So below are some things I've thought of that I hope will help others. This is based on my experience having posterior approach in the UK, and going private.
Pre-op:
Exercise if you can. I know some people have very restricted mobility but anything you can do in the run up will be worth it. Ideally stuff that works your core but even doing upper arm exercises would help as you'll be possibly using crutches, but even just hauling yourself onto a bed takes some effort
Find out about your procedure type. If you're having posterior approach you'll have restrictions regarding bending at the hip (never be less than 90degrees) and twisting. When you're reading other people's stories, if they've had a different approach they will have quite a different experience.
Find out what anaesthesia you may have, then take a deep breath and calm down if you're told spinal. Spinal is not the same as epidural; I had horrendous epidural experience in labour, this is different. You can be fully sedated with spinal so you see and hear nothing. For me the level of being out cold is the same as with general, but with spinal you breathe without aid of tube down your throat and you generally wake up much more refreshed and less groggy. Often pain management is better after a spinal and you throw up less! I've had both spinal and general, I would take spinal with sedation any time.
Find out what anaesthesia you may have, then take a deep breath and calm down if you're told spinal. Spinal is not the same as epidural; I had horrendous epidural experience in labour, this is different. You can be fully sedated with spinal so you see and hear nothing. For me the level of being out cold is the same as with general, but with spinal you breathe without aid of tube down your throat and you generally wake up much more refreshed and less groggy. Often pain management is better after a spinal and you throw up less! I've had both spinal and general, I would take spinal with sedation any time.
Find out what treatment you may need after. For DVT prevention some docs will just give tablets, some use compression socks, some give injections for you to self administer. This varies from surgeon to surgeon, even in same hospital sometimes.
Don't panic if you get told you'll need the injections but know you can't do that. I knew I couldn't, I can't watch needles, I have to lie down to give blood or have an injection or I faint. But guess what, I'm giving them to me. It isn't easy but seriously if I can do it then you can.
Ask what ongoing medicines you can or can't continue. I'd read sweeping statements that you can't take anything, can't take ibuprofen in the run up. My surgeon was fine with me being prescribed some steroids a week before, and to continue occasional ibuprofen use. Listen to your own doctor, not friends on the net.
Ask what ongoing medicines you can or can't continue. I'd read sweeping statements that you can't take anything, can't take ibuprofen in the run up. My surgeon was fine with me being prescribed some steroids a week before, and to continue occasional ibuprofen use. Listen to your own doctor, not friends on the net.
Find out what you will need to adapt your home. Your hospital may provide stuff, your insurance may pay. This will vary depending on where you live. Even in UK it'll vary. My council will only pay for raised toilet seats, others may pay for a lot more. People will talk about needing blocks to raise armchairs but a cushion may be sufficient. Your occupational therapist will assess your need. Based on lower leg length they will assess safe height for chair, bed, toilet etc. If you just go buy you may get the wrong thing, waste money and potentially put yourself at more risk.
Get familiar with your gadgets. Have a play with sock aids, shoe horns, grabbers. Your grabber will become your best friend ☺
Be aware of where you'll have restrictions. Take time to think of things you just do and figure out how they might be off limits. Restrictions can rule out a lot of things. If you won't have somebody around to help (or if you're just like me, a stubborn cow who wants to be independent) figure out what you can't do, and ways to get round things eg move stuff from low shelves to a reachable height.
Consider the layout of your house to accommodate moving round with walker or crutches. Remember things like making sure you can not only get to the loo, but that you're not going to end up stuck there as your crutches have fallen on the floor.
Invest in things like a bed table so you have stuff to hand. You'll likely have spells of being awake at night and bedside cabinets are often small or need to be twisted to reach properly
Practice getting in and out of passenger side of the car. You'll need seat high or boosted by a cushion, and seat reclined. Remember you may have the 90 degree rule in place. Note, this may make you look a bit of a nutter to your neighbours!
Buy loose clothing. Even if it's stuff you wouldn't usually be seen dead in. A posterior incision can be quite long and you won't want knickers that press on it. Same for trousers. Loose joggers, not jeans. And buy bigger than normal size to allow for swelling. I managed to put on several pounds in my final week before surgery, combined with post op swelling I even have some joggers that are too tight!
If you're going to be in hospital a few days consider taking clothes. Yes it's much easier to stay in a nightshirt but you feel more human in proper clothes.
