Advice please: Out of state to Seattle for resurfacing, PT afterward Chicagoland

[agreenwood]

Hi All,
I'm on this hip resurfacing journey for my husband.
We travel together to Seattle for resurfacing with Pritchett in early February.  Would love on advice from others who have traveled from out of state to have surgery in Seattle. 
-need to take crutches with on plane?  Will ice be needed on the flight home- which is just 4 days later!?
-Best accomodations?  need recliner there?  need ice machine there?
-Some outdoor activities/ must-see site seeing in the week prior to surgery?

Then when we return,  does anyone have PT recommendations for a therapist familiar with resurfacing treatment?  ( can be Chicago, Park Ridge, Niles, Skokie, Evanston, etc)

Thanks tons!

[catfriend]

I travelled a mere 25 miles for my resurfacing with Dr. Pritchett, so I can't give you much advice about the flight. Except: make arrangements in advance for a wheelchair from check-in to the gate as the distance may be very far, and fly first class home. First class has been competitively priced lately, and you'll appreciate the legroom. Others can give you more specific travel advice.

As for accommodations my suggestion is to find an airbnb not too far from the surgery center (Seattle or Kirkland?). You'll want an elevator building, not a walk up. You're not going to have a lot of choice about the furniture whether you get a hotel room or airbnb.

Seattle in February is not conducive to outdoor activities. Cold, wet, and miserable are the top descriptors of the month. Currently Covid restrictions in the area mean all restaurants are closed to indoor dining (although take out and delivery are readily available). Standard tourist attractions are also currently closed, except for the Pike Place market, which is limping along. (Get a chocolatine from Le Panier. Yum!) Whether or not this changes by the time you come I cannot even guess. Maybe, probably not. Iconic views of Seattle and the Space Needle can be seen from Kerry Park (on Queen Anne), from Gasworks Park in Wallingford, the 14th St. Bridge by Beacon Hill (which is not a park, and attracts mainly photographers), and through the donut hole (or black hole sun inspiration) in Vounteer Park (which is on the north end of Capitol Hill maybe 1 1/2 - 2 miles from Dr. P's Seattle office).

[Saddlepal3]

I did this. My original resurfacing with Dr. Pritchett was in 2006 when I lived in the Seattle area. Consequently, we relocated to Florida (for the weather). In 2018, I learned that I needed a revision. Because I had complete faith in Dr. Pritchett, I traveled back to Seattle for the surgery. We arrived 2 days before the surgery and stayed for about 2 weeks in order to stay for the first post-op check up. Because of the lengthy stay, we opted to stay at the Baroness Hotel which is about 2 blocks from Dr. Pritchett's office. It's right across the street from Virginia Mason Hospital. There is also the Inn at Virginia Mason. Both are inexpensive by Seattle standards, and we chose the Baroness because the rooms had kitchenettes. It's anything but fancy (think Grandma's house), but it was convenient; they provided a raised toilet seat (a necessity); it was close to small eateries. There was no recliner, but I made do with the chairs they had plus an array of pillows. Also, the Baroness and (I think) the Inn at Virginia Mason offer discounts for medical stays.

I brought crutches with me, but borrowed a walker from the hospital for the first few days after surgery. I am really glad I didn't have to fly 4 days after surgery. Even 2 weeks later, it was pretty brutal. Not exactly sure why, but maybe I just wasn't staying ahead of pain with medications (tylenol at that point). We flew on Alaska and opted for Economy Plus, which is their only available upgrade. That was a good decision. I needed extra space to stretch my leg and wiggle my foot (I'm just 5'3", but the regular economy seats would have been unbearable). I definitely recommend that you get upgraded seats for your return to Chicago. Ice packs might be very helpful. Your husband's leg may well be very, very swollen the first few days post-surgery. Loose sweat pants will be in order. I'd recommend wheel-chairs in both airports (Seattle and Chicago).

When I got back to St Petersburg, I went to a regular PT clinic (once I was cleared to do so) - no special expertise in resurfacing. It seemed to be fine.

Dr. Pritchett's PA, Susan Knudson, has been with him for decades, and she is a wealth of information. Her email is S.Knudson@proliancesurgeons.com. You can email her with questions and she'll have great advice. Good luck! Your husband is in great hands. Feel free to message me directly with any other non-medical questions.

