To ask about your hip replacement experiences?

[Purplesilkpyjamas]

Also ask how you had to set up your home for when you came back from hospital. Any advice?

I know when my dad had his, he had a raised toilet seat and purching stool for the sink. He was able to do the stairs on discharge. Had exercises to do. My dad was 62 when he had his done and had no other health concern, so it was a good recovery and 6 years later, you wouldn't know he'd had one! My mum's knee replacement is a whole other story though!

Thanks. Did your dad have to sleep downstairs? Bathroom is upstairs.

I had one. You just sleep upstairs and go downstairs in the morning. No big deal. Just rest a lot at the beginning as you're so tired.

My mum had hers done a few years ago now. Their sofa and kitchen chairs were assessed as being high enough so didn't need any adaptations at home, just a cushion for the car. Still slept upstairs - one of the discharge criteria was being able to do the stairs!

She didn't find the pain too bad but struggled to sleep as she normally sleeps on her side and this wasn't allowed. Tiredness was unsurprisingly therefore much more of an issue than pain. But the long term effects have been absolutely transformative!

Best thing I ever did. I hired a frame for the loo to help me get on and off and used sticks to get up and down stairs. But I only needed them for a few days.
As PP said, sleeping was harder as I couldn’t sleep on my side. After a week or so I could if I put a pillow between my knees.
But recovery was very quick and six months on I can do everything I could Pre-arthritis.

Best. Thing. I. Ever. Did!
At age 45. Stayed in hospital for 2 days. I had crutches and height adjusters for the sofa. Raised seat for the loo and a perching stool for the bathroom. Also a grabby stick to pick things off the floor. The hardest thing was learning to sleep on my back. I was in tears for the first two nights as I just couldn't sleep. Now I sleep on my back all the time and feel so much better for it!

I think I rushed my recovery a bit at the beginning; I was overwhelmed by the wonderful feeling of not being in pain any more and started walking for miles and miles before I was properly ready.

I now do pilates, aerobics and weights classes; ski and even did couch to 5k in lockdown. I don't run now; it was the one thing my consultant advised me against, but I felt at the time that it was ok.

If/when I have the other done I'll be more prepared, lighter and fitter. I won't hesitate to do it though.

Most people post hip replacement find it easier and more comfortable to not sit too low. If you sit down and measure from the back of your knee to the floor and add an inch or 2, that is a good height for your chair and toilet. Most chairs can be raised with a firm cushion but your can also raise then from the legs with various raisers. The toilet you may need a raised seat with integral armrests for a few weeks. Bed needs to be a bit higher as no armrests to push up on.
Stairs should be fine. You will probably do then with physio a couple of days after surgery to check all is well. If you live alone you may need long handled aids such as shoe horn, grabber, sock aid. Maybe prepare some meals before or stock up freezer before to make life easy. Most places have physio and Occupational therapy post op to make you can manage

Thanks everyone. If you are tall did you need any equipment for the toilet?

no problems with oh. No toilet seat needed. He used the stick not the crutch for a few weeks and then he didnt need it at all.
good luck its so worth it. It gives you your life back.

Thanks. Heard various stories that you need to have some kind of toilet seat or frame if you are tall

Before I had my op, 12 months ago, I bought the following items. I had my operation done privately but if the operation is being done by the NHS some of these items might be provided.

two grabbers to assist with dressing;
two pairs of crutches (so I could have an upstairs pair and a downstairs pair);
a perching stool with arms and a back for the kitchen (could also be used in a bathroom when washing):
a stool for sitting on in the bathroom;
a lower stool to help when getting in and out of the bath (advised not to use a bath until several weeks after the op) and also a stool by my bed;
a toilet frame;
(I am short and did not need a raised seat for the loo.)
a commode for the bedroom - which I only used about three times.
a sock aid - but it was too big for my size 3 socks and my husband used to put my socks on for me.

I didn't buy a walker but the private hospital gave me one to take home and I used it for the first two or three days, then went onto two crutches, then back to a single stick, then after about three weeks, I was able to ditch the stick that I had used for eight years and walk unaided at least in the house and later outside with no stick.

Before I was discharged on the morning of day 3 after the op, I had to be able to do a short flight of stairs with the physios and I was able to get upstairs and downstairs as I soon as I got home.

I agree that you need a firm chair that is not too low - so no low, saggy sofas.

