What to expect the first few days after hip replacement surgery

Total Hip Replacement Surgery hurts quite a bit more than anyone told me. I’ve had a rough time of it, and I want to share what I’ve learned with you. First can I just say how happy I am that my hip surgery is done! For those of you with an upcoming hip surgery, I wanted to share with you what I’ve learned, and what to expect the first few days after hip replacement surgery.

Off to the operating room

Right after they gave me something to relax me, I was wheeled into the OR. They had me scoot over to a different table, with both legs over the side, facing the nurse. They asked that I stick my back out a bit so they could do the spinal. That’s the last thing I remember – I don’t remember the spinal at all! I woke up in recovery, and they were surprised at how alert I was. When I was stable, I was wheeled up to my room, where my friends and family were waiting. I wasn’t in too much pain at this point. I had a very nice and helpful nurse, until 7:00 p.m. when the not-so-nice nurse came on for her 12-hour shift.

The terrible nurse

She had no personality and just wasn’t a friendly person. I was already anxious to go home. She didn’t give me any pain meds overnight, she didn’t even ask if I needed them. She gave me Tylenol. They removed the catheter very early in the morning, and mentioned that before I can be released, I had to pee twice. And after each time, they used a little handheld ultrasound thing, to make sure I was really “empty”. That was not a problem.

I was super happy to see the nurse from the evening before arrive for her shift in the morning. What a difference a nice nurse makes! An occupational therapist came around and did a few things with me, then a physical therapist came around and with a walker in front of me, we cruised up and down the hallway. He showed me how to get up and down stairs using a cane, and he also showed me how to do a few simple exercises at home.

I was discharged a few hours later.

Back at home

This is where the fun began. I am lying – it was not pleasant at all. Every move was a struggle. I tried to get into bed with help, but the rule is to move both legs at the same time and turn to get them on the bed. There are two issues with this: 1) Every muscle, tendon, bone, hurts. Every move is painful. 2) The leg that was operated on is heavy…and impossible for me to lift. There were plenty of tears, plenty of pillows, and plenty of questions, such as, “why did I do this?”. I ended up sleeping on the power recliner in the living room, as it was the only spot I could get comfortable. And by comfortable, I mean that I could get at least some relief.

The walker was my best friend over the next few days {well that and prescription pain meds, muscle relaxers, and Tylenol}.

I have to be honest, the first few days after hip replacement surgery were really rough for me. I belong to several hip replacement support groups on Facebook and was reading them non-stop. I wanted to know if others were experiencing the same things as me. Some were, but most seemed to be sailing through with very few issues. Many said there was zero pain after surgery {which I just cannot grasp}, and many said they didn’t take pain meds after they left hospital {or not at all}. I don’t understand how they cannot be in any pain. It’s a major surgery, and if nothing else, the surgery site itself does hurt. But I digress.

The tears

There were/are plenty of tears and lots of self-pity. I told myself many times that I should have NEVER had this done, and that it would never get better. I felt like I was crippled {the meniscus tear in my opposite knee, that was discovered shortly before my hip surgery, didn’t help}. I didn’t have a strong leg to stand on. I think not having the knee issue most likely DOES make it easier for others. I cried. I cried a lot. I cried out in pain, and I cried out because I felt alone – even though my daughter and husband were taking good care of me. I cried because I was tired of depending on others to do things for me. I cried because I felt like a huge burden on those who were caring for me, and I cried about the uncertainty of it all.

No appetite

One thing I didn’t expect was to lose my appetite! For some reason, I only ate small portions, or not at all. I just wasn’t hungry. Most likely it was all of the meds. At Day 8, I still don’t have much appetite, which is okay with me. If I can shed a few pounds from this ordeal, that would be awesome.

Would I have hip replacement surgery again? At this point, I am not sure. Check back in a few months and I most likely will have an answer by then.

Stay tuned to learn about the miracle that happened the next morning {Day 9}!