‘I had a hip replacement at 10am and was relaxing at home by 4.30pm’

A mum who was one of the first patients in east Kent to have a less invasive type of hip replacement was home just a few hours after the operation.

Lynn Dommett went down for surgery at 10am at the elective orthopaedic centre at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital and was back home on the Romney Marsh by 4.30pm. Previously, people having hip replacements would need to stay in hospital for up to a week.

Lynn was one of the first patients in east Kent to have the procedure, which allows for a quicker recovery. Surgeons use an incision at the front of the hip rather than the back, which means they don’t need to cut through any muscle or tendons, unlike traditional procedures. This means there is less soft tissue disturbance and less recovery pain. K&C is the only hospital in the south east of England, outside of London, to offer the direct anterior replacement surgery.

Lynn, 56, who works as an examinations officer, said: “I didn’t appreciate initially it was a new procedure; I was just happy to be offered the operation.

“Everything was much better than I expected – I thought I would come home with a bucket-full of morphine, but I didn’t need it. I could take aspirin rather than blood-thinning injections, and I didn’t need to wear surgical stockings because I could be mobile.

“My incision was smaller – just four inches long - which meant there was no need for traditional stitches or staples, just dissolvable stitches.

“Having my hip replaced using the anterior approach also meant there were far less restrictions for my recovery. For example, I didn’t have to lay on my back in bed and as a side sleeper this was a great relief!”

Lynn was in recovery by 12.15pm and was back on Invicta ward by 1pm. She was allowed out of bed 15 minutes later, walking with a frame, and by 2pm therapy assistant practitioner Henry Cox was on hand to help her transition to crutches.

She said: “With his gentle guidance and tuition, I was soon walking with ease and learning how to master going up and down stairs.

“Within no time it was felt that I could return home safely. I think that surprised a lot of the nurses, who expected me to stay at least one night, but I was very happy to go home the same day.”

Lynn was referred to the hospital after experiencing pain in her groin. After a barrage of tests, including x-rays and scans, she saw consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon Mr Gihan Jayasinghe, who diagnosed her with osteoarthritis in her hip.

Initially, she was offered a surgery date a month later, but it coincided with her busiest period at work, so her hip replacement took place in December.

Within a week she only needed one crutch to get around, and she was able to return to work in January.

Lynn said “To wake up after the surgery, when the spinal block had worn off, with no residual arthritic pain in my leg was incredible.

“It was a gradual worsening, so I hadn’t realised how bad it was before. I was almost euphoric, not being woken up in the middle of the night with the pain. Now everything is back to normal, and it’s as if nothing ever happened and I never had arthritis.

“My other hip is also affected, and I really hope I can have the same procedure.

“I would like to thank Mr Jayasinghe for his expertise and dedication to moving forward with this new approach to hip arthroplasty.

“I will be eternally grateful for his understanding and reassurance on what was at the time rather a daunting thought of having to go through surgery, it really made my experience a positive one.

“I can’t praise everyone at the orthopaedic centre enough, they were wonderful and so caring. I had four follow-up calls from the nurses on Invicta ward to make sure everything was okay, and a courtesy call from the consultant.”