Did you receive any instructions when you left the hospital or surgery center after your hip replacement? Did you follow those instructions? And are you still following them maybe even weeks, months, or years later?
Welcome back to The Hip Replacement Podcast.
Something very interesting happened to me this week and I wanted to jump in and talk about this because it really brought back a lot of memories because I am, I'm 12 yearsish past two hip replacements.
So it may seem like wow, 12 years, that's a long way away. And maybe you feel like you wish you were 12 years away, but you'll get there. You will get there. I was once in your shoes wherever you are in your hip replacement journey.
Whether that's before your hip replacement, maybe you're going in for your hip replacement today, maybe you're a day past, a week past, a month past, and you're just wondering what the future holds. Well, it's interesting because the future's going to be great. All right.
But I wanted to talk about something that happened to me at the time of the surgery or right as I was leaving the hospital because it was really significant and also very scary. And that was that I received some instructions when I left. And honestly, I forgot all about these for a long time, probably for the last 10 years.
And I was cleaning out my office, cleaning out my drawers. I like to do cleaning every once in a while. And I came across my old discharge instructions from the hospital.
So I actually received two sets of discharge instructions. One from the surgeon and a surgical team. So there was a surgeon and then a couple other doctors that supported the surgeon. And then I also received discharge instructions from the actual hospital.
And the two were very different. They covered different things. And the surgeon's instructions or the doctor team instructions wasn't very long and it only had a couple things in there and they were things like here's your medication. Here's the type of medication.
Don't forget to take it. Make an appointment with us one week from now. Okay?
Don't touch the bandage. Leave the bandage alone. Don't try to take it off and look at it.
And then finally, call this number in case of an emergency. Not the standard emergency number, but the number if you absolutely positively had to get in charge of get in touch with the doctors.
And I used it. I actually used it that night when I got home from the surgery from the hospital.
So, I came across the discharge instructions from the actual hospital. Not the doctor's instructions, but the hospital's instructions. And here they are.
So, if you're watching on YouTube, you can actually see them right here. I'm holding them up. And if you're listening, I will read these so that you can hear what I was going through because it was probably pretty similar to what you were going through.
And as soon as I started to read these, it brought back so many memories, some good, some bad. I wouldn't say it was the highlight of my life, but often times when we're going through something difficult, it's hard to realize how far we've come.
And in just reviewing these, I know it's been a long time, but in just reviewing these makes me realize how far I've come. And you're going to get there, too.
You'll be there quicker than you think. All right?
But they're only three pages and they're from the surgery center, the hospital, and it's for the therapy home program.
Now, I know that when you're going through the surgery, it can feel like you're all alone. It can feel like it is so frustrating to be where you are. I was there. And it didn't feel to me like I had a lot of support maybe in the hospital and I got to stay overnight one night in the hospital, but when I was leaving I was pretty terrified because I felt like I was being left out on my own.
And I was shocked that I was not supposed to see the doctor, come back and see the doctor for a week and I'm thinking to myself, holy smokes, I'm going to be at home for a week without access to the doctor.
I mean, I could call them, of course, but I just felt like I was out there by myself without a lot of support and it was quite lonely and scary honestly.
I had my wife and she was incredibly supportive. But still after getting such a major surgery of the hip replacement twice, I just felt like I was alone and I was a little bit scared.
But these things, I guess, were my only lifeline or connection back to the hospital. They gave me a little bit of comfort, but not much, honestly.
So hopefully when you get your discharge instructions or after you've gotten your discharge instructions, they're helpful. You're getting some comfort and that they helped you a little bit.
But let's go through these because I remember going through these and doing what they said. And hopefully you've been able to go through your instructions and do what they say. And maybe you're still going through them.
But it helped me realize seeing these that man I still do some of this stuff today. So far away from surgery.
So here right at halfway down the page and this is the release from the therapist that I saw in the hospital.
So I was there two days. I had surgery on morning one. In the afternoon, a physical therapist came in, took me to physical therapy class, and there was about 10, 15 people sitting around in recliners, and they walked us through different exercises.
And then the same thing happened the next morning. Physical therapist came in, made me get out of bed. I didn't want to get out of bed, but they made me get out of bed and walk down to the physical therapy room, which was, I don't know, 100 feet down the hall, sit in a room, and go over the exercises, which I found helpful because I got to learn how to do the exercises.
But anyway, here, let me read this.
It says, "This exercise program was designed specifically for you, for maximum benefit. The program should be followed according to the instructions provided."
Well, there's not many instructions here, but okay.
"And if you should experience difficulty or pain during or after an exercise, consult your therapist and perform the exercises three times a day."
I did that.
