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Pre Op Question

Posted , 18 users are following.

MichaelTN1UK
MichaelTN1UK

Morning all, Just joined up. What a great find!!

I will be going in for a RTHR on January 21st (very excited). I am trying to prepare as much as I can and have researched on the web. However, I am perplexed as to which side of the bed I should be getting in/out (stupid - right). Also, I have been recomended a ceramic hip due to my age. If you recommend anything else I can do to prepare, I would very much appreciate any and all thoughts/comments.

0 likes, 70 replies

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  • redduke
    redduke MichaelTN1UK

    Posted

    Hi Hogtog,

    It's great to go in with a positive attitude like you have.

    With RTHR you get in and out on the right hand-side of the bed.

    Preparation: get yourself some good books or a pc or music system whislt for your hospital stay.

    When you get back home the most useful thing I had was my grabber for picking things up from the floor - don't bend down!

    I also got a very long shoe horn to put my slippers on with.  I also bought some slip on shoes,,,these are a godsend.

    I allowed myself a small glass of wine before I went to bed at night (I didn't see this in my instruction book though!)

    I'm sure others will give you ad too on this site - they really are helpful.... is also a very good site!

    I'm 6 weeks post op. I'm rapidly improving everyday and now I do not use my crutches...

    Good luck and keep us posted!

    Simon

    • MichaelTN1UK
      MichaelTN1UK redduke

      Posted

      Thank you, Simon. Your reply has been very encouraging.

      How lng were you in hospital for? I have been told two nights...

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK MichaelTN1UK

      Posted

      You COULD make it out in 2 nights, my first one I had 4, this time it looks like 3. Two nights is quite ambitious

      Graham

    • redduke
      redduke MichaelTN1UK

      Posted

      I was in for 5 nights. Listening to other people it seems like an exception though. The food at the hospital was good so I didn't mind :-). It was so good to get back home though.
  • Thursday_Next
    Thursday_Next MichaelTN1UK

    Posted

    I had my right hip done and used the right side of the bed to get in and out of.  I think the physios recommended that side but in any case my bed at home made it the correct side for me.  I got my left leg on to the bed and then was able to follow with the bad leg.  

    Welcome me to the forum and good luck for your op.

    joan

    • MichaelTN1UK
      MichaelTN1UK Thursday_Next

      Posted

      Thank you Joan.

      Your illustration helped me understand as I was not sure which perspective "the right hand side of the bed" meant :-)

      Michael

  • racingcat
    racingcat MichaelTN1UK

    Posted

    Welcome to the Forum!

    I had right hip done, plastic/ceramic I'm 67 and have been very pleased with the result. In hospital and afterwards rehab clinic I used left side of bed at home I use right. Physio's will show you how to manage both.For anyone facing the op for the first time I’d say read everything you can and be prepared and post-op get on your feet, walk and do the exercises. You need to put the effort in for a good long term result. I live alone so found a lot of the aids recommended very useful, a grabber is essential in fact I bought two because I’m clumsy and figured I’d need a second when I dropped the first! Which I have done on numerous occasions. A long handled dustpan and brush and a long-handled back brush for the shower are also must haves. I did buy a sponge on a stick for the shower but the back brush worked well so I used the sponge for applying body lotion to the bits I couldn't reach. Before I went into hospital I put everything I thought I would need on high shelves and replaced my china with the plastic picnic cups plates etc. My main concern was if I dropped china or glass I wouldn't be able to clean it up before the cat trod in it! That worked very well. Ladies get your hair done and your manicure/pedicures as near to the operation as possible, it’s a morale boost and it will be a while before you can get them done again. I found some good stuff on Amazon, a foot scrubber [Easy Feet Shower Cleaning Foot Scrubber] , Sketcher shoes that are very comfortable but you don't need socks for and have a good gripping base [Skechers Go Walk 2 Super Sock Women's Low-Top Sneakers] and pet bowls on-sticks [No Bend Pet Bowl ]. There is no glossing over that this operation is no fun and it takes time to get better but stick with it and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Good luck!

    • linnet2015
      linnet2015 racingcat

      Posted

      Hi racing cat 

      Some really good ideas - wish Id seen those pet bowls earlier I wouldnt have had to partially drop the bowl and then food all over the floor but the dog didnt seem to mind!!

      Im looking for some new walking shoes so will look at Sketchers.

      Linnet x

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK linnet2015

      Posted

      Me too Linnet, cat food all over the place, and you can't get down to clean it up!

      Graham

    • MichaelTN1UK
      MichaelTN1UK racingcat

      Posted

      Get you!! Plastic AND ceramic? Thank you for all the suggestions. I will probably continue to use them long after I have recovered.

      Michael

  • linnet2015
    linnet2015 MichaelTN1UK

    Posted

    Hi Hogtog

    Welcome to the forum where you will meet all the wonderful Hippies and Hippies to be for help, support and advice. I had two THRs last year and I really dont know how I would have managed without them. I am now 12 weeks post off from my second op and doing ok.

    I see you have already got some useful advice and you are doing absolutely  the right thing preparing as much as possible. If you could it would be really helpful to give a bit of background about your circumstances once you leave hospital ie do you live have a partner who will help you or do you live alone?

    Grabbers are brilliant - I bought 2 , one for upstairs and one for down and tied a bit of string round the top so I could loop one on my crutch/stick and carry them round with me.

    A shoulder bag (messenger bag) to wear over your body to carry phone, meds (ipad!), flask etc is really useful especially early on when you are using two crutches.

    All you have to do is ask, share any concerns, or just have a moan and you will have so much support.

    Linnet x

     

    • MichaelTN1UK
      MichaelTN1UK linnet2015

      Posted

      Thank you for the reply.

      Yes, I am married and have a bell to summon my long-suffering wife with (although i am sure that if I actually use it, it will be placed somewhere very safe).

      Luckily she has taken two weeks off work and so I will have some help for the immediate aftemath. I hope that I will be more mobile by then.The village is within walking distance - perhaps that will become disproportioantley longer after the op.  

      I have been told that I can not drive for two months and will be signed off work (postman) for 3 months.

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK MichaelTN1UK

      Posted

      The ability to drive after 8 weeks is not set in stone, rather it is that you cannot drove before 6 weeks. My own surgeon said "not until you can walk without a stick" and I couldn't do that until 10 weeks. Unfortunately at 10 weeks I had to have a corrective operation, so I am now back to square one ☹

      The moral of this is that almost everything takes longer than you think it will.

      Graham

    • linnet2015
      linnet2015 MichaelTN1UK

      Posted

      Someone bought me a bell to summon him indoors but sadly (for me) he couldnt hear it once he went back to work! Ha ha!

      He went back to work about a week after I got home from hospital and its amazing how you can cope by yourself (especially if you are well prepared).

      Also there are a lot of hippies who live alone and generally cope well.

      Linnet x

  • Rocketman_SG6UK
    Rocketman_SG6UK MichaelTN1UK

    Posted

    Have sent you a personal mail with a website address that should help.

    No question at all, this is the best forum there is.

    Graham 😊

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK

      Posted

      For those who know my THR website, I have prepared an update to it with a blog of my operation this week, sadly I don't seem to be able to upload it yo my website. Must be the wi-fi here stopping me 😢

      So you'll have to wait until I get home.

      Graham

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