?‍♀️Hip Replacement #2 ?‍♀️ (Knees Welcome!) ?‍♀️

Charleygirl5

Grandmasue I do not understand how you managed to take two different temperatures.

I was asking you to take your body temperature- is it the type of thermometer to pop in your mouth? If your body temperature is 37.5 C or higher you should get in touch with your GP.

I have forgotten when you had surgery but there is a slim possibility you have a low grade infection.

Charleygirl, GrandmaSue hasn't yet had surgery.

15000 steps!!? Well done. I don't think I've ever done that!

Charleygirl5

Grandmasue I do not understand how you managed to take two different temperatures.

I was asking you to take your body temperature- is it the type of thermometer to pop in your mouth? If your body temperature is 37.5 C or higher you should get in touch with your GP.

I have forgotten when you had surgery but there is a slim possibility you have a low grade infection.

Hi Charliegirl I haven’t had an op yet. The different temperature readings are when I use the infrared forehead thermometer.
I had my gallbladder removed 10 years ago and I got sepsis, which I’d never heard of then. I was extremely ill and ended up with a huge wound across my stomach and I’m worried that it might happen again with a hip operation. I think this is why I’m not pushing so hard for an op, when I probably should.

Ah, thank you, now I understand. A difficult decision because I appreciate you do not want a repeat performance that would end up having your new hip removed.

Do you have faith in your consultant? I do hope so.

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well.

I feel I have had a bit of an up and down week, but nothing has actually gone wrong. I have just felt that I should have been making more progress, I guess it’s all in my mind!

My dressing has gone now and the wound is very well healed and neat, so that is good. It’s only day 23 but I think the ten days in hospital on iv antibiotics have caught up with me.

Also, on about day three, the physio got me walking on one crutch which made me nervous. It was only the day before that I had fainted twice and they were monitoring me closely.
I couldn’t see what the hurry was to walk on one crutch quite so soon.

Anyway, I have struggled to do this since being home so felt I was useless and a failure! Not a good way to feel when you are trying to recover. But I managed to do a few nervous steps today with one crutch but, better still, managed to get in and out of our car fairly easily, and pain free. I hadn’t left the house for ten days, only walking in the garden, and that probably is not good for the my well-being!

Just a silly question, how do/did you all manage when going out somewhere, maybe a cafe or someone’s house without a raised loo seat in the first few weeks? I think I totally overthink everything. How can I be concerned about that?! Is three weeks post op too soon to be going somewhere else? My husband would like to take me out to our local pub for a meal; they do have a disabled toilet.

I realise the whole recovery is not a race, I just thought I was not doing well.

Best wishes to you all for the weekend!

Well done iPadGranma. So far so good. I know what you mean about toilets. I'm afraid I copied by only going out for fairly short trips and making sure I 'went' before I set off!

Thanks Aveline. I was truly whacked out though...the hills were alive with the sound of my panting....
Hi iPadGrandma good to hear from you. Seems you are progressing though I woukdnt have felt comfy with just one stick after such a shirt time, especially given the ptoblem you had post op.
About going out, not sure I did but a pub with a disabled toilet shoukd be fine. Or go at home beforehand, dont eat or drink too much, and get home in good time fir another visit to your own facilities. You are right, recovery is not a race.
As for me, I really miss a bath so had a go at getting into and out of it tonight, fully dressed in case I had to call the fire brigade. I did it but it wasn’t easy so will keep with the showering fir now. It’s 4.5 months post op fir me, physio says still early so patience is required.
Onwards and upwards.

iPadGrandma I have tried to use disabled loos since my bil. knee replacements and I find they are about a foot off the floor so I have to perform half standing.

Some chairs in restaurants are also too low so maybe pop a cushion in the car in case you need it.

Or even take your toilet seat-raise with you...in a large but discreet bag of course....

