74-year-old woman set for THR in December -- many questions

[Guest guest]

Hello and thanks for reading my message. My mom is a 72-year-old

thin, white woman who is scheduled for a total hip replacement in

December. It seems most of you folks on this list are younger! God

bless ya!

My mother is terrified and certain that she will be worse off than

she is now. She has osteoarthritis and is in constant pain. Her thigh

has atrophied due to the way she's been walking to compensate for her

failing hip. She's also fairly uneducated about the whole process,

even though she is a nurse.

Can you kind folks take a look at these questions and reply with

insights based on your experience? Thank you so much.

--How long did you stay in the hospital and does this vary?

--Do they have you up walking (with assistance) before you leave the

hospital?

--How long after surgery were you able to drive?

--How long after surgery did you use the stairs?

--Do you have any advice for preparing for the procedure, the time

spent in the hospital and recuperation at home?

Any other insights you can provide would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Ellen

[Guest guest]

Hi Ellen,

I'm 52 and had a TLHR on October 28. Like your mom, my hip muscles had atrophied due to lack of exercise. I was stunned to realize that I could easily perform at least one exercise after surgery that I could not do before. (The clam thing: lying on your right side with the knees bent about 45 degrees and lifting left leg.)

I was in the hospital for 2 days, it was supposed to be 3, but that's another story. My surgery was mid-afternoon and they got me up the next morning -- both to walk and sit in a chair for about an hour. Since then a visiting nurse comes twice a week to draw blood (to check for Coumadin dosage) and a physical therapist comes three times each week. I do take a mild pain killer every 4 to 6 hours (I had a lot of swelling because the nurses forgot to put the anti-embolism stocking on after surgery) and am climbing stairs, although not putting weight on my left leg while going up.

They said I could drive after I stop taking pain killers.

One note: my doctor had planned to give me an epidural and light sedative for the surgery. However the anesthesiologist strongly recommended that I have the general anesthetic. I took her advice and am pleased with it -- I didn't feel too drowsy afterwards.

Good luck to your mom.

Carolmathack2 <mathack@...> wrote:

Hello and thanks for reading my message. My mom is a 72-year-old thin, white woman who is scheduled for a total hip replacement in December. It seems most of you folks on this list are younger! God bless ya!My mother is terrified and certain that she will be worse off than she is now. She has osteoarthritis and is in constant pain. Her thigh has atrophied due to the way she's been walking to compensate for her failing hip. She's also fairly uneducated about the whole process, even though she is a nurse. Can you kind folks take a look at these questions and reply with insights based on your experience? Thank you so much.--How long did you stay in the hospital and does this vary? --Do they have you up walking (with assistance) before you leave the hospital? --How long after surgery were you able to

drive?--How long after surgery did you use the stairs?--Do you have any advice for preparing for the procedure, the time spent in the hospital and recuperation at home? Any other insights you can provide would be very much appreciated.Thanks! Ellen

[Guest guest]

Hello and thanks for reading my message. My mom is a 72-year-old thin, white woman who is scheduled for a total hip replacement in December. It seems most of you folks on this list are younger! God bless ya!WELL, HI DEAR MOM. I AM A HEAVY 72 YEAR OLD WHITE WOMAN WHO HAD A HIP REPLACEMENT A YEAR AGO OCTOBER. My mother is terrified and certain that she will be worse off than she is now. She has osteoarthritis and is in constant pain. I CERTAINLY AM BETTER OFF, THE PAIN IS GONE.

Her thigh has atrophied due to the way she's been walking to compensate for her failing hip. THAT IS A PRETTY GOOD DESCRIPTION OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME, TOO. I ALSO HAVE HAD BOTH KNEES REPLACED SINCE THE HIP WAS DONE. I AM GOING BACK TO THE PAIN CLINIC WHERE THEY ARE ADDRESSING THIS THIGH WEAKNESS PROBLEM AND I WILL BE WALKING THE BEACHES IN FLORIDA IN JANUARY.

--How long did you stay in the hospital and does this vary? YES, IT VARIES. I WAS ON SURGERY FLOOR THREE DAYS, AND WENT TO REHAB FLOOR THE NEXT DAY. I WAS THERE FIVE DAYS. OTHERS HAVE GONE HOME ON THE THIRD DAY. --Do they have you up walking (with assistance) before you leave the hospital? ABSOLUTELY, YOU WILL HAVE TO ACHIEVE A SET LIST OF GOALS BEFORE THEY WILL LET YOU GO. Any other insights you can provide would be very much appreciated.

PLEASE FOCUS ON THE DAYS AFTER SURGERY AND HOW GOOD YOU ARE GOING TO FEEL. I PROMISE YOU, WHEN YOU WAKE UP THE PAIN WILL BE GONE! SIMPLY GONE! HUGS,

MARGEHe lives!