Hubblebubble
new member
- Joined
- May 10, 2022
- Messages
- 7
- Age
- 61
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Gender
- Male
Greetings from across the pond. I’m a new member of the forum so please forgive any early mistakes made or errors in protocol.
I’m here at 0200 hrs not sleeping (but quite accepting of this) and have discovered your community which I’ve found to be incredibly illuminating and supportive. In anticipation of the journey to come I've created this, my recovery thread, where I hope I’ll be reassured and educated as I move through the recovery process. I’m sure this will, in turn, allow me to reach out and offer my thoughts and experience to others with a similar story. The title ‘Hubblebubble’s not in trouble’ is intended to be reflective of a positive and optimistic view of my situation thus far and the time ahead.
A little background.
I’m a 59 year old male, 6’2” 215 lb frame with a lifelong history of sport since childhood. Professional level rugby, then golf and marathon running, Ironman Triathlon through my mid forties and early fifties, then long distance road cycling as the various arthroscopies on my right knee made running a thing of the past. About five years ago I moved into open water swimming and a couple of years ago swam The English Channel. I’m used to injury and have had well over a dozen mainly orthopaedic operations over the years on fractures, knee cartilage etc.
Six months ago my (left) hip pain appeared as a groin pain when I dismounted my bike at the end of a regular week’s training. Almost overnight the pain was agonising. No warning. Just ‘boom’. The usual MRI scans followed and moderate/severe osteoarthritis was identified with THR as the most viable alternative given the nonexistent joint spacing. A second opinion confirmed this.
I was due to have surgery in January but emergency surgery for a (thankfully) macula on detached retina (successful) meant it had to be delayed and I was the grateful recipient of a posterior ceramic THR on April 12th (four weeks ago as I write this).
I made a good early start and left hospital after 36 hours. Recovery has continued well. I took myself off opiate painkillers after two weeks and now manage with over the counter meds (paracetamol which I believe is equivalent to your Tylenol and Ibuprofen which is an NSAID). Broadly speaking I just take these at night in what is proving to be a vain attempt to mitigate against the constant thrash of sleepless and to help provide some relief from the gluteal, leg and lower back pain that seems to attack with horizontal immobility.
I religiously do my exercises and now, at four weeks, am off crutches and walking with a cane for longer distances and unaided around the house and garden, albeit with a world class limp which is my physiotherapist’s bete noire and number one on her hit list of issues I need to fix.
My surgeon is supportive and I have an appointment with him early June. My physiotherapist oversees the physical aspects of my recovery.
So all seems well. However, I do continue to have questions and want to ensure I have as much knowledge as possible in any decisions I make going forward. Hence the slightly tortuous ‘story so far’ above so that anyone so inclined to respond has a reasonable picture of events to date.
One thing I have noticed is the discrepancy in leg length. I have reached out to my surgeon today to ask his thoughts. I am comfortable with the likelihood of differing leg lengths post THR - it was made clear to me prior to surgery and I understand why and how it occurs. My concern in my own instance is that almost everywhere I read up on this issue, it is the operated leg that is longer yet in my case the operated leg is shorter. Does anyone have experience of this?
Also, I’m now confident enough to allow my operated leg to ‘dangle’… for the weight of the leg to hang freely as I gently move it back and forth. I find this alleviates stiffness and pain that has built up but the sound of clunking and twanging of what I assume to be tendons is alarming to my ear (but in no way painful). Again, can anyone put my mind at rest? My non medical brain tells me that all my muscles and tendons are perhaps allowing themselves to become looser after the tension they put themselves under following surgical attack? Could this be correct?
Finally, when I do my standing up exercises the (operated) leg is flexed but on relaxation (standing with my foot on the floor) the muscles appear to expand and reposition ever so slightly and the leg spontaneously ’shifts’ slightly into what feels like a more fulsome, if briefly attainable, position. I feel this ‘longer’ leg is what my leg will become once I have full musculature and strength back. Does this ring any bells?
Finally finally , I may well have overdone the exercise today as my leg has been very sore. Prior to discovering the forum I was about to dip into my oral morphine for the first time in two weeks to try and alleviate the pain and get some rest. It’s a little easier now and I may well just see how it goes. But can I ask what thoughts are on the return to opiates when used as a nighttime breakthrough pain solution. I have no fear of addiction but hadn’t quite realised when I hard stopped just how long I’d been on tramadol, meptid and oramorph. The result was a nasty bout of withdrawal for a week which I’m in absolutely no rush to have to go through again. (I do ice which I find helpful in the daytime but doesn’t cut through at night).
