Hip replacement pre/post operation pls

@silverlining 48 @Fanny Cornforth & everyone else:
Thank you for your good wishes, I had my surgery on Thursday morning and it has gone very well. I decided on the day to have a spinal block with a bit of sedation (which I believe was Midazelam) I remember the anaesthetist telling me that they would position me on my side and put on a body hugger to keep me warm. Then they would take me into theatre. I don't remember being wheeled into theatre, woke up in the recovery room! A very positive experience. I had inflatable devices on my legs to protect against thrombosis - comfortable but very noisy. I won't lie, the first 12 hours were difficult and we had a struggle to get the pain meds right but they persevered and I'm on a fair whack of painkillers to keep me moving. Today, 48 hours post op, I'm dressed and have had a wash at the sink. I've had a walk down the corridor using crutches and we're going to do stairs this afternoon. So we're aiming for me to be discharged at about 3o'clock. The physio has brought all the equipment I'm likely to need: crutches, grabber, long shoehorn, foot washing device on a stick but also a toilet seat raiser as my affected side hip muscles are really tight and I was struggling to sit comfortably. We have a couple of Parker Knoll wing chairs, so we have just rigged up a second cushion for one of those. The care I have received has been exceptional and I'm feeling cautiously optimistic about my recovery. For those of you who are waiting for surgery,I wish I had been brave enough to have had this ages ago!

Good luck - I do hope your progress continues at speed. It sounds as if you have had excellent care.

Hello Grannylaine, so pleased to hear all went well ( once pain meds were sorted) and you will be home later today.

Please let us know how things go as I am 6 weeks behind you (and am still nervous).

Well done,

Sounds very good. Don't be scared of this op. I can honestly say that I don't even think of my new hip unless I catch sight of the scar. It's been a real blessing.

Well done.. I'm on the waiting list for my second Hip to be done but have to hang on as I had my Knee replaced just before Christmas. They want me to wait at least 6 months before a major op. Please it went well, when they did my other Hip he broke my Femur placing the joint so I left Hospital with a new Hip and a broken leg! But not putting me off it was worth the pain relief.
Hope your recovery goes well.. witting this on my exercise Bike.

Oh I’d forgotten about the inflatable devices on my feet. On and off on a regular basis and I found them quite relaxing surprisingly.

I haven’t had a hip done but two knees.
Back to (good) normal in six weeks.
Keep up the physio.
Wrap Clingwrap round knee when showering.
Use flannels as mini towels on healing area if needed.
Hospital automatically loaned a toilet seat.
It is all worth it.

Hello Grannylaine
It’s great to hear from you
I’m so pleased that it was such a positive experience.

A couple of questions if you don’t mind!
Re walking up and downthe stairs - could you do this easily before?
And what painkillers are you on?

I hope that you are continuing to make good progress and managing the pain well
As silverlining says, well done ? ?

I promised I would keep you up to date with how things are going here, though I really can't explain where the last 3 days have gone! Shouldn't speak too soon but today I feel I've turned a bit of a corner in terms of comfort (or lack of)

(1)We've set up an old fashioned tea trolley by my chair to hold all the things I need to hand: phones, notebooks, laptop, remote control, medications, pens etc
(2) Post it notes at the top and bottom of the stairs detailing correct sequence of crutch/good leg/ affected leg going up and down stairs.
(3) Drying after showering has been tricky and the simplest thing has been to put on a big towelling bathrobe and then move through to the bedroom and finish off the tricky bits with my hairdryer.

A kitchen trolley was the one thing which would have been a great help to me when I had my hip replaced just before Christmas.
In the early days when I was on two crutches there was very little I could do so the trolley would have been a godsend.

I also bought a thing called Sock Aid to help get socks and tights on. It works brilliantly.

Now I am virtually back to normal. Driving, doing the supermarket shop alone and walking more and more.

The only thing I was advised by the surgeon not to do yet is to pick up my toddler grandson!
I’m small, just over eight stone so it’s a struggle at the best of times let alone after hip surgery!

I will be reading these posts with great interest as today i was told by the hip surgeon i saw that he is applying for funding to give me a HR probably in about 6months if the funding is agreed. New x rays done this morning showed my hip has deteriorated even further which explains why i am in such pain. I will be going to a private hospital under the NHS scheme to have it done and that will be perfect as 10mins from where i live.

