left leg is 4cms shorted than mine right and apparently cannot lengthen the leg even slightly. sorry rattling on here.
on another note been very informative being able to listen to everyones stories on here 😃
1 like, 141 replies
damaris.m vickie1976
Posted
hi
it really depends where you have your op. I am in the UK
i had my 2nd done 5 days ago and came out after three nights. As i see it the benefit of the catheter is that you can drink plenty and not worry about having to get up all the time to pee/ use a bedpan. You wont have a choice though!
I use both loose trousers and dresses. Dresses are easier, certainly at the start when dressing and also when you go to the loo.
They used a waterproof dressing on both occasions and i have been able to shower from the outset and will have hydrotherapy
If you are in the UK it will obviously depend on your hospital, mine could be different.
damaris.m vickie1976
Posted
i found this on the hospital website. it clearly states that you will have a showerproof dressing
https://www.wwl.nhs.uk/Library/All_New_PI_Docs/T_O/Musc%20011%20Wrightington%20Total%20Hip%20Replacement%20Programme%205.20%20v9.pdf
i hope that helps
M
ptolemy damaris.m
Posted
My gosh, I did not see half these people while I was in hospital. I saw the anaesthetist at my pre op who it turned out was not the anaesthetist for my op. I did not see him until I was in the room next door to the operating theatre having my spinal, the conversation was about his assistant's summer holiday.
There was no recovery room, as the hospital was an old TB hospital, I got taken directly back to the ward after a blood transfusion.
The op was at a weekend so skeleton staff and no physios etc. I never saw a pharmacist ever, just given the drugs with typed info.
We did not have stairs with rails to see if we could go up and down, just a home made set of steps which looked like boxes had been used.
No one contacted me three days after the op. In fact the first time I saw anyone after keaving hospital was four weeks later when I had an appointment with physio who checked I was OK and signed me off.
They mention a lot about possible problems during and after the op, I am surprised they do not mention constipation which does seem to be a problem that a lot of people get from the drugs. They don't seem to mention when you can start showering either. I assume they think you just start when you are up to it.
damaris.m ptolemy
Posted
Good God where on earth did you have your operation?
You are so right - both times the constipation was really distressing
ptolemy damaris.m
Posted
The best bit was I was wheeled outside to get to the operating theatre. As it used to be a TB hospital, built during the war, everything was in small one story buildings, they even had Nissan huts. It was actually quite pleasant outside as it was a sunny day and they had lovely gardens. There is no A&E there so the chances of losing your place in the queue is much less on the plus side, also the chances of infection are lower with no A&E around. The food was atrocious everything was brown! When I had a blood test the taxi driver would wait at the end of the bed to get it to the main hospital about twenty miles away, as quickly as possible.
julie1717 ptolemy
Posted
gish this gas took me back lol. years ago the hospital I worked at one of the main surgical wards was in a little cottage type building set aside from the main hospital and patients went to and fro to theatre on trolleys in all weathers. as you say the summer was lovely but come rain and snow besides umbrellas and thick tarpaulin covers it was always a quick dash from the ward to the main hospital. fortunately someone with sense decided to convert it to a little skin ward which it suited much better. but this was the 1970s lol
joan23085 vickie1976
Posted
It depends what you mean by confident!
My husband went back to work 3 weeks after my op (which was in late Feb 2019). It was a Monday (the op was on a Sunday). I forced myself to walk round the block to the local shop on my own for the first time, heavily dependent on my two crutches, because I knew if I didn't then it might be a long wait. So you could say I was confident to do that. I then did the walk every day, and completely discarded the crutches at six weeks. After that I built up the walking and tried to do a reasonably long (up to 10000 steps total) walk every day. I bought and carried in my rucksack a folding walking-stick - good psychology if I over-reached myself I would be able to get home - but I never actually had to use it. I went back to my part-time work (commuting, long train journeys and queues at Victoria tube station) after 4 months, without using any stick or crutch. I spent the summer in Greece, swimming, gardening and doing some hiking (using hiking poles). It all got better steadily and gradually. I started playing tennis again in September (quite nervously). Recently (I'm now 9 months post-op) I've realised that I am literally not thinking about the hip at all most of the time - eg running for the ball at tennis, carrying heavy shopping, etc. I'm planning to go skiing in March (I was told to wait 12 months for that) but to be honest I think I could ski now.
One thing which I'm noticing now is that it's very hard to remember to do my exercises as I am literally forgetting about the hip for hours on end. But I know I must at least continue the exercises reasonably often until I go skiing.
So if by "confident" you mean totally forgetting about its effects I would say 9 months. But if you mean pretty happy then I would say 4 months.
I think that I have been pretty lucky, but I am 74 (nearly 75) so I'm no spring chicken!
Joan
Guest vickie1976
Posted
HI
Good luck. Do not get an anterior approach because they can have many complications.
I had one and am having scar tissue, hip and back pain. Go with a mini posterior. Speedy recovery.
sally48449 Guest
Posted
alot of surgeons will only do anterior as a postrior is more time consuming for them as its harder to get to the hip … so you dont always get a choice ! ive had 2 Hip ops the first one ive had no problem with any if that … im only 4 weeks post of with this other hip and yes its uncomforatble but its getting better everyday so i beg to differ on this one and also it depends on the individual realy dosnt it as not everyone has the same symptons
ptolemy sally48449
Posted
I think it is the other way round, posterior is easier as larger incision and easier to manipulate things. Perhaps thats what you meant.
sally48449 ptolemy
Posted
yes sorry i had it via my upper leg and buttox
sally48449 vickie1976
Posted
i am 4 weeks post op and i had a cathereter fitted after my spinal as my bladder didnt want to play ball - i had my first hip done in january and had the same spinal but didnt need a catheter ! no 2 ops are the same … this one was far more painfull this time and i felt totally rubbish in hospital and coming out the first week was awfull but with the first one i was ok realy . im doing well now though as im down to only one crutch in the house and doing things like washing and dressing my bottom half with a grabber …and cooking … as with the first one i was more cautious and i was still on 2 crutches at this stage . im glad ive only got 2 legs and not 4 ! lol
vickie1976 sally48449
Posted
oh my, well can I ask did you need medication before you op and was it painful before?
I only ask as I take 10mg morphine x 2 twice a day and 3 x gabaprentin and top up with co codamol to just make me operate. without meds I'm in horrendous pain and cannot move, so hoping straight away that I might see the difference in pain. I'm also hoping to be more mobile and able to walk round shops and go for long walks... I'm 43 and feel like hindrance to the family yet I still manage to do all the house work, work full time and make meals. I dont think my hubby and eldest daughter realises how much I do for them, but they will come thursday 19th.
to be honest I am dreading it. I dont like hospitals and being away from home and I've tried to keep myself busy and not not think about it, but it's happening and I know it will be for the best, but I am scared. I dont want a long recovery and I'm a doer and not used to being looked after. I look after them!
sally48449 vickie1976
Posted
the op and the recovery is no walk in the park but your pain will be gone straight away!!! youll have the operation pain but thats it …its a major op ! im a doer and the worst thing for me is the not being able to do!! you myst do as thry tell you for the first 12 weeks and listen to your body … do your excercises go for walks but also go bed every afternoon and rest ! like i said im 4 weeks post op and im doing ok
sally48449 vickie1976
Posted
and no i only took mild pain relief before the op as this hip wasnt as bad but my surgeon wanted to do it … my first hip was more painfull as i had an impingement aswell …buti have quite a high pain threshold so i took ibuprefen amd paracetaol even the the hip was quite badly worn … i was more scared the second time round as i knew what was coming lol