toilet risers

You will need to seek out the disabled toilet for the handle to pull yourself up on. Another way is to put the palm of your hand on the seat at the front of the seat between your legs and push yourself up with it. It just shows how weak the muscles have become.

Hi Diane, i had my op end Sep and i still have problems with some toilets, I try to use disabled ones if I am out, but have got stuck, on my own and had to pratically fall off, so know how you feel, .....

Hello Diane, it's nearly 16 weeks since my operation - went on a new bus today and found the seats were ridiculously low.  The older buses had seats that were at least at a reasonable height .  Not sure they where this idea of having low level seats has come from - both toilet and public transport.  You should find that you can cope with them in the not too distant future, as I have, but they do still take a bit of effort to rise from them.  All the best, Maureen

Hi Diane,

You would have noticed by now on this site, everyone seems to have a different rate of recovery, and what might bother some it doesn't others.  I was 3 months before I gave up the raised toilet seat at home...the trouble is in public washrooms the toilets come in different heights, obviously the one you used was very low....so you take your chance using one outside the home....I would not worry about this as it sound like you are doing fine otherwise.

I was just reading over my diary last night and I did not even venture out of the house until week 21 when I started physio (up to then I was doing exercies given by hospital to do at home), and I did not drive until l0 weeks, and oh yes, I could not on doctors orders shower until l9 days...so you can see it is different for all, but in the end I think we all meet the same goal....

It takes a long time. My doctor told me to spread my knees apart when trying to use the regular toilet, it's a little easier to get up and down. I try to avoid public restrooms but now I use the handicapped stall if I have to. I also installed one of the higher toilets in my house. Although they are only a couple of inches higher, it helps a lot.

I switched out both my toilets to the handicap-height toilets and also put grab bars by both my toilets.  The higher toilet makes it easier to get up, and the grab bars makes it even easier to pull myself up.

Hi Diane,

I'm 7 weeks post opp, and I had the same problem the first time I went out I had to go home to use my own toilet, I have since bought a plastic covered foam riser which I carry in it's own carry case, it just velcro's to the underside of any loo seat, also I bought a grip handle that sticks to any plain wall with suction cups, it all fits in my bag, works great for me, good luck with your recovery,

Lynne.

Reading this site I feel that for a lot of people physio isn't or hasn't been prescribed after this op.  I was taught sit to stand to strengthen my thigh muscles along with all the abductor muscle exercises.  Sit to stand exercises allow you to pull in your stomach and get up from the sitting position using thighs and stomach and to raise unaided. You should also be doing straight leg lifts to strengthen thighs and abductor muscles. Everyone recovers differently but I am shocked to see how little physio is done with most people on here.  

hiya Diane

I slid my operated leg out in front of me as far as possible to reduce risk of dislocation and this also helped put onus on non operated hip to take the weight when I arose from the "throne"  - this helps with all levels of reduced height seats. xxx

Yes it has happened to me. Even at five months while on a bus trip across the U.S.

Boy can I ever empathize with you!  Verrrry hard (sometimes impossible) to get up!  Used a potty chair that fits over my toilet at hoe, but once you start moving around u find all sizes of toilets.....even the hospitals have some toilets that seem like they r close to the ground!  I've been working on muscles with exercises recommended by pt but to no avail.