OT~~ Hip Replacement Help Please

You need to get this done when you are young enough to fully recover from it to be an active older adult. My grandmother broke her ball joint at 76 and has taken the better part of 6 months to recover but still isn't as full speed as she was, though she isn't a spring chicken any more. Her mother broke her's around age 80 and never recovered, needed a walker, and was in pain for the rest of her life. Pain meds are not fun things to get reliant upon. I don't blame you for not taking them to deal with it, but choosing surgery to get it taken care of permanently! It is s serious surgery, as is any surgery, so you need to be health as you can going into it and after. Use this time to plan your recovery at your home, moving furniture so you can navigate, remove all rugs to prevent tripping, get your bathroom cleared out so you can shower/bath without issue. Find a good sitting spot, chair/couch, and make sure that you have a firm enough spot for you to be able to lift yourself up out of it, soft chairs and couches are not good for that, so you many need a piece of plywood under the cushions to firm it up to get up more easily. Move things in your kitchen that you use, but are on high shelves that require lifting and can be awkward to lift so you don't strain yourself. Move items in the fridge from the bottom so you don't have to stoop to get to those frequently used items, the same thing for the pantry. Don't worry about polished floors because they can be slippery. Do some general cleaning as you won't be able to do it once you have surgery. Don't be afraid to ask for some cooking/cleaning/laundry help and go ahead and line people up to help you with them.

I can't think of anything else to help you except you will appreciate those little things you don't think about more often, as the little things become big things when you can't easily do them anymore. Get the surgery done ASAP, while you are young, healthier, and more able to recover more fully!

Thank you both, I just went to Bone Smart.....did not know it existed! Hugs!!

Chris

Don't forget body bath wipes.....feeling clean is a major part of recovery!

I am going to have to have knee replacement. I was totally opposed to all of it because I saw several people who were still in so much pain.

Then I started meeting people and people who had family who were doing wonderfully and started hearing, "It was the best thing they ever had done".

Then I also found out that all of these people went to REHAB right after the surgery. Those who weren't happy were the people who went home after the surgery.

So, i will probably have at least one knee done and am going to go directly to rehab (the thought of being away from home for 2 or 3 weeks puts me in a panic) but I think that is the best decision.

I hope you go through it. I know several people who had hip replacement (and my son-in-law's Father does the surgery (and the surgeon had to have it done to him) and all are doing well.

Everyone says you MUST do the work after ward to do the theraphy. Those that don't do the theraphy are the one's who don't recover well.

My husband has had both hips replaced during the past 2 years. His incisions were in the front, anterior replacement, I believe it was called. His recovery was remarkably quick. I can only tell you that he does not regret the surgery, even a little. The surgery was a breeze compared to the pain he was enduring. He was in the hospital only parts of two days, was sent home with an "ice" machine to hold down swelling, those doggone TED hose and NO physical therapy afterward.

Also, with this type of surgery there are rarely problems with dislocations.

Oh, btw, the surgeon said he had never seen a hip as bad as my husband's left hip. If they can fix him they can fix anyone. Know your surgeon, know the type of surgery and what to expect and get on with your life, pain free! Best to you.