Driving an automatic motorhome after a left hip replacement

[The Lobster]

My wife had her left hip replaced and the recovery and experience afterwards was great. She said she'd wished she'd had it done years earlier, instead of putting up with the ever increasing pain. She finds it much easier to drive the motorhome now - which is a 6.8m Burstner manual. All our cars are automatic, so that was always easy! Shev spent quite a lot of time with the consultant choosing which type of hip to adopt. They're not all equal and some types may suite you and your lifestyle better than others - but you probably know all that. We're waiting for covid impact on hospitals to for down and then she's looking forward to getting the other done. Apparently one measure of success is how long your leg becomes afterwards compared to the other. To help keep them equal my wife had a MRI scan beforehand. A robot was then used with the data from the scan to micro position the new hip during the op. The result is that her legs are virtually identical lengths still so her walking/running is balanced.

 

[Ringy]

Good luck with the Op. Having had both done, my main advice would be keep active post op. 6 x 10 minute walks a day is far better than 2x30 minutes. As for driving, I was advised to wait 6 weeks - I suppose theoretically you should be much less given you’re driving an automatic, but you might want to check with your Insurers in case they’ve sneaked something into the small print!

 

[TheBig1]

do you have a photo of this? my wife struggles to get in to the van and it might help. thanks

I don't, but can get one. The step we use is a folding plastic one, so nice and light to lift in or out from the passenger seat tied to a piece of string

 

[Jim1966]

I am on the NHS consultant‘s list for a left hip replacement in the next few months. Has any one experience of driving after the operation? My thought are that will be easier and sooner as it is the left hip And as I am active (swimming, cycling an walking) should recover quickly.
Am I correct, and are there any hints to aid my recovery and pitfalls to avoid?
We have booked sites for August and hope to do a lot of walking. I am a little overweight but otherwise am a relatively fit 67 year old male.

Hi Conal,
l have had my right hip done twice now - the first time I did the exercises for a bit then didn’t bother, because I thought it was ok, then tried to ride a bike and couldn’t!
Last time I did the exercises religiously, even more often than specified, and recovered much quicker. (Do the exercises on both legs & try to not drink alcohol).
Good luck.

 

[Conal]

Thanks all for the comments. Sitting in Brownhills at the moment having a bit of cosmetic work done to the motorhome.
Had a busy few days. Due to bookings made ages ago, which I didn’t want to loose, I drove to Nottingham and then Chesterfield in my Morris Minor Sunday/Monday 12 days after the op - 5 hours of driving with a ferocious clutch, no problems.
Last night I arrived back home by National Express after a 9 hour journey (their driver went awol - you couldn’t make it up) and had a few hours sleep before driving the (auto) Autotrail here. In the middle of that, 4 miles walking and this morning, my first post-op swim.
I think I am very lucky to have little pain and no side affects from the painkillers I am taking to sleep.
I am now walking either with one crutch, or with none, depending on the walk.
I would definitely encourage anyone to have the op. Everything is easier and virtually no pain!

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[Bustup15]

Thanks all for the comments. Sitting in Brownhills at the moment having a bit of cosmetic work done to the motorhome.
Had a busy few days. Due to bookings made ages ago, which I didn’t want to loose, I drove to Nottingham and then Chesterfield in my Morris Minor Sunday/Monday 12 days after the op - 5 hours of driving with a ferocious clutch, no problems.
Last night I arrived back home by National Express after a 9 hour journey (their driver went awol - you couldn’t make it up) and had a few hours sleep before driving the (auto) Autotrail here. In the middle of that, 4 miles walking and this morning, my first post-op swim.
I think I am very lucky to have little pain and no side affects from the painkillers I am taking to sleep.
I am now walking either with one crutch, or with none, depending on the walk.
I would definitely encourage anyone to have the op. Everything is easier and virtually no pain!

Any issues with insurance?
Comfort emailed me 'as long as you are OK and no issues we are happy'
AA car insurance haven't even replied to email
Mrs B car insurers - wait 6 weeks AND provide doctor certification

Had a few local trips after 2-3 weeks and up to Fife last weekend in motorhome. No problems .

 

[Conal]

If it had been the right hip I would have had to ask my consultant/ GP apparently, but as it is my left it is a soon as I feel I can brake OK. On the web 2 weeks is quoted so my 11 days is not so bad.
I didn’t ask my insurance but trusted the “web”, in hindsight maybe not such a good idea.

 

[tonka]

Still following this with interest
Pulled up at stoneleigh with the funsters this afternoon and my phone went.
Hospital,. Booked in 16th July for surgery.
Means I will miss Stratford and my pub crawl but worth it to be free of the pain.

