5 /5 lAURIE Ransom: Total Hip Replacement Journey at 3 weeks.
For my posterior total hip replacement I was seen at UCSF by Dr Jeff Barry.
It took a whole year to prepare me so I would be illegible to do the surgery. Smoking was one thing. I had to quit to get the surgery. The surgeries are scheduled 3 months out from the day my toxicology test came back clear from nicotine so the doctors are pretty serious about no smoking. At that point my pain was so horrible I felt like I was going to die and asked to move my surgery up which, thankfully, they did a whole month.
I was genuinely surprised about how many people it took for this procedure but everyone had a role each as important as the next. Each made me feel so reassured that it was gonna be okay. My doctor even gave my a huge hug the morning before surgery.
I’m now 60 and all of my team are much younger, but they know the latest in technologies for this procedure. For all of my misgivings about having such a younger team it all went away just from the little things like the hug from Dr Barry, and my nurse at Mount Zion sharing a personal experience the night after surgery looking out my window in my hospital room that I’ll laugh about for a long time. The pt at the hospital where my therapist grilled into me that crossing the midline will make me dislocate even though she was the sweetest girl this was something she made sure I realized before I left. Sending me home with everything I needed for recovery like a commode, a walker, a grabber a bathtub bench, a BREGG ICE COOLER (which was super important for pain).
I almost needed a truck to get it all home with me. I mean, it might not sound like a lot but it really is important and meant the world to me. UCSF really does look out for their patients.
I’m so grateful to everyone and my doctor. He did a great job! Thank you everyone from the body of my heart.
Laurie R.