I had bad swelling of my operated foot and ankle and slept on my back with my legs raised on a couple of pillows. Also used cold footbaths and icepacks to help with the swelling. Hospital gave me a wrap around thing for the thigh which you put in the fridge to freeze - but I did not find this much help.

It's changed my life. I was in so much pain before and my mobility was severely impacted.

I bought a really long metal shoe horn from Ikea for £3.00 and being short, I barely had to bend down at all - it was brilliant.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/omtaenksam-shoehorn-anthracite-70378070/

Not everyone gets a swollen foot and ankle but it is quite common. Mine took 3 months to completely resolve and I had trouble with footwear. I bought some wide fit Clarks lace up trainers and they were the only shoes I could get into for months. In fact I've only just started to wear ankle boots again. So it may be worth thinking about roomy footwear. I also cut the tops of old socks so the tops didn't "bite".

I'd agree with resting. I tried to have a lie down on my bed every afternoon for a couple of hours with my legs elevated. Healing uses up a great deal of energy and you will likely feel tired.

And keep on top of the pain for the first couple of weeks.

My surgeon did not advise using elastic stockings which can be hard to get on and off. Instead I was sent home with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) which is self injected in the stomach. (They don't really hurt - just sting a bit for a few seconds.)

I am barely 5’7 and I had a frame for the toilet - it’s awkward to lower yourself into a sitting position without one, especially in my very small loo.

I would say a toilet frame is essential.

Before I had the op, I had already got one of these fitted on the bath and I still use it (you need to be able to screw it to the floor).

https://www.completecareshop.co.uk/living-aids/daily/grab-rails-3/swedish-bath-grab-rail

I still use a stool to get into the bath and always use a non slip bath mat.

Final suggestions: wherever you are having your operation take good quality masks in with you (like 3M FFP2 or 3). You do not want to catch Covid while you are in hospital for major surgery.

The protocol now is to get patients out of bed and walking on a walker or on crutches the same afternoon/evening of the operation and back home asap.

I managed to get two nights in the hospital and I needed that extra night but I would have appreciated a third night as I was so tired; they put compression machines on your legs to help keep the circulation moving for the first night and these are noisy and intrusive and very hard to sleep with.

I don't know whether NHS will give you the option, but I had my op done under spinal block and I much preferred it to a general anaesthetic. I could have had it done with spinal block and no sedation (when I would have heard banging and sawing off of the femoral head etc and been able to talk to the surgeon). But I elected to have some sedation and all I was aware of was pressure from the initial incision and some muffled banging when the shaft of the replacement is pushed down the cavity that is made in the femur. I heard no voices or music and had no sense of time passing.

The need for a raised seat or frame will depend on the measurement from behind your knee to the floor. Sit on a chair and measure it. Your toilet is probably 15" high and if you're leg measurement is more than 15" you may struggle. So if measurement is 17", you may wish to sit a little bit higher so your armchair and toilet and bed would be easier if about 18/19" high.
If you toilet head a bath or window sill beside it that you can push up on you may not need a frame. If you have a raised seat you may also be fine as will not be so effortful. What you want to avoid is pulling heavily on a basin, toilet roll holder, radiator or towel rail that had not been fixed week enough to pull on. Off you are already prone to find any of that you will likely benefit from a toilet frame, or frame and raised seat combined( eg Mowbray)
Good luck

I had mine early one morning and was discharged at lunchtime the following day. I then had a five hour drive home, with hourly stops.

I had a walker with wheels and crutches for the stairs (I live in a townhouse). Luckily the bedroom has an en-suite. I had a raised seat for the toilet.

One of the things I found most useful was a heavy duty garbage bag (or a cheap plastic flat sled). DH put it under my bum when I needed to get out of bed. I could then swivel much easier. He would hold my feet together.

I’m also a side sleeper. I slept with a pillow between my knees to stop me crossing my legs over. I counted down the days until I could put weight on my side - I started putting pillows behind my back/hips to take the weight.

The walker and crutches were binned pretty quickly. Three years on I’m back to hiking, cycling and tap dancing. The only time I feel it is if I kick a rock or tree root and stumble. That tends to jar it a bit.

I had the operation under spinal block. I live on my own and I was discharged after two days. I never used crutches but I did have a raised toilet seat and a grabber to pick things up. I was driving and back at work four weeks to the day after the operation.

The only thing I struggle with now is getting out of the bath from sitting down - I shower instead of bathing and have a step to get into the bath. I do personal training and Aqua Aerobics several times a week.

It gave me my life back.