THR 36 yo in recovery

amb3k9

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So I have lurked around these forums for a while. Quickly, I’m a 36 yo male with history of severe hip dysplasia that wasn’t discovered until I was 32. Got bad enough where signicant qol issues and pain daily (and nightly).

Well pulled the trigger today and in recovery. Didn’t go exactly as planned as I was getting a spinal and no foley. Post op X-ray looked good with good mobility and then additional after skin closed and it was an extra 15 mm. He was trying to give me a little length but not this much! Went back to OR immediately and changed cup it to give it a better offset. And I then got tubed and a foley

So longer op but shouldn’t affect implant at all and I guessed fix it now! He said it was way worse than X-ray indicated it was completely trashed. So having a lot of muscle pain 4 hours after op but hip pain is gone! Already got up and walked a couple times and ice machine (game ready, highly recommend). Only taken 1 pain pill so far but probably should do it again before going to sleep

Goal is to get out tomorrow if all goes well! Thanks for the forum and all the support. Will keep you all updated
 
Welcome to the other side!
Sounds like you are doing well, and will be on your way home soon.

Here are the recovery guidelines, the articles are short and will not take long to read.

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.
 
Thanks! Will dose up this first night to maybe get a little sleep.
 
Welcome to the hippy club! Rest up tonight. I will join you later today-
 
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First night of sleep is probably hard but ice is your best friend. Also I’m a physician myself so bring on the patient side is interesting. We make the worse patients for sure... but I think it is going smoothly so far. Gonna walk again further on a few hours is my goal
 
Sadly, I am a hippy alumni at 45! Bilateral dysplasia. Mistakenly, I had arthroscopic repair at 37 when I really should have had a THR. Sooo sorry you needed it, but I am sooo glad that you are on the right road to recovery.

What is your medical specialty? The experience on this side of the clip board is probably not easy. It probably will shape your perspective when you get back to your work. Rest up, and let your body focus on healing and let your team take care of you. We are cheering for you!
 
:wave:Welcome to Bonesmart.
Glad you did well for the procedure and are on your way to a hip pain free life.
Slow and steady will win this race!
Mark...set...don't go:heehee:
These first days can be rough...but hoping all eases soon!
 
Be sure and stay ahead of the pain at this stage. Medication "as needed" doesn't work during joint replacement recovery. The key to regaining mobility is pain control. Happy healing!
 
So I’m in dermatology. Different field completely but I’m more likely to be critical of the scar line

Will hopefully walk more today and then home. Thanks for support!
 
:welome: Some fireworks to Welcome you!
Thanks for joining us. Glad you came out of the shadows.
You'll like it here and finds lots of loving support and encouragement.
I hope you're doing well so far. Please read the Recovery Guidelines, they are helpful.
A great day to you!
@amb3k9
 
So again, doctors often make worst patients and I was successfully discharged from hospital yesterday despite a more eventful surgery. I felt good enough to walk out (with walker support) to the car.

Was trying to decrease use of oxy with recovery and have done pretty well so far but went to bed this evening and woke up with worst pain post op that I have had so far. Ice machine was out and last dose of any pain meds was over 6-7 hours ago. Now I know what it feels like to “get behind” the pain curve. This was a pretty intense grit your teeth with shivering pain. It was close to 10/10 if pain scale is used appropriately (intense discomfort, sawing pain, change of hr and likely bp, extreme visible discomfort). Got some new ice/meds and planning on trying to keep more regular dosing especially in first week. That was not a pleasant experience.

So to reiterate, there are wise people on here and recovery guidelines are good. I tend to push myself pretty hard and telling doctors what to do is like hearding cats. Found out what that limit was. Haha. Cheers!
 
