THR I made it!

[nanamac]

Re: One week ago today...

Only a week? You are doing fntastic for only a week! Patience my dear! All in good time...

 

[Anitawants2tango]

Re: One week ago today...

Hi Hiptime,
First I would have to say ditto on the comments regarding it only being a week. I had an anterior approach and I know exactly the feeling you are describing in exactly the same spot - which is precisely where the muscles and tendons where pried away to make room for the surgeon to do the necessary work. The sensation is less now that I am close to 4 weeks post op, but despite how well I am walking it is still difficult for me to reach the foot on my operated leg or to raise the leg from a prone position.

 

[forbesy]

Re: One week ago today...

You have made it to the recovery side and sounding good hiptime, lots of rest and set yourself small targets, the icy wheather coming in now so you have to be careful if you venture outside for a walk up and down the driveway.
You will get there hiptime just be cautious.

Billy

 

[HipTime]

Re: One week ago today...

But I want to tango NOW!

But I know you all are right...just wanted to make sure this lump was normal - thanks for the reassurance!

 

[DallasSarah]

Re: One week ago today...

Hi HipTime,

Time goes by so quickly! You sound well....as for the lump I have that on my incision it's definitely getting softer the last few days and I can now feel mst of my hip. Its from the incision and swelling, hopefully it will completely go away order time.

xxooxx

 

[Josephine]

It feels like a lump but in reality it's the scar healing which is swollen and also numb! You should read these articles
Pain management and the pain chart
How Long Does Healing Take ......
Chart representation of THR recovery
Energy Drain for THRs
Elevating your leg to control swelling and pain
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Some suggestions for home physio (PT)


btw, I also merged your two threads together. I prefer it if you keep everything about your recovery in one thread for two reasons: 1. it helps me to see what's been said before without having to search all over for your previous threads and 2. it also helps new members and guests to follow your progress more easily.

 

[haldox]

Congrats Hiptime!! Everything sounds very normal. I also found my knee was worse than my hip with the swelling and bruising, so I would ice from incision down to the knee.

ROM will take some time and its not something to get caught up on, it will happen!

 

[girlienerd]

HipTime! I'm so glad I finally found your recovery post. I'm thilled you're doing so well and know that lump you're speaking of. Although mine was posterior I do have the lump which surrounds my incision. You're doing great but don't try and do too much.

Keep up your great work!!
Buffi

 

[Jamie]

Hip Time....your "I want to tango NOW" post made me laugh out loud. It's what we ALL want....to be back to normal YESTERDAY!!! Hang in there....it will come.

 

[HipTime]

Please tell me it will get better!

I am almost 4 weeks out and very discouraged - at my post op I felt like a baby not having done as much as the nurse wanted to see - still using cane, still on norco 4x a day - so I tried to "do better" - and I can - I was actually able to walkmwithout a cane pretty well until I stopped the Norco - now it is painful! I fell like I've gone backwards - Hard to walk without a "Frankenstein" dip, and just painful to stand up. I'm tired of sitting around all day! When will my life come back? Will it?:cry4:

 

[staffsknot]

Re: Please tell me it will get better!

Hallo, Hip time,

Sure you will get back to something like normal or even perfectly normal. The big question is when. It seems to me you would benefit greatly from reading the long stories of other people who have trodden the long road. As you do so the first thing you need to remember is that the road is not depressingly long for everybody. Some people are well back towards normal after only a very few months. Note months; take them on board, in case the road is long for you. It may not be but be ready.

As for seeming to go backwards, that is so so common. The reasons can be many and various, but a common one is that things seem to be going well and we get lured into doing something too soon, too far, too fast. Afterwards we pay. A muscle that was mending nicely gets torn again; a ligament that was knitting suffers a shock and recoils. Try to stop whatever the activity is before it goes bad on you. How do you know when this is, you may ask. Answer is that you don't. That's what makes the process a little tricky.

A good general rule is to keep an activity record for measurable activity such as walking and then don't exceed the weekly total and the longest single effort by more than a very modest percentage, say 5%.

As for the non-measurable activities, like housework or gardening, it's a case of just whistle and hope, but you could still apply the percentage rule to the total time spent doing the activity.

Above all be patient. Things will mend and normality will return but it may all take much longer than you imagine at first.

It may be good to remember that when you read the contributions to this forum, a good proportion may have first come here because there was a specific problem or a general malaise. Could be that the plain sailing people don't ever arrive here. This has the effect of skewing the demographic to give the impression that most people have severe problems. The ones with few or no problems are probably not here at all.

Don't despair. It is very early days for you at the moment.

All the best, Alan

 

[rider1960]

Re: Please tell me it will get better!

Hip time--as long as your doctor isn't concerned about your progress, I wouldn't worry about it and keep doing what you can do and try to be patient with your recovery.

