My surgery was scheduled for Monday on my right hip because it was slightly worse than my left. Why that was a deciding factor on which hip they did first I have no idea. Off I go to the hospital at the crack of dawn. The surgery didn't take long and when I woke up I was not in pain. Of course you know something major has been done to you but I didn't hurt like I thought I would. I was afraid to move though, you just aren't sure what's ok to move and what isn't. The next day they did get me up and moving a few steps. Very weird, your leg feels like it's not part of you and I was very dizzy.
Wednesday they did surgery on my left hip, again when I woke up still no pain. That's a huge plus of course, pain can be debilitating and hamper your recovery. I never had to take any pain meds. They wanted to give them to me though. If I had been in any pain I would have taken them but there really wasn't any pain. I couldn't really move but no pain.
Since I had both hips done I had to rely on my arms to move me around, legs are now pretty much useless. This is why they do not do double hips replacements on older people. I consider myself fairly strong and it was a struggle to move even to the end of the bed. You take it slowly, inch by inch. They want you up and moving as soon as possible.
I had a problem, whenever I sat up, let alone stood up, I had a blinding headache and got so dizzy I would pass out. My head killed me. I could not even walk two steps because of this. The headache and dizziness went away when I lay back down but returned the minute I sat up. Very frustrating. So I was not able to get up and walk Wednesday or Thursday. If everything had gone well I could have gone home Friday.
By Thursday I still could not get up and walk and I started physically feeling really bad. Finally one of the doctors figured out I had a punctured spinal column from the first surgery on Monday. They did a spinal anesthesia for the surgery like they do when you give birth and it had punctured my spinal column so spinal fluid was leaking. No fun!
The fix, in very layman terms, is to plug it. So back I went down to the anasthesiologist and they fixed it. What a difference, no headache! Unfortunately my blood level was extremely low so I still got dizzy and gray around the edges when I stood up. So I got a liter of blood.
Very important, if your doctor does not suggest it, ask about donating your own blood ahead of time. I guess it's not uncommon to need blood after this type of surgery. Some procedures are bloodier than others, words from a doctor.
So finally, I was up and walking (with a walker) and even got out my hospital room door to the corridor. That was such a huge achievement for me. I'd been in that hospital room since Monday and it was so nice to see outside the room! Other than the blood loss and spinal problem, the actual surgery went really well. No pain! And I could get up and walk, finally. I was discharged Sunday, and I was so ready to get out of there, although it's scary to think about going home and managing yourself.
I had anxiety about moving the wrong way and having the hip come out of the socket. Everyone loves to tell you horror stories, even the nurses in the hospital while you are laying there trying not to worry about it. Even getting in the car to go home is scary, what if? Of course your doctor will give you a list of what you can and can't do. Plus your hip range of motion is zero, you have no flexibility, you can't even reach your knees. Amazing how limited you are when you can't bend over.
Next time I'll talk about recovery. surgery was easy compared to rehab.
Wednesday they did surgery on my left hip, again when I woke up still no pain. That's a huge plus of course, pain can be debilitating and hamper your recovery. I never had to take any pain meds. They wanted to give them to me though. If I had been in any pain I would have taken them but there really wasn't any pain. I couldn't really move but no pain.
Since I had both hips done I had to rely on my arms to move me around, legs are now pretty much useless. This is why they do not do double hips replacements on older people. I consider myself fairly strong and it was a struggle to move even to the end of the bed. You take it slowly, inch by inch. They want you up and moving as soon as possible.
I had a problem, whenever I sat up, let alone stood up, I had a blinding headache and got so dizzy I would pass out. My head killed me. I could not even walk two steps because of this. The headache and dizziness went away when I lay back down but returned the minute I sat up. Very frustrating. So I was not able to get up and walk Wednesday or Thursday. If everything had gone well I could have gone home Friday.
By Thursday I still could not get up and walk and I started physically feeling really bad. Finally one of the doctors figured out I had a punctured spinal column from the first surgery on Monday. They did a spinal anesthesia for the surgery like they do when you give birth and it had punctured my spinal column so spinal fluid was leaking. No fun!
The fix, in very layman terms, is to plug it. So back I went down to the anasthesiologist and they fixed it. What a difference, no headache! Unfortunately my blood level was extremely low so I still got dizzy and gray around the edges when I stood up. So I got a liter of blood.
Very important, if your doctor does not suggest it, ask about donating your own blood ahead of time. I guess it's not uncommon to need blood after this type of surgery. Some procedures are bloodier than others, words from a doctor.
So finally, I was up and walking (with a walker) and even got out my hospital room door to the corridor. That was such a huge achievement for me. I'd been in that hospital room since Monday and it was so nice to see outside the room! Other than the blood loss and spinal problem, the actual surgery went really well. No pain! And I could get up and walk, finally. I was discharged Sunday, and I was so ready to get out of there, although it's scary to think about going home and managing yourself.
I had anxiety about moving the wrong way and having the hip come out of the socket. Everyone loves to tell you horror stories, even the nurses in the hospital while you are laying there trying not to worry about it. Even getting in the car to go home is scary, what if? Of course your doctor will give you a list of what you can and can't do. Plus your hip range of motion is zero, you have no flexibility, you can't even reach your knees. Amazing how limited you are when you can't bend over.
Next time I'll talk about recovery. surgery was easy compared to rehab.
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