tips for post op

Take any help offered as you will need it . Have you got anyone the children can stay with ? Good luck

Very difficult Steph, I hope you have a partner at home or someone to come in and help you, cos you're not going to be able to bend down for best part of 6 weeks, everything needs to be at mid height and unless you are very short or your children are very tall, you are not going to be able to bend down to them or lift them. You will definitely need help at home 24hrs for first two weeks and ongoing help after that for a further couple of weeks at least. You will also be very tired as difficult with sleeping, on my own it took me all day for the first two weeks to get up, get washed,dressed and make my food. I couldn't have looked after 2 small children as well. as long as you can arrange for that 24hour care you'll be fine.

I agree with Christine and Mary. You really don't realise just how hard it is and very tiring in those first couple of weeks.  You have to learn to walk again, even simple tasks like going to the Loo are difficult. We are all different but you will be pushing yourself to look after your babies when you will effectively be like a baby yourself. You will put you recovery back if you don't get help. If it was me, I would do this, (I know your circumstances maybe different).

My husband took 2 weeks off to look after me. If I had 2 small toddlers I would ask family to have them for 2 weeks minimum and just let them visit mummy every other day, trust me, you will need to rest.

if you don't have family who can have the babies, then your partner will have to do it and that means all of it. You need to step back and get back on your feet. Hard as it sounds, you have to be fit and well to look after your children.

good luck, keep us informed x

Hey Steph

I'm 35 and had a THR on my right hip two weeks ago today. Although I don't have children there's loads of things you can do to get yourself ready, I've done a little list, hope you find it helpful:

For the hospital: 

Obviously a wash bag with things like face wipes and mouth wash as you won't want to stand at the sink for long, take ear plugs (hospitals can be really nosy), slippers - as they'll get you walking after the first day, a swimming costume if they have a hydro pool, comfy shoes - ones you can slip on easily and that deal with any weather issues - I bought some new ones from H&M as all my others were boots or impractical ballet flats or had laces (not an option!). I've already worn them to death so definitely worth it.

For home: 

Bathroom - if you have a shower over the bath check out the seats you can get, I got a great one from Amazon as well as a suction handle for about £30. The bath seat just rests across the width of your bath and the handle really helps when you feel ready to stand. If you've got a walk in shower the handle will still help and maybe get a plastic chair put inside so you can sit down and wash. Move towels close to the sink or shower/bath so you don't have to hobble about.

Kitchen - move things to a lower height if you can and stock up the level in your firdge or freezer that is the easiest to access with things you can grab / cook easily. Sort out a food delivery so you know what food you have coming when and for the first two weeks make sure you have people to help you cook.

Bedroom - Organise your clothes beforhand, sort out the clothes that you'll be wearing for the next few weeks and put them in an easy to reach place, same for your underwhere/nightwear etc - much easier knowing it's all in one place than in different draws etc. Have a little plastic bag near the bed for when you start to do your leg exerciesed, it really helps your foot slide around and may also help when you start to get in and out of bed. 

General - get a grabber, I promise you'll use it a hundred times a day! Dont get a cheap one tho, my first one broke while I was still in hospital. Seperate your meds, I have a box in the bedroom and one in the front room so if you wake in the night or just a top up in the day they are close to you and you don't have to hobble around. 

Treat yourself to some nice louging clothes, seriously, you won't want to attempt jeans or leggings for a while as the swelling will hurt. There are some great joggers / baggy trsouers in Topshop etc - you're having a major op so why not treat yourself to a few new things beforehand! A small bag you can carry things in between rooms, it's exhausting when you move rooms only to realise you've forgotten something. Fill your bag with your phone, painkillers or anything you made need. Cold packs - I got two of them and in the first two weeks they have been heaven sent - when I get cramps in my leg or tension after a walk I use the ice packs and it really eases the pain. Having two means I can switch them over if needed.

Help - take everything you can. I booked out two weeks with my friends & family to have someone stay with me every night, they would help cook me dinner, clean up, help me shower (or be near by in case I needed them), get breakfast bits or lunch things out in the morning before they left for work so I could just get up and know ther was food in easy reach. The same goes for things like cleaning and doing the washing - I have actually got a cleaner sorted for the next few weeks and it's such a weight off to know she'll come and change the bedding or do some washing for me, wash the floors etc. If you can't do that then just ask your friends to help - someone washing the dishes or changing your bed will mean more than the bunch of flowers they bring - so don't be afriad to ask them, they will want to help.

I hope that helps - feel free to message me directly if you want to. You'll be fine I promise x

thanks all. My husband is going to be around for the first two weeks and I'll be relying heavily on my mother in law to help with the children. How long can I expect to be in hospital?

Hi

I think you hve got all the information there

Definitely cook beforehand and freeze for when you come out....Although when I came out my hosband had cooked for himself {I left the freezer almost full} and froze half of it each time.

My blood pressure dropped but they gave me a blood transfusion and I was out on Monday, {had the op on the Friday} 3 days.

If you have stairs.....make up a bag for yourself with bits and pieces that you might want downstairs. Like makeup l/stick brush etc and anyting like that that might be normally upstairs. My first THR I hadnt realised howmany things I used were upstairs and for the first few days I wasnt using the stairs vey often......I soon gathered a little selection of things that I knew I would need and kept them in a bag downstairs

Love

Eileen  UK