I'll say something that I know I'm going to have to be reminded about myself when my time comes, so feel free to tell me this in another couple of months ... : Everyone recovers at different rates.

Actually, from what I'm reading ... using pain meds and a cane at 4 weeks is pretty typical, isn't it???

Hang in there ... I'll be where you are very soon and I'm sure I'll need support and encouragement too. Take care,

Dorothy

 

[Poppet]

Re: Please tell me it will get better!

Well said Alan.. I had a small (well let's hope a small wake up call) this morning (very early Aussie time). Yesterday I had attempted the straight leg raise exercise for the first time, have been doing a modified version shown by my physio until then with no problem... So...

Did five straight leg raises, under supervision of my watcher (hubby) and was showing off a bit - Ah yes, Look, I can do this easily..... Well reality check big time this morning... Lots of muscle pain, not unbearable, but in areas not felt before..so morale of my story - back off from that exercise for a few days and go very slowly next time, maybe do one rather than the ten repetitions... Reality check

 

[beesquare]

Re: Please tell me it will get better!

Oh Hip Time take heart, it certainly will get better. 4 weeks out is such early days and I certainly don't think you should be expecting to walk without support yet. Read the posts on this website and you'll see that we all progress at different rates and we all have high expectations - a good thing of course - but those expectations will be met in their own good time! I didn't finally part with my cane till after I went back to work at 12 weeks and still took it with me on walks and didn't stop pain meds till about 2 weeks ago.
Some will have stopped sooner than this some later so please don't feel that you are not doing well, because you are. You've been through major surgery and have a super duper new hip but the bits that got attacked to fit it need to heal! So........give yourself a big pat on the head and chill! All will be well.
Happy New Year and best wishes
Anne

 

[rbw1]

Re: Please tell me it will get better!

I will tell you it WILL get better, but for some it does take time. Iam coming up on 12 weeks and am still going through discomforts. Read the many posts and you will learn that everyone heals differently and actual there is no exact time in the healing process. Patience, which Iam continually trying to learn, resting and elevating your leg when your body tells you too, and using ice or heat will help as well. Keep doing your exercises daily. I find it does loosen me up. Pain meds are important during your recovery. Iam mostly taking tylenol or Aleve now, but when I need it I do not hesitate to take something stronger.We are all in this forum for support, so keep everyone informed on your progress---it will happen.

 

[staffsknot]

Re: Please tell me it will get better!

Hallo again, Hip Time,

I'm back because there were a few things I think I should have said to you.

First, I didn't mean that the membership of Bonesmart does not contain any people with no problems, just fewer than one might expect, for two reasons. One is that people who don't perceive that they have any problems tend not to seek out answers on medical websites, together with patients who are not happy with computers. Many of these are in the older age groups. The other reason is that people who have recovered with the help of Bonesmart tend to lose interest and wander off to enjoy their improved mobility. A few stay behind to offer advice and encouragement. I did, out of gratitude for the excellent help and advice I got when things weren't going so well.

Second, to add to what I advised you, today I did 200 metres of my 1000 metre swim using the dreadful and forbidden breaststroke. Result, another outbreak of limping and a resolution to wait a while longer. This is after more than a year.

Third, my current Avatar is of me walking in the high mountains of Tenerife, Spain. The terrain is rough, dormant volcano, and I am using a cane! Anybody over 70 who doesn't up a rough mountain is asking for trouble, I believe. Don't be macho (or hembra) and throw aside your cane too soon. Use it to help you to a symmetrical walking style.

Just a few thoughts.

All the best, Alan

 

[forbesy]

Re: Please tell me it will get better!

Hip Time

Your body has just been through a massive operation it will take time, I realise this may sound like the same old chestnut routine but some people take slightly longer to recover than others.
There will be a part of you that will get impatient but keep taking your meds and keep doing your exercises and keep icing your scar.
You are only four weeks in and still at an early stage, patience is the name of the game, hang in there Hiptime.

Billy

 

[Shawnna]

Re: Please tell me it will get better!

My dear Hip Time,

Please hold on to all of the hope and wonderful input you're getting here.

I don't want to repeat what has already been said.... so I won't.

Just know that we're here for you and will help you get through this to whatever your destination of choice is!

 

[Josephine]

Hiptime, I've noticed that you never seem to return to the threads you start. I've now merged this one with your orginal recovery thread. You've made three now and only posted in each one once. Did you read the articles I gave you links to in this post? If not, you must read them all now.

 

[oldbones]

I'd like to discuss your post op visit today. I think 4 weeks is a little premature to attempt to walk without some sort of assistive device such as a cane. When I went back to work after my THR I was still using a cane and repeating my mantra with each step "heal toe, heal toe, etc. So don't get discouraged at all. I think if you don't use a cane and your hip begins to hurt you fall back into the pattern of trying to protect it and limp. Hang in there! Old bones