My joint school appointment was at 9.30am on a bright and warm Wednesday morning at Central Middlesex Hospital. There was a group of fifteen patients who had all been escorted with their partners, or the person who would be helping them during the recovery period. My husband attended the appointment which really made me feel reassured.

We were first greeted by the occupational therapist who explained what the joint school appointment was all about. In addition, we went through a quick power point explaining the plan for having a hip replacement operation. We were then given a talk by the anesthetist who explained the two choices of anesthesia that we could have. The floor was opened up for people to ask questions and the polite man answered each question.

A nurse spoke to us about the shampoo/shower gel and nose ointment that we had to use 5 days before the operation to ensure that we were not carrying any infection into the hospital with us. She also told us the procedure we would go through before the operation after the operation when we would be going through the recovery stage. The Physiotherapy then demonstrated some of the exercises that we would need to do the day after surgery so that we would have a speedy recovery.

There was so much information to take in, things that we had to avoid, certain ways that we had to do things so that we could prevent dislocation of our new joint. I felt overwhelmed with it all and felt extremely nervous not only about having the operation but about the after care and all the dos and don’ts. I had a shopping list of bits and bobs that I had to pick up before my surgery to assist me after the surgery.

It now felt real to me I was going to have a hip replacement and I needed to really stay as positive as I could while I waited patiently for the day to arrive.

Laurel

You can find Laurel on Instagram here: www.instagram.com/laurelbrumant/