How to prepare house before hip op

Crosstitchfan I only make what you call nasty comments when I'm irritated and/or exasperated by a poster. It was downright insulting to ignore the existing thread on the topic because it was 'just too long'. She's going to have to find a whole lot more patience when recovering from her op!

Lots of good advice here which I’d fully endorse! Wearing a little bag to carry phone/ book/ kindle from place to place helped a lot. I was fortunate to have my old boy around to help but I wanted to be independent as much as possible. I could very quickly make a hot drink but couldn’t carry it anywhere when using 2sticks so an insulated travel cup is useful as that can fit in a bag and it won’t spill! Do the exercises that you’ll be given several times a day and walk outdoors as much as possible, it gets you going and it also lifts the spirits! I found it very hard to sleep on my back but using a triangular pillow (called a poorly pillow in out family!) helped as I could have the illusion of turning my head and tell myself I was sleeping on my side as I usually do. Good luck with it all, hope everything goes well for you Bea65 💐

Aveline

Crosstitchfan I only make what you call nasty comments when I'm irritated and/or exasperated by a poster. It was downright insulting to ignore the existing thread on the topic because it was 'just too long'. She's going to have to find a whole lot more patience when recovering from her op!

I think you’re being very unkind to the OP

I have had both hips done. Avoid codeine. It stops all bowel movement and was by far worst part of hip 1 op. For hip 2 I told them beforehand not to give me any, just paracetamol and I didnt find much difference.

fluttERBY123

I have had both hips done. Avoid codeine. It stops all bowel movement and was by far worst part of hip 1 op. For hip 2 I told them beforehand not to give me any, just paracetamol and I didnt find much difference.

Difference in the pain level that is.

MayBee70

Aveline

Crosstitchfan I only make what you call nasty comments when I'm irritated and/or exasperated by a poster. It was downright insulting to ignore the existing thread on the topic because it was 'just too long'. She's going to have to find a whole lot more patience when recovering from her op!

I think you’re being very unkind to the OP

I’ve just checked. There are 4 threads with 1,000 comments and the latest one has over 700. The OP is just requesting a précis. How long will it take her to plough through 4,800 comments?

Oh well. Why bother posting our useful information at all? We should all just start new threads on the usual topics every day for those with short attention spans.

Well, you'd need a monumental attention span to read 4,700+ posts methinks...

Hi Bea.
Please stop worrying. I had a THR 2 years ago & it was the best thing ever.
I know every trust is different, but Northumbria Healthcare sent out an occupational therapist to assess our house & decide what aids I would need. (A firm cushion to put on one of our own chairs, a perching stool & two walking sticks). Bed height is important too. Check & see if your trust provides a similar service.
As others have said, you won’t be discharged until you can walk up and down stairs.
Everyone is different but I was able to walk without sticks after two weeks. Although MrA did the cooking for a week or two, I could have managed by myself with ready meals or things out of the freezer. It really is important to do the exercises the hospital physio will prescribe for you.
I hope all goes well for you & wish you a good recovery.

bea different hospitals and healthcare trusts provide different information and different assistance unfortunately. I found a long handled shoe horn indispensable (well I had two, one upstairs, one down), also two “picker - uppers”. Plates, pots & pans were all kept on the worktop in the kitchen. Try to keep food on the higher shelves in the fridge, it’s not advised to bend down to get the veg out of the veg box. You will be taught how to tackle the stairs and you do soon get used to it, but a bit scary to start with!
Good luck, I’m sure your operation will go well and you’ll soon wonder why you were worried!

Aveline

Crosstitchfan I only make what you call nasty comments when I'm irritated and/or exasperated by a poster. It was downright insulting to ignore the existing thread on the topic because it was 'just too long'. She's going to have to find a whole lot more patience when recovering from her op!

Your last sentence is the sort of thing I was referring to. I rest my case!

I am 5 weeks post hip replacement.
I have joined the long thread which is very helpful indeed.

I live alone and had no one to help but I was able to prepare my sitting room to sleep in there. My bed settee is comfy.
I have the kitchen and bathroom next door. I left my back door open during the day so that friends could walk in to visit me which they did and I had lots of visitors in the early days.
I was able to climb stairs before leaving hospital so I actually had a shower and was far more able than I had feared.
I still use a stick when outside as I get tired quite quickly and worry about ice, but I have no pain in the new hip which is remarkable.
I moved back to my bedroom after a couple of weeks and life is more or less back to normal. I have driven my car for a short trip.

Good luck with your operation. I hope it goes as well as mine.

Crosstitchfan- there is no getting away from the need for patience when recovering from joint replacement.

Aveline

Crosstitchfan I only make what you call nasty comments when I'm irritated and/or exasperated by a poster. It was downright insulting to ignore the existing thread on the topic because it was 'just too long'. She's going to have to find a whole lot more patience when recovering from her op!

Well .. I hope I haven’t INSULTED ANYONE
what I should have said was..has anyone who lives alone and had a surgery within the last FEW MONTHS…
they used to send people living solo with no family help nearby to convalesce but understand that this service is no longer available due to cuts in services..

