Question for those of you who have had hip replacements.

[Vinca]

All is going well with the hip after my March 25 procedure and the doctor told me I'm okay to get in the tub and have a nice, long, hot bath. (Showers just don't cut it in my world.) The problem is, how to maneuver the carcass into a bathtub without railings and avoid squatting. I can't find one tip about this particular problem anywhere on the Internet. Have any of you faced this particular issue?

[Worried senior]

1. My husband

has had four replacements on his left hip and one on the right. Under no circumstances is he allowed to sit in a bathtub.

[japple]

2. I don't think I would try it in a bathtub that didn't have grab-bars

and non-slip grippers on the bottom.

[Sal Minella]

3. My sister dislocated her new hip just leaning forward in a chair.

I don't see how you can get in and out of a bathtub without exceeding the "not less than 45 degrees" angle mandated for new hips.

Dislocation is something you DO NOT WANT.

[Lars39]

4. I think I'd get a solar shower and a folding chair and shower outside.

with, of course, some kind of tarp/curtain thingy strung up for privacy.

[MineralMan]

5. If your upper body strength is OK, try this:

1. Sit on edge of tub with legs outside of tub.
2. Swing one leg at a time in tub, leaning back if necessary. Support your self as much as possible with two hands on edge of tub.
3. Slide feet as far towards end of tub as possible.
4. Turn far enough far enough towards tub to allow one hand to go on far tub rail.
5. Using shoulder and arm muscles, raise body and transfer butt into tub.

Reverse to exit.

Get your physical therapist to show you this maneuver if you're still going to PT.

I haven't had a hip replaced, but my 85 year old father did, and that's how he did it. No squatting and no straining.

Have help the first time you try it, but you'll soon get the thing down.

[Vinca]

6. That sounds like a plan to consider.

This would all work out perfectly if I installed a trapeze over the tub. LOL.

[MineralMan]

8. That's actually a possibility, you know. A hanging handle would work

very well. There are also sliding transfer seats that have one pair of legs in the tub and one outside. You still have to lower yourself into the tub, though. I think they're more designed for use for taking showers. In any case, be careful, and have some assistance until you get the hang of it.

[Vinca]

7. Thanks for all your responses. My doctor seems to be a contrarian

about th 45 degree angle thing. In fact, the last visit I had was at 6 weeks post-op and when we were talking about what I could and couldn't do, he said the bending over thing was overrated and that as long as the operated hip was pointed out to the side it was okay to lean over and touch the floor. He had me do it. Apparently the ball part in the latest joint is larger than it used to be and has fewer dislocations overall. I've gotten the impression it would take something pretty significant to dislocate it, like a bad fall. My doctor is not only a board certified orthopedic surgeon, but was a mechanical engineer before going into medicine. I think that's a brilliant combination in this particular instance. As for the bath, I'm beginning to understand why those walk-in bathtubs were created.