That's excellent news travelsafar

Also useful for carrying stuff is an apron or tabard with good sized pockets. I made a couple, but no doubt you could buy one. This one looks practical!
www.amazon.co.uk/FAVENGO-Restaurant-Gardening-Waitress-Catering/dp/B08MFGMZ8H/ref=sr_1_10?hvlocphy=1007423&hvnetw=g&keywords=large+pocket+apron&hvadid=338640109611&qid=1646243180&gclid=CjwKCAiAyPyQBhB6EiwAFUuakrk4cx13LZEYB1C7AgwWsZV5CAdporebTtx0mqwc1sm2y6lwrIcxhRoC5_gQAvD_BwE&hydadcr=18509_1793627&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=gransnetforum-21&hvtargid=kwd-303632338495&adgrpid=69536187978&hvrand=12759459701857297317&sr=8-10

That seems to have 3 in the pack, so quite good value

Thanks all fir helpful hints, I am Reading all posts with interest, the back aprons might be useful fir transporting things and the trolley ( yes I have an old one in the loft) will help. I won’t manage crutches so hope I can have a zimmer! Can’t believe I am after a zimmer!
Has anyone been offered a gadget to help get into a car, sort of spinning cushion/board.
Fir those who know, is a nightdress easier than pjs? If so I need to get some.

GrannyLaine hello, so pleased you are on the road to recovery. Please keep in touch. Are you still in a lot of pain?

travelsafar My op will be in 6 weeks on the nhs at a private hospital too. I think it’s the only way they can catch up with the backlog.

FannyCornforth how are things?
Jennifer glad all has gone well. Any more helpful nuggets of info always welcome.

I was told to bring nighties rather than pyjamas into hospital because the wound is inspected each day.
Probably for the same reason it was said that a skirt would be preferable to trousers whilst in hospital.
I’m not sure if hospitals supply zimmer frames to take home silverlining48.
I used one for the day of the operation only then I was on crutches with the physiotherapist for the daily walk. I then took the crutches home.
I managed to get in and out of the car fine by adopting a very ladylike method - sitting down first then swinging both legs in, having handed my husband the crutches first!

Just jumping in here with my experience. Had left hip replaced last June privately (£11,500)! All went very well at first but then pain in the right hip kicked in and if I had a penny for everyone who told me "that's what can happen", I'd be very rich today. So, from my experience so far I'm not gadding about yet as I need the other hip doing. Have NHS appointment for end of March when I suspect I'll be told I have a long wait ahead of me or, alternatively, back to paying private which has now gone up to £13,500, pity I can't get a tax break for using my savings as I imagine that's the road I'll be going down. I do have a slight concern that once I've had second hip done there will be something else 'wrong' with me to stop me getting going but I have my fingers crossed. Funny thing is it took about a month post op before right hip 'kicked in'

@silverlining48
Thank you for asking, feeling better day by day and actually have remarkably little pain. Waiting for a call from the GP to discuss my pain meds as I'd like to drop the dihydrocodeine as soon as its sensible to do so.
I should point out that the tea trolley I mentioned earlier ISN'T used to move things around - I don't think that's a safe option at this stage. I just keep it by my chair as it holds loads of stuff in one place

Grannylaine so pleased you are doing well. It’s only been a week.
Yes I realised the tea trolly is static. We will get ours down and give it a clean.
Really hope I get a zimmer though. I already have crutches and know I won’t cope with them. My pre op is at the end of the month so will learn more then I hope. Has anyone (apart from me) had a steroid injection which made things worse not better? I am trying not to worry.

Good luck to all awaiting operations. I had mine at 60 and it was the best thing I ever did. GrannyLaine your experience sounds very similar to mine and compared to the pain I was suffering before I was off painkillers apart from an occasional paracetamol by the second week and had little problem carrying things as I was on one crutch quite quickly. The worst thing was probably the itching under the dressing.

Re getting inland out of car - a large plastic bag on the car seat helps. I think I had a cushion on top of it. You sit down onto it then swivel in. Very ladylike indeed!

In and out! Not inland. I should have previewed.

Quite suddenly all the various items of equipment become redundant and you'll complain about them cluttering the place up. It was a wonderful feeling when I realised I could just put everything away or pass them on to others who needed them.

My lovely Mum ( long since gone!) Had a hip replacement and her op. was over 40 years ago! She was in her early 70s. I will never forget what a massive difference it made to her life! A wonderful success. She was a widow so came to stay with me to recover. The op. will be much more sophisticated now I feel sure , but it was an amazing success for Mum even though it was such a long time ago! I wish you well Silverling48 - good luck.

You have given me the confidence to try again for my hip replacement . I was offered one in lockdown, but backed down, I had a severe foot problem and couldn’t put any weight on it and so couldn’t have moved after hip surgery. Foot lots better but not cured. I didn’t know how I could cope alone but it seems many if you have.
Good luck, Silverlining.