👯‍♀️ Hips and Knees part 7

I had a TKR 12 months ago with a spinal block and light sedation. I had conversations with the theatre nurse and the anaesthetist who kept me updated but I felt nothing. I obviously wasn’t fully awake as I didn’t hear noises.

I remember the operating theatre was cold, noisy and the music was very loud and not my choice! In recovery I was shaking with cold so they had to warm me up quickly.
It was the first operation I’d ever had - at 76!

That’s good to know Nannytopsy.

Redcar, it’s interesting to hear what you’re saying about the operating theatre being cold and noisy. That’s not what I thought it would be like. I had a picture in my mind of the surgeons working away in total silence, which obviously isn’t the case

Orthopaedics is especially noisy, with the sounds of drilling, hammering, and banging. Depending also on the surgeon's choice and the volume of music, it is not all soft classical.

I was covered with a warming blanket during surgery which was very cosy!

Operating theatres are colder these days due to the air conditioning. They’re also noisy. I was advised to bring a warm dressing gown for the walk down to theatre and a heated blanket was used in recovery. I had my op under a spinal block and sedation and only heard a couple of bangs which didn’t bother me at all. The recovery nurse had to be quite firm with me as I was having a lovely dream and didn’t want to wake up.

charleygirl the music was about as far from soft classical as you can get! Hard rock as I remember, it had to be loud to be heard above the drilling and hammering!

So today I've had a phone assessment done , at the end I was asked questions relating to how active I am .
In an emergency would you be able to run ?
I'm thinking , well , I can barely walk any distance because of the pain but if someone was after me with a gun I'd probably run like a bat out of hell .
Can you push a lawn mowers, move furniture etc ?
No , no , I can't even put my own socks on at the moment but if someone gave me a million pounds I'd try my best .
Why ask these questions, am I going to the end of the list now because I said I could probably run in an emergency 🙃. I'm struggling to walk even a few metres at the moment 😪

I’m sure you won’t be put at the end of the list. The criteria is that you can’t physically cope with ordinary daily life, your quality of life is seriously impaired. Any one can do things in an emergency that they couldn’t normally do because adrenaline kicks in. But normal life isn’t lived on a constant adrenaline ‘high’. Assessors must know that.

Mind you, perhaps we should have advised you to accentuate the negative at your assessment

Well I've got my face to face pre op assessment in a couple of weeks , I cant walk without my stick so I'll try and redeem myself . The trouble is I won't be defeated by this and I push through the pain in order to get on as best I can . My husband is currently doing all the daily tasks I used to do . I'm not to sure how a telephone appt can give a clear idea of how bad you are . I guess it's to classify where you go on the list in terms of clinical need but I've had my appointment with the consultant and discussed my difficulties and the x Ray which clearly shows the joint is now bone on bone . Maybe I'm overthinking all of this and worrying unnecessarily. I'm just fed up now with the pain 😩

I really do feel for you, sparkle. The only thing I could do that was pain free was, surprisingly because it was my left hip, drive. Clutch was no problem.. getting in and out of the car was painful, though.

I hope you get a date very soon.

I very much hope you get a date for your op soon, sparkle. Surely having a pre-op must mean that the actual op follows on soon 🤞

Thankyou MaizieDand GemmaMack, I had a bad day yesterday , I'm more cheerful now . Onwards and Upwards 👩‍🦯

It may be marginally easier for you to get in and out of a car if you place a plastic bag on the seat, which will help you slide in. Try before surgery so that any minor issues are resolved.

Both of my knees were replaced years ago, but I still have to lift my legs in and out but I have it down to a fine art.

Did everyone have to shower with hibiscrub for a week before the op and change bed linen and pyjamas each day, too. My skin is really sensitive and I hate the thought of using hibiscrub fir a prolonged period of time.

Had to shower with a special gel every day for a few days before and on the day of the op MayBee, but I drew the line at changing bed linen and pyjamas every day- and no-one asked!

I had the phonecall this morning! Hip replacement operation on January 30th. No physio/occupational health sessions before then, so I am feeling a bit unprepared. Hey ho! The physios were very good when my knee was done, so I hope to catch up with them.

That is good news- two weeks time. As you are aware, if you have a question, just ask, and we will answer to the best of our ability.

Nannytopsy, Arthritis UK have a video of exercises to do before and after the operation. Look for surgery toolkit. I found it excellent and the exercises were very doable.

The exercises are ok but it’s things like how high should the chair be, what should I avoid, howling do these rules last that are not clear on the internet. I shall have to ask the physios.

How long!!

That’s great news about your op date nannytopsy.
I’m no expert but my understanding is that the hip ‘precautions’ (no crossing legs, bending more than 90 degrees) last for at least 6 weeks at which time you will have your follow up appointment with a consultant

GemmaMack the no crossing of legs used to be for life, and I cannot see how that could change significantly. The stems have shortened but the cup is basically the same.

The 90-degree bending used to be 3 months or longer but no doubt that changes with the surgeon, as some are conservative like me.

I found it wasn’t so easy anyway to cross my legs after my THR,*Nannytopsy*, but I’m always crossing my ankles!