Husband 2 weeks after Hip Replacement and not sleeping at night

I was the same. I found a pillow behind the knees helped. The waterworks thing will soon pass. And in two weeks or so he'll be on his side again.

Thanks Sarah, He is jolly comfy.... he hate sleeping on his back though.

 I think it will improve with time. Thanks for your encourgement!

I know how he feels. When i get mine i might ask if i can sleep on my stomach haha. But my problem is im a wriggly sleeper. I toss and change my positition all night

I could never sleep on my back before the op. Took me a couple of weeks to get the hang of it after the op. I found that lying next to a bank of cushions on the op side and keeping my op leg bent and leaning securely against the cushions helped. I was surprised I could actually sleep with my leg bent like that, but it was much less painful than trying to straighten it.

Thanks Graham. He's not in pain, thats the point. His bladder wakes him up, it seems, but its not like that during the daytime.... But thanks for the encouragement. Happy New Year  you too.

 

We did all suffer the same with this sleeping position..the good thing is it is so wonderfuk when you can turn on your side....

Best wishes,

​ALice ( I am now post op 4 months..)

Im now a little worried about waking up to wee a lot in night. My bathroom is downstairs and our stairs are incredibly steap to be honest, i struggle to walk down them currently never mind after ops haha

Sarah, that is not so good, darling - either have something upstairs, perhaps one of those portable toilets/chairs or sleep down stairs - or a She Wee..

 

Sarah,,as REnee has said get yourself a 'She Wee'...from Boots.  I did and was very grateful for it.  You need to practice a bit to avoid accidents.  Marvelous thing it was....I only used it the first two weeks.  It seems we do wee a lot those first few nights..not days oddly....  never kneew why and thought it was just me till I read all the posts.  So don't be worried as appears the noem and can be dealt with with planning!!

ALice

I was thinking about that but im not sure how i would sleep downstairs haha

Any ideas??

Ill have to look into it. What on odd thing it sounds like though haha

Good for festivals too Sarah!

Iv never been to one haha

It is just like a man's bottle but with an attachment on top to fit our 'lady bits'..a marvelous invention.  Look on line...

Alice

Well when you've had your new hip you'll be able to do all sorts of things you've not done before 😉

It sounds silly but i really want to be able to sit crossed legged on the floor. Iv never been able to do it and in school when the other children sat on the floor i had to sit on a chair and got bullied for it. If i finally manage to cross my legs i think id cry

I would definitely recommend a commode upstairs for you. You may be spending time in your bed during the day in the early days, as well as at night. Even if you only have to go to the bathroom once or twice in the night, you do not want to have to be putting on shoes, traveling up and down stairs, while groggy and in pain, just for the bathroom. You'll be able to sit on the commode, not balancing while standing up or worrying about making a mess with the bottle contraption.

When I got home and was using a walker, at first I needed to have someone with me at all times when using the walker or transferring from sitting to standing, so I had to waken my husband at night to be with me on trips to the bathroom. So it will be more difficult for your carer as well. Was able to handle a few stairs in and out of my house, which I didn't do much at all for the first few weeks. But whole flights of stairs were out of the question for me for quite a while. Other people are much stronger and can handle that right away. You really don't know what your capabilities will be, so it may be best to plan for the worst.

A commode might be the answer for you!

I think we should have our own page on here Sarah! I was the same, I had a chair at the side with the teachers. Wasn't allowed to do sports for a long time and never went on ski trips.

Thankfully I wasn't bullied and everyone wanted to be friends with the girl that got to stay in at break time, especially when it was raining!

Try not to let your experiences as a child scar who you are now. You'll be a new woman when you've had this next surgery x

If we did have our own page it may be helpful for others like us.

I wish i was as lucky as you. Now im just concious about people laughing at my very obvious limp and my silly looking legs when i stand flat.

But im hoping after the op i may be more even. X

No one should be laughing at a person's disabilities! How very thoughtless and rude! People who do are not worth wasting even a second of time thinking about. I still must use a crutch whenever I am out in public (23 weeks), and I find that most people are very solicitous about me, i.e., holding open doors, worrying that I might need to sit and so on. So sorry you are having a negative experience. You don't deserve it! We do what we can do, and should hold our heads up high in pride! (Except that we have to constantly watch the ground to make sure we don't trip!)

Sarah you would definitely need something upstairs as in those first few weeks you are up and down all night to the toilet - not a good idea to go down a flight of stairs!  Perhaps see about getting a commode would be well worth it!! 

I think I've always dealt with it by being a bit self depreciating. My legs were so different in length that I stood on tip toe on one leg much of the time. Until recently my friends joked that I walked better in heels and especially after a few vodka's!

I think you just need a big boost of self confidence x

Yes i could never do what iv had done to me to any other person. Disabled or not. I always do my best to be helpful to all. E.g hold doors open, pick things up a child or old person has dropped and so on.

Is a commode a bed pan or am i confusing it with something else?

Sarah I used to have sticky out ears too! 🙈

Snap. I always walk on tip toes especially im pump shoes. Iv got a raise i use in boots/trainers but its not big enough. When i wear heels i have to walk with both knees bent as i cant walk on tip toes. It makes me look like iv pooped myself. Not attractive at all

Jags I tried to walk with one knee bent a little, definately not a good luck. At work I used medical equipment as a Zimmer frame to allow me to look like I could walk!

A commode, the way I understand it, is a piece of furniture containing a concealed chamber pot. See the picture below.

Jags?? Meant haha!

Ohhh yes iv seen those before on the internet. Would the hospital supply one or would i have to get my parents to buy one?

