THR Scarab's Recovery Thread

I have had occasional, but not consistent, aching in the other "good" hip, which I am watching for now.
Everything is adjusting to that new hip. You may have had a slight pelvic tilt that will balance as you begin putting full weight on the op side. Give it time and don't push - all this will balance again.

You are doing great!
 
Stopping by to say Hi :wave: wondering how your week was?
Hopefully you had a good one and you're staying out of trouble :wink:
With any luck your weather is warmer than the cold we're dealing with in the Upper Mid-West.
Leave us an update when you have time. We'd love to hear how you're doing.
A great weekend to you!
@Scarab
 
Hello Layla! Thank you for inquiring. I am doing really well. Have graduated to a cane, and am taking a couple of half-mile walks a day. I often take one painkiller at night, but not every night, and am eager to discontinue them. I did have a cold and stomach virus of some sort this week, but that is over.
I would say my biggest issue right now is severe cabin fever. I am so fed up with staying home so much, and with not being able to be active yet. Can't wait to get into the pool and onto my bike. It feels as though my life has been on hold for a year, and it's wearing on me.
I am very slowly and gradually increasing my walking distance, and am thinking that once I can comfortably walk a couple of miles it will be time to think about returning to work.
Best news of all is that my other hip, which had begun to ache just before my surgery, has been pain free.
The people of Bonesmart and this site are such a tremendous resource. Thank you so much!
@Layla
 
You sound like your recovery is going well...despite the hiccups.
Yep, cabin fever is frustrating.
You are making a great investment in your Summer though @Scarab
Hope your weekend is healing and happy!
 
Happy Saturday @Scarab :wave:
Great update! Thanks for sharing, it's nice to hear from you.
Your avatar always makes me smile. You look like you're up for some fun.
I'll bet you are feeling bored and stifled. Cabin fever does set in once we're feeling better.

You're doing great though. Graduated to a cane :yay:
I'm sorry you had a cold and stomach virus. Sadly it's "that" time of year. Thankfully you're feeling better.

Even though I'm on the forum reading posts most days, I lose sight of just how long some of us struggled with pain and loss of mobility pre-op. People get antsy, overdo it and end up in the ODIC. In a way it's understandable. For so many of us, life was on hold for so much longer than the few weeks, or months, that recovery holds us back. It's really difficult to be patient at times but it will pay off in the end.

Great news also that your non op hip us no longer bothering you. You're on your way! :happydance:
I hope today is a good one. :)
 
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Looks like you are doing very well and also bei g sensible. It is very easy to overdo it when one has been only living half a life for so long..... but looks like you have this sussed :)
 
Hey you lil whippersnapper, :heehee: with the cute but mischievous looking avatar :wink:
It's a special day today.....Happy One Month Anniversary!
I hope you've had a wonderful week and are still progressing nicely.
May it only get better. Enjoy the weekend! :) :SUNsmile:
@Scarab
 
Scarab, I am a week behind you and also suffering from cabin fever. So boring! I actually did a little work today. It has taken this long to be able to sit at the computer for any period of time.
My regimen involved PT on the Friday after a Wednesday surgery. We had a really nice day here day 7, when I walked several times and promptly joined the ODIC. I had significant swelling and bruising on the outside of my leg and in my knee, to the point I could barely bend my knee. Took me 4 -5 days of no progress to overcome that. Today I was released to drive, but am not planning on anything far for a bit (grocery store is 2 miles, PT is 3 miles). But I find about every 3 days, no matter what I have or have not done, I am exhausted and need either a 2-3 hour nap or bed at 10 p.m. I am by nature a late riser and normally don’t get up until 9-9:30, so bed at 10 means a long sleep. I also am itching to get back to my activities.
I walked 3/4 mile outside yesterday, and 1/2 mile on the treadmill at PT today. Tomorrow I am going to a basketball game, which I’m sure will be exhausting. When the PT asked (on the update form) how far along I was to return to activity, I put 30%. Most people think I’m doing well (cane when out and about, rarely in the house), but until I’m back on my bike, I’m not recovered, and I’ve been told that will be several months at least. For swimming, I’ve been told the incision needs to be completely and totally healed, no scabbing or irritated spots remaining.
Sounds like you really are doing very well, good luck with your continued recovery. Hope you’re back on your bike soon!
 
Hi all - thank you so much for your comments! I am almost five weeks out now. Yesterday I walked a mile, twice! Have still been using a cane when I am outdoors, but am probably ready to go without it - at least for short walks.
@Goterp75, I hear you about being eager to ride a bike and go swimming. My scar is not yet pool-ready. As to cycling, my PT said that I can get back on my bike when I am comfortable, and that the biggest risk would be falling and damaging the implant, which is not a pleasant prospect. It's cold here, too, so that is helping me from rushing on to the ODIC.
I also identify with your complaints about exhaustion. This week I think I am beyond it, but for the first month I slept longer at night and often during the day. I would do something simple like make breakfast or fold clothes and need to rest. Healing takes a lot of energy.
I am pretty much off pain meds, but I definitely still have some symptoms. My entire thigh is numb - which I can deal with, and sometimes the scar burns or is sensitive. Weirdly, today (and yesterday) my operated hip is sore, as though the arthritic hip were still in there! We are having a seriously rainy day, so I figure I am responding to changes in barometric pressure, or perhaps I walked too much yesterday, so I will take a day or two off.
Does anyone else continue to have soreness in the operated hip five weeks later?
Again, I can't thank all of you enough for being here. This whole process involves having new twitches and sensations and wondering whether they are normal or signify something seriously wrong. What a wonderful resource to be able to hear from those who've been there.
I have so many milestones to celebrate: being able to sleep on either side or my stomach, going shopping, driving, and soon, going back to work. I teach, which doesn't sound physically demanding, but in an enormous building where it is a long walk to get anywhere, so I need to be able to feel comfortable being on my feet and walking at least a couple of miles before getting back there.
One question I will ask my PT when I next see him is about yoga class. I am eager to get back, but I don't have a sense as to how much I should favor and protect my hip. He says I don't have movement restrictions any more, but yoga can involve some extreme positions. Is anyone doing yoga post THR? I need to set clear boundaries for myself, otherwise I will get in there and try to do what everyone else is doing and hurt myself.
It is almost spring! Thank you, @Layla, @Mojo333 and @SurreyGirl! Enjoy your week!
 
