THR Hike’s Recovery

hikejunkie

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Welcome to what’s going to most likely be a very boring thread. :)

Day 1 - surgery. Had spinal with sedation. Had my hugger! People walking around theater chatting and laughing. Just another day for them. All went well. For those afraid of waking up - didn’t happen for me with either surgery. Got to my room, daughter had me laughing and I wet the bed. Embarrassing but I couldn’t feel my bladder yet. :umm:

Day 2 - still in hospital. Not enough moving around. PT is like 15 minutes. Can’t find anyone to just walk with me other than when with PT. They get me up to sit in chair and that’s it. PT wanted me to use walker. I told them I wanted crutches and they looked at me like I was weird (well, I am but whatever). I got crutches. Major winter storm- 19” of snow at home. I advised my condo association about surgery and they committed to having driveway and walkway free of snow and ice. Fingers crossed. Poop fairy visited late afternoon. :yes!:

Day 3 - today! I’m going home around noon. Pain hasn’t been bad at all. I’m thinking once I’m home and moving more the pain will come. Last replacement I had staples and this one I have glue so I think that’s a difference with pain. Hospital pharmacy will fill all my scripts so we don’t need to stop on the way home. Daughter, son-in-law and 5 year old granddaughter will be my escorts home. Daughter will wash my hair for me. Excited!

That’s it for now. Onward...
 
Boring is what we hope for, @hikejunkie
So glad to hear from you and that you are going home!:wave:
So happy this is the last time you'll have all this hip replacement recovery journey.
Have a boring, icing, fresh hair day.
Healing hugs!:friends:
 
@Mojo333 - had to ask for ice in hospital. Doesn’t seem to be something they automatically do.

I’m happy I’m done with all this hip business too. The pre-op jitters are the worst.
 
They didn't give me ice in hospital either...and I was too out of it to think to ask.
Know how tough these first days can be...but then this isn't your first rodeo, so you know.
Hope all goes smooth and you can rest comfortably.
 
@Hipgirl18 - we’re surgery date mates! Cool. I would have gone home Wednesday but the storm kept me in hospital. They even had lock down for employees and they couldn’t leave.

My biggest problem is my knee. Not so much pain but I don’t straighten it when I walk. It stays slightly bent like it was pre-op. I have to consciously step, stop, and straighten it.
 
Hi and Happy Thursday! :welome:
Welcome to Recovery.....again. So great to see you on this side!
You sound wonderful. Below is a refresher on some familiar reading.
I hope your day is great. It will be fun following your journey.
Safe travels home!

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each, member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Glad you're on this side and doing well! Plenty of time to work on the knee. Are you already staring to make your .list of the places you want to hike when you've recovered? It might be awhile before you can do it! But fun to dream and plan!

That difficulty of wanting to walk but not having anyone to walk with you was part of the reason I opted for outpatient the second time around. But now you're home and in control!
 
@hikejunkie so glad you're on this side! You're doing awesome so far--those are the stories we love to see! I had terrible problems with my knee afterwards too. Ice ice baby! :ice: Still have issues with the knee sometimes if I try alternating legs going up the stairs, but otherwise the ice has made a HUGE difference! I had to ask for ice in the hospital too and the nurse looked at me like I was crazy. Jokes on them! Ice is king! Good for you for standing your ground on the crutches. You need to do what feels right for you and this journey. The crutches would have terrified me, but I'm a big klutz--took me long enough to try the cane after the walker! Speaking of ice and PT, I need to go to PT right away and am scared--they don't have handrails on their stairs and it is icy outside today. Need to use the cane since my dad is driving and can't hoist the walker into the car for me. I'll just go slowly, but this is not fun! Good luck as you settle in at home. I'll be checking in to see how it goes. :friends:
 
@SaraK - I know exactly where I’ll go on my first hike. Trails run by a river. One more difficult than the other. Will start off easy.

@hipster333 - I’m on one crutch at this point. PT starts coming to my house tomorrow. I’d be terribly nervous about going out into icy conditions. Hope all went ok for you!

Came home with 6 week supply of Ecotrin (aspirin for blood clots), 5 days worth of Percocet, and 6 weeks of Celebrex. And that’s it! 6 weeks for precautions but I could swear I was done sooner than that with first one. Had a shower - bliss! Now I’m resting with leg elevated and on ice. Cried a bit over dogs but I think that’s going to continue to happen until I have them home.
 
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It sounds like you're doing quite well for 2 days post op! Being able to shower immediately was one of the perks of the skin glue that I appreciated.

The trails by the river sounds wonderful. My one hike so far was along a small river in my area. Hoping to get this muscle healed soon so that I can do some more hiking this spring. Like dancing, something I didn't know I was missing because I hadn't done it for eons!

Take care and stay iced!
 
Hi @hikejunkie .....glad to hear you got thro it....and boring is very reassuring! I have made a note to ban the family from making jokes....when they hear the possible pitfalls I think they'll be only too glad to put a sock in it :heehee:

Hope the pain stays fairly low key.....made me laugh when you said you were excited to have your hair washed....such little things, but we're easily pleased!
 
@anny - they scanned my bladder in recovery and said I was “half way there”. I then drank more water. If I didn’t go eventually it could have meant a catheter so laughter was very beneficial! I then also gained a small sense of my bladder and when I got on a bed pan, I would laugh and well, the rest is history.

@SaraK - I was shocked when told I could shower today. Last time it was around a week I think.

Youngest son is here for weekend. It’s good to have company. Took some magnesium to get things moving in my bowels again. Been up and down for bathroom but laying around a bit more because I’m really tired. Elevating and icing and going to see what I can find on Netflix.
 
Hmmmm...noticing a bit of numbness in toes on operated leg. Not like they fall asleep, more like cold and tingly.
 
Is the foot or ankle really swollen? Any discoloration in feet or toes? I had some tingling in the toes when I tore the glute muscle - I was told the swelling probably compressed the nerve a little.
 
@SaraK - no swelling in foot or ankle. No tingling this morning. I’ve got my thermos of coffee and I’m elevating/icing while drinking all that goodness. Will see if the tingling starts up again.

My big question today is how on earth did I gain 7 pounds!?! I had noticed it when getting out of bed in hospital and I felt uncomfortable when getting my clothes on yesterday. Got on scale this morning and was shocked.

Pain is minimal. Hovering 1-2.
 
So glad you're pain is minimal.
Stay off that scale!
Let's say, water retention?
Once you are more mobile you will get rid of that I bet.
I gained 20 lbs the year before my surgery. Guess I just couldn't burn off any calories.
Hope your weekend is peaceful!
 
@hikejunkie glad the tingling is gone. One crutch already? Way to go! I had gained 7 lbs when I first weighed in too. Between iv fluids and constipation it added up. Lol. Happy to say that within a couple of days I was actually under presurg weight. It’s too early to judge by the scale.
 

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