Wednesday, June 24, 2009.\u00a0 A friend is planning to have hip replacement surgery next month, and I asked RC, someone who had the surgery several years ago, if he had any tips.\u00a0 Both of them are very tall men.\u00a0 RC said, “Yes, I do. I was given a list of items that would be useful for a person who is having a hip replacement.\u00a0 The list and my comments are as follows:<\/p>\n
The first item was a grabber to pick up stuff off the floor.\u00a0 It cost about $25 at a medical supply house.\u00a0 The item was about 26 inches long and was made with thin plastic that could not pick up anything heaver than a few ounces.\u00a0 It could pick up a sock, but not a pencil (too small) or a cup (too heavy) or a book (slipped right out of the plastic claw).\u00a0 I went to Home Depot and got a grabber for $18 that had suction cups, reinforced spring steel clamps, was 10 inches longer.\u00a0 I could pick up the sock, the pencil, the cup and the book.\u00a0 I even picked up a gallon of milk in the box container.\u00a0 So much for medical industry quality, but the list goes on.<\/p>\n
The second item was a plastic handle with a sponge on the end to clean legs and feet.\u00a0 Then when the sponge was saturated with soapy water, the handle was too weak to provide the pressure needed to squeeze out enough soapy water to clean anything.\u00a0 I had to reinforce it with a wooden dowel, also from Home Depot.<\/p>\n
The third item was a shoe horn.\u00a0 It actually worked and was good quality.<\/p>\n
The lesson here is just because the medical industry suggests it, doesn\u2019t mean there is any reason to expect quality or functionality.\u00a0 Medical electronic equipment has national standards and laws to force industry to comply, but aids like this apparently do not and the patent gets poor quality at inflated prices.<\/p>\n
Another suggestion is Velcro with adhesive on one side.\u00a0 That was useful for sticking my Home Depot grabber to the walker so I could take it with me.\u00a0 My walker did not come with anything that would allow you to take something from one room to another, but a plastic bag that could be velcro\u2019ed to the walker was very useful.\u00a0\u00a0 I also had a table with wheels that let me move stuff by pushing it along.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s about it, best of luck to him.\u00a0 My doctor was quite good and now, no pain most of the time and I regularly use a treadmill for exercise.\u00a0 If anything, I have more problems with my good hip than my replacement.\u00a0 Downside is air travel.\u00a0 I am not supposed to bend at the hip more than 90 degrees, so I have to get an exit row.\u00a0 No airline that I have ever found will let you get that seat assigned.\u00a0 Also, I always have to be patted down since the metal sets off the airport security despite what the orthotic manufacturer says.\u00a0 They advertise that it won\u2019t set off an alarm, but mine always does and I fly several times a year.”<\/p>\n
In addition, RC told me previously that he has been directed to not cross his legs as he sits, and to sleep with a pillow between his knees when he sleeps on his side.\u00a0 Modern technology is something, isn’t it?\u00a0 I did some of my own research and found my friend should also make sure he has a cane the proper height – not so much for support but for balance – as he heals.<\/p>\n
And most importantly, to make sure his toilet seat is a proper height to keep his legs at the required 90 degrees when seated.\u00a0 If it is not, there are all sorts of seat adapters he can buy.\u00a0 And that’s one thing he’ll want from the moment he gets back home, not to discover at the last minute and try to improvise unil he can get to the medical supply store the next day.<\/p>\n