Post-surgery logistics

[Jagcanes]

I am scheduled for surgery on 11/5 with Dr. Sands in Melbourne, FL.  It is 2 hours away from home.  I have seen a number of posts where folks have traveled for their surgery.  How did you handle the post-surgery activities like arranging PT or getting sutures removed?

What recommendations do you have for those traveling away from home for surgery?  What do I need to bring to the hospital?  What did your spouse do while you were in the hospital?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. 

[Wyoming Kim]

Wecome Jagcanes,
My surgery was 2.5 hours away from home also. For me, Dr. Cook's office handled everything related to post op needs and services. His office contacted my insurance to find out who in my area was in my network for home health nurse and pt, then made necessary arrangements for each service to contact me when I got home....they took all the work out of it for me. The home health nurse removed the staples according to the doc's schedule.
Only recommendation I have is if you've got an early morning surgery scheduled like I did is to get a motel room near the surgery center. Sure saves a ton of time and I didn't feel like getting up at 3am.
All I brought was one change of clothing, and I'd recommend scrub pants as their nice and lose fitting.
Aaaah, my husband stayed back home and went to work......no need for him there, I'm a big girl now!
He picked me up and drove home when I was discharged.
Best to You.

[bluedevilsadvocate]

My surgery hospital was 5 hours from my home.  I had a very early morning surgery, s my wife and I stayed at a nearby hotel the night before, then my wife stayed there for the 3 nights that I was in the hospital, although she spent most of the days in my hospital room (I had a semiprivate room but no roommate) reading, knitting, etc.  I took my laptop and reading material to supplement television watching to occupy my time.  I took one change of clothing to wear home, including stretchy athletic pants.  Be sure to take sneakers for good traction.  My brother is a physician so he removed my staples; my guess is that you could have your GP or even go to a "doc-in-a-box" to have your staples/sutures removed.  PT was not an issue for me: before I left the hospital I was given exercises to do at home --- there was no formal PT.

[rubyred]

My hospital was 3 hours away and had to be there at 7am. We travelled early in the morning as I was working right up to the night before my surgery.

My family went home after I had been taken down to theatre, I'm a big girl now, plus my Dad had to work too. They did come and visit me though over the following weekend, bless them.

One thing I was grateful for after the surgery was huge, baggy pants! My leg was so swollen so they were a godsend. Also take things to occupy your time. Books, music, magazines whatever it is that floats your boat. You're going to need it. Rubber soled foot wear so that you don't slip and for me baby wipes were a necessity as I was unable to mobilize to the shower for a few days, so they were good to help me stay fresh.

All the best!

[Tin Soldier]

I was about 5 to 6 hours away.  I did the 2 week post-op (suture removal) visit by train and taxi, and then 4 week by driving myself, and then other visits (like the one year) I made a vacation out it.  I decided that I would plan to make all of the visits becasue I was the one who chose to see this surgeon.  Some folks ask "why drive all the way to Seattle, when you can x-rays right here?"  Because I want to ask the doc detailed questions about HR.  Other than post-op visits, getting home from surgery can be a little difficult.  I'd consider trying to get in and out your vehicle with out the sue of your leg, try it a few times before you go in for surgery.  Also, you should prep the vehicle for begin able to lean back and put your feet up a little.  Pillows and ice will be your friends on the ride home. 

Arranging PT shouldn't be too hard if you have a PT locally.  Look for one that has some experience with HR or THR and the posterier surgical approach if that's the route your surgeons uses, probably is.  The surgeon can write a script and fax to the local PT, or yo ucan walk out of the hosptial with a script.  My PT checked in with the surgeon before we began. 

Loose clothes (PJs, sweats) for the ride home.  You'll have a lot of swelling, but it generally doesn't move down your leg until a couple days out.

Spouse might be able to stay in the room with you.  If not, they might just want to get a hotel.   It will be a little busy in your room the first night, checking on vitals, swapping out fluids, emptying the cathetor bag, giving meds,...  You'll be out in a 1.5 or 2 days.  They start to reduce the busy-ness the second night. 

Good luck.

[Jagcanes]

Thanks so much for the information.  This site has be so helpful!

[imgetinold]

Good luck, Jag.

I was about 4 hours from the hospital.  We also stayed at a local hotel the night before (7 am surgery).

It'll be pretty boring for your spouse, so she should bring whatever she enjoys to pass the time.  Laptop/Ipad would be nice to have around.  Books.