Yes I will have to be patient with myself and not run before I can walk😀
But think your comment Aveline was a bit ’ mean girl’

Again thank you GNs with all your tips and info and your best wishes 🌻

You are entitled to your opinion Bea65 as am I. Good luck on your recovery. You'll have plenty of time to read then.

Aveline

Crosstitchfan I only make what you call nasty comments when I'm irritated and/or exasperated by a poster. It was downright insulting to ignore the existing thread on the topic because it was 'just too long'. She's going to have to find a whole lot more patience when recovering from her op!

I have found the Hips and Knees overwhelming.
It's not just Bea
And it's NOT about patience!

I know it's there- and know I'll read it at some point but sometimes we need "just a few pointers" to get plus started.

If we are just setting out we don't all want a text book, sometimes we just want a pamphlet.
We are all anxious about different things.
I'm anxious about my blood pressure and it's no use anyone saying "read the blood pressure threads" because that often is just too much.

We are all different.

Thinking of you Bea.

Aveline

You are entitled to your opinion Bea65 as am I. Good luck on your recovery. You'll have plenty of time to read then.

You really are a mean spirited person…
I’ve just read a couple of pages from the ‘bible’ thread.. apart from rollators
and sock gadget, I didn’t see ‘ house prepping..’

And just for fun.. I have spinal stenosis, left side scoliosis and right side neuropathy which ramps up the pain level and severe disability…so having a ‘go’ at me is offensive and as someone mentioned ‘nasty’…

Also still attending dentist due to brutal extraction nearly 3 weeks ago and having to endure ongoing dental treatment…

Have a blessed SUNDAY

I didn't read the whole thread Bea I just said hello and added myself to the chat.
Easy!

Maybe your new thread should have explained about your added complications right away.

I also hope the experience will be a good one.

I cancelled my cataract operation which should have been last week as I could only cope with one body part at a time. Now I'm probably bottom of the waiting list again.

My DH has had three hip ops and with use of his crutches was never unable to climb the stairs to get to the toilet. We had a raised toilet seat on loan which is necessary and we have a shower in the en suite, a bath would have been out, we were also given large body wipes. We didn’t need a commode but if it helps you feel more confident then you may want to borrow one. We were also loaned a wooden server on wheels which enabled him to put meal, snack or drink on and wheel it from the kitchen to the dining room or front room as he likes to be independent, after 10 days I am sure you will be able to prepare your own meals. The only thing I had to do was cook whatever he wanted and put his socks on. We had a home assessment and raisers were put on an armchair and the bed to bring them to the required height. We went for a walk every day and increased the distance every time, remember you have to get back so don’t be too ambitious. Hope all goes well.

I was also alone. No wife to call on sorry, husband!
The sockaid, which Aveline recommended was an essential.
I had to order it on line.

I was sent home, after 24 hours, from hospital, on New Year's day in the
snow.

I was given a grabber to pick things up and sticks.
Also enough drugs to become a Dealer. I had to inject myself daily with blood thinners but this was instead of wearing the tight stockings so easier for me.

Don't allow yourself to be in pain because it makes you tense up and delays healing.

Rather proud that our thread has gone on for 3 years but there’s no need to read through it all . We are on the 5 th iteration, which is more than 5000 posts.
Just ask what you want to ask and you will be responded to kindly by people who have personal experience of hips and knees and who want to help and support.
We all know how nerve wracking waiting for such an operation can be. Which is why I began the thread 3 years ago.

I need to go to Specsavers. I read it as you were preparing for some sort of hip-hop event.

Good luck with the op.

Sympathies about the tooth extraction. I had a molar out nearly 3 weeks ago. Went really well and I was feeling very happy with it. Day 5 I got dry socket. Oh my goodness the pain. Truly awful. After having it dressed and 5 days of antibiotics this is my first without taking painkillers. Such a relief

grammaretto, the matter of daily injections and anti coagulant socks varies from hospital to hospital. In this area, mid Essex, I had to do both! Luckily I was able to stay with one of my daughters, her husband did the injections for me, and she did the socks, which were hard work. bea65, some areas will send in a carer for a few weeks to put the socks on for you. The gadgets that you can buy to help put socks on aren’t able to cope with the anti coagulant socks. Some hospitals will prescribe blood thinning tablets, rather than the injections.

I had a thr a couple of years ago and had to manage on my own from day one as all my friends were still working and my son and his family were abroad. The OT did a home visit prior to the op and said she was amazed how organised I was (I do have a tendency to expect the worst so tried to cover every imaginable scenario!) Best things were the grabbers ( I had several and attached them to lengths of string so I could loop them round my neck, door handles, etc), a commode (getting all the way to the lavatory on two crutches was just too much so soon after the op), loose clothing esp dresses (I avoided trousers), a high, firm chair ( I had my Granny's old one), an overall with deep pockets that I could pull over my head and then put the things I needed to carry in the pockets and a travel beaker with a lid ( difficult to carry a mug of tea when on crutches. Obviously having someone there for the first week or two is a great help but I honestly think my recovery was speeded by the fact I simply had to keep moving and doing "stuff" for myself. If someone had been there I would probably have been more than happy to let them fetch and carry. I hope all goes well for you.