@Eman85 Thank you so much for leading me to that post. I really don't want to go there! That starts me with one idea about how not to challenge my hip.
 
It sounds like you're doing really well. I'm not sure about Yoga but recall others who've returned. I remember Stellaluna as one lately...you may find her thread interesting as she's bilateral.
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/made-it.49534/
I'd ask my surgeon for specifics on what I could and shouldn't do before engaging in Yoga again.
I hope you have a wonderful day and great week to come!
@Scarab
 
My daughter is a Yoga instructor for a a wide range age group. I've talked with her about some moves and if it puts any strain on the hip capsule I'd steer clear. One of the simple moves of sitting on a chair and placing your ankle on your opposite thigh is uncomfortable for me. Even lying on your back and pulling your knee towards your chest is questionable. My OS didn't want me doing that for some time. I can do it now but I don't force anything on the op side. I've had odd feelings in the hip just from the first attempts to wash my feet and cut my toe nails. Don't get that any more but it takes a while and I'm sure if I powered through it I could have had a problem.
This is the basic easy Yoga I start the day with and add to it from there.
 
Great suggestions @Layla and @Eman85. Can't be too slow or too gentle with this progression. I dug up my Hanna somatics books and a yoga one for hip healthy asanas and will make them a priority this week.
 
Stopping by to say Hi :hi:
Hope you're doing well over the past two weeks and noticing steady progress.
Leave us a little update when you have time. We'd love to hear...
Not much longer and it will be Spring! :happydance: Can't wait!
May each week be better than the last :yes: :SUNsmile:
@Scarab
 
Hi @Layla! You are so great to check on me - thank you.
The news is 98% good. I am just under seven weeks post-op. I have zero, absolutely zero, pain in or near the operated hip. I have been walking up to three miles a day, doing gentle yoga, and still waiting to swim and bike. I can go shopping, and cook, and do housework :)yes:). I am going back to work tomorrow. My muscles are still slightly weaker than they were, but I am slowly building them. I will finish PT in two weeks.
The only negative I have is that the non-operative hip is becoming an issue. It aches many nights and some days. I feel at this point that I can recognize that arthritic ache - and the rain and snow are aggravating it, and my range of motion is becoming more limited.
My OS office suggested that I wait a few weeks before beginning the whole hip protocol (cortisone shot, MRI, etc.), just in case this is a compensatory-type pain. I doubt it, though. In the next couple of weeks if it's no better I'll move ahead with the cortisone shot. If it turns out my second hip needs replacing, I want it done ASAP!!!!!!
I am so thankful that THR exists, that my medical team did such an awesome job, and also for Bonesmart's support. The extended period of pain and disability preceding my surgery was physically and emotionally so challenging - thank God it's behind me.
If you are in Minnesota you must be going crazy about now with winter. For us it's really just a few more weeks of this. Can't wait!!!
I wish you a wonderful spring too. It will be so nice to enjoy the world relatively pain-free.
 
:hi:
What a great update. You're doing so well!
I'm sorry your other hip is acting up. Sadly, it's a common scenario.
I understand your feelings in wanting it done ASAP, if it's necessary. No sense in waiting if it's inevitable.
It's just too bad it has to rain on your recovery.

This winter is testing my patience. Mountains of snow and below average temps have become the norm. Thankfully Spring is around the corner, but I sure wouldn't know it by looking out the window, lol.

Wishing you the best as you return to work tomorrow. You'll have to let us know how it's going after you're back into the groove. I hope you have an easy first week back.
Hugs
@Scarab
 
Happy Two Month Anniversary!
Hope you're doing well on your special day.
Just stopping by to say :hi:
Leave us an update next time you drop by.
Happy Spring! :flwrysmile:
@Scarab
 
Hello @Layla and fellow hippers. My two-month anniversary just passed and it has been blessedly uneventful. I have completed PT. I regularly walk a mile to a mile and a half, and returned to work two weeks ago. I have begun to swim :swim:and do yoga:bow:. I have no issues whatsoever with my right THR - no pain or soreness, just perhaps some residual weakness as I am not quite back to full strength yet.
Unfortunately but not surprisingly my other hip has become a problem. I had a cortisone injection into it on Thursday, March 21, and so far I have been pain free. Ideally this shot could last a long long time and I could delay or even avoid having a THR on the other side.
Today the temps in RI will approach 60, so my husband and I are off to ride bikes! I can't wait. :biking::biking:
Looking back over the past year I am now realizing how incredibly challenging this was - I was definitely depressed. My husband says my whole face has changed now that I feel well. I am so thankful to have this time of feeling well again, and I wish it for all of us. It stinks being in pain.

Happy spring to you, too, Layla!
 
You are doing great! Very happy to hear it. Walking, working, swimming, yoga. :wowspring:
I'm sorry your other hip is bothering you. Hopefully the injection proves long lasting.

Biking riding in 60 degree temps sounds lovely, I hope you enjoy it. Deteriorating hips are deprsssing as it's painful and limiting. It's nice to know your countenance has changed.
It's amazing to no longer be suffering pain. May it long continue.

A great week to you. Thanks for the update!
@Scarab
 

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