Recovery Equipment For Home

I was very lucky to have a great recovery set up when I got out of the hospital.  I had to travel to FL for my surgery, but fortunately, my older sister lives about 15mins away from both my doctor and the hospital where I had the surgery. 

And as luck would have it, she has a handicapped bathroom AND a TempurPedic adjustable bed in her home from when our elderly mother lived with her.

Now I realize that not everyone has this kind of a set up - but here is a list of things that helped me during recovery.  Also be sure to check out the list of recovery aids available on Bonesmart.

BEDROOM
* Bed: As I mentioned, I was extremely fortunate to have the use of a TempurPedic adjustable bed, which is pretty much like a hospital bed - it allows you to adjust the head and foot area, so that you can raise your head and elevate your legs.  The mattress is super comfortable, and adjusts to your body weight for comfort.   

Now I realize that not everyone will have access to this sort of bed, but if you can, try to make sure that the bed you're using for recovery isn't too firm or too soft.   

If your mattress is too firm, you'll find yourself pretty sore sleeping on your back, which is pretty much inevitable, even if you have no post op restrictions.  In my case, I was unable to easily move to my side (much less lay on my side) for the first 8 days - and that's with the SUPERPATH technique, which has no restrictions.  If your bed is firm, try to get a cushiony mattress topper.  

If your mattress is too soft, remember it will be difficult to move your body around for the first week or so, so try adding some firming support between the box spring and mattress (perhaps a piece of plywood?) to make your mattress more firm.  You don't want to sink into your bed, as you'll find yourself straining and wrestling in your bedding to move yourself about. 

* Pillows:  Pillows are important for your head, but they're even MORE important for supporting and elevating your operative leg.  I recommend using at least two long pillows for elevating and supporting, as they have the added benefit of taking the weight off of your hips and distributing it to other areas of your body.

* Tray Table: A tray table (especially with wheels, if you can find one) is extremely helpful during recovery.  My sister found an old hospital tray table at a local thrift store, and I used it for holding my medications, my bottled water, tissues and such.  It was so much easier to reach than the night stands next to my bed (which for most people, require one to roll over to the side to reach).  If you can find an old hospital tray, that's great, but if not, try to find an old folding TV table - something that can be reached without much effort (and without having to roll over to one side!).

* Note Pad & Pen: I kept my medicines in a basket on the tray table next to my bed, as well as a little note pad & pen.  This allowed me to make a schedule & notes each time I took pain medication.  For example, I'd make a little schedule like this:

• 7am: Xaralto
• 8am: Senecot
• 9am: Oxycontin & Celebrex
• 1pm: Tylenol
• 4pm: Dilaudid & Celebrex
• 8pm: Oxycontin
• 12am: Tylenol  

Not everyone may need this sort of checklist but for me, it really helped keep my medications straight, especially during the first week post op.

* Hip Kit:  Hip kits are sold online at places like Amazon and contain helpful little tools for those recovering from THR, like reach grabbers, long shoe horns and a nifty little device that can help you get socks on your operative leg.  I didn't get one of these before surgery, but will tell you that for the first few days of recovery, I had to get help putting socks onto my operative foot! 

* Ice Bags: Icing and elevating will become a key part of your recovery, as it's one of the easiest ways to add pain relief while simultaneously reducing swelling.  Bonesmart has a entire section dedicated to the art of icing and elevating, so be sure to read all about the benefits.  There are several ways to ice - you can make your own ice packets with zip lock baggies, water and a bit of rubbing alcohol, or you can purchase ice packs from your local drugstore or medical supply.  I used generic gel ice packs purchased from CVS.  I'd place one on my operative side rear and the other across my groin, and it really helped to relieve pain and bring down the swelling.  Another gadget that I purchased was an Aircast Cryo Cuff IC Unit and cuff.  After using it for my hip, I'd say it's one of those "nice-to-haves" but certainly not a necessity if you have gel ice packs.  The blue canister is essentially a large thermos that you fill with water and ice.  You plug in a small air hose so that the thermos automatically fills up a large hip cuff and constantly re-circulates the cold water through the hip cuff.  It's pricey, a bit of a pain in the rear to set up, but does help to provide cooling relief for about 5-6 hours, which is nice.  Again, from my experience, it's not necessary for hip replacement recovery, but is a nice to have if you want to alternate between the gel packs.  I found mine on eBay, but you can also find them online.

* Power and/or Extension Cord:  As you might imagine, recovery can be a bit frustrating, especially after the first week or so.  Your mind WANTS to get out and do things, but your body still needs to heal! For that reason, I spent a good deal of time on my laptop, so be sure to have a power source and extension cord near by! I also used the alarm on my mobile phone for waking up during the night to take my pain meds, so yeah, power is a good thing to have close by your bed!

BATHROOM
* Handicapped Accessories:  If you don't have access to a handicapped bathroom, you can buy several accessories to help you.  

• Handicap bars come in handy, especially in the shower but be VERY careful of those that attach with suction cups.  It's easy to forget that they are not permanently attached, so make sure whatever you buy has been tested beforehand to withstand you leaning and balancing without getting loose.
• Shower Seat these are not a must have, in my opinion, but do come in handy, especially if you find yourself tiring easy or need a place to hold your shampoos and soaps that
• Handheld Shower Nozzle If possible, try to get a handheld shower nozzle.  It really helps you to wash your hair and body without moving around too much.  Showers are slippery and the last thing you want to do is to fall on your brand new hip.
• Raised Toilet Seat These are a must for recovery and really help you to sit in comfort, especially the first few weeks of recovery.  There are several models out there - some are commode style and merely sit over the toilet with a large funnel type of attachment (if you use one of these, make sure it's aligned with your toilet bowl!).  I purchased a pretty standard raised seat without side bars, but there's several variations on the internet.  
• Non-Slip Rug Seems obvious, but you want to make sure you have secure footing wherever you are.  Make sure you have a good non-slip rug in the bathroom! 

Furniture  My sister had a lovely leather recliner chair in her home, however, the seat was quite low and the upholstery was very soft (you felt like you were basically sinking into the chair).  Chairs like this are great outside of recovery, but for new hip patients can actually be pretty uncomfortable.  Some people place pillows on top of these sorts of recliners or use lifts underneath to raise the seat. Again, I was quite lucky in that my boyfriend found a "like new" lift recliner chair at a local thrift store called The Catnapper. This chair was amazing for recovery as it lifted up (making it so nice for me, especially during the first week post op) and it reclined.  It became my go to chair for icing and elevating, and the upholstery was firm enough to support me, but soft enough for comfort.  As you'll see on the link, they are a bit pricey, but check the second hand market, as you never know what you'll find (who knew I'd find one for under $150 at a thrift store!).

Bonesmart also has an excellent guide on recliners, so be sure to check it out before you purchase anything.