u/Emotional_Plane4122

Day 5 of Posterior THR.  The worst were Days -1 (no sleep the night before) through Day 3.  Pain has not been continuous but occurred whenever I got into or out of a chair or bed or the car.  Bending my knee appeared to compress the thigh muscle and cause excruciating pain.  The wife holding the leg straight out while I rotated or me using a looped leg lifter eliminated the pain.  By Day 4 the pain associated with that motion had dissipated tremendously.  So far, have only used Tylenol.  Very happy with that progress.

Have been using a walker since Day 1and not sure when in the future I will transition to walking sticks.  The noticeable improvement has me telling myself to not get cocky.

I realize the anterior approach potentially offers quicker recovery, but the doc in our area who has done thousands of joint replacements, not surprisingly, does the posterior so I opted for his massive experience.  Plus I’m retired, so no company calling daily to ask when I’ll be returning to work.

I spent the night of the operation in the hospital and glad I did.  I received a drip antibiotic.  An operating room infection is a scary thing and was my biggest concern with the operation.  So, no problems.

Day 2 post-surgery, posterior THR.  So far just Tylenol for pain but as I walk and start exercising, I can foresee reaching for the Oxy is in my future.  Spent the night of the surgery at the hospital and very glad I did.  Yes, the hospital is “the worst place to be when your sick”, but I learned so much from the nurses and the PTs.  Well worth a zero-sleep night.

We prepped the home, removing floor mats in the bath and such.  Bought a pair of slip-on shoes and the other things often mentioned here.  Wife has been extremely supportive but I still try to as much as I can on my own.  Those without assistance at home, I don’t know how you do it.  One item I have found extremely useful is a looped leg lifter.  It’s how I get up from bed or the sofa/chair by myself.  Highly recommend getting one and getting acclimated to its use pre-surgery.

I received a drip antibiotic during the hospital stay, but nothing more after I checked-out.  Given the consequence of catching one of the healthcare bugs, I was very happy for that.  So far, nothing indicating illness.  Not sure what they would have done if I had gone home right after surgery.

May 11 total hip replacement scheduled. Odd thing, my good leg possibly sprained my knee Sunday. I may have been depending too much on my good hip. So, now my good hip is making it more difficult to walk on the good hip leg than the one to be operated on. I use a can to support my "good" leg. I am worried if basically both legs are difficult to walk on, will that be too much to deal with. Anyone else with experience? Yes, I've discussed delaying.

I was an evening 1 cigar smoker. Cut back to a few puffs for 5 nights followed by 2 days abstention. Purchased the urine test from Amazon, and am negative. In 2 days, pre-op where I assume cotenine test will happen.