THR Recovery story

If you’re an Amazon shopper, they have a variety of hand grips for walkers in various price ranges. Check it out. I borrowed a walker from my dad for my THR and he had previously attached some tubular thick foam that he slit along one side and placed over the walker handles. I’m assuming it was inexpensive and worked very well. I hope you find a solution that brings you relief.
@Lyla
I think I might have something similar ! Although it does have hand grips they are not the best and a bit worn.
 
I really could use some tips please for anyone who used a walker on how to put less pressure on the walker. My hands are so sore!! I didn’t realize I was doing this. If I want to learn how to walk again in a normal manner I need to stop putting all the pressure on the walker!
From my past experience, go as slow and steady as you need to and focus on your fair - one of my neighbors / good friends happens to be a physical therapist focusing on brain and spine recoveries, so she works a lot with people re-learning how to walk. Shortly after my first hip, I was zipping around in my walker and thought I was doing great, until she pointed out that I was going fast but had entirely the wrong mechanics.
Yes I noticed this and am trying to correct that. I push the walker and now sometimes lift it instead trying to not lean. I have enough spine issues dont need another
 
Is your walker adjustable? You say you're short you might have it too high. If you try to walk too fast it can cause problems. I used it more for stability and didn't have to carry myself through the step with my op leg, I was able to put pressure on my leg.
omg! I bet your right ! My daughter is taller then me and it is the one she used to recover with. Tomorrow it will get adjusted. Thank you.
 
I’m not sure what happened today but it didn’t feel great. Not sure if it was a kink that was going from my butt cheek to my foot or muscle spasm but it was horrifying and very scary. I had a horrible pain as I was about to move (standing up) so I sat down to see if it could help but nope! It was horrifyingly painful. I had to stand back up and told myself loudly walk it off!! So I did. It improved but the inner thigh pain is a bit worse.
It’s still along the inner upper thigh ( bikini line) which has been painful for years. It’s in a much smaller area but tonight got a bit worse and larger.
I have horrible back pain in the kidney area and not sure if it’s my kidney or spine shifting back.
Shoulders hurt and muscle pains in the legs.
Still feels better then pre op so that’s something right ?
I still have not got my appointment for my 2 week check up. Tomorrow I will need to call and get one because they remove the bandages and check it. I have the number for the nurse who works with the surgeon so I might ask her some questions as to what happened today. Makes me a bit nervous. More nervous then residing pain.
I haven’t been doing my exercises I’m not really feeling comfortable yet especially with the pain on the inner thigh. It’s mostly nerves and a huge desire for recovery. I miss life. I’m so bored all the time , frustration with sitting around. I get to walk the 20 steps to the bathroom on and off the coach / toilet/ deck chair so many times a day. I feel like a yo yo
I have such a small space and I can’t make up my mind where I want to be.
It’s great having a 2nd ice pack but I still wish they had larger ones. I’m never sure where to put this one. Inner thigh ? Hip area ? Leg ? Back? Wish I could do all at once.
Sleep has suffered the last few days. After being up all night with not 5 min sleep I got a few hours. Not enough activity to tire me out.
Morning it will be 10 days in. Not as bad as I thought it would be but also not as good as I would like it.
Off to try and sleep and if I sleep enough tonight I will go for a bit of a walk. I was way to tired to go downstairs and on to the street the last 2 days. Making good choices knowing I can’t risk a fall because I’m bored and want to push more then I should. So instead I embrace the boredom knowing it won’t be long before I won’t be sitting still. Instead I’ll be exhausted from all the go go go pent up for the last 4 yrs.
 
I hope you're feeling better today, Lyla. This whole process is quite the journey, isn't it?
I think @Eman85 gave good advice about checking the adjustment on your walker. It's important to get it just right. At my prehab appt the pt was picky about it and even though I practiced with their walker, not mine, she wanted me to get a feel for what was the correct height. After surgery the in home pt checked my walker also. If you look on youtube, there are many videos that show how to adjust walkers, and how/how not to use them.
It seems like all those traumatized-by-surgery muscle all wake up and complain just when we think we're past all that.
Can you double ziploc some ice cubes as an extra ice pack?
Or, maybe try a heating pad for the new pain?
Your account of your day brought back just the way I felt at the time. It helped to just let the emotions rip, so I gave myself a few minutes to do just that on bad days. Afterwards, it was a lot easier to readjust and get on with the day rather than spend a lot of effort trying to hold it all in.
My suggestion for sleep is to try to keep on your normal schedule. For me, it worked to schedule my pain meds right at bedtime; I didn't always need them for pain but they made me drowsy and gave me a chance to rest. Also, I found some sleep stories on youtube that helped. I had one that I listened to over and over again. It was interesting enough to take my mind off the discomfort but was at the same time boring enough (after having 'learned' it) that I could drift off.
Hang in there, things will improve. You're in a hard part of it now, but before long you'll be past it.
 