[Chris_RS]

I traveled from St. Louis to Dr. Pritchett in Oct 2018 for left HR (male, 50yo at the time). My wife went with me and she did all the hard stuff. Basic schedule was flight from STL to SEA (via SFO) on Sun, nothing special. Rented a minivan which we used for the duration. Sun and Mon nights we stayed at a Homewood Suites just down the street from the surgery center and very close to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery (recommended for coffee lovers - OK I have a problem  ).  Best feature of this location - proximity to ortho center as well as restaurants, etc. Monday was for orientation and pre-surgery stuff, then surgery Tue. Prep and surgery were great (I would recommend Dr. Pritchett and team to anyone) and we were on our way to the other hotel by 6 or 6:30 in the evening. This was also a Homewood Suites, further out though - Everett I think. Aside from the lower cost compared to being in the city, it was a true suite with a separate br and kitchenette which allowed us to prepare some simple meals in. Newer hotel and comfortable. Follow up Appt in Dr. Pritchett’s office on Fri and flight home on Sat. Was a lot easier than I imagined and very doable. I recommend springing for 1st class and direct flight for the way home - I never do this in my biz or personal travel but was well worth it in this case - Alaska Air had relatively reasonable 1st class fares at the time. WRT crutches, I bought those from Amazon on Sun and were delivered to the hotel Mon, did the same with the potty riser later in the week. I didn’t need a walker at all and was given wheelchair svc in the SEA airport. You will need the crutches on the plane. I didn’t use an ice machine as it wasn’t recommended/required by Dr. Pritchett - didn’t feel like I needed anything more during recovery.
Good luck and don’t hesitate to ask if you want more details.
-Chris

[jimbone]

Another Dr. Pritchett patient here to assure you, you will be in excellent hands- he just really knows what he is doing.  Day 4, for me was still a bit rough for both of my bilateral surgeries but was already seeing the incremental improvements in pain reduction, ROM and general well being.  I was absolutely getting around with a single crutch easily.  It was mostly difficult getting started in the morning after sleep.  I had a recliner for the daytime hours and often night sleep as well and it's not a bad idea to located one for your first few weeks of recovery.  You'll be able to get up and move around a few times on the flight back home but as others recommended if you can go 1st class the extra leg room will be very welcomed to allow you to stretch out more- business class might be too cramped and close to the 90 degree bend you'll want to avoid.  You'll have all the medications you'll need when you leave and while most people are off the heavier oxycodone I found Tramadol beneficial for the first couple of weeks- it worked well for me with tylenol and was easy to transition away from quickly.  I started PT at week 3 and if you find someone with either THR or HR experience that's a bonus just remember not to let them push you faster than feels right for you- some can be too aggressive so let them know who they are working for.  I was lucky in that regard, Jake the PT I went to really helped me get back on my feet and focus on the weaknesses I needed to recuperate.  You are looking at a wonderful return to pain free living and in a short time you'll be looking back on the experience with lasting gratitude.  Best of luck.

[BillyH]

Hi All - well I am booked for HR surgery with Dr. Pritchett in mid November.  Really excited to become a Surface Hippy.  I might start another thread to ask post-op questions.  However, now I'm just looking for some recommendations on lodging. 

We're flying in from Denver.  I have to get to town a little early for the required pre-surgery COVID test so the trip is going to be a total of 10 nights.  We'd like to find something "reasonably priced" (maybe ~$150/night).  I've got the list of hotel options that came in my ProOrtho packet so I'm researching those.  Saw the couple of recommendations in this thread too. 

Any other hotels that others would recommend?  Also, has anyone gone for surgery and had luck with Airbnb/VRBO?  One concern there would be accessibility but we could view photos and ask the host questions. 

Appreciate any input folks could offer.

Thanks!

Billy

[gray horse]

Hi Billy,

I will be there early November for a revision with Dr. Pritchett. I'm staying at Silver Cloud, they have a discount for hospital patients.

[BillyH]

Hi Billy,

I will be there early November for a revision with Dr. Pritchett. I'm staying at Silver Cloud, they have a discount for hospital patients.

Thanks, Gray Horse.  We ended up finding a good deal with the Homewood Suites.  Now for all the goodies to purchase that Pro Ortho recommends.  Have you gotten any of these (or plan to)?

- walker
- dressing stick
- long-handled sponge
- long-handled shoehorn
- reacher
- sock aid

I've also heard folks on the board here recommend a recliner chair for home.  Going to look into renting one of those. 

Let me know if you have any other tips based on what you've read.

Thanks,

Billy

[catfriend]

Yes, you want all of those things. Buy a deluxe hip-knee replacement kit from Amazon. It will have all of those things (except the walker).

[DonFromCT]

We ended up using Air BnB for the first time.  We stayed at a really nice place with a kitchen and a pool. 

We wanted an apartment for one huge reason.  FOOD!!. 

Most of the people on this site are pretty active and try to live healthy lives.  I can tell you from my past business experience that living in hotels is NOT conducive to healthy eating. 

Getting an apartment  allowed us to grocery shop daily and prepare healthy, nutritious foods.  We had a full living room with a 2 separate bedrooms.  This helped because for the first few of nights I was up constantly. 

Also, when you are stuck inside for the first 3 or 4 days and then only out a bit after that for the 9 days I had to wait before flying home, it makes a huge difference to have an apartment rather than a hotel room. 

One other HUGE thing in favor of the apartment rather than a hotel was that it had a shower stall without a tub.  So I only had to get over a 4 inch tall curb, rather than stepping into a shower.  It sounds like nothing, but in the first couple of days it greatly reduced my stress.