Many thanks to those of you who have journeyed with me this far. It feels great to have shared and all advice and thoughts are most welcome.
Many thanks
HB
I’m here at 0200 hrs not sleeping (but quite accepting of this) and have discovered your community which I’ve found to be incredibly illuminating and supportive. In anticipation of the journey to come I've created this, my recovery thread, where I hope I’ll be reassured and educated as I move through the recovery process. I’m sure this will, in turn, allow me to reach out and offer my thoughts and experience to others with a similar story. The title ‘Hubblebubble’s not in trouble’ is intended to be reflective of a positive and optimistic view of my situation thus far and the time ahead.
A little background.
I’m a 59 year old male, 6’2” 215 lb frame with a lifelong history of sport since childhood. Professional level rugby, then golf and marathon running, Ironman Triathlon through my mid forties and early fifties, then long distance road cycling as the various arthroscopies on my right knee made running a thing of the past. About five years ago I moved into open water swimming and a couple of years ago swam The English Channel. I’m used to injury and have had well over a dozen mainly orthopaedic operations over the years on fractures, knee cartilage etc.
Six months ago my (left) hip pain appeared as a groin pain when I dismounted my bike at the end of a regular week’s training. Almost overnight the pain was agonising. No warning. Just ‘boom’. The usual MRI scans followed and moderate/severe osteoarthritis was identified with THR as the most viable alternative given the nonexistent joint spacing. A second opinion confirmed this.
I was due to have surgery in January but emergency surgery for a (thankfully) macula on detached retina (successful) meant it had to be delayed and I was the grateful recipient of a posterior ceramic THR on April 12th (four weeks ago as I write this).
I made a good early start and left hospital after 36 hours. Recovery has continued well. I took myself off opiate painkillers after two weeks and now manage with over the counter meds (paracetamol which I believe is equivalent to your Tylenol and Ibuprofen which is an NSAID). Broadly speaking I just take these at night in what is proving to be a vain attempt to mitigate against the constant thrash of sleepless and to help provide some relief from the gluteal, leg and lower back pain that seems to attack with horizontal immobility.
I religiously do my exercises and now, at four weeks, am off crutches and walking with a cane for longer distances and unaided around the house and garden, albeit with a world class limp which is my physiotherapist’s bete noire and number one on her hit list of issues I need to fix.
My surgeon is supportive and I have an appointment with him early June. My physiotherapist oversees the physical aspects of my recovery.
So all seems well. However, I do continue to have questions and want to ensure I have as much knowledge as possible in any decisions I make going forward. Hence the slightly tortuous ‘story so far’ above so that anyone so inclined to respond has a reasonable picture of events to date.
One thing I have noticed is the discrepancy in leg length. I have reached out to my surgeon today to ask his thoughts. I am comfortable with the likelihood of differing leg lengths post THR - it was made clear to me prior to surgery and I understand why and how it occurs. My concern in my own instance is that almost everywhere I read up on this issue, it is the operated leg that is longer yet in my case the operated leg is shorter. Does anyone have experience of this?
Also, I’m now confident enough to allow my operated leg to ‘dangle’… for the weight of the leg to hang freely as I gently move it back and forth. I find this alleviates stiffness and pain that has built up but the sound of clunking and twanging of what I assume to be tendons is alarming to my ear (but in no way painful). Again, can anyone put my mind at rest? My non medical brain tells me that all my muscles and tendons are perhaps allowing themselves to become looser after the tension they put themselves under following surgical attack? Could this be correct?
Finally, when I do my standing up exercises the (operated) leg is flexed but on relaxation (standing with my foot on the floor) the muscles appear to expand and reposition ever so slightly and the leg spontaneously ’shifts’ slightly into what feels like a more fulsome, if briefly attainable, position. I feel this ‘longer’ leg is what my leg will become once I have full musculature and strength back. Does this ring any bells?
Finally finally , I may well have overdone the exercise today as my leg has been very sore. Prior to discovering the forum I was about to dip into my oral morphine for the first time in two weeks to try and alleviate the pain and get some rest. It’s a little easier now and I may well just see how it goes. But can I ask what thoughts are on the return to opiates when used as a nighttime breakthrough pain solution. I have no fear of addiction but hadn’t quite realised when I hard stopped just how long I’d been on tramadol, meptid and oramorph. The result was a nasty bout of withdrawal for a week which I’m in absolutely no rush to have to go through again. (I do ice which I find helpful in the daytime but doesn’t cut through at night).
Many thanks to those of you who have journeyed with me this far. It feels great to have shared and all advice and thoughts are most welcome.
Many thanks
HB