THR Pain and Fear Between Hip Replacements

Can others identify with doing one hip only to find other hip becomes painful and disabling and complicating recovery and you become depressed?
HipHip2. Unfortunately I can identify with your situation. After about 8 months of intense right hip pain, I underwent right arthroscopic surgery in August, 2018, which was unsuccessful. I am now waiting for a right THR, which I will have in two days, thank God. Meanwhile, since about Christmas my previously asymptomatic left hip has become unbearably painful, with pain not only deep in the joint, but also shooting down my left leg. So, I am waiting for a right THR, but most of my symptoms at present are on the left side. I hope that the right THR quiets everything down, but very much expect that I will next be begging for a left THR and involved again in the long waiting game. Most unpleasant, but I do believe that eventually all of this will be under control - just never expected I'd have two problematic hips at once. Thank God for the encouragement from all the experienced members of this forum. I wish you the best. It sounds as though you have good surgeon(s).
 
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. This whole chapter of my life is a lot longer, more complicated and painful than the hype had it. This Bonesmart is a Godsend. My attitude has changed for the better since yesterday when I started using it. I wish you an uncomplicated and positive recovery. Thanks for reaching out to me!


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@HipHip2 It is not unusual for the non-op hip to start complaining after your first replacement. You obviously had arthritis there all along but perhaps the first hip was worse. I can confirm your pain levels will definitely decrease post LTHR.

I too have long term spinal issues. They flared post my LTHR but I worked with a PT who specialised in spinal issues and things eased. I had no back pain issues post my RTHR.

My surgeon was/is not super-warm ... but a PT at the same hospital, who had initially wondered, as my PCP had, if my back was really the main problem (I was suspiciously flexible for someone who needed new hips), spoke highly of him. And my back is much better since I had hip #2 replaced. Also, my left knee, which had been complaining, now bothers me not at all. Walking unnaturally can mess with your body in numerous ways.

Pain is depressing and fatiguing. Exercise boosts your mood, but how can you exercise properly when you still have an arthritic hip?! I am SO glad I got both done.

I was on that much oxy, btw, for some weeks after the LTHR and it took a bit of doing to manage the tapering off mood-wise. Only can speak for myself obviously.

Best of luck. You’re doing a great thing for yourself.
 
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Year ago I had severe sciatica and back pain and after 1 1/2 years of trying everything nonsurgical, I finally had surgery---I had stenosis, and some bad disks. Rather than have a spinal fusion, we opted to repair the disk that was causing my sciatica, and to open up the space. It was the right choice.

Fast forward 8 years and my right hip suddenly starts acting up and my leg begins giving out. My knee and back started flaring up, and I had awful leg pains, similar to the sciatica I was having years before. I was horrified, to think all those body parts were giving out at once!! I actually was relieved to hear most likely all of the pains were related to my hip, which was beyond repair. My doctor did warn me that while most of the pains I had should be gone after I had recovered, it was possible I would still have the leg, knee, and back pains. He reminded me I could have concurrent issues, although the X-rays and MRI didn't look like that should be the case. Either way, I knew I had to deal with the hip first, and hope for the best, which is kind of where you are now.

I was so relieved that almost immediately after my hip replacement, most of my pain was gone. However, like Mojo333 I occasionally have back pain when I overdo lifting, or do too much gardening and yard work. Perhaps I will one day need to address those issues, but they currently are very controllable.

So while you may still have back pain after your hips are both replaced, it's likely you'll be better able to manage it. When you have 2 bad hips and back issues all at once, things get very inflamed, and your gait is off due to overcompensating.....it's like you are chasing pain all over your body. So I agree with what many others have said----take one step at a time, and give things some time. It took quite awhile for your body to get to this point, and now you are making the needed changes to feel better again. Best of luck to you as you prepare for your upcoming surgery. :flwrysmile:
 
Thanks so much for reminding me to take it one step at a time. Thanks to the support from this thread, I am not projecting failure. I will assume I will improve with the surgery.
And I left a message for the PA that I want to make an appointment with her the day of my preop appointments to discuss my questions about the second surgery.