Rules of exercise.
"Stretch to the point of tension, not pain. Do not jerk or bounce when stretching. Do not hold your breath."
These are not my words. These are the words from the physical therapist in the discharge instructions.
So, I've heard of all these things from multiple sources from the physical therapist after surgery, from different trainers, from different coaches, from different athletes. So, this is all great advice.
And it also says if muscle soreness persists longer than 24 to 48 hours following exercise, consult your therapist. So if you're in pain, give somebody a call.
Then there's a review on here. How did we do? Blah blah blah. Not very helpful.
I guess I could leave a review. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I don't know.
But then I get to the back and the title is the back of page one and the title is joint group reminders for total hip replacements. That was me.
Ice your hip whenever you feel the need for 20 to 30 minutes.
And I did ice. And honestly, I wasn't icing the hip. I was icing the muscles in my legs because they were just sore.
So my quads, my IT bands, so on the top, on the sides. That was very helpful. And I still do that today once in a while.
If I go and do something that's strenuous, long walk, little run, bike ride, I stretch as best I can. And then I also ice because it makes a huge difference in my recovery.
Hopefully you found this to be true for you as well because it helps prevent the hose.
Here's a second point.
Prevent the hose, the compression stockings from bunching behind the knee and at the ankle, I guess, because this might cut off your circulation.
Wear them until you're follow up with your doctor. So, at least a week. I did that.
But I think after that first week or two, I got rid of them. I don't think I wore them that much, but I wore them as much as they told me to.
I didn't feel like it was time to be renegade and try my own path. I just did what the doctors told me to do.
Number three, take your pain medication as prescribed. Don't let the pain get ahead of you or out of control.
I tell you what, I was in a lot of pain when I got home or that first night.
I don't, I took the pain medication on time, but what they gave me to take home was different than what I had in the hospital.
And we called the number from the surgeon's discharge instructions. We got a hold of a doctor and they changed my prescription.
My wife went out in the middle of the night. My very pregnant wife went out in the middle of the night to go get new pain medication.
Came back and it was 2, three in the morning before I was able to get to sleep because I was in so much pain.
But anyway, take your pain medication as subscribed. As prescribed. Yeah, that's a no-brainer. But even if you take it as prescribed, it may not work. So, make sure you have a number for the doctor.
Do your home exercise program 30 repetitions three times a day every day until you go to outpatient physical therapy, inpatient physical therapy, or home health where physical therapist comes to you or your doctor states otherwise.
Yeah, I was doing them. I was following them to a tea and none of those exercises, there was about 10 of them, none of them were very strenuous and I did them all sitting in a recliner honestly.
I think they were just for helping to move the blood around, helping to move the muscles around, not really strength at all and really to give me something to do.
But I appreciated it and I felt like I was making progress.
So hopefully if you're doing the exercises, hopefully you feel like you have a little bit of control and you're making a little bit of progress.
Next item, watch sudden start, stops, and turns. Your hip might not be strong enough yet.
Absolutely. I was very slow and cautious and intentional in all my movements.
Here's a big one. Remove all obstacles from your pathway at home. We did this before the surgery.
Examples include wires, small area rugs, toys, animals, and anything else that can cause you to trip.
We didn't have any animals, but we did have rugs, so we tried to move those and just get things out of the way to make it easier for me to navigate to reduce the risk of falls and trips.
So, that was helpful.
But my second surgery, by the time my second surgery rolled around, I had like a 14month old daughter and there were toys laying around.
So I had to be careful with her that she didn't leave something somewhere and cause an issue. So had a little more careful the second time.
Very important. Be careful at night. It says, yeah, you can't see where you're going.
If you have to go to the bathroom, have your walker by the bed.
I used the walker for two weeks and then two crutches for two weeks after that and then one crutch after that for two more weeks. So, six total weeks of walking assistance.
And when you get out of bed at night, turn on the light and make sure you're awake before you start moving because really, you don't want to fall. That would be super bad.
And do not attempt to drive until you're cleared by your physician.
I didn't want to drive anywhere. I was content staying home and trying to just recover the best I could.
I was not in a, I didn't have the attitude that I wanted to go anywhere.
And when I did go somewhere, my wife was able to drive me. And I had a little difficulty getting up into the car and getting in the car and just getting comfortable. So the last thing I wanted to do was drive anywhere.
And with stairs, the words of caution were the guidance, the super sophisticated guidance, not really, but here it is.
Here's what they tell you about stairs and curbs. Up with the good leg first, the non-surgical side, and then down with the bad leg or the surgical side.
And if you have any issues, call the doctor. Okay.