@Lyla literally all of that is familiar to me - it's tough, but we're on the right path! For my first hip, I had a cramp or something that convinced me I had dislocated it or done permanent damage - but a day or two later, I was back to where I was.

I'm not really doing any exercises yet either, just walking. Contrary to many on here, I will do PT in a few weeks, but right now I'm trying to just focus on letting the soft tissue heal up.

I highly recommend more ice packs if you can - I like to put one on the incision and one on what you would call the bikini line (not sure what to call the male equivalent, haha). The actual hip is pretty far in there, so my strategy is to just ice everything everywhere as much as possible, haha.

It does get better - I'm in a better state of mind this time because I've been through it, and it's still tough at this point...
 
I hope you're feeling better today, Lyla. This whole process is quite the journey, isn't it?
I think @Eman85 gave good advice about checking the adjustment on your walker. It's important to get it just right. At my prehab appt the pt was picky about it and even though I practiced with their walker, not mine, she wanted me to get a feel for what was the correct height. After surgery the in home pt checked my walker also. If you look on youtube, there are many videos that show how to adjust walkers, and how/how not to use them.
It seems like all those traumatized-by-surgery muscle all wake up and complain just when we think we're past all that.
Can you double ziploc some ice cubes as an extra ice pack?
Or, maybe try a heating pad for the new pain?
Your account of your day brought back just the way I felt at the time. It helped to just let the emotions rip, so I gave myself a few minutes to do just that on bad days. Afterwards, it was a lot easier to readjust and get on with the day rather than spend a lot of effort trying to hold it all in.
My suggestion for sleep is to try to keep on your normal schedule. For me, it worked to schedule my pain meds right at bedtime; I didn't always need them for pain but they made me drowsy and gave me a chance to rest. Also, I found some sleep stories on youtube that helped. I had one that I listened to over and over again. It was interesting enough to take my mind off the discomfort but was at the same time boring enough (after having 'learned' it) that I could drift off.
Hang in there, things will improve. You're in a hard part of it now, but before long you'll be past it.
Thanks for the tips. I could go back to guided sleep meditations. Idk why but I’m not allowed to take my melatonin. I have always had sleep issues and sadly looks like my teen kid has them to. Who knew that sort of thing can be passed on !
I have a heating pad but need a new one. It might actually help me sleep if I started using it on my back / shoulder areas. It’s been really hard on my whip lash plus my spine readjusting after the hip being replaced.
I will watch videos of people walking until I start dreaming of walking . Seems my body forgot how to do it properly and needs a refresher. Just like sports stars go over plays in their heads I’ll go over walking.
 
@Lyla literally all of that is familiar to me - it's tough, but we're on the right path! For my first hip, I had a cramp or something that convinced me I had dislocated it or done permanent damage - but a day or two later, I was back to where I was.

I'm not really doing any exercises yet either, just walking. Contrary to many on here, I will do PT in a few weeks, but right now I'm trying to just focus on letting the soft tissue heal up.

I highly recommend more ice packs if you can - I like to put one on the incision and one on what you would call the bikini line (not sure what to call the male equivalent, haha). The actual hip is pretty far in there, so my strategy is to just ice everything everywhere as much as possible, haha.

It does get better - I'm in a better state of mind this time because I've been through it, and it's still tough at this point...
Yes it can be scary at times! I’ve not walked properly in 4 years so I’m not sure why I expected to just get up and go .
I’m not doing exercises but I did do the stand and bring your leg up 3 times just to see how it felt and how it would go. Hard for me because the 90 degree angle. Not sure why I can’t understand where that is. It was surprisingly easy and painless to lift to the height I did knowing it’s not in the danger zone but higher then I could for years! Pain free! So exciting these little things we can accomplish. I ice a few times a day my freezer space is super limited. I have a deep freeze but it’s downstairs where I can’t get to it. I have my kid doing so much now I hate to ask her to do more especially run stuff downstairs that I might need when she is not home. Night time and nap time are main icing times. I have been sleeping 2x per day 1-2 hrs because I get so tired im not steady with a walker. It is tiring trying to get around a small space with big equipment.
 
@Lyla just healing by itself is exhausting! No matter what I do (or how much I rest) I'm completely wiped out by mid afternoon. Our bodies are spending a lot of energy on healing right now, so no shame in a nap! It's like when the incision itches, you know it's because your body is doing what it needs to do. I've been going to sleep before my 5 year old every night, haha.
 