:flabber:Oh my...please don't put yourself through that.
Well, at least you know what the pain meds are doing.
Take care to keep all the plumbing in good order as you manage pain.
I didn't like having to deal with the constipation while healing.:sigh:
Sitting on the throne wasn't overly comfortable for long periods...stating the obvious.:umm:
Stool softeners were in my arsenal.
Honestly...staying medicated made it easier to rest, and easier to be mobile...
Nap it up all you can these early days with lots of ice!:ice:
All temporary!:ok:
 
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telling doctors what to do is like hearding cats
Yup - this has been my experience. But hey - we all learn from our mistakes. That pain just post op can be a killer. The good news is that if you stay ahead of this for a few days the pain eases quite significantly.
 
As someone who had severe pain issues first two days out I feel for you. Mine was indescribable and I never want to feel that again. Once I was out of hospital and did my own meds, making sure they were on time, things got so much better!

Hope your recovery goes really smoothly. As you are in dermatology will you be extra curious re how your scar is getting on?!
 
In the past we had the policy of telling people not to use anything on their wound prior to it completely healing up. And even then we would tell them that massaging things into the wound in the hopes healing would progress better wasn't necessary.

However, that has changed since we became aware of hypochlorous solution (HOCL)....and specifically a hypochlorous product called Active Skin Repair Hydrogel. I encourage you to click on the link in the blue NavBar and read our newest educational section on Wound Care. In it you will see references to using HypoChlorous Solution as soon as possible on any wound as it is a strong antibacterial solution. In addition, the sooner a person is able to use it, the sooner the product can start working to improve the appearance of a scar.

We have also created a Hypochlorous Fast Facts sheet that is available via either of these links on the website:

https://bonesmart.org/hypochlorous-hocl-solution/?source=woundcareathome

Hypochlorous Fast Facts

Active Skin Repair Hydrogel is available only through BoneSmart via these links:

https://shop.bldgactive.com/products/ssg/?source=bonesmarthocl

You can go to the Wound Care tab to read about how wounds heal, the Hypochlorous Fast Facts page to learn more about a product you can actually use from Day 1 to promote better healing and the link to purchase Active Skin Repair Hydrogel.

If you have concerns, print out the Fast Facts sheet and discuss it yourdoctor (who may very well have no clue about hypochlorous solution!).

One of our administrators has also been testing Active Skin Repair Hydrogel and reports it has worked wonders for mosquito bite itch, the itch of poison ivy and on small scrapes and cuts.
 
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Dressing is still in place until day 7, so have not taken a look at it. Staying on top of pain meds and walking further everyday. Went around an entire block on POD 3 but I think that is over doing it a little.

Still having quite a bit of weakness with the hip flexors which wasn’t in the area they approached but sure it was moved around for the acetabular component. With the hip dysplasia just hope there isn’t any hip flexor or ileopsoas conflict given the shallow sockets.

My leg feels longer which is normal initially but also my kneecap look slight turned out too. Did any of you experience this in the post op period? Could be just the initial swelling also.
 
My leg feels longer which is normal initially but also my kneecap look slight turned out too. Did any of you experience this in the post op period?
Nearly everyone feels this leg length difference. In most cases this feeling just fades. Give it 3-4 months before doing anything. Here's a link from our Library about Leg length differential - LLD.

Muscles have probably atrophied on your op side making that knee look turned. Keep up your walking concentrating on planting the heel and then rocking to the toe. This helps retrain your gait and strengthens the muscles that you avoided using pre-op.
 
Still having quite a bit of weakness with the hip flexors which wasn’t in the area they approached but sure it was moved around for the acetabular component.
I'm sure it was too.
Don't think weak..think injured.
It will take some time for things to settle.
You are the best judge of how much is too much so do take things slow and easy.
Still very early days for you...hope today is a Good Day!
 
Hi there :wave: @amb3k9
Around the block seems ambitious this early on.
We're always reminded not to walk until we're tired, but save enough energy for the return trip.
Not sure if you've had an opportunity to read the Recovery Guidelines yet....I used this article as a rough gauge so I didn't get myself into trouble, or unnecessary pain -
http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/activity-progression-for-thrs.13187/
I hope you have a great day and week!
 

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