After my hip op I went out for a walk every day in our quiet neighbourhood. I'd regularly meet several other 'hippies' and post op knee replacement ladies doing similar walks. It was very nice. We even exchanged names and promises of coffees after we were all better on our feet. One day one of them disappeared. It was puzzling as she'd not mentioned holidays or plans. Weeks later I saw her again. The poor thing had developed an infection in her wound site and had had to have the whole op done again. . She's fine now but had had a bad time.
I'm sure that's very rare but worth bearing in mind if anyone is having the slightest concern about eg hot hips or apparent irritation. The lady had had the very rapid in patient stay and sent home the next day. Maybe if the initial admission and op had been less rushed? Hmmm.

That sounds awful ? but worth knowing. I wish I knew people on RL who have had new hips so am grateful for our hip hop thread here.
As to speed of operation despite feeling unwell with a temperature I was discharged 36 hours after my operation. The hospital was closing for Easter! Every patient was discharged on Good Friday morning. I couldn’t believe it.

silverlining after my last knee replacement in 2018 I was in the hospital for around 10 days. Nothing wrong with the wound, I had a lot of pain and could not cope and it was known I live on my own.

I had my surgery at an NHS hospital without an A&E. It makes a big difference.

I was on the nhs but in a small private hospital.
Being discharged on a bank holiday weekend and the hospital closing too, I waited till the Tuesday before I could phone the surgery for advice. They sent the paramedic team round! Wasn’t expecting that to happen.

We seem to all have had different experiences but it’s turned out ok in the end.

There are for and against being operated on the NHS in a private hospital. At least the coffee and food are good!

I personally never would be operated in one but I am fortunate to be within 8 miles of a world-famous orthopaedic hospital and 100 years ago I worked there briefly.

iPadGrandma

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well.

I feel I have had a bit of an up and down week, but nothing has actually gone wrong. I have just felt that I should have been making more progress, I guess it’s all in my mind!

My dressing has gone now and the wound is very well healed and neat, so that is good. It’s only day 23 but I think the ten days in hospital on iv antibiotics have caught up with me.

Also, on about day three, the physio got me walking on one crutch which made me nervous. It was only the day before that I had fainted twice and they were monitoring me closely.
I couldn’t see what the hurry was to walk on one crutch quite so soon.

Anyway, I have struggled to do this since being home so felt I was useless and a failure! Not a good way to feel when you are trying to recover. But I managed to do a few nervous steps today with one crutch but, better still, managed to get in and out of our car fairly easily, and pain free. I hadn’t left the house for ten days, only walking in the garden, and that probably is not good for the my well-being!

Just a silly question, how do/did you all manage when going out somewhere, maybe a cafe or someone’s house without a raised loo seat in the first few weeks? I think I totally overthink everything. How can I be concerned about that?! Is three weeks post op too soon to be going somewhere else? My husband would like to take me out to our local pub for a meal; they do have a disabled toilet.

I realise the whole recovery is not a race, I just thought I was not doing well.

Best wishes to you all for the weekend!

iPadGrandma I'm wondering why you feel you're not doing well? I've been thinking about you and actually, went back to the old thread to see where I was at at around 3 to 4 weeks post op. I was definitely still using crutches when I was out and hadn't yet exchanged them for sticks. Mostly managed with one indoors but definitely needed the confidence of two in open areas. Another poster wondered why my progress was so slow (!) and I was truly shocked as I felt that I was doing really well. And I was and still am.
I ditched the booster toilet seat relatively early (hated it despite the relative comfort it afforded me) but if you still need it then yes, find a bag and take it out with you! Whatever it takes to make that journey back to normal life. Plan some treats for yourself. My poor husband was a bit aghast when I decided one Sunday, at the start of the season, that I really wanted to go to a car boot sale. Definitely a two crutch job and it really lifted my spirits. But he never left my side ?

You've reminded me how getting in and out of the car was such a challenge, would have been much easier if it had been my left hip that was replaced. I had far less trouble getting in the other side.

So in short, be kind to yourself. Your journey to recovery is yours alone and you have had some serious complicating factors (ie the septic arthritis & avascular necrosis) which will inevitably mean a more careful process. Many life changing events include a period of feeling quite 'down' after the event and I wonder if this is the case with you? Feel free to PM me if it helps.