I tried to call the nurse but unfortunately I must have wrote it wrong it’s not in service. Called one place they told me I had the wrong number so called the other that I had and they sent me back to the 2nd telling me she’s new and didn’t know they take post op appointments. No one knows who the nurse I talked to was ‍2 week appointment is Tuesday!!
After the spasm or whatever it was I didn’t sleep much. My cat feels neglected and had a fit. Terrorized the entire house and kept waking me for attention. The only good thing about it is I did ice … and ice … and ice. Switching back and forth every hour to the other ice pack. Today it felt back to where it was with just a bit extra on the bikini line. I can deal with that.
Leg lifting on to couch when I go to lay down still a bit hard but I know it will get better.
Feeling relieved the pain is not so bad again.
Hungry all day! Why idk but I don’t feel like eating much. I wonder if it’s the ASA?
Looking forward to bandage off to be able to shower. It’s starting to roll down a bit at the top hoping it stays till Tuesday. It’s still a deep purple around the top of the bandage hope that stops soon but I know all too well blood thinners keeps the internal bleeding going a bit. The bottom changed a lot quicker and was yellow now gone. Still pretty sore area and I’m hoping this does not stay sensitive like my spinal surgery area that 2 yrs later is still sore.
 
@Lyla just healing by itself is exhausting! No matter what I do (or how much I rest) I'm completely wiped out by mid afternoon. Our bodies are spending a lot of energy on healing right now, so no shame in a nap! It's like when the incision itches, you know it's because your body is doing what it needs to do. I've been going to sleep before my 5 year old every night, haha.
Awe you have a little one ! I miss those years. It really is exhausting. I know mines also been so itchy. I scratch an inch away from the bandage around it to try and help.
 
I ice a few times a day my freezer space is super limited. I have a deep freeze but it’s downstairs where I can’t get to it. I have my kid doing so much now I hate to ask her to do more especially run stuff downstairs that I might need when she is not home.
What about a small cooler, or even one of those inexpensive foam disposable ones. If you have the ice to use in one daily, you could store a few extra gel packs in there for easier access when you’re home alone.
mines also been so itchy. I scratch an inch away from the bandage around it to try and help.
Sometimes ice helps with this also, bringing temporary relief.
Good luck with your appointment on Tuesday!
 
I ice a few times a day my freezer space is super limited. I have a deep freeze but it’s downstairs where I can’t get to it. I have my kid doing so much now I hate to ask her to do more especially run stuff downstairs that I might need when she is not home.
What about a small cooler, or even one of those inexpensive foam disposable ones. If you have the ice to use in one daily, you could store a few extra gel packs in there for easier access when you’re home alone.
mines also been so itchy. I scratch an inch away from the bandage around it to try and help.
Sometimes ice helps with this also, bringing temporary relief.
Good luck with your appointment on
I can try on Tuesday. I’m stuck right now my youngest dont drive. My ex is bringing me stuff when he comes to see the youngest. He might get me one.
 
I did end up shortening the walker … from way up to the last holes :heehee: it really was way too tall for my shortness. Now the plastic pieces won’t stay in. One would fall off occasionally now it’s anytime I lift it. I do look forward to ditching the walker!! It’s so annoying.Spilled my cup of coffee all over the floor along with a ton of other things too heavy for the grabber. My kid was running all day for me and I feel bad. 16 and the last 4 yrs of her life is helping me and missing out on a lot of stuff.
It’s been a day today. Super cranky and agitated. I went for a very short walk outside and it was hard loosing those plastic pieces constantly.
Inner thigh and very top of my leg is super sore today even though I spent most of the day leg up and iced. Frustration is running high today!
Tired to clean up and set up my little ottoman ( the top flips upside down and it’s a little table ) and get out my laptop so I could do sleep meditations and stuff to help me sleep better.
I need a massage so desperately my whiplash is very inflamed today.
Last night I was drifting off to sleep and my cat attacked me … I reacted so quick he ended up across the room. He didn’t use his claws thankfully. He is also really cranky with all the changes. He is very very routine orientated. It’s been just as hard for him as it has for us. He takes hour long naps across my hips. Purrs for 15 min then sleeps the rest of the hour. It’s like he understands something is wrong and he’s upset to. I can’t play fetch with him or get him on his harness to go out on the deck. My cat thinks he’s part dog (he’s never been around dogs either ) and part human.
This pain is annoying!! Losing hope at times that this will go away.
If I could go for a drive I would feel so much better but even if I was cleared to drive my car broke down just before I got the call! I need another one but not sure how I’m going to get a car without one. ‍ I don’t live in the city no public transport here.
I think I just needed to rant a bit today.
End rant ! Tomorrow I wake up feeling better … because I will have finally got enough sleep!!
 
