Hip Surgery Progress Report
Four weeks and I'm walking around the block!
If you haven’t had a joint replaced, consider yourself lucky. I found a report with statistics for 2021 that cited 2.2 million hip and knee procedures from all 50 states with the District of Columbia.
I’m recovering from hip replacement surgery on my right hip, September 24. This marks four weeks and I’m walking without significant pain. I’m walking farther and I’m feeling more stable on my legs, since before the surgery, my right leg was shorter. I had both knees replaced in December 2019 and February 2020, right as Covid was emerging. The best news of all is that the recovery from my hip replacement is far less dramatic than that of the two knee surgeries.
With the knee surgeries, I wasn’t done recovering from the first surgery when I had the second one. I need more pain medication, which comes with its own set of problems. I remember crying a lot and feeling intense pain in both knees. I was unstable, awkward, and discouraged. It took a lot of help from my Physical Therapists and Occupational Therapists to break through the pain and see progress. However, if we had waited even two weeks, I wouldn’t have gotten the second knee done, as they cancelled elective surgeries. In the end, it was worth it. During the process, it was awful.
Thank the Lord, this has been a less stressful recovery. I prepared the house as best I could, and tried to anticipate what I needed in terms of clothing with several simple day dresses, several nightgowns, and several pairs of slip-on shoes. I got a higher hip chair and two smaller hip stools. I bought two duffel bags, packing one for the hospital and the bigger one for the rehab place. I got my own hip kit, with tools to help me dress, and two grabbers.
One of the more difficult things I had to do was to use an old fashioned granny walker, but I came to feel safer using that one for the first three weeks. Then I began experimenting with my faithful red rollator and now I’m feeling comfortable going for a walk around the block with it.
And now, some shameless Grandma Cherie photo fun. I spent three and half days at Allen hospital and got great care. Then, on Friday afternoon, I was taken to the Martin Center in downtown Cedar Falls where I spent another six days. The staff was caring and compassionate, but of course, I wanted to go home.
My granddaughter, Nora, visited me with her mother at the Martin Center. As we chatted, Nora grabbed my walker and began walking towards the door but got stuck in the space between the big recliner and the bathroom wall. She turned and said, Oh oh.”
I found some music from Bluey, the Aussie cartoon that has delighted parents and kids alike. So, here is twenty two seconds of pure joy! (Nora dancing in my room).
Do you see a hip surgery in your future? Don’t stress! It’s much easier to rehab from the hip surgery than the knees. I don’t know that I need the other hip replaced but I wouldn’t be as anxious. The hardest part is trying to obey the precautions: don’t cross your legs, don’t bend hips more than 90 degrees, don’t twist, and don’t turn toes inward.
I’ve learned how to dress myself, use the grabber to pick things up, take a shower (supervised for now), and start doing some common household chores. The hardest thing is getting on my compression hose by myself, but I’m doing better.
My next big challenges? I can’t wait to get back in the pool to do P. T. And I hope to do some supervised driving next week to see how I do on campus. I feel like a teenager just waiting to be handed those keys.
In the meantime, I’m fortunate to live at the Western Home Communities, where I have access to so many services like P. T, O.T., at home aides, and Deery Suites for skilled nursing after a surgery. If you have joint replacement surgery, I’d encourage you to to do the physical therapy and look for a skilled nursing unit near home.
Sources
The 2021 report represents over 2.2 million hip and knee procedures from over 1,150 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and private practice groups submitting data from across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
https://tinyurl.com/4zuav59m — Amazon ad for Drive Medical 17100-BV Hip High Chair with Back and Arms.
https://tinyurl.com/53akp7bk — Activities to avoid
https://www.wikihow.com/Shower-After-Hip-Replacement-Surgery — Shower after a hip replacement surgery.
Love the granddaughter dance. Thanks for sharing.