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How do I get out of Tapatalk and into Bonesmart ap? My iPhone will not allow me to access Bonesmart directly?
Also, how do I get out of postop thread and onto prep thread. My concerns are about my February hip replacement and not about my November successful replacement.
Thanks.
HipHip2


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I'd really like to offer you some structured advice but in order to do that, I also need to ask you some questions. Are you willing for me to do that?
 
How do I get out of Tapatalk and into Bonesmart ap? My iPhone will not allow me to access Bonesmart directly?
Also, how do I get out of postop thread and onto prep thread.

HipHip2
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I use Tapatalk to post pictures, but just use, mainly, the http address to get to this site. For some reason the actual BoneSmart app doesn't work on my iPad (and the iPad is a new Pro from Xmas) so not sure if it is me or the app itself.

If you want to move around this site, I just typically scroll up till you see "Hip" on the upper left side, press on it, and choose if you want to go to Pre- or Post-Op posts. I do the same to "refresh" when I am looking or posting here too.
 
Thank you. I guess you are having the same experience with signing into Bonesmart as I am. I was trying to figure out how to not have to sign in and out.


What is “refresh”?


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What is “refresh”?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Refresh as in refreshing or reloading the same page for additional or changed information on a browser, forum, et al page. It's not so essential here (BoneSmart) as threads (where we are posting right now) aren't traffic'd so quickly.

For instance, I use a Chrome browser with an MSN page that gives me the latest news or what is going on, around. So I look at the highlights, maybe follow a news item or two, and then going back to my homepage, that page or headlines are often slightly different as significance or importance or time changes things.

Here, by scrolling up to the left hand side, hitting "Hip" and seeing the pulldown of options, which ever one you enter/hit, you will be reloading that page of the forum with all current changes (newest) to that page of the forum.

I'm not really a techie, so someone else could probably explain it better...
 
Thank you. You are more of a Techie than I am!



For Josephine,
You had emailed me you would like my permission to ask me some questions in order to offer me structured advice and yesterday I responded ‘yes’.
So I am awaiting your questions and your advice. Thank you.
 
You had emailed me you would like my permission to ask me some questions
Another tutorial on forum usage! I didn't email you. I left you a post in this thread. Obviously you have your account set to receive email alerts when you get a new post on your thread (this is your thread!).

So here it is! Let me know if you need help getting the answers in

It would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are

1. what approach did you have for your surgery? Anterior, posterior, lateral? You can look here to see the various types THR approaches or incisions

2. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't forget to factor in other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness).

3. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

4. are you icing your painful area at all? If so, how often and for how long?

5. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

6. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

7. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.
 
HipHip2--every forum or group you join online has different rules and it does take awhile to figure out how to navigate each one, and to identify out what the terminology is. Just keep asking the questions you have, and folks will help you sort it all out.

Years ago I left a different group that was supposed to offer back support because I was too intimidated by everything and everyone---and I am very comfortable with technology, so I can only imagine how others might have felt. It was a whole different experience than I have had on this forum. Nice folks here:) Hang in there!
 
1. The posterior approach

2. The pain level varies from 2 - 10. The pain is in my unreplaced left hip, groin, knee thigh, ankle, sometimes your.
From sitting to standing using a cane, walker and pushing down with palms on couch, chair. 8
Walking in house, with walker, or holding onto walls - 8
Raising up left thigh to get intp bed using my hands as a sling to rest my thigh in as I lift itc 2 and 9 if I don’t use my hands as lifter.
Lifting left thigh up from being stretched out in prone position 10
Burning in knees -3
I have severe stabbing, moderate aching, burning, throbbing. Minimal swelling.

3. Now because I am off precautions, I take oxycodone 10 mg 2x a day, before I exercise in the morning and late afternoon. I was told to take Tylenol but it doesn’t help. So I rarely take it. I used to take aspirin, meloxicam but it wasn’t represcribed.

4. I am mainly icing my left hip and thigh and groin less than once a day. This is not the replaced hip. I ice the replaced hip with a smaller pack when I ice the hurting hip. The replaced hip doesn’t feel like it needs icing. I also don’t feel like icing helps unreplaced hip much and maybe heat would be better.Also, I ice after one session of exercises but not regularly.

5. I am elevating my legs when I sleep with my toes dangling over the pillow I put under my lower thighs and legs. I also use this position when I lie on my couch. I have a bed with leg and head raiser capability. When I raise the bottom of the bed, it makes me feel worse.

