Want to see what I did this week?(kind of graphic photos)

I'm so happy for you, you look so pleased. What a result about your pain levels.

I hope this is like a new lease of life for you. Congrats

Sounds promising. Wishing you a quick recovery and pain free future

That is just great..best result ever.

Now, we shall be reading about your dancing, walking and who knows what.

I got a new hip in 2014. I too went for almost two years in a lot of unrelenting pain and couldn't take two steps without a walker. I was just a big chicken to have my hip hacked out and a metal one put in. When I finally had it done I woke up from surgery with almost no pain. Unbelievable! Within eight weeks I was up on a ladder painting my kitchen. I am so happy for you. You will be back to normal really quickly.

Welcome to the rest of your pain free life.

I'm SOOO happy for you !!!!   Oh, and your hospital meal looks SCRUMPTIOUS  (I'm trying to be upbeat, but please know that I do realize probably wasn't that great....hee hee).  

 I read a hip replacement forum online, and 99.9 percent of the (MANY!) patients say the INSTANT pain relief is astounding!!! I will be having this in the near future, too. Like femalebusiness said, I've been putting if off due to fear, also, but I am DONE with the pain and I'm just gonna tell my stupid fears to shut up!


There's another pea ( I think idahomom ) that's had BOTH hips replaced, and either one or BOTH knees. I've know her story for years, and I always told myself if SHE can do BOTH, I can handle just ONE!

If you want to, I'd love to ask a few questions. Also, any other hip=replacement peas, please join in !!!

femalebusiness ....we were typing at the same time...I'm SO happy for you, also.  I do remember you mentioning doing exercises BEFORE your surgery, too, and I've found a lot online----thanks!   And I'd love it if you'd like to answer some/ all of my questions, too.  

----Did your surgeon go lateral, posteriorly, or (I can't remember if there's a third option). My surgeon ONLY does lateral approach, saying it has the lowest risk of dislocation.


---How are they managing your PAIN (if any). I've read so many different stories about that, and with all the opioid nightmares these days, I'm betting that narcotic pain relief has changed a LOT.


-----Were you a candiate for the less invasive type where there's a much smaller incision, MUCH less muscle cutting,    less hospital time, etc?


---Did your surgeon ask you to follow a few dietary/ extra vitamin regimen before?  Mine asks his patients to drink a special, VERY high prptein formula 2 weeks pre=op, plus a few vitamins I can't remember right now.  (the formula he Rxs isn't at stores, but I found it on amazon). 

---Were you THRILLED when the Physical Therapy peeps helped you out of bed the first time and you did NOT FEEL pain ?

---How long are you inpatient? My surgeon said for me, a minimum of 2 nights, but possiblly, three.

----Will your first several Physical Therapy sessions be a home? My insurance pays for them to come to my house for either a few days, or maybe a week.

----Did someone arrange for you to have a raised toilet, walker, etc. at your house ahead of time so it'll be there when you get home?

----Did you have any type of class / training beforehand so that you'd be aware of dos and don'ts of how to walk, bathe, sleep? While doing research, I found one hospital in my area that requires patients to atttend this class, and I'd be happy to do it. but the hospital where mine will be done doesn't offer it.

So happy for you! I’m hoping your healing continues to go well!

I'm so glad your hip pain is gone. DH is another that put up with pain for way too long before getting his done a few years ago.

scrappintoee
This is going to sound nutty because normally I am the type that asks a lot of questions and researches to death any medical problems. I did a lot of reading before but once I met the doctor I just got really calm and didn't ask anything about the surgery. From the moment I met him I trusted him completely...and I rarely trust doctors. He was great! I even have no idea what type of implant that I have. I have about a six to eight inch incision on the outside of my hip but I can hardly see it now.

I had surgery in the morning then stayed that night and one more, then went home the next morning. No special diets but I had been eating really healthy for the last year getting in shape for the surgery. I take vitamins too.

The first time they got me up and standing it was creepy feeling but that is because I didn't know what it would feel like. Once I was up and saw that my hip worked it wasn't a big deal getting up again. Of course for a couple days it was really slow getting up but that got easy quickly.

My doc gave me, I think, thirty hydrocodone for pain and said I could have more if I needed them, but I didn't. That was in 2014 and I still have about six left. I think I took the hydrocodone for a couple of days but then just used Aleve. I used the hydrocodone pills a couple years after my surgery when I hurt my ankle. I don't like opioids as they just put me to sleep and made me constipated so I didn't take many. I was in so much less pain after the replacement that within a couple of days I didn't really need the opioids.

I didn't do any physical therapy. They sent a physical therapist to the house but I didn't have him come back. I was already doing more exercises than he recommended so I didn't feel like I needed a therapist. I swear those simple little exercises a couple of times a day for about three months before and a couple of months after the surgery made all the difference.

You definitely need the raised potty seat with the hand rails and an old lady walker. I had one of the cute walkers with a seat from before the surgery but for the first week you need the old people type so that you can step into it unlike my cute walker where I have to lean in to walk with it. Both the potty and walker were very inexpensive.

I took no classes or training, I didn't need it. I had been reading for a year and knew everything that I needed to know. I had my husband to help me the first few days. He even built a scaffold over my bed with a hanging hand grip to help me sit up in bed. As sweet as that was I never used it, didn't need it. By one week I was hobbling around pretty well. I kept my walker next to my bed for when I had to get up to go to the bathroom.

I was on the couch for almost a year before I got my new hip. I moved much better a couple of days after surgery than I did before.

I would never wait that long to have the surgery again. I wasted a year that I could have been active and in no pain.

Did you buy the ice machine? Our neighbour did and lends it out freely. He got no benefit from it. He has a piece of woven material he can pull his leg up on the bed. That was a loaner and it’s awesome. I can send you a photo.

Good for you! I hope you continue to have a great recovery and enjoy that new hip!!

Yay for you! Pain is so exhausting. How wonderful to wave goodbye to it!

That's awesome! My SIL had both of her hips replaced this Spring. She is 50. She did them both outpatient!!! They had her walking stairs the same day. Crazy how they can do it now. Her pain is now all gone. I saw her in June, and she feels great! Hope you continue to do amazing.