Knees & Hips

Hmm, Pompa, DH IS usually right. I shan't tell him I asked!

anno - that must have been horrible. I am taking anti-coag tablets which make my skin itch.

I was told 6 weeks for the stockings, but actually wore them a bit longer as I waited till my follow-up appointment to finally remove them. It certainly felt good!

Thanks, mishap. My follow-up appointment is a bit early at a day under five weeks because the consultant is going on holiday, so I will def wait until then and hope he says I can leave them off after that.

I was so anxious about having a clot that I would have kept them on all year if they had told me to!

It is a bit worrying but I think I'm more concerned about having a dislocation, mishap. I just read somewhere on the internet of a patient who had to be immobilised for weeks until her hip was stable. That was because she kept getting dislocations. Oh, I know, I shouldn't look up stuff like that - it's not a good idea. I'm trying to forget about it now - perhaps it was all lies................

NotTooOld if you are not careful, I will be asking your DH to switch off your computer, tablet or what ever you have to google things like that!! Provided you do not do anything silly such as try to put the TED stocking on or off by yourself without help and follow the instructions that you were given, you should be fine. It is around 3 weeks I think since you had surgery- it would appear that all is well. Do you know what type of replacement was inserted?

Hi, Charleygirl! DH will not allow me to put the TED on, he's become very strict! It's metal and it was not cemented but I don't know what sort of metal. It will be four weeks tomorrow since the op. I am getting terrible itching from the Rivaroxaban but will persevere as I am seeing the consultant next Monday.

A week is okay I think as you have persevered until now with the scratching. Most hip replacements come with names eg one of the first in the 60's was named after John Charnley, the fellow who invented it. They have progressed hugely since then.

I go to the gym once a week and I cringe when I watch one lady twist and turn and also sit on the very low rowing machine, having had a THR under a year ago. I err on the side of the cautious but I prefer to be there.

Even when your 6 weeks are up, you cannot have carte blanche re your new hip. Hopefully you will keep us all informed.

Thankfully there appears to be one voice of sanity in that household and the voce is male!

Charleygirl - you are right - but don't tell him I said so.

NTO, you are right to be concerned about dislocation. However, provided you don't push the joint past being comfortable ( 90 deg, if I remember correctly) and keep up the exercises your muscles will get stronger. Depending on how active you are, you will start to forget about your hip surprisingly quickly.
I tried to walk about a mile a day, even with my crutches. My hip was not glued and I had to stay on crutches for 6 weeks.
I now have more movement in my replaced hip than the other "good" ? one. and never give a thought to it.
I can manage all my ballet moves equally well as before the op now. OK I admit it - I couldn't do any before the op.

That is very encouraging, Pompa. Would love to see your ballet moves. Mine is not glued either but I haven't been told I must stay on crutches for six weeks. I am actually down to one crutch now (at 4 weeks), so I hope that is alright. I didn't get much guidance on that either. How long before you could forget about the 90 degrees?

A very simple word NotTooOld, never! I cannot believe that you were given so little information pre op to make an informed decision whether to go ahead or not.

Do you mean never forget about the 90 degrees?! Even I bend over to tie my shoelace - granted with difficulty and it finishes up a bit loose sometimes, but I do it.

My friend who had his done 4 months ago happily sits on our futon which is very low and his hip is definitely at less than 90 degrees - I never sit on it, but he does.

I'm still careful after 9 years, to keep mine at an angle greater than 90 degrees. Sometimes it's an effort to remember not to cross my legs.

Mishap you should have been told to buy elastic shoe laces, tie them and then put on your shoes using a long handled shoe horn.

I certainly don't worry about bending my hip beyond 90 deg, I can almost touch my chest with my knee (if I wasn't 18.5 stone, I probably could.), never give it a thought now. Because I had pain in the hip, I went to Doc. He flexed the hip and commented that I had more movement in the replaced one than the normal one. The pain turned out to be bursitis, which has now cleared. I can't think of anything that my hip prevents me from doing.
I had my hip replaced about 8 years ago.

Elastic laces are a good idea, I started using them again when I had my knee replaced. I also use them in my garden shoes, nothing to do with hip.knee, just lazy.

I was actually given a booklet from the hospital but most of it is devoted to what happens in the operating theatre and to pictures of the exercises. All of that is useful but I could have done with a bit more information about what I should do after leaving hospital - hence all my questions to you lot! Hope I am not too much of a nuisance. I am seeing the consultant again next Monday and will be taking with me a long list of questions for him to answer.

I've not worried about the 90* either, if my knees were more bendy I'd be able to touch my chest with my knee. I swim breast stroke (they tell you not to) I stretch before exercise and often touch my toes to stretch . I do it without thinking and its never caused a problem.. I know several 'hippies' who ski, ride and white water canoe all things that might break the 90* .

Its not for everybody of course and its always best to adhere to whatever advise you have been given. I just think once you are recovered and your muscles are once again supporting your hip then everyones experience is down to their own common sense and how their own hip feels...

NotTooOld ask away with your questions it can only help ease your mind..

Thank you, Tanith. I am relieved that so many of you do not adhere to the 90 deg rule for ever and ever as I find it very inhibiting. Obviously it is sensible to take extra care and I won't be bending the rules at this early stage but I do hope to be less and less of an invalid as time goes on. I'm never afraid of interrogating doctors so I will certainly get some answers to my questions next week. Nice to know that I am not being too much of a nuisance on this thread, though!

NTO. You are still in the early stages of recovery. It is important to adhere to the rules and keep up the exercises. Gradually you will find that you will become more flexible without it causing any pain or discomfort.

pompa - never fear, I fully intend to stick to the 90 deg rule for as long as I am told to do so. I may sound a flighty piece but I am not actually mad! However, it is nice to know that I probably won't have to stick to it for ever. The 90 deg rule is already on my list of questions for the consultant next Monday. I will come back and tell you all what he said.

PS DH and I are referring to the consultant as 'God' at the moment.

The problem I find is that I was told all the precautions, but not when I could stop them!

Exactly, Mishap! Hence my pestering of everyone on this thread. I was told I could phone the hospital ward at any time if I had a query and I did try that in the early days - I phoned to ask when I could leave off the surgical stockings. Unfortunately, I got to speak to a nurse who's English I could barely understand (lovely though she was) so I didn't entirely trust the answer. Good job I didn't as I think she said to leave them on for two weeks and, in fact, I now think it is six weeks.

You sound to me as though you are doing really well NTO - let me know if you succeed in getting answers to your questions.

Charley - I have sent of for two pairs of elastic laces!