THR 2nd hip, 3 months after the 1st

Wonderwine

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i followed this forum extensively after my first anterior hip replacement April19 of this year. The sage advice and counsel helped me recover correctly and well. (Not quickly, quick doesn’t count in hip replacement recovery ). At 8 weeks I began working with a gait and posture group with PT experience as well as fitness and they slowly got me back to a high level of glute and hamstring strength in preparation for my second operation which was yesterday, the 30th of July.

The operation went great, the biggest difference was a different anesthesia nurse who managed that piece so I wasn’t groggy for days, just a couple of hours. But after 3 months out I forgot just how traumatic the surgery is and how your gluten and thigh an groin muscles have to completely reorient themselves in your body. And they don’t take that particularly well. They bark and whine pretty loud. So I’m back to square one, the only place to start. Laying in bed, using the walker to go down the hall a few times a day, doing my 6 “exercises” they allow me to do. But Because I’ve been through this once, I know in 6-8 weeks there is light on the other side of the tunnel. Two new hips at 60 is a shock for someone who has been a lifelong athlete, and has never had an operation or been on medication. But I’ve seen the power of the procedure and can’t wait to have two functioning joints again.
 
Welcome to the double hippie club. It's a great feeling when that second one is done and dusted.

Sounds like you have very reasonable expectations. Yes, the first few days are tough. But well worth the end result.

Here's your reading list in case you need it:
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 this BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for THRs
6. Access these pages on the website

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.
 
Welcome to Recovery once again. Thanks for joining us. Don't forget to ice those areas of pain and discomfort for 40-60 mins, no less, several times per day. It will help with pain and swelling.
Stop back often as you did last time. We'll be here!
Wishing you comfort as you begin the journey. :)
@Wonderwine
 
Hi @Wonderwine
Last One and All Done:yes!:
I know it has been alot...physically and mentally and emotionally...but as you say, at some point (definitely not now) it will be confirmed that it has all been well worth it.
Sending good mojo your way for healing and patience.:ok:
 
Hi @Wonderwine
How are you doing? We'd love to hear from you and follow your journey as you're healing.
Please leave us an update sharing your progress next time you're on the forum.
Will look forward to hearing from you.
A great week to you!
 
Hey Layla, so the first is not the same as the second, I mean, a little bit but then very different. I have more mobility in some ways, certain movements are easier than with the first probably owing to how I had been using (abusing) my legs in daily life prior to replacement. Nothing is really symmetrical in life.

I’m having a good deal of thigh and IT band soreness with this one. More down the leg from the hip and not upper thigh/IT area. The muscles and tendons are a bit ropey and bark at me. Walking actually helps to a point as they loosen up and make my gait easier.

I totally spaced out how freaking tired you get during the day at random times. Just like: “BAM!! You are not able to form a coherent sentence now and you have to go lay down, young man, until I tell you you can get up.” I forgot about that.

I also know that some people might think it would be easier with the second hip because you know what to expect. To a degree this is true. However, for me it is also the opposite. With the first one every day was a new milestone in healing that was unexpected and celebrated. With the second the mystery of recovery is gone, and you just know that it is going to take X weeks before this happens and X more weeks before that happens. And that is mentally rougher and a bit more frustrating.

When I got my staples out on Friday I got to see the post op X-ray which also showed my previously replaced hip’s implant. My PA pulled up my operation day X-ray from that hip and I could see how the bone had solidified around the implant closing the space and healing. That was wicked cool. So taking it easy works!

Be well all.....
 
I also know that some people might think it would be easier with the second hip because you know what to expect. To a degree this is true. However, for me it is also the opposite. With the first one every day was a new milestone in healing that was unexpected and celebrated. With the second the mystery of recovery is gone, and you just know that it is going to take X weeks before this happens and X more weeks before that happens. And that is mentally rougher and a bit more frustrating.
We are basically on the same timeline and this is so accurate! This ends up being a real slough.

I had my second on the same day as you did but my first was a month after your first. In hindsight it was a bit too close I think and an extra month would have helped but my OS said it would work. I just wanted it to be done.

With no staples to remove as my incision was glued I don’t have a follow up until the 4 week point. I can’t wait to see the X-ray! How cool!
 
There were times, ceezee, when I wished I didn’t have to wait another X weeks to get the second done, so I get why you did what you did. But no looking backwards, ever. You made a personal decision, you rolled the dice, and good for you for doing it. Now you can deal with today, every day. And it is the best day of your life so far!
Be well
 
I absolutely agree with you, @Wonderwine, as someone who's also going through a second hip replacement recovery--my first replacement was September 2018 and I'd hoped to wait a good long time until I had to have the second hip replaced, but it certainly had other ideas and began whining just as the first hip as really getting much better. I, too, knew what to expect since I'd had the surgery and was admittedly less freaked out about the prospect but my experience, especially early on in recovery were very different. I found the pain the first week and a half to be much worse than I remembered, and I had a major meltdown four days in. It might be that I simply had forgotten how hard that first week is (sort of like how women forget labor pains after the baby arrives) but I was certainly far more unhappy this second time around. My surgery was July 17, so I'm ahead of you, and I will say that despite a rocky start I am feeling much better now as I head into my 4th recovery week. This time around I never used an assistive aids, walking confidently (if slowly) from the start. I think I just had more confidence this time around that, yes, it was okay to put equal weight on both hips. Sounds like you were in good shape before surgery, and although older than you I feel the same way about myself, and I think this serves us well in the recovery process. So, roll on--the recovery road is long but there is an end in sight as second hipsters know. Best of luck to you!
 
