Hip replacement under test!

Hello Steven and thanks. I'm feeling good considering everything and now just want to be back home to enjoy a form of normality. I had weeks of back sleeping last year for the hip and now am facing weeks of the same, with the additional restriction that my ankle has to be kept at a level that is above my heart.

Cheers Richard

Dear Jim

Thanks for your generous words. I've been about but only post if I think that I may have something useful to say. Whether others agree is debatable!

I had to present myself at 7.00 am on Monday and the surgery started at about midday. I woke up feeling pretty good but any activity in the first couple of days left me very tired. By Thursday my energy levels had greatly increased and now they are pretty reasonable everything considered.

The pain has been well controlled and I'm on a reasonably low level of pain killers now.

I will bear in mind your excellent advise (I'm 76 BTW) and not expect too much of my body but would you believe it but they wanted to discharge me the day or next day after surgery. I objected very strongly and emailed my surgeon and he said certainly not! However I am expecting to be gone from here by the end of Tuesday and when I get home basically I will have to cope on my own.

All the best to everyone here.

Cheers Richard

Hi Richard, I’ve been thinking about you. Try to stay in hospital as long as you can, and when you are finally out, I hope your recovery continues well at home,  All the best, Judith 

Well Richard,

I'm not one who tends to give advise to someone senior to me but they sound like a pretty insensitive lot you're dealing with at that facility.  Kicking you out before a week's up is just plain stingy.  Maybe you should start inventing symptoms for them to check out. Another week of nursing, healing, decent food [hopefully, but it is the UK after all, can't ask too much I suppose].  I always thought the British motto was Never, never, never give up!  Why capitulate to their wishes so meekly?  Put on a mild display of dementia, tell them you just don't have the strength to get out of bed on the day of your discharge, ask if the large white rabbit in the doctor' coat agrees with their assessment of your fitness, get creative- maybe they'll humor you for another week.  If not, well at least you tried.  Anyway, if you get the need to express yourself, many here will be happy to hear from you.

Jim

Richard, YIKES that they wanted you to leave on the day or day after surgery! What were they thinking? I am very glad you objected so strongly and have gotten to stay longer. Wishing you all the best as you recover, and it sounds like you are off to a good start. Wish you had some support at home, though. Take good care.

Dear Hope4cure

Many thanks for your kind words.

Dear Pjb

Thanks, yes I will stay positive whilst travelling to the finishing post..

Dear Jim

Thanks for all your creative suggestions. Although it is quite comfortable here I feel quite capable and would like to be home.

Dear Judith

Thanks for thinking about me. I expect to be carted down for an X ray sometime today, hopefully the lab report will be satisfactory and transport will be organised to take me home to the Isle of Wight then I can recover in a more restful environment.

Thank you all very much for all of your kind words of support.

Cheers, Richard

Dear Michael

Good to read your posting. No I will hope not to be conveyed home by the same ambulance driver!

It appears that I may very well be kept in for another week to get the results of long term cultures as the risk of bone infections should they take hold is potentially very serious.

My surgeon has quite a lot riding on this particular surgery and does not want any risks to be taken. I made it clear that I'm fully prepared to sit it out here for as long as it is considered necessary.

The upside are all the young and very attractive nursing staff who care for us blokes here. Now could that be effecting my blood pressure readings perhaps?

Cheers, Richard

Dear Richard,

Reminds me of the 3 months I spent in the Middlesex in the 70's. It was a teaching hospital and friends kept bringing me bottles that I hid in my cupboard and shared with the nurses in the evenings

Cheers Mike

Dear Michael

What a wonderful story and thanks for sharing it with us all, but Golly Michael three months was a very long stay.

When I had my hip done twenty years ago one of my friends brought in a bottle of whiskey for me but I dared not open it! I did enjoy it over the weeks when I got home. Perhaps that contributed to my rapid recovery!

Cheers Richard

Many years ago when my dad was poorly in hospital, I used to in little bottles of beer. Used to cheer him up immensely! Hope you’re ok Richard. At least if you end up staying another week it sounds as though the food is good!

Dear Judith

Thanks for your words of encouragement. Yes it is a bit bizarre that only a few days ago they could not attempt to push me out as fast as possible and now I could be in for an additional week! In fairness it may be simply because I was put into what they term as being a short stay ward where most people stay for a very short time.

Best wishes, Richard

Dear Richard,

Yes it was a long stay (plus 3 months on crutches) I imagine today they would have replaced the hip. But the result was that I had a fully functioning natural hip that lasted over 30 years.

I learnt a bit about orthopaedics watching everyone coming in for (mostly knee) ops. The nurses were nice. They used me as guinea pig when they were tested on changing dressings etc and being in London meant I had lots of visitors.

When you are young and fit you can spend months in bed without your body falling to pieces. Not quite the same at 69.

Mike

Dear Mike

Thirty years is fantastic, well done! Sounds as if you had an interesting time there. Three months on crutches must have been B tough.

Cheers Richard

Dear Richard

Well, when you are young these things are much easier. I was living in Portugal when I broke the hip so flew back. In those days you could book 2 seats and they gave you a stretcher.

But after leaving hospital I borrowed a flat on the 5th floor in Knightsbridge (despite the smart address it was a very ordinary flat) without a lift!!

I went pretty well everywhere on crutches: off to Portugal to check on the farm, to Dublin to vist friends and I got a temporary office job in Clerkenwell and sometimes used to walk back to Knightsbridge. Not surprising that I went thgrough several crutch tips!! But I did find the crutches useful at times: I was wisked to the front of the queue at the Royal Acadamy and other places. Not sure they are a good to those on crutches today.

Good that you're getting around OK with the peg leg. I can well imagine that it's a lot harder when you have a recently operated ankle on the leg.

Cheers

Mike

Dear Mike

Ah things tend to be a bit different when one is younger but I really did think that I had fully recovered my muscle strength following my hip revision last year but putting all the weight onto it at the moment tells me a rather different story!

You did amazingly well with your crutches, Mike you obviously have a very positive attitude to life.

Using that peg leg around the house is good but very different when you have a high plaster cast as well to contend with.

All the best. Richard

Dear Mike, 

I love that description of your recovery in London on your crutches! I did have some lovely days out on mine, at about a month  post op; bus, tube, train, seaside... and I have to say that people were really good, and I was always given a seat on public transport. Living in a 5th floor flat without a lift must have been a real effort for you though!