Hip Replacement Tips…Anyone?

I realize that if you have found me here…you may expect a new recipe, DIY, or gardening tip…but, today? You know I never knew I would need to share the “hip replacement tips” topic.

But, sure enough, when walking became more difficult and xrays showed bone and bone, no cartilage, and the hip joint pronounced gone…the discussion of which orthopedic surgeon referral became a doctor’s office topic.

Who knew?

The final stage reared it’s ugly head at Martha’s Vineyard…and made views of Cape Cod by car more comfortable.

A first trip through an airport via wheelchair was the next eyeopener…with learning that those who were pushing the chair needed tips, too.

Again? Who knew? A new normal navigated…

So, as I sit at the computer this morning, something so personal that I don’t usually feel needs to be shared here became more of…

What if others need some hip replacement tips before or after?

I realize everyone’s experience is different.

The surgeon, type of surgery done, age, physical health, and support system all play an important role in how we each respond…as in any medical experience…be it whatever surgery…and the list goes on…all will have a different result by each person you talked with.

I’m no medical professional and any information that I’m sharing is simply what worked for me…so if you find yourself in a position to need hip replacement tips…ask your medical professionals.

So…where did the “sharing” conversation begin?

I have a Facebook friend scheduled for hip replacement in November. On her page began the question of: “give me tips”.

Everyone pulled out all the stops.

• Have anterior some said.
• Eat pineapple others said.
• You have to have a shower chair another added.
• Surgeons were recommended.

The list of the tips were offered right before my hip replacement…and NONE of those listed above tips were things that applied to me…and let me tell you why.

First…

The research on WHO you choose to go to for surgery and their professional best for you may NOT provide an option for anterior.

So, tip number one? Select a surgeon that meets your needs.

We have a great surgeon in our little town who has done hip and knee surgeries for many of our friends. My one experience with him…and no appointments to see him until 2026…made that surgeon leave the list of choices.

The surgeon, years of experience, number of surgeries done each year are all important decisions made BEFORE the surgery.

We began by simply asking my husband’s shoulder replacement surgeon who would HE have do his hip replacement. My surgeon’s name was offered. To further confirm him as the right surgeon for me? A friend has had both hips done by him with great results.

Worth a consultation.

Can I tell you that the follow up details on my chart after that visit were almost verbatim from the visit and his comments confirmed I had made the RIGHT choice for me for this surgery. I realize AI probably helped with the details…but his personal comments, personality and empathy won me over.

Now I realize they have an amazing program at Vanderbilt that helps with response, education and communication, but holy cow! The continuing daily communication to prepare -did I mention, 3 weeks for the surgery scheduled? or that he did between 200-300 hip and knee replacements a year? depending on his Vanderbilt teaching schedule.

And after surgery? Oh, my goodness…a swift and comforting response. Didn’t know anyone provided that type of care. And for two weeks following surgery, daily checkins, an open dialog option, if needed, directly to the surgeon, and quick response, were more than expected and amazing.

Secondly, research and make a list of questions to have answered.

Some of those included:

• Type of surgery
• How long was the surgery and would I go home same day or stay overnight?
• Could I do PT locally?
• the list goes on.

Can I tell you that if you have the right surgeon, you will get a call back immediately to schedule the surgery date…at this point consider asking to be placed on a cancellation list so that you can get in earlier. That worked out in my favor.

For me, I received a phone call from the anesthesiologist team to explain the surgery in detail and have questions answered. I also got a call from the nurse team to explain what equipment I would need and where to send the prescription for a walker and potty chair, if needed. Our insurance wouldn’t cover a shower chair, but I’ll address that issue a little later.

PAGES and PAGES of educational materials were sent to me BEFORE and AFTER that I printed out to help me journey through before the surgery and after.

Next, get your house ready for coming home after the surgery.

