Upcoming hip replacement surgery

[Kira]

I had no 'cush' left in my right hip joint....free, disconnected movement between femur and socket.
A second opinion doctor agreed wholeheartedly with eschewing cortisone. The absence of all cartilage obviated that.
The surgeon commented that any cortisone would've delayed the surgery a month or two.

Aug. 31 is my new hip's 1st birthday. Side cut for me....less muscle to cut and fewer nerves in the way, I was told.
Surgeon said my health + strength made me a perfect candidate for same day release.

The moment I could push back with the balls of my feet I was spun off the table and onto my feet and allowed to use the men's room.....the route to which went over a 3 step up-3 step down platform.

I was slowed down but got out of bed every 2 hours. I took my pain killers as prescribed. My nurse aunt told me it's better to keep the pain staved off than to chase after it. Nobody in my family is a consumeristic pill taker. I do have a few left over ...just in case I'm invited to a Hollywood party.

God bless my wife for getting up every two hours, every niDon't ght for a month, to run to the freezer for blue ice packs.
Her mom kept her jaws iced post wisdom tooth removal and my wife experienced no swelling.
So, if you ever come to visit, we'll probably pack you in ice.

I never needed the walker but used the cane for a bit. Remember to walk at speed during recovery. You needn't assume a slow pace. Also, I was told, don't fret downward pressure. Your post op PA will show you odd twisting configurations to avoid.

Do the PT.

Over time, as I walk the dog and mow the lawn, it's taken longer and longer for it to dawn upon me that I had a hip replacement.

The recurring notice is entering and exiting my relatively low car. I steered clear of driving for a month though I did move the cars about for parking positioning.

I should message my scar too but it's not bothering me.

Keep moving (feet straight, as mentioned). If Summer heat drags you down, fight it. It'll be cooler soon enough.
Don't become a slug. As always after any injury or surgery, the rest of you needs to be exercised.
Eat light and smart. Setting down onto and lifting up from the toilet might be a challenge but you'll be able to do it.

Take any prescribed pre-op laxative

 

[vwmaniaman]

I fell on the ice on my sidewalk in 2008 on Christmas eve. Broke the ball off the top. I worked for an X-Ray company and serviced and installed MRI equipment. Had to have a non-magnetic replacement. Mine is made of Cobalt metal and is still there although I have issues with it. Getting in on the passenger side of my truck is difficult cause I can't lift it over 90 degrees to my upper body. even getting dressed is different. Going up a hill is very tiring now it still feels like I have a toolbox in my left hip. Getting up after playing on the floor with my grand daughters is difficult too because of the bending limitation. I had 6 weeks of physical therapy after replacement and discovered my limits. At work when I was on a ladder sometimes it would just lock up and I couldn't get down. Sometimes if I stood too long it was like I had a big electric shock and it would hurt. That seems to have quit now. My leg only ended up 1/4 inch shorter than the other one so a Dr.Schol's pad in my shoe is enough for that. Just to let you know all surgeons are not the same in their ability. Being in the medical field was a plus for me but getting it replaced on Christmas eve meant I got the probably least qualified one. My wife insists he already had too much celebration under his belt. Best wishes to you.

 

[kschachn]

I fell on the ice on my sidewalk in 2008 on Christmas eve. Broke the ball off the top. I worked for an X-Ray company and serviced and installed MRI equipment. Had to have a non-magnetic replacement. Mine is made of Cobalt metal and is still there although I have issues with it. Getting in on the passenger side of my truck is difficult cause I can't lift it over 90 degrees to my upper body. even getting dressed is different. Going up a hill is very tiring now it still feels like I have a toolbox in my left hip. Getting up after playing on the floor with my grand daughters is difficult too because of the bending limitation. I had 6 weeks of physical therapy after replacement and discovered my limits. At work when I was on a ladder sometimes it would just lock up and I couldn't get down. Sometimes if I stood too long it was like I had a big electric shock and it would hurt. That seems to have quit now. My leg only ended up 1/4 inch shorter than the other one so a Dr.Schol's pad in my shoe is enough for that. Just to let you know all surgeons are not the same in their ability. Being in the medical field was a plus for me but getting it replaced on Christmas eve meant I got the probably least qualified one. My wife insists he already had too much celebration under his belt. Best wishes to you.