I agree Charleygirl, I wanted to go into the local nhs hospital but after hip got worse I rang them asking about my appt and they said they had never received the referral, and I would have to repeat whole process via GP and would be back at the end of the list, so , reluctantly had little choice when the alternative was offered.
As fir better food and coffee I had little opportunity of experiencing it due to fast discharge.

silverlining you had not been admitted long enough to warm up the bed. I am amazed you were thrown out so quickly. You should really have been transferred to an NHS hospital to continue your treatment. Times have changed and not for the better.

Thankfully you have come through with flying colours and a year from the op you will have forgotten about it.

Hello Hipsters.. I'm now 24 days post new Hip.
IpadGrandma you are doing great considering what a rocky start you had.
I'm under instructions to used both crutches for 6 weeks, no post op exercises either, rest, rest don't do anything! Mine was done via my muscles they need to heal or apprently I could end up with a permanent limp, they have to heal.
So I'm house bound, it's driving me nuts. Talk about groundhog days!
Glad you are all getting there.

One thing about having it done in Private Hospitals, if I had my last hip replacement in our local one, I would have been on trouble. I ended up in ITU with massive blood loss due to Surgeon breaking my femur during the hip insertion.
Unless they have an ITU with permanent staff I personally, after that experience would not have any major surgery in the private sector.

I do not like to say this but if you are an NHS patient in a private hospital you do not always know who will be doing the surgery.

This also happens in the NHS because the consultant cannot do everything but there is always a senior registrar if the consultant is eg on holiday.

Visgirl I am wondering how your femur was fractured unless you had osteoporosis. Even so, he would have known about it.

Completely agree with you Visgirl, I really did want mine done in our local nhs hospital, where it’s safer if anything goes wrong.
It must be hard not being able to get about easily but you have done 3 weeks 3 days so more than half way through your enforced ‘rest’. Won’t be long.
I used a thin plastic bag on the seat to get into the car, swivelled round to the front on it. Worked a treat, bit hot and sweaty though....luckily my new hip was on the left so could drive automatic car after 3 weeks or so. I didn’t drive straight away though and kept it a bit.
It’s interesting how different some of our operations have been, surgeons with different rules about strict 90 degree rules, stockings or not, exercises or not. Equipment, or not...some of us have had assessments and lots of aids, others had few, but in the end we should all get through it and get back to normal pre pain life.
Have a good weekend all.

Kept it a bit...? I did not type that! Makes no sense, in other words, nonsense.

Charleygirl5.. Nope apparently the opposite very hard bones.
It's a rare but know to happen as a surgical complication.

The surgeon this time, said he understood why it happened, I apparently have small, hard bones.
So perhaps I should really be a size 8??

Morning all. I had a face to face appointment with physio on Friday and she gave me extra exercises to add to the ones I'm already doing. She also got me to kneel on her couch and crawl along it to see if I could kneel to work in my garden once more. She told me I could. So I have added the exercise and did 30min of weeding yesterday, now I have a pain in my hip area that wasn't there before. I am concerned that one or the other has caused this. Do you think I'm right in not exercing today and definitely not working in the garden? which I had planned for. I am feeling so great in myself and very eager to get back to a normal life but at the same time am scared of doing too much and having a set back. Think I'll just go for a gentle walk today, don't want to waste the lovely weather and definitely don't want to put on any more weight. I have gained 4lbs since the operation, has anyone else gained weight?

If it hurts don't do it! Pain has a function. I completely lost faith in physios after my first op.
Listen to your body and act accordingly. Only you know how it really feels.

GrannyLaine* Thank you for your good wishes, I think I am just being impatient with myself! I had another useful visit from the Community Rehab Physiotherapist on Saturday, and she reassured me that I was making good progress, as do my family

We went out in the car for a change of scenery and I was able to get into the front passenger seat, with new right hip leading the way, pain free. The plastic bag tip from SilverLining certainly works for me, so thank you for that suggestion.

Visgirl I am so sorry for your difficult situation, it must be so awful for you. We are hip replacement twins from August 10! (We have twin daughters). I send you my very best wishes that all goes well for you this time.

Am I unusual in finding the exercises time consuming and boring. Do others favour walking over exercises as more natural and more useful?