I found the car ride home to be okay, mostly because they gave me plenty of happy pills before departure.  Getting in/out of the car is not easy, so we took our minivan, which is easier.  You'll definitely want to recline the seatback as much as possible, so you're nowhere near a 90-degree angle with the leg.  I also found a large pillow under my butt was much better than the regular seat.  I had what has been referred to as the "monkey fist"......basically it felt like I was sitting on a baseball when in a firmer chair.  So, I actually sat on the pillow for the first 3-4 weeks until that resolved.

I would ask your surgeon what some of those needs will be.  Dr. Gross puts a fancy bandage on his incision, and has no sutures to remove.  I imagine that those with sutures or staples have a local nurse take them out.

Good luck!

[bluedevilsadvocate]

The 5-hour ride home was not really any problem for me.  I, too, had a minivan, so getting in and out was not particularly difficult.  My surgeon uses the anterolateral approach (i.e., on the side of the hip), so sitting was not a problem at all.  We stopped every hour and a half (as I recall) so that I could get out and walk around with my crutches.  That, along with doing ankle pumps during the ride, helped maintain circulation in the leg.

[Jagcanes]

I finally had a call with the surgery assistant and learned that there will be no staples or sutures to remove. Doctor uses glue.   Home nurse and home PT will be arranged.  The wife is very relieved she won't have to do the foot work.

Now I can just sit back and count down the days to joining this elite "club" and becoming pain free.   This time next week I should be out of recovery and hopefully up and walking......

[Jason0411]

I am about 4 hours away and had my staples removed at a local GP walkin Centre. All my other appointments I drove myself. One of them happened to coincide with my 20th wedding anniversary so I stopped over with the wife and took her for a meal and a show.

Jas

[hernanu]

I finally had a call with the surgery assistant and learned that there will be no staples or sutures to remove. Doctor uses glue.   Home nurse and home PT will be arranged.  The wife is very relieved she won't have to do the foot work.

Now I can just sit back and count down the days to joining this elite "club" and becoming pain free.   This time next week I should be out of recovery and hopefully up and walking......

I had glue for both, the visiting nurse took good care of things, no visit to remove sutures or clips. Things went just fine. You're in the home stretch now.

[Tin Soldier]

Glue sounds like a great idea.  I had sutures and I drove 6 hours each time to have my sutures removed, well there was an x-ray and a short visit with the doc, but I chose to go that far. 

Jag - sounds like you're doing a good job for preparing.  You'll do well.

[lycraman]

Wow.  Not sure if I would have trusted glue!  I had about 50 staples and although it was great at the time, it has still opened up a bit after the staples were taken out by my local GP nurse.  Maybe it is just my skin type?  It is now 7 weeks post op and the wound is just starting to stop irritating me.

[blt01]

Any Dr Gross patients have suggestions on how to carry the ice machine on a flight?  Box it & Check it?  Carry-on?

Brad

[hernanu]

Wow.  Not sure if I would have trusted glue!  I had about 50 staples and although it was great at the time, it has still opened up a bit after the staples were taken out by my local GP nurse.  Maybe it is just my skin type?  It is now 7 weeks post op and the wound is just starting to stop irritating me.

It's been in use for a while, and worked great with me...

(From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate )

"CA glue was in veterinary use for mending bone, hide, and tortoise shell by at least the early 1970s. Harry Coover said in 1966 that a CA spray was used in the Vietnam War to retard bleeding in wounded soldiers until they could be brought to a hospital. Butyl cyanoacrylate has been used medically since the 1970s outside the US, but, due to its potential to irritate the skin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not approve its use as a medical adhesive until 1998 with Dermabond.[10] Research has demonstrated the use of cyanoacrylate in wound closure as being safer and more functional than traditional suturing (stitches).[11] The adhesive has demonstrated superior performance in the time required to close a wound, incidence of infection (suture canals through the skin's epidermal, dermal, and subcutaneous fat layers introduce extra routes of contamination),[11] and final cosmetic appearance.[12][13]"

Both of mine were done with glue, the first with flexible strips to hold the would closed, the second just the glue.
I was a bit surprised about the glue, but after it was explained to me, I was good with it.

[obxpelican]

Mine had a hand pump and electrical option, I would take it on if you are permitted, I would call the airline if they would allow it, you could always get ice on the air side of the terminal.

You will probably notice an increase in swelling with more activity.

Chuck

Any Dr Gross patients have suggestions on how to carry the ice machine on a flight?  Box it & Check it?  Carry-on?

Brad