Well iv just got a walking stick to see if it helps but havent went out with it yet. Still a bit nervous about it

Hi Sarah A commode is a chair with a hole in it and it's got like a basin thing to wee into. During the day it just looks like a chair and then you take the cushion/seat off at night when you need it for the toilet.  

I think you might have to buy one,  as I don't think hospitals supply them, I know mine wouldn't .

Ohh. Are they expensive??

Have a look on e-bay,  think they would be expensive to buy new but I'm sure I've seen a few on e-bay that were affordable.

Hi Sarah just had a quick look on e-bay and you can get one for £20 - £25

it definitely would be worth the money for you 😃😃

Yes thats very affordable but id have the get the bleach out if its used haha 😂 im very funny about germs and so on haha

On Amazon, they are as low as $29 here in the U.S. I wouldn't want a used one. Time is a factor, since your operation is soon, so you want to make sure it arrives before you get home from the hospital. They should be for sale locally as well. We have a pharmacy a few blocks from my house that also sells medical equipment, including commodes.

I was thinking, though, that you may want to consider sleeping downstairs. Someone, NOT you, would have to carry the chamber pot downstairs to empty and rinse, and then carry up again.

As I have said before, I could only sleep sitting up for the first 6 weeks anyway (and not very well at that), since you are only allowed to sleep on your back. Maybe you could use a chair/sofa downstairs for sleeping where you will be close to the bathroom and kitchen. You have said you can't see how you would sleep downstairs, but when faced with the extreme disability immediately after this surgery, you will be amazed what accomodations you have to make, that you gladly make, since it saves you pain and extraordinary effort.

Yeah maybe i could see about sleeping downstairs but only problem with that would be my parents waking me up when they come down at 5/6am to get ready. Im only 19 so still live at home.

But my op isnt till end off Feburary ish. And oddly enough i was talking with my family and we cant think of an medical equipment shops near to us

Ha ha know what you mean - I would be the same I would have to make sure it was bleached and germ free 😂😂😂😂😂

And even then id still be abit concious haha

Ha ha 😂😂😂😂😂

I sat down on the bathroom floor a few days ago when I was engrossed in doing something. Completely forgot I wasn't supposed to do that until it was too late. Never mind. Did what I got down there to do and then grabbed the towel rail and hoisted myself back up again. 

I had been itching to have a floor or ground sit for weeks, so I felt childishly naughty, rather than guilty, but haven't tried again since because I don't want to do any damage.

My daughter was home at the time, so would have come running if I'd needed help getting up.

Sarah, you can ask at any pharmacy near you, and they should know where the nearest medical equipment store is. Also, google is your friend for info like this.

So you are only 19 and still living at home. Your concern about sleeping downstairs is that your parents would wake you up at 5/6am when they get ready. Does that mean they will both be leaving for work? I am hoping that one or the other of them will be able to stay with you and be on call for you 24/7 for awhile. You'll need all kinds of help, day and night.

And, chances are, you'll be awake at 5 or 6 am anyway. I certainly was, as I couldn't sleep much for the first few weeks. And you can, if possible, nap frequently during the day in the beginning to make up for being awakened early. 

Before deciding to sleep upstairs and getting a commode, again, think about who will be having to empty the commode, carrying it downstairs, and then back up again, perhaps multiple times per day. Also, consider that it may not be possible for you to manage full flights of stairs, up and down, several times a day in the beginning. So you should choose where you most want to be at first - up or down, but not both. I am sure that between you and your parents, you will think of an arrangement that will work. 

I think my fiance is going to stop with me so that my parents can work.

And i think you might be right. Maybe best i just bring all my stuff downstairs so i can keep everything i need with me so i dont have to travel far for the loo haha.

I think that would be very wise. Being near a bathroom is SO important. Sometimes there is urgency, and that complicates things also. So glad your fiance will be able to be there for you, too.

It seems like no matter how well we think we are prepared for this, there are always adjustments that have to be made afterwards. We have to go with the flow.

You have plenty of time to get ready, and it is good that you are thinking ahead! I'll be thinking of you!

 

Thank you very much. Im trying to gain as much infomation as possible.

Have you had your op yet?

Yes! I am 67 years old and 23 weeks post-op THR (in U.S.), and I don't want to scare you. I still can't walk right, as something about my surgical leg is not right - can't put full body weight on it yet, so can't walk without limp. Surgeon says it is not because of the surgery or prosthesis placement, so I am exploring other joint problems or soft-tissue problems with another doctor. It doesn't slow me down much, as I can go anywhere with my crutch or rollator walker. And before surgery I always needed to use a trekking pole or two because my hip joint was bone-on-bone osteoarthritis and quite painful. That pain is gone. I have hopes that soon I'll be walking normally. Rest assured that MOST people who have joint replacement have excellent results and not too much difficulty in recovery.

It is unusual for someone as young as you to need a hip replacement, but perhaps being younger and stronger you will have a quicker recovery. I hope so!

Have iv got congenital hip dysplisia so my joint and socket are fused together so always been bone on bone. My hip is 4cm higher than other so always had a limp. My op will be a lot more comolicated than usual and talking to another lady who has what i have she isnt allowed to weight bear for 3 month so i think ill have a similar op/recovery as her.

Anything after this op that is any resemblance to normal is good enough for me.

But hope everything gets better for you soon

I'll be fine!

Your situation does sound complicated and as though it will take longer for recovery. All the more reason you need to be as comfortable as possible, able to reach everything you need with the least amount of trouble. May your surgeon work wonders for you!

I hope so. Apparently my surgeon is the best in the department.

My fiance is talking about getying my a ps4 so i have plenty of things to get me occupied because i get very stressed when limited and bored

Bet he buys two controllers...

He better. I love playing 2 player games