1 Comment so far

1. Kraftee on November 14, 2009 2:47 am

   I have had both hips replaced in separate surgeries several months apart. I too was scared. So scared in fact that I postponed the first surgery as long as I could. I was in denial that I could need hip replacement. I thought that was for old people, not me!
   However I reached a point where I couldn’t take a step without a cane. My world got smaller and smaller. I read everything I could get my hands on about hip replacement and decided that maybe it wasn’t so bad after all. I was fast on my way to being wheelchair-bound and I had to do something about it.
   I’m not sure what you mean by “what was the income from it”??
   I was in the hospital 4 days for each surgery. I had general anesthesia; some patients have regional anesthesia (such as epidural or spinal) with sedation. Either one works just fine. The surgery can take 1.5-2 hours. Time in the recovery room can run another few hours, then you are moved to your room. You may have a foam wedge cushion strapped to your leg and you may be wearing compression stockings. They get you up real soon (like on the first day) to stand and walk a few steps. You will think that they have gone out of their minds but they will not be deterred by your reluctance to get out of bed and WALK! You have several PT sessions each day in the hospital and before you are dismissed to go home they will have taught you how to do stairs & curbs. Also occupational therapy sessions that teach you how to go about your life without violating precautions – things such as dressing and undressing, putting on shoes, etc. I worried a lot about pain but it I found that whatever surgical pain I had was treated aggressively (I had a PCA pump for a couple days where I could push a button when I thought I needed more pain med). Pain wasn’t a big deal at all. After I went home, I got by on just OTC Tylenol for pain since I didn’t like the oral pain med that I was given. Getting a good night’s sleep was a problem for me and I think it is for most hip patients partly because they are asked to sleep on their backs with the foam wedge strapped on. I can’t sleep well on my back. As soon as I could I went to sleeping on my side using just a big bed pillow to prop up my leg instead of that foam thing. I had to maintain several precautions and movement restrictions for several weeks. I used a walking aid (first a walker or crutches, then graduated to a single crutch, then a cane) for about 3 months. I was dismissed to go directly home from the hospital. My husband was at home with me for the first couple of days, then after that I was alone during the day. I had visiting nurse and PT at home for the first 2 weeks. After that I went to outpatient PT for another 4-5 weeks. I was approved to drive at about 5 wks. I felt really good after the first week but was tired.
   After going through all this twice, I can now tell you that no one can tell to look at me that I have 2 fake hips. I can walk miles with no pain, no limp, take no pain meds and have my life back. That awful arthritic grinding, burning pain is gone forever. After I saw the result from my first hip replacement, you couldn’t keep me away from having the second one done as soon as practicable. I had it done 5 months later. I had an easy time with the second surgery. I had “been there and done that” and knew what to expect. I was walking without a cane much earlier. I guess having a good leg to stand on really helps. It’s a long haul but it was definitely worth it for me and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
   Good luck to you.