Mobility problems

So sorry Ann to hear of your heart promblem and hip OA it's painful. Without a opportunity of hip replacement I can suggest a walker with a seat will help you a lot. Ask you physician for a prescription as insurance will cover a walker. Set up tasks in kitchen using high bar stools to sit down at counter while preparing meals. Place suction bars to hold onto in showers  and hallways and keep all potential tripping things like rugs cords out of path, as well as pets. Use a shower chair for showers. 

The he goal is to stay of the hip as much as possible. Ice the swelling and teat as much as needed. 

Do do you live alone ? I hope you have help and meals delivered to you if the service is not available in your area then there are many online services to order meals from a menu and delivered fresh to your home. 

Also so a small wheel chair is helpful. I used them both weight bearing was to painful.

  Have had both hips replaced and one revision. In my experience dealing with hip pain it's the weight bearing thruout the day that makes the pain unbearable .

Try to set up the home to have areas that make it easier for you to move without experiencing severe pain. Can the doc prescribe pain medication for you? 

 Take are. 

Hope 😊

I would see if you can get a second opinion on that hip surgery.

Today they do the hip replacements with spinal block rather than general.

You would not be a candidate for general except in exceptional circumstances, but to me you are heading that way at a rate of knots, if you were to fall I would think you could break your hip, then they would have to do a repair or hip replacement.

Get some advice from your GP and don't accept it cannot be done, challenge him/her with the broken hip chances, and then what, also tell him you know about the spinal block method.

That feeling of giving way is not a good sign, my right hip got to that stage, and the specialist when he saw me was shocked that my local GP had not given me a referrral some years previous, in fact he told me in no uncertain terms to fire my GP, he said it just wasn't good enough.

Definately use the wheelie walker, with the seat attached, I used one for the last 2 years prior to my hip replacement, even in the house, and around the yard, the seat makes a good carrier for laundry basket, and or shopping again with a basket/box, it became my very good friend as it gave me the abilbity to move around without fear of falling.

Also makes others aware that you have something wrong, it helps with children running into you, and or adults using trolleys like battering rams, my wheelie walker saved me on a number of occasions.

Ann - forgot to mention that my husband has heart failure, so I understand where you are coming from there. 

The artial fibulation, do your Dr's have that under control, with medication.

Run you hip issues past your cardio specialist, the next time you see him, in fact use your wheelie walker to go to your appointment and tell him that your hip has got to the point where you have no quality of life whatsoever, exagerate.

I believe your ability to move about is one of the issues that give you a higher rating for the possibility of a hip replacement, the more you can demostrate your inability to move about the higher your chances of a hip replacement, nonsense isn't it.

In your case the cardio specailist would have to work with the ortheopedic surgeon, also maybe his cardiac anethestist, and maybe even recommmend a surgeon who has treated other patients of his with cardiac problems.

Again don't accept no it's not possible, and certainly not without detailed explanation of why not.

I have with my husband's condition developed a really nice relationship with the most senior cardiologist in our hospital, called in almost far to late, and only after the flying team had to be called in the middle of the night when his heartbeat dropped to even slower than the 30BPM they kept saying was OK, telling me it was his medication, and they were taking him off his medication his heart slowed even more.

The staff of the hospital are absoloutly terrified of the man, and warned me to be nice to him, rubbish, I had a head of steam up by then.

I spoke to him just like I would my trusted GP, and gave him the benefit of my opinion the last time we were in the heart hospital, and told him his juniors where idiots for not listening, when I explained my husbands symptoms, he smiled at me, turned and growled at the junior staff and called a meeting in his office grabbed husbands file and marched out of husbands room growling at the juniors. 

Some time later he came back, without juniors, told me I was right, and said watch this, in his own hand writing he wrote in husbands file listen to wife, she knows what she is talking about, he has also given me his direct phone number, in the hospital, not that I can get through to him, but I can leave a message with his secretary.

He then asked me how I knew, explained my father had heart failure his entire life, and now my husband, I really think I do agree with your opinion about my instincts, and knowledge, big smile and nodding. 

He then said do you have a nursing qualifications, I would like you to be working here. No I said. Shame he said in reply.

Nurses and other staff standing around with their eyes like saucers, after that I was treated as a nurse rather than a patients wife who was to ignored and taken no notice of, prior to that I had been treated very badly, even when pointing out symptoms that they should have been taking notice of, but not symptoms that are in the text books,  far too much text book nursing these days, ie swollen ankles, husband doesn't get swollen ankles, or didn't get swollen ankles even when heart beating at 30BPM, I kept on saying how much weight has he put on, something that for him is a very large warning sign and should be ringing bells urgently, but they wern't even weighing him daily to see if there was any changes, they were reling on the swollen ankles, he's OK they kept saying, when he wasn't. End result they ran a very close to losing him, too close.

A year later he is still doing well.

You poor love hip pain is the pits l have had a bad hip for years and will shortly be having a hip replacement. The operation these days is nothing to what they used to be and you would be an ideal candidate for spinal block anaesthesia, a second opinion would not go astray. Also your giving way could also be a lack of muscle tone in your leg. It happens to me sometimes too and it can be scarey if l am without any walking aid as l think l may fall. Although l am getting nervous as my op looms from what l have seen and heard the pain goes away just like that as soon as the new hip is in place, it is worth a second opinion. Why live with the torment of such pain when something can be done for you. I wish you well Anne. xxx

Hi Anne,

I have been reading your answers to ther peoples questions and thought I would see if I can help you.

I must admit I have no problems with my heart, but my mobility is severly impaired. I do have a Quad stick, one with the 4 feet at the bottom. But my mobility became worse, and the stick was useless.

I have a walker, a Quad walker with a seat (I was unable to use the three way one!) and a manual wheelchair which my wife pushes me around in. I suffer from a rare nerve condition, but wayback in the late 1980's I was offered brain surgery, however they chances of any improvement to my condition was just 5%, I have seen many people that had the same operation, and it had failed. They basically become worse overnight.

The condition is progressive and very painful, mine is sort of controlled by medication, but I'm on over 40 tablets a day, at 7 intervals.

Have you got an Occupational Therapist? Mine, comes and sees me once a year, to see if I am coping with the aids I have, if not they change them the following day. My Doctor also has the District Nurses see me every so often.

Its just a few pointers you could consider.

I can stand for about 30 seconds before my right hip just gives away, hence I cannot stand without being in such pain.

My mother-in-law is 78, but to see her you would think she was in her early 60's!! She lost her husband about 6 years ago, which was a big blow to the family. She runs rings around me!! lol

Regards,

Les.