Getting The Call

Getting The Call

I suppose this was The Wait – III, but it all happened very quickly. I had barely told the folks at work that something was up, saw my GP with the news (we were both very happy), and started to review the company policy for sick leave when the phone rang on January 29. Dr. Dive’s office, “Can you be ready for surgery on Feb 5?”

“Yes, Yes, I can!”

“Okay, stop taking this drug right away. Do these things now (a bit of a list). You will be called in for more lab work, an education session, and other things shortly.”

No, I couldn’t get up and dance around, but I sure felt like it! I really had won the lottery and I didn’t bump anyone to get there!

Preparation

Read this Book (and/or the one that they give you) http://vch.eduhealth.ca/PDFs/FB/FB.130.B393.pdf

This is the big overview, with pictures and diagrams. You need to start here to get a sense of will happen and what you need to do.

Preparation – The House

You will get lists of equipment and modifications. Some of them will look strange, but trust these people, and be aware that these lists are the bare bones. http://oasis.vch.ca/surgery/classes-to-prepare-for-surgery/prep-for-surgery/

While it differentiates between equipment that you will need in the hospital and equipment that you need at home, you will need ALL of the equipment for the 12 weeks after surgery.

·         4-inch raised toilet seat (with or without armrests)

·         Tub transfer bench or shower chair

·         Non-slip bathmat

·         A standard (no-wheel) or 2-wheel walker

·         Crutches

·         Long-handled shoe horn

·         Long-handled reacher

·         Sock aid

·         Extra-firm cushion (4” x 16” x 18”) for the drive home

In addition, we removed the base on the dining room chair that I would use and put a new plywood base that took the 4" foam piece. We then raised the table by an inch so that I could get my legs underneath. This went a long way to ensuring that I didn’t feel awkward trying to eat.

Another great change was to replace the legs on the bed, the living room couch and my recliner chair so that they were at the right height and I did not need to wrestle with cushions to get into the safe positions. This would be hard to do in a short period of time, but easy enough if you have several weeks to prepare.

Preparation – The Mind

The education session with an Occupational Therapist through OsteoArthritis Service Integration System (OASIS) in Vancouver is a good bit of public education about what to expect and what to prepare for. http://oasis.vch.ca/surgery/hip/  It is ‘sanitized’ but that is quite reasonable as the needed information comes through.

Talking to relatives, friends, and colleagues yielded a nice cross section of the population who had gone through this procedure. The uniform message was, “Life is better after surgery.” I can work with that!

Preparation – The Body

Exercise! Yes, You! You will need more upper body strength than you think in the weeks after surgery. Some useful exercises that I did (and should have done more of):

Walking, cycling, and others exercises that moved my hip joint were right off the menu, but are lots that you can do.

Push Ups

If you haven’t been doing these, start by placing your feet about a foot apart and a foot away from the wall and lean towards the wall until your nose almost touches and then push away from the wall back to upright. Do ten of these. No need to rush, the slower you do them, the greater the benefit. Keep moving your feet away from the wall a few inches each time, until you are at a doable distance.

You can also do these from lying face down on the floor, but I was physically long past the point of being able to get up off the floor by myself.

Curl Ups

My hip was not up for much movement but limited Curl Ups – raising the head and shoulders and curling the back while tightening the stomach muscles were just fine for me. Do them with your knees bent and again, slow is good.

Upper Body Stretching

Reach Way up! Crunch back down! Keep moving what will move without pain.

Ankle Pumps

Moving your ankles back and forth works the calf and thigh muscles without stressing the hip. 

Mostly it is all about movement. Do you own favourite exercises, but do them!

You are trying to be as ready as possible!