Oh, and here's some precautions. The last page three. These are the major precautions that came with the anterior hip.
Avoid combinations of hip extension and external rotation.
So stretching and then turning the hip out. Avoid extending your leg behind you.
I wasn't going to do any yoga anytime soon or play Twister. So, okay.
Avoid extending your leg behind you and turning your toes outward. So those are examples of hip extension and external rotation.
And I had these for six to 12 weeks. So that was it.
That was it. That was all I had.
So major surgery, hip replaced, young guy in the 30s, and this is all they gave me.
Um, I don't know about you, but if you have something like that, if that's all they give, it could be a little daunting. It could feel like you're on your own, but I hear you.
I know what you're going through, and it'll be okay.
So, I think the point is not to overburden you with all of these different precautions, not to overwhelm you or scare you, but still I felt like could you be a little more specific? Could you help me out a little bit more?
Because I felt like I was just going to go home and it was kind of the wild west. Just don't do these three, five things and you'll be okay.
I don't know. I wish it would have been a little bit more. It would have been a little more comforting for me.
But know that just following those will be very helpful in your recovery.
And if you're not, wherever you are in your recovery, if it's a day, a week, a month, a year, even if you're not where you want to be, go back and look at your discharge instructions or think about if you can't find them, don't worry about looking for them.
If you think about what you were doing initially, maybe some of the exercises and try to get back to doing some of those because it'll help you give you a sense of control.
And if you're feeling lost at all, time and persistence and patience is going to help.
And no matter where you are, whatever condition your hip is, however long it's been past your surgery, know that you can do whatever you want to do and you could get as great of an outcome as you want to get.
You have a lot of control over this.
One of the reasons I started this podcast was to help you recover, was to help you know that you're not alone in this.
Because, you know, we don't all go and recover together.
They don't, when we leave the hospital or surgery center, they don't send us to some big hall or some big hotel, some luxury hotel or resort where there's hundreds of people recovering from hip replacement surgery.
What happens is you go and you're by yourself.
Maybe you have family. Sure. Maybe you have friends who are helping you. Sure. But there's probably not a lot of other hip replacement patients anywhere near you.
And that by itself can be a major cause of stress or discouragement.
But know that we're here. I'm here. You and I can get together.
Come listen to the podcast like you are now. I want to share as much as I can with you to help you not feel so alone and get the best possible outcome that you can get after surgery, physically, mentally, emotionally.
We can work on all of those things.
There's a better life ahead.
Even if you only get basic instructions like this. I mean, I don't know. My daughter's in kindergarten on every day had more instructions than this.
And I had major surgery and this was it. Okay.
But you don't have to figure it out.
Follow the simple instructions.
And you can come here and we can talk about different topics because I know that you can still have a great outcome no matter where you are.
If you feel like you're ahead of the curve, if you feel like you're right on the curve or if you feel like you're behind the curve, first of all, there is no curve.
You are where you're supposed to be, where your body's allowing you to be and you can still make a lot of great progress.
Sometimes it just takes more time for people. That's okay.
It's not a race, but you can do this.
So, here's what I recommend.
Keep a positive attitude.
I understand that the discouragement will come, but there are plenty of bright days ahead of you. You're going to have a very strong, active life as much as you want.
So, do this. Go grab your discharge instructions or if you don't have them, don't worry about it.
Think back about one thing, just one thing that you remember from the hip replacement. What guidance you received from the physical therapist or the surgeons or anyone else in the hospital or surgical center and do that one thing.
Start there, one thing.
Is it this exercise?
Is it moving a certain way?
Is it staying hydrated with water? Is it making sure to be stay active for a certain amount of time a day?
Is it journaling? Is it reading?
Is whatever it is, go back to something that works for you, something that inspired you or something that you remember from your early days of recovery or maybe even if that's right now, do one thing.
Don't let all of these instructions, well, even short instructions, don't let them all go to waste because they're very important yet short.
And you'll be able to use those instructions from day one to day whatever 3,000 4,000 5,000 past surgery.
So, just one thing, know that we're here.
You can come back and watch this episode as many times as you want because I want the episode, I want the podcast to help you get where you want to go after surgery.
This is a point in our lives, the surgery, major surgery.
And know that the best part of your life is still in front of you. You can still do everything you want.
You can do more with the relief of the surgery and getting rid of all that pain that you carried with you for so long. Just like I did.
I was in pain for years. Limited my life, made my world smaller.
This is a new beginning.
Just do one thing. One thing from the instructions and it'll help you today and years down the road.
I hope this was helpful to you.
Thanks so much for tuning in to The Hip Replacement Podcast and until next time, I wish you the best recovery possible.
Take care.
