👯‍♀️ Hips and Knees part 7

Welcome VerityMargaret, we all worried about hip operations , that was why I started this thread over 4 years ago. I didn’t know what to expect.
We aRe on our 7 th chapter now. That is a lot of information from a lot of people who have had new hips and knees. Someone will always respond to questions, worries and also make helpful suggestions for what helps post op.
Your knee has been supporting your hip so yes it’s possible the knee pain will resolve after the hip is replaced.
Easy to say try not to worry, because you will, but once it’s done you will be painfree and be able to get on with your life and be on here cheering others on.

SusieB so pleased things have gone well. Early days but you know the score.

veritymargaret I was terrified at the idea of going up and down stairs on crutches too. Please don’t worry, a physio will teach you how to do it and you won’t be discharged until you are confident that you can go up and down safely.

I already had unused crutches ( long story) so took them to the hospital with me for after the operation.
I was given two sticks which were much easier to manage than the crutches and when going upstairs you only need one stick as you will be holding on the other side.
You will see a physio before discharge who will advise.

grammargran. You mentioned other joints started to give trouble after a while
Not joined in on knees and hips before but I had both hips replaced in 21 / 22 with only thirteen weeks in between. I was in quite a bad place before first hip as they had to be delayed because of aorta replace ment. But the point I want to make is that after the first.op things got increasingly worse because of the discrepancy of leg length Surgeon grinned when I mentioned it saying he thought i would rather be a bit taller than shorter. Probably a cover up but true to his word he evened me up and after rehab no trouble at all
Others I know discrepancies have caused problems

Hello VerityMargaret .I am nearly 6 months post THR . I was very anxious about the surgery , putting it off , in denial , all through fear . The pain and becoming virtually immobile really decided it for me , I knew I had to have it done and im so glad I did .
I was frightened of all the things you've mentioned but I can honestly say that now , having gone through it , there was no need .
The surgery was at 8am , first down , with epidural and sedation , I asked the anesthetist to make sure I didn't hear or see anything and I had the deepest sleep and was cared for on PACU by a wonderful nurse afterwards . Surgeon said I was a text book case and after passing my physio assessment later that afternoon I was discharged at 6pm and home by 7.
I didn't have a single bruise , no staples , it was glued and I can barely see the scar now .
I was very diligent with my pain relief and exercises and I have healed well .
The difference it has made to me , the joy of walking with no pain , I have got my life back .
Yes each day of recovery brought new challenges but listen to your body , it has amazing powers to heal and recover . Some quicker , some slower . I wasn't in a hurry , I took my time .
Yes it does come with risks , of course but follow all the advice you are given . Try and eat well before the op and look after your immune system. I'm sure all will be well and you'll be so happy when it's over . One day at a time . Give yourself a chance . All the best to you .

Sounds like all went like clockwork sparkle. I was also glued, but still asked to return for an appointment to remove nonexistent staples. She dug around for a bit before deciding there were none to remove.
.
Never did understand why they thought I had staples, didn’t they look in my notes? It was over an hours round trip for us, but we stopped at a pub for lunch which made it worthwhile.
Just as the operation was worth while.

silverlining48 that sounds absolutely awful . The pub lunch was a treat though and must have been nice to get out .I was dreading the staples so very relieved to discover it had been glued . I did have a wound check at my GPs at 2 weeks and then again at 6 weeks and the dressing changed . Since writing my previous post about how wonderful it all was I've developed dreadful lumbar pain , think I've been overdoing it . Hope it settles down . Spoke too soon lol 😆

Twelve days now, my foot and leg remains very swollen but the physio wasn’t concerned. Just irritating asI can’t get my shoe on. It’s probably one of the disadvantages of not having to wear the elastic stockings. First day on my own today but coping (just) . I remembered my travel mug today and made a cup of tea then carefully carrying it to the lounge in my back pack . It will be much easier once I’m using one crutch. Staples out tomorrow and a proper shower thank goodness. I do feel a bit more of a wimp this time even though it’s only been a four year gap .