6. My activity level is minimal. I rarely go out of the house. I was more active a week after my first surgery; my unoperated hip/thigh got worse. I use a walker to move around the house, sometimes a cane, and clumsily. I order rotisserie chickens and I make very simple foods.

7. Exercises done at home -
Every morning after taking 1 10mg oxycodone:
Ankle pumps - 3x10
Quadriceps set - 3x10
Gluteal set 3x10
Heel slides 3x110
Clamshell with green band 3x10
Bridge with green band 3x10
Seated active knee extension 3x10
Seated knee lift hip flexion 3x10
Standing side leg lift 3x10
Standing back leg lift 3x10
Standing leg curl knee flexion 3x10

Where applicable, above exercises done on both legs.

Afternoon
Ankle pumps 3x10
Quadriceps set 3x10
Gluteal set 3x10
Upper body workout with weights lying in bed.
14 pounds in each hand 20 repetitions of various positions I used to do in gymn
10 pounds in each hand 20 repetitions of various positions I used to do in gym
5 minutes breathing/ meditation
I also do a balance exercise on each leg while standing 3x30 seconds.

No additional out of house PT now
I did 3 weeks in home pt 3x a week
About 8 weeks 2x a week pt outpatient. I went irregularly because too much pain kept me from traveling.
I have been doing similar exercises the whole time.
 
2. The pain level varies from 2 - 10. The pain is in my unreplaced left hip, groin, knee thigh, ankle, sometimes your.
Sorry - this is going to get complicated! Can you separate the pain from the two hips? I only need to know what applies to your right hip.
 
Josephine, I don’t notice any problems with my right recently replaced hip.
The left hip that will be replaced on 2/5 is so painful that I can’t feel any problem with the right hip. My concern is that the replaced hip is getting extra trauma from carrying most of my weight early in its recovery. I am looking forward to 2/5 and hope the next replacement will lead to mobility.
 
@HipHip2 - I'm pretty sure replacing your other hip will reduce your level of pain immensely based on what you post. You're lucky to be able to get the second replacement within a 3 month window. It will make a dramatic improvement in your life. I'm sorry you have to endure the temporary pain in your other leg, but that pain is temporary and you are doing what needs to be done to fix it.

My 2nd hip was replaced 7 months after the 1st. I still had diminishing bouts of pain even 6 months after the 2nd surgery but that pain was still much less than pre-surgery pain, and I'm now pain free. It took time and patience but the improvement in my quality of life is remarkable, as it will be for you. I am grateful to have been able to seek medical solutions for my pain and immobility that my ancestors never had.

Modern medicine deserves our gratitude.
 
The left hip that will be replaced on 2/5 is so painful that I can’t feel any problem with the right hip.
Okay - got it now.

The things I mostly need to address are these
7. Exercises done at home -
Every morning after taking 1 10mg oxycodone:
Ankle pumps - 3x10
Quadriceps set - 3x10
Gluteal set 3x10
Heel slides 3x110
Clamshell with green band 3x10
Bridge with green band 3x10
Seated active knee extension 3x10
Seated knee lift hip flexion 3x10
Standing side leg lift 3x10
Standing back leg lift 3x10
Standing leg curl knee flexion 3x10

Afternoon
Ankle pumps 3x10
Quadriceps set 3x10
Gluteal set 3x10
Upper body workout with weights lying in bed.
14 pounds in each hand 20 repetitions of various positions I used to do in gymn
10 pounds in each hand 20 repetitions of various positions I used to do in gym
5 minutes breathing/ meditation
I also do a balance exercise on each leg while standing 3x30 seconds.

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.

If you are concerned about refusing to do therapy, you need to read this Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?
 
Clipper and Josephine, I went for my preop testing for my 2/5 left hip replacement. The physicians assistant agrees with Josephine and said I should stop all exercise except normal walking rather than take oxycodone in order to accomplish painful exercising. She would like me to take only Tylenol for now so as not to make medicating pain after my left hip replacement more difficult. So I am hopeful. I will be a slug for a week. And I look forward to better mobility times ahead. Thanks for your attention, compassion and wisdom.
 

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