Hello friends, before I start a medical discussion I want everyone to know that each persons journey is their own. Everyone’s story is different, and this blog post is a reflection of my own. This experience discusses what it is like getting a new hip replacement. Yes, I had a extensive 30 plus year career as a R.N., working in the hospital setting, homecare, and clinics.
Every person needs to have a Dr., that they can talk to and trust, who also has a good reputation. The way health care is today your best patient advocate is yourself. Before considering doing things to yourself, really think about them. But, of course if it’s an emergency you have no choice. Elective surgeries are those a patient and a Dr. feel are a benefit to the patient. In my personal situation, it was clear, I didn’t have any connective tissue between my ball joints and ball sockets. The hip ex-rays clearly had shown the ball joint looking like one bone. No glowing like rim around the top that lays and cushions it into the socket.
How do you get to this point
Typically having either osteo or rheumatoid arthritis can take your hips out. A condition called avascular necrosis can also do it. I am sure there are other random causes as well, but arthritis seems to be the majority of cases. Those of us who are unlucky and have these odd over lapping autoimmune disorders, usually have rheumatoid arthritis. It seems like all of a sudden one day you can’t get up off the floor. It takes everything to stand back up with a horrible scream of pain when you try.
The consistency of this happening, points toward it possibly being your hip joints. Drs., recommend treatment options for you first, to see if any help. This may happen even before actually doing just a plain film ex-ray. Plus, why not try them before you get to that hip replacement zone. Here are 8 items I have found as treatment options for hip arthritis.
- Avoiding painful activities
- Exercise and lose weight if needed
- Using a cane
- Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s)
- Physical therapy
- Narcotic medications
- Cortisone injection into the hip Joint
- Total Hip Replacement!!!
The point arrives that you get the hip ex ray results. They show that nothing is cushioning or facilitating your leg movements anymore. As a result, you and your doctor are faced with that total hip replacement decision. My personal journey had reached a point I could not go on with my life anymore that way. This disability had taken away all of my general activity levels. I considered my risks and thought about the pain vs. quality of life. The only answer for me to regain a better quality of life was, get a new hip!
What’s it like to Get a new Hip
In this particular time in our worlds history, just getting cleared for a elective surgery is difficult. So many hoops to jump through, and always a risk they can cancel your surgery because of the pandemic. You need Clearance by dentist’s, cardiologist’s, and the surgeon. Now you wait for your designated day to get a new hip.
They have a new method and way to complete this surgery called Anterior Total Hip Replacement. They use a special table called a “hana” table. This table is made of carbon so the ex ray machine can be used to visualize straight through the table. This helps monitor the progress during the procedure.
Old nurses are terrible patients, we try to get out quick, and can be very impatient patients. I am 58 and have only been hospitalized overnight for childbirth, and total hysterectomy. Options this Dr. had listed in his literature, was a plan to go home the next day. Or, in certain people who are healthy and do well, may be able to go home the same day. I had my mind made up I was going to get out the same day if all went as planned.
lets find out what a new hip is about!
Check in was at 8 a.m., the usual questions, blood draw to type and match you if you need blood. The Dr. indicated that 1 – 2 pints of blood could be lost, so there is a possibility of needing blood. Another Covid swab, and man do those suckers burn and make your eye water. I.V. is in and all the docs have come and talked to you. 10 a.m. your wheeled into the bright sterile O.R. For this procedure this doc prefers a spinal and some i.v. sedation. Sitting up with my legs dangling over the bed, they give me a pillow to hold onto. Nervously chattering and telling them I hoped my back was clean was the last thing I remember.
That new Hip is in, Now what?
Waking up in the recovery area, it was very odd to feel nothing from the waist down. Admitted there at 11:15 a.m., I pretty much stayed awake talking with the nurse about my blog and diy stuff. She wanted to send me right to the orthopedic floor, but had to wait for someone to come get me. Ready and good to go!
Finally at 12:15 noon I made it to the orthopedic floor. I was so hungry I could have eaten the bark off a tree. The feeling was returning to my legs, so assisting the move from cart to bed was easy. They gave me a phone to order my food from the cafeteria. Once I tasted, it was the best meat loaf and potatoes with creamy potato soup I ever ate!
I had a really awesome ortho nurse, she new I wanted to go home that day. She put up a little check off system on the board. Criteria I needed to complete before I could be discharged safely. So, I met the no vomiting criteria right away since I had eaten everything they sent me. I needed to have visits from P.T., O.T., S.W., and financial services. In addition, get up and prove use of the facilities. The bigger check off yet was, must have pain control.
Time to take the new hip for a run
This doc also puts some anti-inflammatory and pain/numbing med right in your joint area. They warn you to remember that pain may get worse after 3 days. To be careful and not over due things since its still numb on the inside from the pain cocktail they put in there.
P.T. came in at 2:15, for the first walk with my new hip. By that time the spinal anesthesia was pretty much worn off. I walked around the floor loop into a room with stairs that I had to go up and down safely. Of course I had a walker, you will get one and it will be a life saver. Once back to my room I was handed a sheet with exercises. These needed to be done a few times throughout the day. Since I had a exercise certification in my nursing career, I showed them proficiency in completing them. On his way out the door the fella checked off the P.T. criteria as being met.
Next came the O.T. girls, we walked to the bathroom so I could get the urinate category checked off. They did question me about things at home and how they would function for me. Things like, a raised toilet seat, shower bars, and who would be with me. At that point, I had to dress my self in front of them. I must admit, getting that sock on was really difficult but I did it. Since I met the required criteria, O.T. checked it off on the board. There was no need for home care, social or financial services, so checked off. Since I was o.k. at that time with pain control on 1 pain pill, lets get this I.V. out!
Almost out the door, after this new hip
At that point the beautiful nurse took my i.v. out and gave me discharge instructions. At 4:10 I was in my car with my husband for the 1 1/2 hour drive home. Still so hungry, we had to stop and get a double whopper with cheese and it was soooooo good. I never eat those things either.
I could feel that the numbing was wearing off in the hip region. The comfort of my home, bed, and bathroom were in sight. Walking into my house was so much harder now. I felt like I could collapse in my own home and deal with the pain day by day to recovery.
This was what happened basically. Thank goodness my husband took off 10 days to be home with me. I needed help with putting socks on, some general getting around the house. I am lucky I didn’t give my self frost bite from applying ice to the area for to long.
Would I have done anything different?
You know the old saying, hindsight is always 20/20. There is a fair amount of pain for a good 7 to 8 days. But, you have to think about what just happened to your body. You had a table strap holding your knee and foot in alignment as it was hammered on.
I think I would have used a raised toilet seat, because that is a tough one. If you have a low toilet, that makes it even worse. To land on and sit on the commode was awful the first 8 days. If I would have been using a raised seat, it probably would have been less painful.
That’s probably the only thing that would have been nicer, a raised toilet seat. When you lose your functionality in daily living, and every move you make becomes one of severe pain. There really is only one solution for that problem. You replace the joint to regain function and prevent pain. Now that I explained what getting a new hip is like, just remember everyone’s journey is different. I am doing well, but it’s only been 2 weeks. This is my first hip operation, and I need the other side done as well. If you have any questions please feel free to comment on the blog, or privately to me.
If you have a interest in watching a really quick and excellent clip, this one explains it well. Minimally Invasive Direct Anterior Total Hip Replacement THR – YouTube
