recovery from hip replacment - what are your experiences?

[mydoorisalwaysopen]

My mum had a hip replacement on Friday and spent the entire weekend very spaced out - to the extent that me and my family wondered whether she might have had a stroke.

Today she seems a lot better but still confused, fine motor skills impaired (unable to use knife and fork, hold a cup etc).

I wondered if any one has a relative who took some time to seem themselves again after the op. I am really worried about my mum.

My Dad has had 2 hip replacements and sorry but this doesn't sound normal.

An infection, particularly a UTI can cause confusion etc.

It could perhaps be a reaction to the GA?

Have you made the nurses aware that your Mum is not being her normal self?

It is important that they know if she is acting out of character.

For physical recovery it is very very important to make sure that your Mum does any exercises that she has been given and that she follows any advice regarding what position to sit in.

She should have been assessed for a temporary chair for her living room and for a higher toilet seat etc.

It would definitely be worth you getting hold of details of any exercises and making sure she understands how to do them.

My mum fell and broke her hip 3 years ago and had a pulmonary thrombosis as a result.

Took her a while to seem 'normal' mentally, let alone physically. Lots of people suffer after effects from general anaesthetic so maybe that's the case for your mum.

Fortunately the accident happened during the summer holidays so when she was allowed home my sons and I moved in with her for 3 weeks.

The downside of this was that she received no other help at home.

Lots of preparation is needed before your mum comes home - the bed and chairs need ro be raised, raised loo seat, 'perching stoll' for strip wash etc.

I seem to remember that mum was allowed to drive after about 6 weeks.

My mum was tearful about the burden she placed on us and tbh the whole thing was a bloomin' nightmare!

It's all a worry at the time but seems like a distant memory now, fortunately

Thanks. We have made the nurses/doctors aware that she is not her normal self. Unfortunately she has developed pneumonia following the surgery so has been moved to a general medical hospital and is not in the orthapaedic hospital at the moment. She has not even been out of bed since the operation and we are distraught that the nurses do not seem to understand her circumstances no matter what we say.

My mum's had both a heart valve replacement and a hip replacement (only found out about the heart thing on the day the hip replacement was supposed to take place - much drama!).

I'd say she was much worse after the heart valve replacement - very spaced and weak for days afterwards and got cold quickly - which I think was a reaction to the GA and medication she was on - she'd also had an epidural.

After the hip replacement (also under GA) she seemed to get better more quickly so it could just be a difference in the amount of anaesthetic she was given. She's been really good at following all the instructions her surgeon gave her (exercises, diet, not bending more than 90 degrees and not driving for 3 months I think - getting off crutches and sticks as soon as possible helped too) and she's recovered really well. She doesn't limp and she can walk quite a distance now, 3 years on.

Thanks Cokefan. I'm hoping it's a temporary reaction to the GA. I think she is likely to be moved back to the orthopaedic hospital today so she will start to get the help she needs to get mobile.

Having recently spent a lot of time on the trauma and elective orthopaedic wards (as a patient), I'd say this sounds pretty normal - most people are on opiate pain relief for a few days after surgery and it really wipes people out, and can really space you out too.

Thanks CMOTdibbler - i hope that's the case for my mum. they stopped the morphine painkiller yesterday so hopefully today she will seem even better.

My mum had hip replacements twice - she is in her 50's and she was out of bed the next day - she was in lots of pain but verydetermined she would be up and moving quickly.
The physio gave her exercises to do and she was home within the week.

Hope you dm feeling better soon