Hip Replacement: How to Prepare and What to Expect

This article, while informative, does not even begin to address the adaptations needed for the hip replacement patient after gettting home! I have had BOTH hips and Both knees replaced ( about two years apart for each) due to severed osteoarthritis so I learned what can help the most.
!) A raised potty seat on your regular toilet is essential. Otherwise the up and down is difficult indeed.
2) Grab bars in the bathroom and especialy in the shower ( forget taking a tub) are vital to safety.
3) When using a walker to get around for the first week or three, a totebag is very handy for putting things in to carry from room to room.
4) A COUPLE OF "REACHER-GRABBERS" help for picking up things that drop. A SOCK-AID is invaluable for putting on socks and those post-op stockings.
5)Take large size athletic shorts TO the hospital as you need to wear them post-op for all the PT that happens. Also take your favorite pillow and shawl/blanket, extra underwear and tee shirts.
6)Drink lots of water pre and post op.
7) For the week BEFORE surgery, try to eat a fiber-rich and bland diet. Sometimes a BM doesn't happen for several days due to effects of anesthesia.
8) At home, befsure the bed is high enough to get into and out of easily ( no mattress on the floor!) And be sure your favorite chair allows you to kerep that leg elevated when you are at rest.
9) Have a special firm pillow on hand to tuck between your knees so the new hip is not atressed. Try also to have a bedside commode ( especially for a woman) so when you wake up in the middle of the night you do not have to trek down the hall to get to the toilet. Some senior centers lend them.
10) ASK for help from friends or family as you need it. You will get better, don't give up on the exercises, eat well but not too much,drink fluids all day long.
Give yourself time to heal and know that it might take a few months but oh, it is SO worth it!

When are hip replacements necessary and what is the result?

I've seen patients who had hip replacements who were very satisfied. For ex, one patient was born with no acetabulum, the hole in the hip that accommodates the head of the femur leg bone.
I've also seen many dozen patients who had hip (or knee) replacements, went through a year of therapy and told their surgeon they were still in pain. They were told to have another year of therapy. After two years and being told to have a third they lost hope, some became bitter at the poor result after a major surgery. Others had to have the implant replaced.

Often with hip and knee the diagnosis is that the cartillage is gone from the joint and its a no-brainer that one would need a replacement. However... having treated tens of thousands of patients for pain and many hip and knee replacement candidates we've found that most can be "cured" by rehabilitating the tendino-muscular tissues and that they cause the pain and mobility problems in most cases. Followups a year later show they are still out of pain and mobile even with severe arthritis at those joints.

i was very confused by beachwalker's comments due to numerous errors, but i believe i now have the gist of what s/he was attempting to say. "forget taking a tub" i believe was intended to be "forget about taking a bath" perhaps? and "befsure" must be "before". helpful comments once one can make sense of them.

I had my right hip and knee replaced four months apart and now two years later have excellent function in both joints. I can certainly use the bath tub and do that easily but carefully alone. I do use knee pads for extended kneeling jobs - such as tiling a floor. I am like the lady in the ad who needs life lie, the one who has fallen and can't get up My method is not pretty and I would just as soon not be watched I roll over on my face. place my hands on the floor and draw my knees up one at a time. At this point i am on all fours with my rear end in the air. I bring my strongest knee forward push hard on my hands and the "good knee", then bring the other leg forward and i am up. If there is a piece of furniture close by I crawl to that and lever myself up.
This is major surgery and you loose a lot of blood with the hip but the knee takes longer to rehabilitate. My surgery was done with a spinal anesthetic and plenty of Versid so I was not actually awake and awoke in a pleasant haze I was out of bed and walking the next day. of course there is pain but proper medications take care of that. Also the nurses should give a stool softener pill the second night and the third day when you are walking to the bathroom expect a good bowel movement. home by car on the fourth morning using a walker .Three to six weeks of physical therapy plus exersizing at home should get you back in shape. If you have been given a list of the exercises you will need to do it is a good idea to start them a couple of weeks ahead of time. I chose to live in my recliner which was very comfortable. I was driving myself to P/T after two weeks in both cases. I am a very active 71 year old woman.
All surgeries are scary but the thing that i was most afraid of was having a needle put in my spine. I shared that with the nurs and the anaesthesiologist had me already asleep before he did it.
i would say if you need a joint replacent go for it ,but be sure you really need it and you are otherwise in good health and are prepared to do the work Good luck

I am sure we are all of various ages. There is probably a good spectrum of typing skills as well. However, I read one post which reminded me of a mistake that I used to make often.
I belonged to an online group who supported each other.
Many emails were full of typos or spelling mistakes. The moderator of the group needed to explain to me privately that some members had fingers gnarled by arthritis. Their typing mistakes were due far more to arthritis than to a lack
of education or a lack of wisdom.