A friend of mine had to delay her TKR because she had a fungal nail infection so it’s something I’ve always been aware. But, blow me, after deciding that I needed to tackle the athletes foot that I’ve had for years but was getting worse due to the humid weather, I realised that I also had a nail infection. At least, I think I have because I can’t get a doctors appointment to check it out. Have bought all sorts of stuff in an attempt to clear it but I think the only thing that really works are the terbinafine tablets. I’m so annoyed with myself.

If you are sure you have an infection you must be on antibiotics. If you can't get past a receptionist to see a GP, ask her (slight exaggeration) if she would like to be responsible for your amputation?

I had to give great detail today explaining whey I needed anti histamines for my bil. lower leg lymphedema. This of course this was in the middle of the surgery but if it was a more personal area I wouldn't have been happy. I deliberately went into " medical speak" to confuse her, so heaven knows what the doctor read.

Sparkle definitely take things slowly. It’s very easy to overdo things. That’s me telling you to do as I say not as I did!

Another thing I just remember , always see the dentist first a check up before an operation.

For not first a checkup

Hello everyone, firstly please accept my apologies for not replying sooner, as my post was at the bottom of the bottom of the page (17) I stupidly didn’t realise there were replies on page 18! Thankyou for your messages and reassurances, I have now met my surgeon and waiting to meet the anaesthetist before getting a date for the operation. I am still apprehensive of the op but the the pain is so awful that I am hoping it won’t be too much longer. I hope that you Sparkle and Susie are feeling much better now too

Good luck with the op. The fact that you’re in pain makes the decision easy I think. If I was in constant pain I wouldn’t be so hesitant about having a TKR. I would like to start doing hip exercises along with the knee ones.

Exercise your other knee muscles and life will be easier post op. I had more pain in bed at night so that made my decision easy. I hope you don't have to wait long. We will be here to help you post-operatively.

Thankyou again

I’m at my partners for four weeks and am making an effort to do my knee strengthening exercises each day. I can still walk on the beach but am struggling with the walk across the dunes to the beach; my walking is painfully slow. So today I went into a mobility shop to see what sort of things they sold. I tried a rollator and found walking much easier. It was nearly £200 though. I explained to the sales assistant that I was only here for a while and there wasn’t room in the car to take it back. As I was leaving I asked him if they hired them out and he said they did. Why didn’t he suggest that to me?? Anyway there’s a huge charity shop nearby so I dropped in there and found one for £15 so I bought that and am going to try it out. Obviously can’t walk across the dunes with it but am going to try it on the pavement. Can’t quite believe that I’m using one; I feel as though I’m a different person; I’ve walked everywhere all of my life; how can this be the new me? But I need to push myself for when I eventually get to see a consultant again ( if that ever happens).

I use mine when walking to the GP surgery and pharmacy. Mine folds but I don't have the strength to do it. I can't use it on a bus because I don't feel safe if the bus is busy and also getting off would be a problem.

I don't care what other people think. I still use my stick if e.g. somebody is taking me somewhere in a car.

Mine cost me a tenner. It was meant to be part of a trial which never happened.
Although it has brakes, it is not a fan of hills and the pavements here are a disgrace, so I have to be careful, I don't end up face down,.

The weird thing is that I can walk uphill quite well: same with stairs. No problem leading with my bad leg. Wonder if it’s because I’ve always thought one of my legs was shorter than the other one? I’ve always walked with a waddle.

I was able to stop using my rollator after I had my hip replacement but now my knee and ankle have got worse I’ve gone back to it. I can walk further and faster with it, get envious looks when I can sit down on it in the queue in our chemist and find that while people ignored my white stick (I’m partially sighted) they give the rollator a wide berth.

I’m hoping that it will make me walk more upright as my main problem is the way I now walk makes my back ache and walking so slowly is very tiring. My partner walks our dog all the time these days and hopefully I can join them. I just had a light bulb moment at the mobility shop and realised that it’s the sort of thing that is sometimes only used for a short period of time and then passed onto charity shops. A bit like when Winnie was a puppy and I realised that marketplace was full of dog crates and fireguards ( I used the latter to protect my books and furniture). I can ignore a certain amount of pain when I’m walking; it’s confidence I need to regain.

I think walking on dunes is really hard for everyone, so don’t worry too much about it. I love the beach but avoid walking on loose sand as much as I can. Enjoy your break MayBee.

I am bumping this up. No time now, will return later.