• FOCUS on instructions and information provided by your OWN surgeon…not everything out there online.
• Although you may want to watch you tube videos before and after? The experiences they had included pain, crutches, equipment I had never seen or had on a list of recommended…so…be kind to yourself and avoid those.
• Pick up a prescribed walker…you want to take that with you so that you have it to use to get out of the car and into your home. Now…some surgeons recommend crutches…I can’t even imagine…
• Have an elevated seat or commode in your bathroom. The height will be determined by your height in case you need to know that. When we remodeled our primary bathroom close to our bedroom, we installed a higher toilet AND added a bidet with warm water. That’s my BEST tip…so much easier for bathroom care with one. Just sayin’…
• We did pick up a prescribed potty chair, but didn’t use it.
• Now this tip I taught the recovery room nurse…after surgery you walk your walker into the commode with the front touching the tank. That provides stable arms to help you get up after surgery. I used this tip for about the first week after surgery when it was no longer needed. GENIUS! NOTE: This worked for me at 5’4″…it did not work for my over 6′ brother in law since the handles were too high to be helpful..
• Remove loose rugs.
• Sit in chairs and look for issues…our new recliner has a lever on the right side which is too far for me to reach and because it’s also a rocker? it leaned down too far making getting out of the chair an issue.
• Walk around your house with the walker to make sure areas are easy to get through with the walker.
• We have a Sleep Number bed that wasn’t as amazing with this recovery as I thought. I simply increased the density to make it easier to get in and out and slightly raised my feet. For me? Since sleeping on my back was the safest, adding a pillow under my knees and feet to keep my legs straight and elevated to reduce swelling was my favorite for the first few weeks.
• The one purchase made that helped both my husband and I was a leg lifter. Although it looks like one of those invisible dog leashes…it helps you lift your leg back into bed without pain. BUY one!
• Next tip? My husband taped down one of those rug holding pads where I got in and out of bed to prevent me from sliding.
• Have a table sitting next to your favorite chair to hold drinks, medications, etc.
• Buy a flat icepack to use. Mine was placed inside a pillowcase and folded over to provide layers of cloth between my hip and icepack. My prescription was 20 minutes on and 30 minutes off and never in bed. You can buy an ice circulating machine, but the icepack was perfect for me.
• Instead of a shower chair, we had an extra walker that I placed in my walk in shower for me to walk into for support. Perfect! I couldn’t imagine sitting down and getting up in a wet shower.

I also used a cane for about a week. A suggested transition from the walker from the PT team. I have friends who needed it longer for stability. Ask your physical therapist about what to buy and how to size it for you. Note: they did NOT recommend extra feet on the bottom.

Extra things I did to prepare before surgery?

• Exercises that were recommended to make recovery easier.
• Select your Physical Therapy location and let your surgeon know where to send prescribed plan… and schedule your PT before surgery.
• Ask any questions I had BEFORE hand via my chart which provided great response.
• Buy thank you notes and stamps…I know my friends and family.

Prep for meals…

• Stock your fridge and pantry with quick and easy meals…and that pineapple suggestion? although pineapple is great before surgery, citrus can interfere with antibiotics, so I did not eat any while taking antibiotics.
• Clean out the refrigerator.
• Have snack foods like string cheese, fruit, or peanut butter crackers on hand to take with medication that needs to be taken with food in between meals.
• Prepare meals that freeze well to enjoy after surgery:

sweet potato chili

zucchini bread

beef stew

chicken rice soup

meatloaf

to name a few.

And then a few other things…

• Water all the house plants! Who knew when that would happen again!
• Pack your bag in case you have a trip to the hospital…or in our case spending the night closer to the surgery site the night before.
• Change the sheets and clean the house before you leave for surgery.
• Move things you will need within reach without bending over after surgery will help with independence, in every room you will be using.
• Make a contact list of friends and family who will need information after surgery for whoever lets others know for you.
• Have your given a list of prescriptions filled to have to take home with you BEFORE surgery so you don’t have to stop and wait for those after you get home.
• Have someone to help you. My husband is the BEST caregiver! I am blessed.

So, the day of surgery?

• You will know how to prepare according to your surgeon’s instructions…surgical washes, etc. Just a note..I bought the foaming Hibiclens for use before surgery and continued to use it on washing my incision after the bandage was removed.
• Have your bag packed to take with you. Include nonslip shoes with backs…follow your surgeon’s instructions…and loose fitting clothes to wear home.
• Your walker in the car.
• House ready.
• List of persons to notify in hand.
• Jewelry, nail polish, contacts out. Just a note here: I had gel polish on both hands and feet. Now that was complicated. My surgeon wanted to see how my toes and fingers responded during surgery. There is a builder under that gel polish that made removal to get it off both difficult and tedious. Have that done well in advance of your surgery. Trust me. And ask your surgeon if that’s required by them.

My favorite part?

My surgery was same day surgery. Every member of the team from beginning til I left was exemplary. For example, my nurse getting me ready gave me the tip of using my walker to go up and down steps that I use each and every time…you walk up with your nonoperated “good” leg going up to heaven…and down to hell using the “operated leg” first. It stuck!