In the immediate run up try to avoid contact with people with infections. I worked from home the final week in a self imposed quarantine and went into panic at the thought of anything derailing my surgery. To a certain extent things are out of your hands but it's normal to panic!
In the immediate run up try to avoid contact with people with infections. I worked from home the final week in a self imposed quarantine and went into panic at the thought of anything derailing my surgery. To a certain extent things are out of your hands but it's normal to panic!
Do as much research as you want but when it comes to personal stories we are all different. If you're having posterior approach in UK, the experience of some people who may have anterior in the US will be miles away from what you can expect. There will be similarities you might identify with but make sure you understand where it will be necessarily different. And even if you hear from somebody with same approach, with same surgeon, they're not you. Prepare but don't set unrealistic expectations.
In hospital:
Take enough things to make you feel comfortable. Chargers for phones/tablets, along with the gadgets themselves were essential for me. I also took my favourite sweets and cereal bars. Slippers will need to be full foot, not slip on mules.
The staff will have seen it all before. They understand it's nerve-wracking and will be there to help you through it. Listen to them.
Your dignity may go out the window a bit. You may pee on the bed if your anaesthesia hasn't worn off; they have cleaned other people up before you. They'll deal with it quietly and efficiently. You may have air in you from anaesthesia which means you can produce some quite spectacular farting later. Just accept they've heard it all before!
Bedpans may be a necessity. Accept the fact. If you haven't been got up out of bed (legs may be numb after anaesthetic) you'll have to use a bedpan
Take the drugs offered and ask for more if you need them. Keeping on top of the pain is important.
Listen to what the nurses, physios/PTs, doctors tell you. And follow their guidance. They know how your surgery went. They know why you might need something different to the next patient.
Go at your pace. Some people are ready to go home earlier than others. There's no right or wrong, just what's right for you.
At home:
Do the exercises you've been told. Other Internet friends will get different exercises. Some people will get home PT. Some will get sent home with a list of exercises and no more physio visit until 6 week check. Do what you've been told; doing something somebody else has been told may do you damage.
Don't be competitive. I wish I'd listened to my own advice here! It is easy to see people progressing and think you should be the same. This goes one of 2 ways: you get really down and upset, or you try to do too much and set yourself back.
Recovery takes patience and lots of it. I have little and am learning to find some.
If it hurts take painkillers. Don't be a martyr to pain. You heal better when you're on top your pain.
You will hurt in different places as your muscles and tendons recover and relax. Some days this will drag you down but just know it will get easier. I am at day 7 and miles better than I was at day 4.
If you're in the UK you will hear US folk talk a lot about ice but may never hear anything here. I've not done the sort of icing they may do but have used it intermittently as relief and it does help. Elevation is another thing, personally I've found that the best. I'd spent time on the bed but with feet seldom lifted more than one pillows worth. This morning after feeling very down and achey I lay almost flat on the bed with legs raised on a stack of pillows. After that my whole leg has felt lighter and swelling noticeably reduced.
You will have not just up and down days, but hours. I've gone from crying to euphoric in a short space of time. It's OK to have downers, just calm down, take painkillers and take a rest.
If you do too much one day and it's hurt, do less next day. Yesterday I tried doing more on just one crutch, but this morning I hurt like hell. Today I've rested and the improvement has been massive.
Sleeping on your back sucks! It isn't easy to get comfy. If you have a bad night, catch up during the day.
Have plenty of pillows. You'll try arranging them in so many ways to get yourself comfy.
It's OK to bend. Not beyond the 90 degree limit if you have that but you can still move more than you think. I spent the first couple of days trying to almost stay vertical
It's also ok to bend your operated leg at the knee, assuming no other complications. I spent wasted and exhausting time trying to do things with my operated leg straight. No wonder it felt tight!
Assuming you have the OK to do so it's fine to take weight on your leg and you have to learn to trust it. First time I stood to clean my teeth all my weight was on my good leg. It's hard to make yourself take weight on both. But don't push it...I tried walking with just one crutch and realised I'm putting too much weight in the crutch and distorting myself. I've had a good word with myself and gone back to 2 so I feel comfortable.
Appreciate a partner if you have somebody to help you. I'm gritting my teeth as hubby does things differently to me. He's doing loads and that's what matters.
Remember you will get through it but it sure as hell feels like a long impossible journey at times. Don't beat yourself up if it takes a bit longer for you than for others.
