Bilateral hip replacements Blog 3

It’s worth mentioning, you have to be fit to have two hips done at once.

The worst one is done first and then you are wheeled back into the anaesthetic room to make sure you’re okay. The theatre is cleaned and then your wheeled back into theatre as if you were a different patient.

Everyone is different you must discuss with your surgeon whether it’s appropriate for you

I woke in the recovery room.Was then transferred to critical care.

As I had had two hips replaced they like you to have 24 hours here to make sure that you’re okay.

You also have a catheter- sounds not nice but a godsend for the first day.

BUT There is no rest for the wicked the staff get you up and walking within a couple of hours of the operation.

Next x-rays are taken to make sure that the hips are aligned properly.

Mr Hoad Reddick was delighted with his work.

Even at this early stage ,where to be honest you do feel like you’ve been hit by a truck ,it was a different sort of pain.

It’s the pain of a healing wound not a horrid nasty stabbing knife in the groin and into the knee arthritis pain.

Anna the ward physio came and of course I had to behave myself and do exactly what I’m told.She was lovely.

Mr Hoad Reddick has an app which you are given pre-surgery. It explains preoperative expectations and treatment in a short video then a video every day post operatively. I think it’s absolutely brilliant. There is a positive, reassuring message each day, as well as exercises on video and other useful information.

The important thing with hip replacement is that you don’t bend your hip beyond 90° and don’t cross the midline of your body with your foot and definitely don’t cross your legs. Sleep on your back

These precautions apply for 3 months.

This means the joys of high chair seats,raised loo seats,sock putting on aids and a long handled grabber – a great weapon 😂