I originally thought it would be no big deal coming home and doing things for myself after surgery. I even told my husband not to get the tall toilet seat with handles, I wasn't going to need it. Ha! You have no hip flexibility. You can't bend at the hips and even if you could they don't want you to for a while. Try reaching down for something without bending at the hip, you are lucky if you can reach your knee. If something falls on the floor then it's just going to have to stay there. Actually there is a reacher/pincher tool that is extremely helpful. That and the hook/shoehorn to help get socks, shoes and shorts on and off. You will have to have someone there to help you, I don't know how else you could manage and I'm pretty self sufficient. I was told I could not drive for a month either. I am so darn independent it was hard to rely on someone else for everything, but you do what you have to do.
My doctor scheduled a physical therapist to come the week after I got home, I was ready to get going. They do give you exercises to do in the hospital and to do when you get home, very basic but trust me, nothing is easy at this point. They also schedule nurses to come change bandages. When the nurses came they said something about giving me a shot or meds for some reason. I said they need to make sure they had the right patient because I wasn't supposed to be taking anything. They had the wrong records. So make sure they are looking at the right paperwork. Never be afraid to ask or insist, specially about medications. Even in the hospital I had orders for pain meds but didn't take them because I really had no pain. The nurses were very insistent, if it's written they want you to take it. And yes, if you have pain, you need to take it. I always ask what are they giving me and why. I think the nurses only had to come out twice, after that it was easy for my husband to help clean the incisions.
The incisions looked horrible (at least to me) in the beginning, big and purple. My hips also swelled up to about four times their normal size, wow! It was actually funny to try and put on sweatpants or shorts, nothing fit right. My doctor also had me wear the compression tights for over a month. Very tough to look fashionable in them. Was extremely glad to see them go. The incisions will get better, mine are probably 4-5" long and no one ever notices them and I'm in a bathing suit a lot.
Finally my physical therapist comes for our first appointment. Yea! To me that means I'm on the road back to recovery. She went over all the basic exercises and did some extra ones with me too. Most were way too easy and then a couple were way advanced for my recovery stage. So I called my doctor and got a prescription for therapy with a physical therapist I'd worked with before who is one of the best. I had to get someone to drive me there but it was worth it.
Your doctor you pick is extremely important. Just as important is your physical therapist. I can't stress that enough. That's the other have of the equation to getting good results. I went 3 days a week for 1-2 hours. I love my physical therapist, although at the time it was love/hate. It was not easy. Some of the things were extremely boring and tedious while other things were extremely challenging. You also need to listen to your therapist about what you can and cannot do. They have their reasons. You may feel like you could do more or harder but depending on your healing stage it might not be appropriate yet. Tell your physical therapist what you want to do and they'll tell you if you should or not or even a variation that might be better for you. I'll say it again, LISTEN TO YOUR THERAPIST!!!
I did physical therapy for almost 3 months. You are up and walking and really mobile after 1 month but I had goals. I wanted everything back and then some. I wanted as much hip flexion as my doctor said I could have safely. At first my progress was steady but after the first 2 or 3 weeks my hip flexion hadn't improved so my therapist had to come up with other ways to get it to move. After my warm up and most of the workout I would lay on a table and he would strap one leg down. Then he would do an active stretch with the other leg. He would get behind my leg and I would push against him and he pushed my leg. It was hard and so not fun but I was determined. Every week we made progress and eventually got where my doctor said I could be.
Now my doctor tells me I have no limitations, I can do the splits if I want, just don't cross the legs. I have noticed my hip flexion improving all the time. I am very active and that has to help.
Be smart, get good doctors and physical therapists and then listen to what they say. They know more than you do.
My doctor scheduled a physical therapist to come the week after I got home, I was ready to get going. They do give you exercises to do in the hospital and to do when you get home, very basic but trust me, nothing is easy at this point. They also schedule nurses to come change bandages. When the nurses came they said something about giving me a shot or meds for some reason. I said they need to make sure they had the right patient because I wasn't supposed to be taking anything. They had the wrong records. So make sure they are looking at the right paperwork. Never be afraid to ask or insist, specially about medications. Even in the hospital I had orders for pain meds but didn't take them because I really had no pain. The nurses were very insistent, if it's written they want you to take it. And yes, if you have pain, you need to take it. I always ask what are they giving me and why. I think the nurses only had to come out twice, after that it was easy for my husband to help clean the incisions.
The incisions looked horrible (at least to me) in the beginning, big and purple. My hips also swelled up to about four times their normal size, wow! It was actually funny to try and put on sweatpants or shorts, nothing fit right. My doctor also had me wear the compression tights for over a month. Very tough to look fashionable in them. Was extremely glad to see them go. The incisions will get better, mine are probably 4-5" long and no one ever notices them and I'm in a bathing suit a lot.
Finally my physical therapist comes for our first appointment. Yea! To me that means I'm on the road back to recovery. She went over all the basic exercises and did some extra ones with me too. Most were way too easy and then a couple were way advanced for my recovery stage. So I called my doctor and got a prescription for therapy with a physical therapist I'd worked with before who is one of the best. I had to get someone to drive me there but it was worth it.
Your doctor you pick is extremely important. Just as important is your physical therapist. I can't stress that enough. That's the other have of the equation to getting good results. I went 3 days a week for 1-2 hours. I love my physical therapist, although at the time it was love/hate. It was not easy. Some of the things were extremely boring and tedious while other things were extremely challenging. You also need to listen to your therapist about what you can and cannot do. They have their reasons. You may feel like you could do more or harder but depending on your healing stage it might not be appropriate yet. Tell your physical therapist what you want to do and they'll tell you if you should or not or even a variation that might be better for you. I'll say it again, LISTEN TO YOUR THERAPIST!!!
I did physical therapy for almost 3 months. You are up and walking and really mobile after 1 month but I had goals. I wanted everything back and then some. I wanted as much hip flexion as my doctor said I could have safely. At first my progress was steady but after the first 2 or 3 weeks my hip flexion hadn't improved so my therapist had to come up with other ways to get it to move. After my warm up and most of the workout I would lay on a table and he would strap one leg down. Then he would do an active stretch with the other leg. He would get behind my leg and I would push against him and he pushed my leg. It was hard and so not fun but I was determined. Every week we made progress and eventually got where my doctor said I could be.
Now my doctor tells me I have no limitations, I can do the splits if I want, just don't cross the legs. I have noticed my hip flexion improving all the time. I am very active and that has to help.
Be smart, get good doctors and physical therapists and then listen to what they say. They know more than you do.
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