So those are some of my pearls of wisdom from the benefit of a whole week's experience of being post operative. Other people will have other experiences but hopefully I've captured things that will ring true for many. I'm still learning and incredibly grateful to the FB communities from whom I've gained advice and reassurance. But this is with the benefit of being new enough that I'm not looking back through rose tinted specs. I'm still finding things hard and need to take my own advice on patience. Hopefully I'll be posting over the next few weeks having followed that advice and got to a really good place ☺
The staff will have seen it all before. They understand it's nerve-wracking and will be there to help you through it. Listen to them.
Your dignity may go out the window a bit. You may pee on the bed if your anaesthesia hasn't worn off; they have cleaned other people up before you. They'll deal with it quietly and efficiently. You may have air in you from anaesthesia which means you can produce some quite spectacular farting later. Just accept they've heard it all before!
Bedpans may be a necessity. Accept the fact. If you haven't been got up out of bed (legs may be numb after anaesthetic) you'll have to use a bedpan
Take the drugs offered and ask for more if you need them. Keeping on top of the pain is important.
Listen to what the nurses, physios/PTs, doctors tell you. And follow their guidance. They know how your surgery went. They know why you might need something different to the next patient.
Go at your pace. Some people are ready to go home earlier than others. There's no right or wrong, just what's right for you.
At home:
Do the exercises you've been told. Other Internet friends will get different exercises. Some people will get home PT. Some will get sent home with a list of exercises and no more physio visit until 6 week check. Do what you've been told; doing something somebody else has been told may do you damage.
Don't be competitive. I wish I'd listened to my own advice here! It is easy to see people progressing and think you should be the same. This goes one of 2 ways: you get really down and upset, or you try to do too much and set yourself back.
Recovery takes patience and lots of it. I have little and am learning to find some.
If it hurts take painkillers. Don't be a martyr to pain. You heal better when you're on top your pain.
You will hurt in different places as your muscles and tendons recover and relax. Some days this will drag you down but just know it will get easier. I am at day 7 and miles better than I was at day 4.
If you're in the UK you will hear US folk talk a lot about ice but may never hear anything here. I've not done the sort of icing they may do but have used it intermittently as relief and it does help. Elevation is another thing, personally I've found that the best. I'd spent time on the bed but with feet seldom lifted more than one pillows worth. This morning after feeling very down and achey I lay almost flat on the bed with legs raised on a stack of pillows. After that my whole leg has felt lighter and swelling noticeably reduced.
You will have not just up and down days, but hours. I've gone from crying to euphoric in a short space of time. It's OK to have downers, just calm down, take painkillers and take a rest.
If you do too much one day and it's hurt, do less next day. Yesterday I tried doing more on just one crutch, but this morning I hurt like hell. Today I've rested and the improvement has been massive.
Sleeping on your back sucks! It isn't easy to get comfy. If you have a bad night, catch up during the day.
Have plenty of pillows. You'll try arranging them in so many ways to get yourself comfy.
It's OK to bend. Not beyond the 90 degree limit if you have that but you can still move more than you think. I spent the first couple of days trying to almost stay vertical
It's also ok to bend your operated leg at the knee, assuming no other complications. I spent wasted and exhausting time trying to do things with my operated leg straight. No wonder it felt tight!
Assuming you have the OK to do so it's fine to take weight on your leg and you have to learn to trust it. First time I stood to clean my teeth all my weight was on my good leg. It's hard to make yourself take weight on both. But don't push it...I tried walking with just one crutch and realised I'm putting too much weight in the crutch and distorting myself. I've had a good word with myself and gone back to 2 so I feel comfortable.
Appreciate a partner if you have somebody to help you. I'm gritting my teeth as hubby does things differently to me. He's doing loads and that's what matters.
Remember you will get through it but it sure as hell feels like a long impossible journey at times. Don't beat yourself up if it takes a bit longer for you than for others.
So those are some of my pearls of wisdom from the benefit of a whole week's experience of being post operative. Other people will have other experiences but hopefully I've captured things that will ring true for many. I'm still learning and incredibly grateful to the FB communities from whom I've gained advice and reassurance. But this is with the benefit of being new enough that I'm not looking back through rose tinted specs. I'm still finding things hard and need to take my own advice on patience. Hopefully I'll be posting over the next few weeks having followed that advice and got to a really good place ☺
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