Interesting, cobalt is ferromagnetic just like iron and nickel.

 

[John105]

Make sure to have an actual Anesthesiologist DO or MD Doctor perform the anesthesia. Some CRNAs are "doctors" but those are administrative degrees IIRC. They do not go to medical school like and MD or DO. Pay extra to have an MD at your side as opposed to having a Dr. bounce between operating rooms observing 3 or 4 CNRA's. You deserve the best attention.

One doesn't need to go to medical school to administer anesthesia? That's eye-opening and pretty scary. I totally understand there are folks who are addressed as doctor, when they've never attended medical school. Avoiding them is within our control. But it would seem a procedure and the cast of characters, is not...

 

[Fordiesel69]

One doesn't need to go to medical school to administer anesthesia? That's eye-opening and pretty scary. I totally understand there are folks who are addressed as doctor, when they've never attended medical school. Avoiding them is within our control. But it would seem a procedure and the cast of characters, is not...

I was going to mention this. Please make sure if your outpatient clinic uses third party anesthesiologists that the attending are doctors and not just 18 month graduates.

I drove my grandmother to her hip replacement surgery appointment when I first got my license breathing perfectly fine and drove her home several month later on an oxygen tank due to total idiots running the anesthesia / ventilator.

 

[Vil_Riker]

One doesn't need to go to medical school to administer anesthesia? That's eye-opening and pretty scary. I totally understand there are folks who are addressed as doctor, when they've never attended medical school. Avoiding them is within our control. But it would seem a procedure and the cast of characters, is not...

You have anesthesiologist doctors and anesthetist nurses (CRNA-s). the vast majority of anesthesia in the US is done by CRNA-s because there is an acute shortage of anesthesiologists. The CRNA-s are overseen by doctors so you may have 20:1 ratio at an organization.

PhD-s, DO-s and MD-s are referred as doctors in the US.

 

[John105]

You have anesthesiologist doctors and anesthetist nurses (CRNA-s). the vast majority of anesthesia in the US is done by CRNA-s because there is an acute shortage of anesthesiologists. The CRNA-s are overseen by doctors so you may have 20:1 ratio at an organization.

PhD-s, DO-s and MD-s are referred as doctors in the US.

I may be oversimplifying but I think of doctors as chefs, and anyone else cooks. The problem is we're talking about human beings, so the recipe might need to be adjusted case by case.

 

[John105]

I was going to mention this. Please make sure if your outpatient clinic uses third party anesthesiologists that the attending are doctors and not just 18 month graduates.

I drove my grandmother to her hip replacement surgery appointment when I first got my license breathing perfectly fine and drove her home several month later on an oxygen tank due to total idiots running the anesthesia / ventilator.

When my son broke his leg at age 6, I felt like Denzel Washington in the movie, "John Q." Anyway, after waiting hours in ER, a gentleman comes in saying he's doctor so and so. he looked young, like 25. He stepped up--he stated he has never done a cast before, so he's calling for the attending. Imagine, as it turned out, the doctor was a 2nd week intern. And the system sent him to cast my son's leg. This is day in, and day out, we have to look out for our own health. But, often, we don't know what we're looking for. Or how.

 

[Al]

Its all about the Dr.'s reputation. If you can not determine it pass. It is THE most important factor. It does not matter if he/she does not do it anterior....just as long as he/she is good at it. Preferably go to a teaching school or major medical center.

 

[bbhero]

I may be oversimplifying but I think of doctors as chefs, and anyone else cooks. The problem is we're talking about human beings, so the recipe might need to be adjusted case by case.

Just for the record….

It is EXTREMELY rare for a physician to actually give any patient any medication in many, many places and circumstances… Whether it be in the ER, ICU, PACU, telemetry monitored heart floor etc etc….

And giving those drugs are based upon numerous factors that a CRNA would know certainly just as well as any anesthesiologist.

I would GUARANTEE that….

