You will need help from someone at home for from several weeks to several months after discharge. Before your surgery, arrange a friend, family member or caretaker to provide you help at home.
The following tips can help make your return home more comfortable, and can be help you recover faster after your joint replacement surgery:
Prepare Your Home
Rearrange furniture of your home so you can walk around comfortably with the help of a walker, or crutches.
You must temporarily change your room (if your room is on first or second floor of your home, for example) to minimize the use of stairs.
Place items you use frequently (phone, TV remote, water bottle, reading material and medicines etc, for example) within your reach.
Remove any carpet and rugs that could cause you to slip.
Wound Care
Keep the wound and the area around it clean and dry. A dressing will be applied in the hospital and should be changed accordingly as suggested by the doctor.
Follow your doctor’s instructions, how to clean your wound arena and how long you will have to wait before you can shower or bathe.
Notify your doctor immediately if the is any irritation and wound appears red or begins to drain. This can be a sign of infection.
Swelling
After the surgery you can expect mild to moderate swelling for 3 to 6 months. To reduce swelling, elevate your joint slightly and apply ice. Notify your doctor if you experience extra pain, severe swelling or blood clotting.
Medication
Take all medications as prescribed by your doctor on time. Be sure to talk with your doctor about all your medications.
Diet
By the time you go home from the hospital, you should be eating a normal diet. Your doctor may recommend that you take iron and certain vitamin supplements. You also may be advised to avoid supplements that include vitamin K and foods rich in vitamin K if you are taking certain blood thinner medications. Foods that are rich in vitamin K includes broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, liver, green beans, lentils, soybeans, soybean oil, spinach, kale, lettuce, turnip greens, cabbage, and onions.Continue to drink plenty of fluids, but try to avoid coffee and alcohol. You should continue to watch your weight to avoid putting more stress on the joint.Uteshiya Medicare is a supplier and manufacturer of premium quality trauma implants and orthopedic implants in India. For many years, experts at Uteshiya Medicare have developed affordable and high quality implants to help doctors treat injuries caused by trauma and other orthopedic disorders. Apart from knee and hip joint replacement, Uteshiya Medicare is a leading name in spinal implants, trauma implants, sports medicine and many other orthopedic implants.
