Hip Replacement Surgery Recovery Time

[Psychodisney]

Your DH catching strep is bad! The only other surgery my DH has had was to repair his Achilles tendon 15 years ago. The surgery went well, but he got a post surgery staph infection that started 18 weeks of awfulness. I think that's why I am so concerned about his hip replacement surgery.

I am so excited for him to get his new hip. He has been in constant pain these last few months. Some days he is barely able to walk. We borrowed a shower seat, cane and walker from friends who've also had hip replacements. We are buying the raised toilet seat just in case. He's 6'5", so the toilet is pretty low to begin with. I'm going to tell my boss he'll need to find someone else to cover for him. I am just not comfortable leaving DH alone for 2 full days 6 days his surgery. Thank you all for sharing your experiences and helping solidify my decision. As for the beach - DH still wants to keep his options open, although we probably will not end up going. He's such an optimist!

Surgery is July 24th. @Hrhpd I'll let you know how everything goes.

Yes the strep was awful. He was running a fever and had terrible back pain about 3 days post op. I was worried about the incision, so we went back to the surgeon first to remove the cast. Looked perfect so we went to his regular Doc and they strep tested him. He handles orthopedic pain like a champ but doens't handle being sick very well! I was so glad when the antibiotics kicked in!

Is the friend he borrowed the can and walker as tall as your DH? 6'5" is tall!

Good call on the toilet seat with those long legs. Better to have and not need than to need and not have! We used this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Drive-Seat-Riser-with-Removable-Arms-12402/204372198 The arms came in handy in our situation.

 

[Psychodisney]

Just thought of something else too...being 6'5"...check the weight limit (duty rating) on the shower chair and toilet seat. I bought a heavy duty shower seat for my DH and still had issues with it.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Yes the strep was awful. He was running a fever and had terrible back pain about 3 days post op. I was worried about the incision, so we went back to the surgeon first to remove the cast. Looked perfect so we went to his regular Doc and they strep tested him. He handles orthopedic pain like a champ but doens't handle being sick very well! I was so glad when the antibiotics kicked in!

Is the friend he borrowed the can and walker as tall as your DH? 6'5" is tall!

Good call on the toilet seat with those long legs. Better to have and not need than to need and not have! We used this one: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Drive-Seat-Riser-with-Removable-Arms-12402/204372198 The arms came in handy in our situation.

Good point - I need to have DH check how tall the people he borrowed stuff from are. A correct fit is important.

 

[ols386]

Good point - I need to have DH check how tall the people he borrowed stuff from are. A correct fit is important.

FYI walkers and canes are height adjustable. At least the ones I’ve seen.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

FYI walkers and canes are height adjustable. At least the ones I’ve seen.

Yes, DH brought them home last night. The cane and walker are both adjustable, and the person he borrowed them from is also the same height/weight as well.

 

[Psychodisney]

FYI walkers and canes are height adjustable. At least the ones I’ve seen.

Of course they are...but they have ranges that they can be adjusted to!

 

[ols386]

I had hip replacement in April this year. 1-2 weeks with walker, then couple weeks with cane. In-home PT. Used shower chair for couple days (more trouble than what it was worth), no riser seat on toilet needed, I’m short. I couldn’t imagine me going on the beach trip as early as what you were asking about. It was my right hip so surgeon said no driving for six weeks. Bandage was sealed and waterproof, and removed at my post-op visit. I thought the surgery would have been easier than what it was...just my personal experience. Wishing all the best for your DH.

 

[ols386]

Of course they are...but they have ranges that they can be adjusted to!

Right. Was just trying to be helpful.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

OP here -

DH had his hip replacement surgery today. We got to the hospital at 6:30 AM. He spent close to 2 hours in pre op. The surgery lasted about 3 hours. Then he spent 4 plus hours in recovery. Recovery took so long because the joint replacement floor is the busiest in the hospital. They needed to get other patients discharged and rooms cleaned before they could move new patients in. I got his room number at 4:30. He was finally wheeled in at 5:00 PM. I finally got home at 7:30. Long day!!!