Just an fyi … if you ever get Intravenous Dilaudid after a surgery…. Make they the RN gives it over a minimum of 2 MINUTES… And if it’s 4 milligrams IV Dilaudid it should be more like 4 minutes and when I have that a few times…. I pushed it slower at more than 5 and a half minutes. At a minimum it can make you sick and feeling like throwing up… And it can crash your blood pressure to a severe degree which is not good needless to say. And yeah… it can and does kill people. If administered way too fast. 1 mg of IV Dilaudid is equal to 7 mg of Morphine…. It’s that strong.

And Fentanyl is well stronger than that… This why it’s only given in the OR with constant monitoring and it can be given in ICU too.

Or IV Lasix…. 40 mg IV should be a minimum of 5 minutes… I know that has be pushed too fast and has made people sick. And crashed their blood pressure too.

Or IV cardiac medications you should be on a telemetry monitored unit and they should check your blood pressure and heart rate right before giving you them too.

Just these examples ^^^^^^^^^

No physicians actually give any of those medications… And let me totally Frank with you……. Many of them given inappropriately can kill a person if certain things are done or not done right.

 

[bernardch]

I had anterior replacement of the left hip on May 23, 2022.

Background, 60 (at the time) YO male; I had to lose over 70 pounds to meet the maximum BMI to be eligible for surgery. The last two years before surgery were utter excrutiating pain in both my hip and left knee. I couldn't walk without a cane, had diffculty standing, and sleeping, it was painful to get in and out of the car - zero quality of life. I went through maybe 6 steroid injections in the hip and maybe 8 cortisone injections in the left knee, just to try to temper the pain. Pain that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies. Oh, and I was scheduled for surgery the week of March 21, but contracted the "C" a week prior to surgery and got pushed back to the end of the line.

My surgery was done by the top orthopeadic practice in Ohio and one of the top practices in the country, known nationwide.

About a month prior to surgery I was given a series of simple "range of motion" PT that I was to do in the month before surgery. The practice's experience had shown that PT prior to surgery helps with quicker healing post op. They were quite painful to do based on my limited mobility but I was told to do what I could as every bit helped.

Prior to surgery I was given the option to purchase a Breg Cold Therapy unit for post op. It's basically a small insulated cooler with a pump; you fill it with ice, then it attaches to a cold pack that circulates ice water through the pack. I woke up with this on my hip in post-op and used it for about the first 7-10 days after surgery - about 1 hour on, 1 hour off, 24 hours a day.

This practice uses a spinal tap for anesthesia with a mild sleep (just a bit deeper that used in a colonoscopy) instead of a general anesthesia. Benefits are no airway required, and less chances of side effects (nausea and vomiting) from the general.

Surgery day came and I was the last of seven or eight replacements that day. Surgery was scheduled for 3:30PM. I was wheeled into the OR, give the spinal at the edge of the table, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in post-op. I spent some time in post op met with the surgeon and and was in my room for the night about 6:30PM (I remember watching the 1st round of the Stanley cup playoffs). The surgeon was amazed that I was still able to walk at all after seeing the condition of the joint. Pretty much no pain at all. About 7:30PM I received a text from the practice with a link to my surgical document. Surgery began at 3:34PM. . .A bunch of paragraphs on the actual procedure and findings, and the document was signed by the surgeon at 4:40PM! Total Surgery time 1-hour, 6-minutes!

That night I took my 1st steps with the walker on the way to the bathroom. Next morning some simple PT and that afternoon I was discharged after demonstrating that I could safely navigate stairs and get in and out of a car (they had mock-ups of both). I was home by 6:00PM. I was given an Rx for Oxycodone but probably only used 4-6 of the 20 tablets prescribed.

Do get a shower chair and also a free standing handicap grab bar for around the toilet. It makes showering and getting up and down so much easier.

Physical therapy started 8 days later in the PT office, twice a week. I was moving around pretty good by the end of week 2, End of week 3 I was cleared to drive; the following week I was off the walker (using a cane) and I drove myself to therapy and got in and out of my 2020 mustang unassisted. By July 4 I was done with PT, and returned to work July 18 without any restrictions. Also, since surgery, I have had absolutely zero left knee pain.

I just had my 1-year follow-up a few weeks ago and everything is great.