I’m 6 days ahead of you, Lyla, and I cannot imagine driving yet! I’ve been off narcotics for nearly 3 whole days now but still feel so tired and loopy!

Yesterday I set aside my walker and strutted all over the downstairs with my two hiking poles! Then just one cane. Today my hips joints are sore so I have layed low. Back on the walker!

Your teen daughter sounds so helpful and seems like you don’t have to nag her at all to get her to help. You are lucky to have her. My husband has been wonderful and keeping me well fed and I am just now starting to fold laundry and wash a few pots. I have a 33 year old daughter who lives just five miles down the road. She’s a vet tech and recovering from mild Covid.

I hope you are able to sleep tonight. I had a terrible night last night after two very good nights. I am allowed to sleep on both sides after 12 nights of back sleeping.
 
I ice a few times a day my freezer space is super limited. I have a deep freeze but it’s downstairs where I can’t get to it. I have my kid doing so much now I hate to ask her to do more especially run stuff downstairs that I might need when she is not home.
What about a small cooler, or even one of those inexpensive foam disposable ones. If you have the ice to use in one daily, you could store a few extra gel packs in there for easier access when you’re home alone.
mines also been so itchy. I scratch an inch away from the bandage around it to try and help.
Sometimes ice helps with this also, bringing temporary relief.
Good luck with your appointment on Tuesday!
Fixed the ice problem I think! Will be trying it out tomorrow! My oldest suggested I take a wet facecloth put it in a baggie and freeze it either rolled up or flat depending on how it will fit best. Since the biggest pain is my bikini line this fixes both problems. It’s hard to get the ice pack there comfortably.
 
I’m 6 days ahead of you, Lyla, and I cannot imagine driving yet! I’ve been off narcotics for nearly 3 whole days now but still feel so tired and loopy!

Yesterday I set aside my walker and strutted all over the downstairs with my two hiking poles! Then just one cane. Today my hips joints are sore so I have layed low. Back on the walker!

Your teen daughter sounds so helpful and seems like you don’t have to nag her at all to get her to help. You are lucky to have her. My husband has been wonderful and keeping me well fed and I am just now starting to fold laundry and wash a few pots. I have a 33 year old daughter who lives just five miles down the road. She’s a vet tech and recovering from mild Covid.

I hope you are able to sleep tonight. I had a terrible night last night after two very good nights. I am allowed to sleep on both sides after 12 nights of back sleeping.
My oldest is gone home but she is coming to take me out on her day off either wed or Thursday. She is a chef so it was nice having her here. My youngest is working her butt off taking me on my walk and running upstairs everytime I drop things my teacher can’t get lol.
Driving is so therapeutic to me. It’s my left hip thankfully not the driving one. I have been on narcotics for over a decade for spine issues. I don’t get loopy from my meds and am on less meds then before surgery!! I’m sooooo excited about that. I can’t wait to kick most of these. The one I love the most I’m not allowed to take right now. I miss the anti inflammatory pill. If I had that then I would not need much else. I cut back my narcotics and other pills and have not had this little medication in a long long time. It’s been years. Right after surgery I was told I could take a huge increase in the narcotic but I didn’t. I took same dose but a little more frequent and then put it down lower then pre surgery. I know I’m babbling but it’s a huge deal for me and I’m so excited. It takes a lot for me to get loopy from them now. The increased frequency made me loopy but I only did that for the first 4 days. Get through the hump then played around with doses to find one comfortable. One I cut in 1/2 and need to contact my pain management centre to get off it completely. It can cause seizures if I stop too quick. I’ll quit babbling now I’m just so happy to be at this point I can’t wait to see what another month will bring !
 
I know I’m babbling but it’s a huge deal for me and I’m so excited
Rightfully so. Good for you! I’ll bet it feels great.

I can’t wait to see what another month will bring !
I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised. THR gives us our life back in so many ways. Enjoy!
 
My oldest suggested I take a wet facecloth put it in a baggie and freeze it either rolled up or flat depending on how it will fit best.
Make sure you place fabric between the bag with the frozen cloth inside and bare skin. I don’t mean to be insulting, I’m sure you realize this, just don’t want to see you hurt yourself in any way. You may want to put an additional plastic bag over the frozen one in case it leaks as it melts. Many are advised not to get their incision wet for a certain number of days.
 

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