His pain level was very low when he got to his room. He is still hooked up to an IV, a catheter, a pulse ox finger thing and has compression cuffs on his lower legs to prevent blood clots. He also has to breathe deeply/inhale on this contraption that looks sort of like a water pitcher (an incentive spirometer) to keep his lungs full of oxygen and to prevent fluid build up/pneumonia. His IV contains fluids and an antibiotic. In recovery they also put pain meds in his IV. In addition they gave him 1000 mg of Tylenol at 6:00 PM. He thinks he got Celebrex at 9:00 PM because he started to feel sore. The surgeon also implanted a pain med cocktail right in the new joint during surgery (sounds weird but this is the way the nurse explained it). The nurse has been in to take vital signs every hour, and two people came by to do a skin check to make sure nothing from the surgery was stuck anywhere on his body.
He was able to order dinner and get another snack later in the evening, so his appetite is good.

The best thing is within an hour of getting to his room, the PT and her assistant came in, got him sitting up. Then with a walker, the two PTs put a belt around his middle and helped him to walk from the bed to the door and back. He said it felt very stiff but good. He is so excited to be on the mend! I think they'll get him up two more times tomorrow before he gets released, and they'll make him do some stairs as well.

I'll keep you posted on his progress.

PS - The 2 day work meeting got moved forward to July 30-31. I told my boss that was way too soon to leave DH alone after such a big surgery. He agreed, so he got someone else to cover for him.

 

[low-key]

If you have been getting tired of him, now would be a good time to leave

 

[ols386]

Glad it sounds like his surgery went well. Getting back home will be good. Probably get more rest at home vs hospital. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Glad it sounds like his surgery went well. Getting back home will be good. Probably get more rest at home vs hospital. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

Thank you so much for the well wishes!

The hardest part about getting DH home was getting him in and out of the car. It is really hard for him to bend and lift up his left leg (left hip is the new one). He has been very good about taking his pain meds (5mg Oxy - he can take 1 or 2 tablets, 1000 mg Tylenol every 3-4 hours) as well as Colace and Miralax to keep things moving. He spent yesterday on the couch with the TV, his computer and his grabber (you really need one of these!). The couch was a little too low, and it was very hard for him to get up and down from it. At night he moved to our bed, which is very high. He thought this would be better, but it wasn't. He could not get comfortable. He ended up moving to the recliner in our game room. He says the recliner is a Godsend. It is way more comfortable than the couch or bed. And it is much easier for him to get up and down from. The bathroom is also right across the hall, and the game room also has a TV. He spent the whole night in there with pillows and a light blanket. This morning I moved all his stuff in there because that's where he's decided to spend the day. @Hrhpd if you don't have a recliner, you may want to borrow one.

He had been trying to take only Tylenol and the 5 mg of Oxy, but last night he just couldn't do it. He had to go up to 2 Oxy pills. He's also been icing regularly and getting up to walk every hour. He is doing really well getting up and down from the recliner on his own and walking with the walker. He even did well going up the stairs to our bedroom last night. I am really impressed, but I don't want him to over do it. Everything wipes him out, and he is really really tired!

He's going to take a shower today. Then I'll know whether we need to borrow the shower seat from his buddy. We either bought or borrowed the following: walker with 2 wheels, cane (needed for the stairs), 32 inch grabber (he uses this a lot), 5 inch raised toilet seat (He didn't think he wanted this until the OT made him sit on the toilet seat in the hospital. At 6'5", it was hard enough with the raised seat, and we have the standard low toilets at home!). He is also using a belt to move his left leg around. (ETA: he already had a sock slider and bath brush). PT and Home Health start coming to the house this afternoon.

 

[willowsnn3]

Glad to hear he is doing well.
My dd picked me up from hospital in her van which was just the right height getting in & out. I would not have been able to get in my SUV or a lower car.
Sofa & recliners were a big no no for me for at least a week after surgery. The PT's all said no. The home PT sat on my (new) sofa which has dual recliners and said it was too low and soft for right after surgery. With the second replacement I tried sitting in the recliner right away and while it was comfortable while sitting, I noticed I would have a little pain after getting up so I waited a few more days before trying again. I had two straight back chairs with arms that I rotated sitting in and that while not very comfortable, made getting up and down easier and no after discomfort.

Hoping for your dh all that will be a distant memory and many pain free days ahead!

 

[shoney]

My mom had it down 8 days ago.
She was up and out of bed a few hours after surgery.
Home the next day. No pain meds other than Tylenol.
She is now walking around without the walker. She said this surgery was nothing like the other side 5 years ago.

