Hip replacement

[Pino]

Went to my Orthopedist this morning, i had some (more than usual) pain in my left hip for weeks. He did some testing and a X-Ray, while waiting for him i already could see the picture on the monitor. Well, my first thought was: "That looks nasty." The doc came in and pressed around, until he said, i need a hip replacement.

That was some kind of shock, i thought he would come around with some PT or something, but my hip is already very bad and the Arthrosis is far advanced.

This has of course nothing to do with my incontinence, but i know here are some who already had a hip replacement. I am worried about the time after the operation, and the incontinence while in hospital. How long does it take until you were able to use the toilet again? How long were you bedbound and how long took it to recover from it? I am thankful for every information.

 

[BigAl1]

Find a surgeon who dose the muscle sparing approach. I was walking the same day i had my surgery in the eve. Don't worry about your incontinence. You won't be the 1st person with incontinence they saw.

 

[hbic60]

Pino, not me but my wife already had a hip replacement. Getting out of the bed after surgery is quite quick, next day you shall already start to move and walk (with crutches of course). You must be very careful - in the first weeks - with the angle between body and the affected leg with every movement, which makes many movements (like sitting on a regular heigh toilet) quite challenging. And, for sure, you should follow all instructions for rehabilitation process. Doing wrong can damage the seat of the hip replacement, it takes a few weeks until the muscles around are trained to help to keep the replacement in place, and this training has to be followed properly. About 6 to 8 weeks after surgery you are back to normal - which meant for my wife that she could move (painfree) comparable to being min. 20 years younger!
So, toilet use is generally possible quite early, but in connection with your IC even more challenging (for sitting on the toilet), as first priority has to be to control the angle between body and leg, including support with the crutches - but at least peeing while standing (which isn't an option for females) shouldn't be a too big issue.

 

[INTrePid]

I used to have a job where I reviewed CT scans for robotically assisted hip replacements. It was quite common to see patients wearing diapers. The key to getting a good scan, besides having a skilled technician, is to not move when you're in the scanner. Remain as still as possible. A lot of people make the mistake of waiting too long to have the surgery, so surgeons are used to dealing with some pretty gnarly cases. It's amazing what a skilled surgeon can accomplish.

 

[Pino]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I had some bad days with my incontinence as well, not sure it is related to the hip pain, but indirect for sure. I just need significant longer to get up and either go to the toilet, resulting in more accidents, especially at home. At home i am not used to it, usually i am able to reach a toilet in time. Now i am diapered at home either. I still get out of bed in time at night though, at least.

I will try to loose some weight and see how long i can go without the operation, but i think i should not wait to long for it.
My main concern is that i will perhaps get an "ME boost/detoriation". But that will get to far to explain in this forum.

Good to know i will be able to get up very fast after surgery.

 

[BigAl1]

When hip pain kept me up at night. It was time i decided. It's been over 12 years since i had it done. It's holding up well.