My surgeon used a spinal injection that allowed me to still feel my feet after waking back up and helped me sleep in my own bed for 9 hours with a bathroom break at 6 hours the first night after surgery. NO one here could believe I went home a few hours after surgery.

After surgery tips:

• Follow your surgeon’s plan perfectly.
• Take your “cocktail of prescriptions” as directed. Mine worked perfectly and I was on only Tylenol for pain in a few days. Stay on a schedule to help things work smoothly.
• Set a timer on your phone labeled with what medications you take. This has helped soooo much.
• Have help getting in and out of bed with your operated leg as they direct you as long as you need it and then have the leg lifter to assist. PT will also help with making that easier.
• Do your physical therapy exercises at home in between non therapy days.
• Make sure while you are taking any pain medication that you also take stool softeners…mine were prescribed and worked beautifully.
• Have someone help you with pants and shoes as you need them.
• TAKE A NAP the first few days…not doing this on the second day after surgery caused me to crash and nap 5 hours on day 3.
• Shower in a walk in shower and having a different walker in the shower works wonderfully.
• MOVE from one place to another every 45 minutes to an hour to keep your body from hurting as much.
• Find something to occupy your time…from writing here for me, reading, catching up on favorite shows, giving updates to family and friends by texts and phones, all kept me busy.

And other things I learned with this hip replacement?

I found that each day was a new day in the recovery process.

Be intentional in movement, medications, rest, and recovery.

On days when I felt something new in soreness or an unexpected way to change what I was doing…I learned to be positive, stay focused and extend grace.

I learned that although I wanted independence in getting up during the night, it was better for me to wake my husband to help. I really wanted to do more for myself and not interrupt his sleep. We learned we both felt better when he was a part of helping me get out and back into bed for the first couple of weeks.

And again, the leg lifter helped me become independent and let my husband sleep during times I needed to get up during the night for bathroom breaks.

NOTE: I found out that your Physical Therapist may have a team that include several caring for you..make sure that anyone caring for you is committed to following the plan created for you and doesn’t go off the rails with “their plan”. Because they deal with so many people daily, I found myself reminding them at each visit that I had posterior hip replacement…and how long ago…for each visit…and still under restrictions. A simple reminder that I hoped helped them in their juggling of patients. Understand how the PT team works and be proactive when you feel concerns. Learning to be an advocate for your recovery is important. I found it helpful to ask for assistance in things I needed to learn to do, such as, getting in and out of bed or putting on pants and shoes. The educator in me wanted goals each week. Goodness!

Other suggestions…

May I also suggest an occasional road trip? Getting up, dressed, and out for physical therapy was a no brainer.

But on days when PT was at home? During the first couple of weeks, getting dressed and taking a short ride through the park, or along the river front, or through a drive through for ice cream, were mood boosters.

I don’t pretend to have all of the answers…and I’m at almost 5 weeks post op…but, making intentional decisions before and after surgery, and selecting the BEST team for you are a great place to begin.

So far, the walker and cane are no longer needed for me and I’m driving…and again, each person’s progress and recommendations from their surgeon and physical therapy will determine when that happens for you.

How could I forget this one?

I’m editing this post to include this tool. How could I forget the grabber reacher tool. I loved this handle which my husband found at Menard’s at a great price. I am still using this one to clean around baseboards and do more jobs that keep me off the floor!

Thanks so very much to all of you who have messaged, texted, sent cards, flowers and food. And for those who even joined us for the food they brought with feet under my table? I loved each moment.

And that featured bouquet? when that sweet 6 year old great niece insisted that she pick a bouquet for me…and that my bow have a sparkly on it…oh, my goodness…be still my heart.

Hope these tips help!

If someone in your life has hip replacement surgery…perhaps these tips will be beneficial to those having it OR assisting them.

I can’t leave without sharing the MOST important tip…first and foremost, I simply had to pray all the way through this process…for the right surgeon, the right physical therapy, and that in spite of myself, healing would be perfect. On days when a new concern would appear, handing it all over to HIM to care for me helped me realize that He truly is my healer and protector. A perfect reminder for all of us when we face challenging circumstances. I am so very thankful for those of you who also prayed for me.

Slowly getting back into the kitchen with a great sous chef husband assisting. So far, he’s helped with canned applesauce, apple jam, 2 more batches of double chocolate zucchini bread, grilled and helped with other prep for meals. I’m more than blessed and thankful.

Next week is the follow up visit with my surgeon…pray for a great report!

Thank you for joining me here. It truly means MORE than you can imagine,

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