 

[Kirk]

Had my left hip replaced 4 years ago. They had me walking around the unit the next day with a walker. I went home alone after 3 days. I was concerned about that and asked my doctor if I should do some rehab time. He said if I wanted to heal fast I should do as much as I can on my own. He was right. I slept in a recliner for a week but forced myself to get up on my own to the restroom, shower, food and drink. I was back at work in 2 weeks but it really took about 6 months to recover. A forums site that I found extremely useful that is dedicated to Joint Replacement:

BoneSmart

Prior to surgery I made it a point to go through a number of recovery stories there to know what to expect. I bought just about anything I came across to help me recover. I didn't end up really needing a high riser for the toilet but was really glad I bought the good LazyBoy electric recliner that I could lift myself out of. Shower chair I only used a couple times but still feel it was needed.

Get a good "Hip Kit" if you haven't already (Reacher, sock helper, long shoe horn, bath brush, etc.) You can get one at Amazon for $30 to $40.

Something I wish I had paid more attention to but quickly figured out on my own was the need for a "toileting aid" or better yet a bidet. I had zero flexibility for a couple weeks but then I was not in the best of shape at the time.

 

[Psychodisney]

Every day will be a little bit better! Glad to here he's home!

 

[OKW8297]

Thank you for start I this thread and updating. Had a cortisone shot in my right hip today-it’s bone on bone, and I’m probably facing surgery. Have already been told by ortho that it will be posterior because I lost a lot of weight, have extra skin, and would be an infection risk with an anterior a roach. I’m almost 51 and glad to know I’m not alone!

 

[clh2]

My neighbor had 1 hip done in mid-August, and had the other hip replaced 3 weeks later.this way, he only had one FMLA, one disability, maxed out on his deductibles. He went back to work at the beginning of January. Originally, he was supposed to go back about thanksgiving, but the dr thought his job was too physical for the amount of work that had been done.

He was up walking on our street with his TED’s on using his walker about 3 days post procedure.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

My neighbor had 1 hip done in mid-August, and had the other hip replaced 3 weeks later.this way, he only had one FMLA, one disability, maxed out on his deductibles. He went back to work at the beginning of January. Originally, he was supposed to go back about thanksgiving, but the dr thought his job was too physical for the amount of work that had been done.

He was up walking on our street with his TED’s on using his walker about 3 days post procedure.

DH is going to try and have the second one done in 6 weeks. That's the earliest his doctor will do it. We have high deductible insurance, so he needs to do them both in 2018 and be ready for our Christmas cruise! Plus the 2nd hip is just as bad as the first one.

 

[Hrhpd]

Thank you so much for the well wishes!

The hardest part about getting DH home was getting him in and out of the car. It is really hard for him to bend and lift up his left leg (left hip is the new one). He has been very good about taking his pain meds (5mg Oxy - he can take 1 or 2 tablets, 1000 mg Tylenol every 3-4 hours) as well as Colace and Miralax to keep things moving. He spent yesterday on the couch with the TV, his computer and his grabber (you really need one of these!). The couch was a little too low, and it was very hard for him to get up and down from it. At night he moved to our bed, which is very high. He thought this would be better, but it wasn't. He could not get comfortable. He ended up moving to the recliner in our game room. He says the recliner is a Godsend. It is way more comfortable than the couch or bed. And it is much easier for him to get up and down from. The bathroom is also right across the hall, and the game room also has a TV. He spent the whole night in there with pillows and a light blanket. This morning I moved all his stuff in there because that's where he's decided to spend the day. @Hrhpd if you don't have a recliner, you may want to borrow one.

He had been trying to take only Tylenol and the 5 mg of Oxy, but last night he just couldn't do it. He had to go up to 2 Oxy pills. He's also been icing regularly and getting up to walk every hour. He is doing really well getting up and down from the recliner on his own and walking with the walker. He even did well going up the stairs to our bedroom last night. I am really impressed, but I don't want him to over do it. Everything wipes him out, and he is really really tired!

He's going to take a shower today. Then I'll know whether we need to borrow the shower seat from his buddy. We either bought or borrowed the following: walker with 2 wheels, cane (needed for the stairs), 32 inch grabber (he uses this a lot), 5 inch raised toilet seat (He didn't think he wanted this until the OT made him sit on the toilet seat in the hospital. At 6'5", it was hard enough with the raised seat, and we have the standard low toilets at home!). He is also using a belt to move his left leg around. (ETA: he already had a sock slider and bath brush). PT and Home Health start coming to the house this afternoon.

So glad it went well! We do have a recliner and it is in front of the tv, so thanks for the suggestion. It will be a good spot to park. Funny, the first surgeon I interviewed said recliners and couches were off limits for 6 weeks, only a hard chair with arms. That is what convinced me on the anterior vs posterior which had so many rules to keep from dislocating.