update hip surgery

Good luck and thanks for the update. I'll say a prayer for a safe and speedy recovery. I hope you'll soon be saying, " I'm sorry I waited, this was the best decision I've ever made!".

If you have a joint replacement I would recommend a rehab hospital after leaving the hospital IF your insurance company will pay for it. They have you doing physical therapy every day which helps in getting back to normal. A rehab hospital does not do any type of medical procedures. They just take care of the wound and physical therapy.
Don

I just came home Thursday from my total right knee replacement on Monday!
A little over 2 months ago I had a total left hip replacement!
The hip replacement was far less painful than the knee job.
Don't get me wrong the hip replacement hurt like the dickens, but really the worst pain only lasted 2 days. By the end of the first 2 days they have you pretty well loaded up with morphine. Now that the knee is done I have found that that is the answer get your body loaded up with painkillers and keep it that way. You get a head of the curve and stay there, always take the most they will give you, and push for it. You want it early and often so you don't get behind as that's when it gets painful. With the knee, it's far more painful and harder to get ahead, it also swells more so you need a good antinflamintory drug. But that's the key for either of the surgeries as far as pain control.

I hurt my knee back in the '70s they had talked about replacement first but I asked for them to do their best and I would do mine. I ended up keeping what was left of the knee and making it work for 40 years. During that time because I babied the knee, I wore out the hip. Last year, same thing, bone on bone. Doctor took one look and said "total hip replacement". I put it off until this year and finally crawled in and agreed to the surgery. As soon as the hip got good enough to use, the knee got so painful I had to have it done too.
This the 4th day after the knee replacement and I too am saying " I shouldn't have waited so long. Don't get me wrong, it still hurts but I am ahead of the painkiller curve and staying there, where the pain level is bearable.

Monday late afternoon it hurt so bad my teeth were shaking in pain.
Now 3:43 AM Friday, I finally ended the constipation problem and I will be going back to sleep as soon as I am done writing this!

I didn't mention ICE, don't forget the ICE! Its one of the best antinflamitory, anti swelling solutions there is. But the hip doesn't swell anywhere near what the knee does.

It's nite nite time for me, but I would like to offer up a friend to talk to that has just gone through exactly what you are about to and are understandingly nervous about.
Send me a private message if you would like my phone number so you can call at your convenience. I'll talk honestly, with out scarring you.

I wish you the best of luck. My wife had hers done the 5th of May and we just returned from a three week trip in the TT yesterday. She had absolutely no problems. This was her second, her first being the older method (cutting muscles) done three years ago. That one took four months to recover from, so the newer anterior method is much better and far less painful. Only thing is, we attended several ML baseball games and her hips set off the new metal detectors they are now using. Kind of got to be a joke after a while. Do what the doctors tell you and be aggressive in your therapy and you'll be good as new in no time.