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Author Topic: Stairs  (Read 762 times)

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jarheadwrstler

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Stairs
« on: November 10, 2018, 05:24:28 PM »
I am 2 days post-op and have a question.  I have a walker - and 3 stairs in my house.  The stairs are not deep enough for my walker to rest on and there are no hand rails on either side.  The stairs are 3 feet wide and each step is about 7 inches higher then the previous step.  Any suggestions on how to get up and down these steps at this stage of my recovery?

Thank you for and advise.

jimbone

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Re: Stairs
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2018, 11:58:40 PM »
JAR-

Is your handle short for wrestler?  If so you have physical advantages,  2 days is hard to deal with stairs on a regular basis.  Can you leave them out of the recovery equation for a week or 10 days when they start to become easier?   I've done both my HR recoveries with crutches and found them more adaptable than a walker.  Is that a possibility for you?  Stairs are less of a challenge with crutches generally.  Did they instruct/clear you at the hospital for stairs with walker prior to discharge?  Common practice in the US.  Days 2-5 should be taking it pretty easy.  Little bit of walking every 1-2 hours, plenty of rest, good food, pain meds as needed.  Avoid the stairs for another week if you can- in a week or 10 days you're going to start feeling much stronger.

jarheadwrstler

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Re: Stairs
« Reply #2 on: November 12, 2018, 02:11:46 PM »
thank you for the response.  Yes as to a wrestler, but retired many years ago, but still in moderate shape.  I can avoid the stairs for awhile, although it leaves me "jailed" in our upstairs.  My mistake was not realizing these 3 steps would be an issue and not installing handrails before surgery.  Will be getting crutches on Tuesday, but would like to get out of the house - and into other parts of the house.  Guess I just need to be patient.

jimbone

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Re: Stairs
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2018, 02:46:44 PM »
Jar-

Patience has been one of the primary experiences I've undergone since July when I had the first hip resurfaced prior to the Sept. procedure for the second hip.  It's like inviting frustration to live in your house while denying its ability to effect you.  My body is going to take its sweet time getting better, it will appreciate and respond to all the help it receives from exercise and physical therapy but it will not be rushed one hour faster than it's going to heal.  It's been interesting learning to respect that progress and one of the benefits is the strong sense of appreciation for even the incremental advances especially in the earliest days and weeks.

If you only need to wait until Tues. for the crutches it won't be too bad.  Hopefully you're not completely trapped and have some line of assistance.  That said, it took me several extra days to gather the confidence to navigate the simple 3 steps down off my porch for my first outside walk and then I had someone standing by as back up.  I'd not gotten around to installing handrails like I knew I'd needed and even though I'm quite comfortable on crutches, those 3 steps were more daunting than I'd expected.  Once done of course the worry was over and I just did them carefully.  I made sure to get rails in before the second hip and it did make life easier.  I think you'll find crutches more convenient and with an athletic back round you'll have the strength and coordination that they won't provide any real challenge.  Weren't you given any physical/occupational therapy instruction prior to hospital discharge?  Everyone I've spoken with needed to demonstrate an ability to go up and down stairs, in and out of a car, enter and leave a shower and perform a short list of physical therapy exercises at the hospital.  It's generally agreed to go very easy, carefully and gently with your recovery especially in the beginning while you build strength.  Be patient, it will happen.

jarheadwrstler

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Re: Stairs
« Reply #4 on: November 12, 2018, 03:19:04 PM »
Thank you for the insight regarding the healing process.  I was cleared at the hospital before leaving.  I was up and walking with my walker the evening of my surgery as well as the next day and getting in and out of the car was not difficult. 

Also, I have my wife and 2 teenage daughters to make sure I have everything I need in my little prison.  It is just frustrating looking down 2 stairs to the rest of the house and not being able to go there.  I too very much appreciate the small improvements I see every day and am doing the exercises they said I can do.  Just wish I had planned a little better.


Again, thank you very much for your responses.

hernanu

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Re: Stairs
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2018, 10:08:40 AM »
When you do get the crutches, make sure (if you don't know already) that you spruce up on the best way to use them both on flat areas and especially on stairs. They are pretty solid if you do the process right.

https://fetterman-crutches.com/blogs/news/how-to-use-crutches-on-stairs

I got to the point where I would walk down a long set of stairs (about 20) as an exercise in my apartment building. If you have your daughters there for support initially, you'll quickly become a crutchin' phenom.
Hernan, LHR 8/24/2010, RHR 11/29/2010 - Cormet, Dr. Snyder

suncag

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Re: Stairs
« Reply #6 on: November 13, 2018, 07:02:29 PM »
Hi Jar,

    I'm 2 weeks post op now and I actually avoided stairs for first 5 days.  I have a big set of about 10, then a landing, then another 5 to get upstairs.  But I set up a bed downstairs.  And my wife helped me a lot by sleeping on the couch next to me downstairs all night for the first 5 days.  My stairs do have handrails, so I used my walker in those first days to get to the handrails, then used the handrails to take the steps 1 at a time carefully (good foot first going up, bad foot first going down).  And while my wife stayed close behind me one of my kids carried the walker up for me.  But now I go up and down myself with no problem using handrails for safety (just still one step at a time as explained).  Anyway, I realize this does not help you with no hand rails.  Maybe you want to set up shop downstairs and have your two daughters walk along side you and serve as handrails while your wife carries walker behind.  Just until you are a little further along.

Good luck! 
Chris

 

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