Please remember that there are always others carrying
more difficult loads than many of us. Avoid judgments
because they don't really help.

Dear heartslord,
I am motivated to rehab the tendomuscular structures around my hip. Can you give me some direction . I can't get my hip replaced at this time even though it is bone on bone for several reasons.
Thank you, SArah

I HAD A TOTAL HIP REPLACEMENT THIS AUGUST OF 2010.
I AM 57 AND MY HIP WAS ACTUALLY FRACTURED. YES, THERE IS P/T AND DAILY EXERCISE ESSENTIAL FOR A FULL RECOVERY, BUT PATIENCE IS MOST IMPORTANT. YOU CANNOT RUSH THE PROSTHETIC HIP ADAPTING TO YOUR BODY AS THIS IS A 6 MONTH PROCESS. FOR THOSE OF YOU CONSIDERING A HIP REPLACEMENT, ABSOLUTELY GO FOR IT. YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE WILL CHANGE FOR THE BETTER AND THE ARTHRITIS WILL BE GONE. YOU ALSO TEND TO FORGET PAIN~!! MANY OF US, I AM SURE , INITIALLY HAD SHOTS IN THE GROIN, BUT THIS WILL EVENTUALLY KILL OFF THE MUSCLES AND THE HIP WILL BREAK , WHICH WAS MY CASE. SURGERY OF THE HIP HAS BEEN PERFECTED AND IF IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED TO YOU, DO NOT HESITATE.

TO GIVE YOU JUST A TIPS, A RAISED TOILET IS ESSENTIAL.
YOU CAN HAVE ONE INSTALLED,YOUR PHARMACY CAN DO IT FOR YOU OR GET A RAISED TOILET SET ON WHEELS.
A SHOWER CHAIR IS ALSO A MUST. THIS WAY YOU CAN WASH YOUR HAIR AND BODY WITH EASE, AS STANDING IN THE SHOWER IS TOO RISKY AND ALSO IMPOSSIBLE. IF YOU CAN GET A SHOWER HEAD WITH AN EXTENDED NOSSLE, THAT'S THE RIGHT WAY TO GO. AT FIRST, YOU WILL NEED A WALKER. I USED MINE FOR ABOUT A MONTH. THEN I GRADUATED TO A CRUTCH AS A CAIN GAVE ME ABOUT AS MUCH SUPPORT AS AN UMBRELLA. EVENTUALLY, I ENDED UP CARRYING THE CRUTCH AND FINALLY PUT IT AWAY IN THE CLOSET! IF YOUR INSURANCE COVERS IT, PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN BE DONE AS AN INPATENT FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, FOLLOWED BY A PRIVATE PRACTIONER FOR AT HOME THERAPY. I NEVER WENT TO OUTPAITENT THERAPY, BUT WALKING BRISKLY FOR 20 MINTUES A DAY IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE. WHEN YOU GO UP THE DOWN THE STAIRS, IT'S UP WITH THE GOOD, DOWN WITH THE BAD. AND IN SO FAR AS WEATHER, I STILL HAVE DIFFICULTY WALKING IN THE FREEZING COLD. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS EVER GOES AWAY. I ALSO HAD A TERRIBLE LIMP FOR WEEKS AFTER SURGERY, FEARFUL THAT ONE LEG WOULD END UP SHORTER THAN THE OTHER. THIS SYMPTOM , TOO, WILL DISAPPER. .....

I enjoyed reading your helpful hints. I have to put off knee surgery since I am taking care of my 99 year old Alzheimer mother. Some of my friends tell me to go for it but others have had great difficulty with knee replacement. I do not want to put my mother in a nursing home so I read, learn, and wait. Thank you for your advice and sharing your experience.