I needed to have a hip replacement because it just wore out from osteoarthritis.
It was nothing I did in my life, although I've been very physically active my entire
life. Eventually got to the point where I couldn't
tie my shoe. I couldn't bend over.
I couldn't walk much. So at that point they said it was bone on
bone and it was time to replace the hip. Mike underwent an elective total hip replacement
surgery at Woodland Hills Medical Center on July 16, 2019, performed by orthopedic surgeon
Lawrence Schatz. Everything worked perfectly.
The nurses, every one of them knew what their job was, how to handle it, and from that point
on they just took care of me. The doctor came in with the anesthesiologist.
One of the things I liked the best is that the doctor and the anesthesiologist treated
me like a member of a team. That was very nice, and I've always had that
experience with Kaiser, that they tend to involve you in your care.
Mike was admitted to the hospital for surgery in the morning and went home at the end of
the day. Dr. Schatz performed a total hip arthroplasty
using the latest anterior approach through the front of the hip and thigh.
After Mike awoke in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit, nurses made sure he was ready to get
up on his new hip. My role as a recovery room nurse is to make
sure that when they come out of surgery they are given the best care, they are able to
wake up, and they are comfortable. Before Mike was ready to go home, he was visited
by a physical therapist and an occupational therapist.
I go in and introduce myself. Then we'll proceed with standing.
I'll talk to them about the appropriate assistive device that they might be using.
I'll be teaching them some exercises. If it's a hip replacement, I do go over some
precautions with them, tell them there are specific ways to get out of bed, maybe get
out of a chair. There may be different ways to sleep that
might be different than what they're already doing.
He was ready to go home the same day. I thought it was terrific.
I thought everything from walking in the door for all the pre-op to the follow-up in the
hospital on the day of surgery, everything was super.
A Kaiser Permanente Home Health physical therapist went to their home to assist Mike with strengthening
his muscles and working on his walking gait. Say in the last year or so we've shifted more
towards taking care of our same-day surgeries and our orthopaedic patients primarily.
I'd say about 95 percent. No better joy than seeing a person heal and
to see them get back on their feet and get back to their normal lifestyle.
At four weeks I started riding a bike again, which is my primary mode of exercise.
Mike was given good direction in terms of what to expect and how to progress and there
was a very good back-and-forth between Mike and his medical team, every step of the way.
He came for a follow-up visit six weeks later without the use of a walker or a cane.
Dr. Schatz advised Mike to continue his mobility, walk regularly and ride his bicycle, but also
to rest. He's healed unbelievably well. And I think
that's the best testament to everything. He's got no pain.
In fact, the most amazing thing to me is that three weeks after the surgery, Mike said to
me, "Look at this." And he stood up and he reached down and touched
the floor. And I've been seeing him struggle to sit down
to get into a car. So to be able to reach down and touch the
floor three weeks after having this major surgery was very impressive.