Happy Monday!
Thanks for updating, it's good to hear from you. I'm sorry you're dealing with some thigh and IT band issues, thankfully walking helps. You're still early into recovery so it's understandable you'd still be experiencing the Energy Drain. In general it's sounds as though you're doing really well. Two major surgeries within three months, it's amazing you're doing as well as you are. Keep up the good work.
A great week to you!
@Wonderwine
 
I too was in a state of shock never having had surgery before and very athletic albeit I am slightly older. It sounds like you have adapted but I understand the sinking feeling after the second because the milestones aren't new and not only do you or you may compare with others you now compare to yourself-- each individual recovery. And you don't have the luxury of time as the surgeries were close together so I see how frustration can seize your day. But you will progress and all this will be a distant memory if you remember at all.I know about that energy drain as sometimes after doing things I feel like a freight train ran over me. You're doing well and will continue to do so.
 
So yesterday I kind of freaked out. I had done too much the previous two days and I paid for it. No question about it. Like that feeling that "oh god, my hip is screwed up, I'll never walk straight again, blah, blah blah". So I took the day off. Did some exercises, walked 1/4 of what I did each of the previous two days. So today? Awesome! super good! like magic. Also, I had a friend here from Santa Cruz who is an acupuncturist. I have treated with acupuncture for 25 years regularly but its hard to get in to the office when you can't drive. She gave me a treatment and it really brought some unity to my body. I'm not saying it would work with everyone, and you kind of need to do it for a bit. But if you feel disjointed, or out of sorts, and you know someone who does it. Try it. Really has helped me.....cheers.
 
:wave:my my friend...
So I took the day off. Did some exercises, walked 1/4 of what I did each of the previous two days. So today? Awesome! super good!
Yep, dragging yourself out of the ODIC.:unsure:
You know you've got to keep that patience muscle flexed. And it is super early days!
Slow and Steady wins this race.:SUNsmile:
You Will Get There!
 
It's Lefty's special day.
Happy Four Month Anniversary!
It sounds like your doing well recovering from two surgeries within about three months time.
Keep up the good work and let us know how your doing now and then.
Until next time :wave:
@Wonderwine
 
Okay, an update! You reminded me that it was my 4 month anniversary of my left hip surgery! Wow, how time flies when you’re having.........ANOTHER hip surgery, lol! I’m three weeks out on my right side and turning some corners, all recognizable ones from the last one. I’m walking well, can sleep on both sides (big relief) and my tendons and muscles are getting realigned in my right leg. For me, a lot of the recovery process has been about the fact that for years I’ve walked with misaligned legs due to hip deterioration as well as with a limp. So when you have brand new hardware that straightens you out, every single one of my leg and hip and back tendons and muscles are like: “dude, what are you doing?”

So that’s the struggle for me; getting my body to go along with the new hardware program. And it takes time.

Final note: exhaustion is compounded having two surgeries within 3 months. I take at least two 20 minute naps a day. And I get brain freeze. Like forgetting the name of a friend when 20 minutes before I addressed her by name! Just got brain freeze because I got tired. It’s all good and getting better, but it takes time and patience. Be well out there, hippies!
 
Thanks for the update. It sounds as though you're doing really well. I admire your patience in realizing that
recovery is a journey and certainly doesn't happen overnight. You seem to have a realistic and healthy attitude toward the process.

The Energy Drain can feel overwhelming at times. How could it not be magnified with two major surgeries within three months. Your body is using energy first for healing, not leaving much for the other activities of daily living. Take advantage by sleeping when you're able as our body does it's best healing while we're asleep.

I dealt with the brain fog early on. I hated it and frankly it frightened me because it felt foreign. I couldn't remember things nor absorb anything I read. Thankfully it slowly eased but initially it threw me for a loop!

Will look forward to your next update. Have a great week!
@Wonderwine
 
Sounds like you are prodding along and with a sense of humour--that helps a lot. I know about the gait and the compensating had been doing it for 12 years--didn't know I was walking like a dysfunctional washing machine agitator but there you are.With the help of a good PT who will teach you how to walk correctly and constant practice(not slipping into former walking habits) you will walk just fine. Bravo and courage for having the 2 hips done within such a short time span.
 
@Wonderwine congrats on your bi lateral status!
You write your experiences well, I’ve enjoyed reading them.
Your comments about being athletic and active and getting hit with the diagnosis was so accurate. It was like getting gutted.
So many emotions but now here we are, bionic and on the way to recovery!
Looking forward to see your progress!
I know you will but keep :ice:
 
@Wonderwine
My 2nd hip is tomorrow. Trying to keep hopes high but expectations low. First hip is healed fairly well but now has to be the "good hip". We'll see how that goes.
One of the things I did today was visit our travel agent to plan for a trip to Italy in april 2020. I have a 20 month old grandaughter and I'd love to be more active with her. Eyes on the prize(s)!!!
The first 2 weeks are a bite for sure. But whatever it takes. Love my new right hip.
Continued good recovery to you!
 
Love the sound of that trip !!! Oh the places you’ll go!

:capn:
 

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