I am not a medical professional. These tips are what I found worked for me, please adapt them as you see fit.
Some of the useful items that I have found include:
- A very comprehensive guide to exercises both before and after surgery. Available at: https://vch.eduhealth.ca/PDFs/FB/FB.863.Ex37.pdf (In case that link goes away, I uploaded a copy of the pdf – hip-exercises.
- A standard walker, much as I disparaged this before my surgery. I was very glad to have it the first few days afterwards when I was unstable rather than something fancier. It also fit (sideways) into the downstairs bathroom where the fancier one didn’t.
- A thick pillow that I bought to keep my knees apart while sleeping that prior
to my surgery I thought was way too thick, but after it, I was so glad to have it. I used the pillow to get in and out of bed without breaking protocol in a way that was much easier on me and Barry since I could often get back into bed on my own in the middle of the night. - Easy shoes to put on — Kizik. They’ve been great with my surgery–I can put them on myself, and Barry can step on the back to help me get them off without bending. (Before surgery, I could get them off myself, but I’m not supposed to cross my left foot over the center of my body.) If you’re interested, here’s a link. (If you use the link, we both get a discount.)
A cane that made it easier to go up and down the stairs. (Which I did on my first day home from the hospital, so I didn’t have to sleep downstairs.) I got a cane that stood up on its own which I found quite useful.- A raised toilet seat with arms that I could use easily. I bought a cheap raised one that didn’t work very well, but luckily, my daughter-in-law had one shipped to our house before their visit in April and that worked much, much better.
- A really good ice pack that Barry could put in the freezer and then I used throughout the day being on my hip and in the freezer, then back on my hip.
We covered it with a pillowcase and often put a towel between it when it was super cold, but it was easier than a smaller pack would’ve been and got the back edge of my incision in a way that brought nice relief. - Footstools. I had a nice one in my study that after a week, I could get my left leg onto and off of on my own.
- Sturdy chairs with arms. I have a great chair in my study, and we have two dining room chairs with arms that I used on the deck or around the house.
A fancier walker that I used outside that glided better than the standard one. A friend lent me this and it made walking outside much easier.- A coffee maker upstairs. Even though it was only decaf for the first two weeks, it still felt good to have a cup of coffee while writing/reading in my study, enabling Barry to sleep a bit longer or get ready for the day.
- An ice pack that you fill with ice–it worked well for when I woke in the middle of the night and my incision hurt.
- Lots of hand towels to protect my skin from the ice packs. (Not only the leg, but also my arm which often rested on the ice pack and needed to be protected as well.)
- I did have a grabber, but it wasn’t useful until I was done with the walker, although it did help when I wanted light socks off.
- Speaking of socks, the device to put them on myself only worked with longer socks (until I got the hang of it). It did come in handy.
- It can be useful to temporarily rearrange your kitchen, or dresser drawers to make the stuff you use the most higher up so it’s easier.