Need advice re: recovery from hip replacement...

[J Birder]

The walker will very likely not be needed, and may actually slow down recovery and rehab.


I used s stationary bike during my rehab, and I still do. If you want to go that way, I would suggest getting one with a flywheel and adjustable resistance. I have no idea if that one in your photo will help.


Overall, I think that you're being overly pessimistic. When my first hip went bad, I waited and suffered for years before I had it replaced. When My second hip went bad, I had it replaced as soon as I could.



Unless you wife has absolutely zero pain tolerance, or is severely overweight, I can't imagine that you would a hotel room for more than a week, if at all. She might even surprise you (and herself) by being able to get up into your RV immediately after being released from the hospital.



Joel

[Winemaker2]

The real answer to your questions is IT DEPENDS and is the reason for the varied responses..
How active before surgery?
How trim & fit?
How determined?
How comfortable with crutches, walker, cane etc
What are the surgeons recommendations?

IMO opinion taking conservative for a few days even a couple weeks has little downside as you can quickly make up any lost ground with diligent PT. Being too aggressive or risking a stumble / fall early can have negative impact on prosthetics/ bone knitting & strength. My surgeon was co B servative with crutches & minimum wt bearing initially... let it heal then work on strengthening.

Above doesn't mean dont move / sit still... quite the contrary get Up and walk every hour +/- with whatever assist your Doc recommends AND you are comfortable with. And I'll repeat.... ice us your friend for at least 2-3 weeks.
Operated leg should be very close to unoperated in diameter of thigh... if swolen use more ice.

[BP120]

I didn't live in my motorhome when I had my surgery but your large motorhome is similar in ways to a house....Stairs may or not be a problem - I think the strength of her knees to climb is a determining factor to climbing any stair. It might not be a problem if she is strong.

If you choose to stay in a hotel/motel, I suggest a handicap room so she can use the pull rails for balance and ease in getting in/out shower and using toilet. Try to get a 1st floor room. Since the floors are usually tile and slippery when wet, get a shower mat which you can take to the motorhome.

Although I live in a ranch house, I still have stairs to get into house from garage and have a sunken family room. My husband built a sturdy step for me at each step location which helped immensely.

Actually, the hardest thing for me was getting in and out of shower (a tub) and using the toilet. I highly recommend a raised toilet seat of some sort and a stool for the shower if you don't have a built in seat and a non slip rug for shower use. Also, a step stool for getting in and out of bed might be very helpful. Our motorhome (also a Monaco) has a very high bed and I bought and use a wide medical stool to get into bed (years after my surgery).

You might need extra pillows for sleeping and resting leg. She might need a sturdy chair to sit in while getting dressed. Will she be able to get up from your living room seating? Will she be able to keep her hip/leg raised while resting on the sofa? Again a stool might be the answer.

Also, pick up any throw rugs to avoid tripping.

If you are able, prepare or purchase some meals for the days when she comes home. Neither one of you will feel like cooking but a good meal always makes you feel better. Use paper products for easy clean up.

It is really important that she moves hourly even if she doesn't want to. Walking the length of the motorhome several times an hour is helpful.

I think using a walker and or cane is personal choice based on need, comfort level and balance. Will you have "at home" physical therapy? I did for about a week then went to pt. I did what I was told to do and recovered quickly, partly due to my health overall. I had an full anterior replacement 5 years ago and have had no problems.

Good luck to both of you!

[Tarcowboy]

Anterior surgery for me. Had it done several years ago. Nothing I couldn’t handle with a couple pain pills and beer. Got a little aggressive a couple weeks after surgery and dislocated it down in my shop. Once the ball cleared the socket the muscles in my leg contracted and the end of my femur ended up by my waist. Luckily had my phone and called ambulance to come and get me. NOT a pleasant experience. Been very solid since. Thank God we have the technology to do these types of surgery. I can’t imagine living with my hip the way it was for the rest of my life..

[BP120]

"My DW got an unexpected call from Kaiser Permanente this morning telling her she is on the schedule for a hip replacement on Monday, March 14th"

How is she doing?

[FL420]

Originally Posted by BP120

How is she doing?

I apologize for not getting back to y'all that have offered your support, experiences and tips. She is doing very well and is so very relieved to be able to function, both awake and asleep, almost completely pain free thanks to all of you. Oh, and to the doctors, nurses and therapists.
Her hour and a half long surgery started at 2:00 PM and I put her in the car before it got dark to go to the extended-stay hotel we stayed in for two weeks. During her time in the recovery room she was visited by a physical therapist who showed her how to use the walker and to handle going up and down stairs. That was followed by an occupational therapist who showed her how to use the bathroom facilities, get dressed and how to get in and out of bed safely.
One important point the OT emphasized was to sleep with a pillow between her knees so that when she turned onto her good side in her sleep gravity couldn't cause her knees to touch which could cause pressure on her new femur head to possibly pry it out of the new socket. Apparently it's more of a concern with women and their wider pelvises than it is with men.
She used the walker with 2 front wheels to get to and from the toad. Getting into the toad was the first painful task. She was able to ease her entry using a removable assist handle as seen in pic #1 below.
I had booked a handicapped accessible room online but one never became available during the 2 weeks we ended up staying. It worked out okay as the "suite" had a king bed, good walking room, a sofa where she could stretch out with her feet propped up higher than her heart, a big refrigerator, kitchen sink, microwave and induction cooktop.
Since the Hotel Manager felt bad about not having an ADA room available she offered to buy a shower seat(pic #2) and a very useful toilet riser(pic #3) for her use during our stay. The last pic #4 is of the walker, her pickup tool, the adjustable height stool for stair PT and getting in and out of bed and the exercise pedal gizmo for PT on her range of motion with adjustable resistance. We did rent an ice water circulating machine as was recommended for 2 weeks which helped immensely.
We're now in a state park handicapped campsite with concrete providing good footing instead of gravel and it's getting warm enough for her to sit in the sun with her back to the picnic table and pedal away as long as she wants to.
Some surprises we experienced:
Full hip replacement surgery on an outpatient basis in less than half a day.
The surgeon didn't use sutures or staples to close her incision. He used glue which to my surprise is still doing the job more than 3 weeks later.
Other than 30-45 minutes each with a PT and an OT therapist before discharge there was no followup PT or OT. I think it's okay in this type of surgery. I was not happy with the limited PT and OT I got from Kaiser Permanente after my right rotator cuff repair and my right total wrist fusion. I got much more and much better PT after a previous left rotator cuff repair and left wrist repair after a job-related injury covered by Workman's Comp. WC patients are usually the least satisfied with their treatment than other patients with insurance or paying out-of-pocket.
Again, thanks to all of you who took the interest and the time to make our recent journey much easier and relatively stress free.

[FL420]

I forgot to mention the most important pain relief device. I have had a LazyBoy electric recliner next to the bed since we bought the coach. It's been invaluable for easing my back pain from severe osteoarthritis and recently severe sciatica.
My 2 sons moved it from the coach into the hotel room and later back into the coach. My DW has grown quite fond of it since the surgery. It's always been first come first served but it was almost always available when I needed it. Now it's more like 50/50. I am happy to share.
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[BP120]

Glad to hear everything is going well. Keep up the good work and take care.