 

[Conal]

tonka Great news, We are all different but all the advice I have had has been useful. Now 16 days since op, drove back 110 miles today in auto motorhome. Not used crutch inside or out for two days, walked two km each day. No problems but….
Still taking codeine before sleep and waking up due to moving onto bad hip, but getting better.
I still feel the repaired leg is a little longer than the other. Will start wearing extra innersole in “shorter“ leg shoe.
Looking back I have listened to medical advice and Funsters but I feel that the five to six hours exercise each day for the months before the operation put me in a very good position. Since the op I have never felt the operated hip to be weaker than the other. I think confidence, and a wife who is willing to walk at my pace, are very important.

 

[Bustup15]

Still following this with interest
Pulled up at stoneleigh with the funsters this afternoon and my phone went.
Hospital,. Booked in 16th July for surgery.
Means I will miss Stratford and my pub crawl but worth it to be free of the pain.

Did you get your op?

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[tonka]

Did you get your op?

Yes. It got delayed from the original date but went ahead on 28th July. So 5 weeks today.
Going well so far. Out walking 10000 steps as an average with one walking crutch, can walk without it but do wobble a bit.

Have consultant appointment on 15th September after which I should be back to driving.

 

[Bustup15]

Well 2nd hip replacement this afternoon following 1st one in May last year. Just hope it goes as smoothly as the first!

 

[Siming13]

Good luck , had my 2nd hip done 3 years ago now.never looked back.longer drives now & longer rides on the motorbike.
Perhaps need a Funster Hipster page now ? I'm sure it'll all go well

 

[Ingwe]

Been following this thread with lots of interest. My better half suffered hip pain for a number of years and now is recovering after a new hip was fitted 15 days ago. So far she is managing the exercises quite well but finds sleeping on her back for six weeks a bit of a bore.

She opted for spinal anaesthesia rather than a general anaesthetic. This is not the same as an epidural although similar. With an epidural, they use a larger needle and insert a catheter through which the anaesthetist injects anaesthetic as required. With spinal anaesthesia, a small needle is used to inject anaesthetic directly into the spinal fluid. During the operation, she was woken up to ask how she was. She experienced no pain but was aware of ( but couldn’t see) what was going on.
After 2 days in hospital where they checked she could get up and down stairs and use the toilet ok, she came home. We have a toilet seat riser, two sticks and a Zimmer frame. The last item only really used when she stands in the shower. All these accessories will be returned to the hospital when no longer needed except for the toilet riser which they don’t want back. Can see why.

Although it isn‘t me who has experienced the discomfort of hip pain or the operation, I would really recommend anyone suffering, to get it done rather than wait in the hope it gets less painful. One useful tip to pass on; when walking post op with the sticks, ensure you use both sticks rather than just the one on the side operated on. This will prevent a limp becoming a habit which is tendency if using a stick on the sore leg only.

Only another 4 weeks to go!

 

[Bustup15]

Update, down to preop at about 2pm, back in recovery at 3.30 and returned to room at 4.15.

Just had a sarnie and a coffee with feeling gradually retuning to the legs.

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[Ingwe]

Update, down to preop at about 2pm, back in recovery at 3.30 and returned to room at 4.15.

Just had a sarnie and a coffee with feeling gradually retuning to the legs.

Well done. Hope it all went well. If it’s anything like my other half’s experience, they’ll barely let you settle down before getting you up and about. Good luck and home soon.

 

[scottie]

About to have my right hip done March 23, but need other one done aswell. I managed to get in to see a consultant april 2021, he said lose a bit of weight, see you in 12 weeks time. Anyway he let me down badly, and for about 80 percent of the time last year was on my back due to hip, knee and ankle immobility. Ended up with about 11 xrays, u have to push to get these. Finally had a session with 3 different orthopaedic doctors in december of last year. 2 of them said immediate right replacement, no steriod injections, no going to physio. They both wrote to another surgeon at my local hospital, had my appointment and a couple of weeks later booked in for operation, subject to my anaesthetic review in 2 days time, due to existing heart conditions. Im currently on my bed, left knee giving grief again and use mobility aids to get out of bed etc. By the way this has been goi g on from this time 2 years ago when i was in Australia, but really started to kick in about sept 2020. Like others have said, lay it on thick, but to be fair the xrays dont lie, i have looked at enough of them. Re the step, i have a pvc and have to use the sliding door to get into van as it has a built in step. I have just recently made a wooded step with a haul up rope, but cant even use that due to the knee pain. Finally, cant get anywhere near handbrake, so the limited time i do use the van, i have to plan a no hill route accordingly. Thanks everyone for the valuable info you have all supplied.

 

[Bustup15]

Well done. Hope it all went well. If it’s anything like my other half’s experience, they’ll barely let you settle down before getting you up and about. Good luck and home soon.

Hopefully up and about tomorrow and discharged. At least I was the last time.

 

[Bustup15]

That's me out and back home 26 hours after leaving!

Rather tender left cheek but apart from that all seems good. Wonder if I dare suggest a short walk to the pub?