THR Left Hip is Done!

[LeftKath]

I've been home for 24 hours now. LTHR surgery was early yesterday morning. We checked in on the Surgical Floor yesterday morning at 6:15. Hadn't slept all that well the night before (nervous I guess) and woke up way before I needed to. So I just got into the shower early and showered up with the special soap provided by the surgeon's office just like I had the night before. So I was quite ready to go with mostly dry hair when my husband work up.

My right hip was replaced in September of 2022 by the same surgeon so it all felt fairly similar. Main difference was it took a nurse three tries to start an IV line. The surgeon stopped by to chat, drew a big arrow on my left leg. He noted that the computer modeling off of the x-rays was recommending a different unit than the one that was installed in my right leg. He said that sometimes the legs/hips can be just different enough to cause this. Interesting! Anyway he said that because this was my left leg I would most likely be driving a little sooner than after the right THR. Then the anesthetist stopped by to chat about anesthesia. Soon after that a sedative was started in my IV line and I was pretty relaxed as they wheeled me off. I don't remember anything else.....until waking up in recovery.

I guess I was on the operating table for about two hours (7:30hour - 9:30) then spent almost an hour in general recovery while they monitored me and adjusted IV pain meds and muscle relaxer (my left butt felt pretty crampy) From there they moved me over to a recliner in a curtained off area. They brought me some crackers and water to snack on and called my husband to come pick me up. Since we live a 10 drive from the surgical center he'd been able to go home, shower, breakfast and take our dog for a little walk while i was under the knife.) I changed into my comfy clothes and demonstrated that I was able walk with my walker and negotiate stairs. Once I had successfully used the bathroom they reviewed over my discharge notes with my husband and we headed home at about 12:30

So far things are going a bit more easy this time. I feel more comfortable with the walker around the house. However the local anesthetic they injected into my hip hasn't completely worn off yet. So I'll know more the next day or so. Fingers crossed; last time I had a lot of pain at the incision site and still have some numbness on outside of the right leg.

I've got a bunch of meds to help with pain etc. during the next week. They sent us home with a spreadsheet medication schedule to follow. Time to get up and walk around the kitchen!

 

[djklaugh]

@LeftKath Welcome to the recovery side! It is great to hear you are home and getting comfortable. Here are the BoneSmart articles and helpful suggestions for a smooth recovery:


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
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for THRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital

The Recovery articles:
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.

 

[Jason11]

Hello, and hoping for a speedy recovery for you. All the best, and sending positive thoughts your way.

 

[MissFanny]

Congratulations and welcome to the healing side! This is funny: I had a RTHR in September 2022 and a LTHR on April 12! My name is Kathy (Katherine)—I am making an assumption there based on your username. Best of luck to you on your healing journey. I found the second recovery slightly easier, perhaps because I knew what to expect. I hope the same for you!

 

[LeftKath]

Miss Fanny, We are almost twins then! I too am a Katherine/Kathy. Thank you for the note. Hopefully you are at a point where your legs are learning to walk together with those new hips. I'm sure my body built up some bad habits over the last few years. I bought myself an new pair of walking shoes right before my surgery. I figured that even my shoes had learned some bad habits and that my feet deserved a fresh start!


Thank you!

 

[Zorro]

How happy I am for you. Based on your write up this sounds like an almost perfect surgery and experience. I truly hope that the rest of your recovery over the next weeks and months goes as smoothly and without pain and stress. You carry on! Yes, get up and walk around with your walker. Happy spring to you, your husband and your dog!

 

[LeftKath]

Thank you all for the kind words. Day 2 after surgery was a bit more painful than Day 1. Just as I expected as the local anesthetic they set in the joint wears off after a day or two. Pain went more from a feeling of heavy stiffness to actual pain. So I upped the pain meds a bit. I was told to take 1 or 2 tablets of oxycodone (with tylenol) every 4-6 hours. The first day and a half I felt like 1 tablet did the job but now at day 2 I'm using either 1 and a half tablets or 2 tablets. After the meds have kicked in I do the mobility exercises my doctor has given me.

Doing a lot of icing and elevation. The surgical center sent me home with one of those icing machines; very useful. It looks a little bit like R2D2.

I'm sleeping OK considering. With the right hip replacement I did end up with some insomnia issues for a while. I guess I won't be surprised when that shows up again. We replaced our mattress in January so maybe having a better mattress will help a bit with sleep issues.

Take Care all of you

 

[MissFanny]

That’s great the surgery center sent you home with a machine. My site sold me one . . . for $200! But I used it for both surgeries and I am going to try to sell it for $75.

Sounds like you are doing well overall! Better mattress should help for sure. Hang in there!

 

[LeftKath]

Day 4 After The Surgery
Seems like Days 2 & 3 were the days where I was happy to bump up the pain meds a bit. I'm glad I got myself one of those pill splitters. Sometimes I felt like I needed more than 1 oxycodone but wasn't sure if I wanted the full 2 tablets. Anyway discomfort/pain has calmed down a bit today. I kept my medication checklist from the RTHR last fall and can see that around Days 5 & 6 I was able to back off the pain meds even further.

The surgeon's office made their standard check-in call today, asking their questions about pain, fever, nausea, swelling, etc.

My husband is back at work today. He came home at lunchtime to check-in and ate his lunch while I showered up.

Accomplishments:
I've taken two showers. Both times I've scrubbed away some of that weird orange glue the surgeon places all over my legs and belly.
Changed/washed those TED socks. I saved the pair from the right hip replacement.
Unloaded the dishwasher. That was almost overdoing it, but our kitchen is designed such that most of the drawers and cupboards are one step away from the dishwasher.
Made myself a cup of hot chocolate, topped it off with a mini scoop of ice-cream
Played fetch with the dog. I can stand on the back deck with my walker and throw a toy into the backyard. She'll run down the steps and bring it back to me.
Finished Indian Matchmaker Season Three.

 

[djklaugh]

@LeftKath Excellent update! Orange "glue"? maybe betadine that they use to further clean the surgical area? I've never heard it referred to as glue before though I do remember it being a bit thick and sticky. Yup pill splitters are a great gadget to have! And it was a milestone when I could cut those pain pills in half because I didn't need a whole one

You accomplished a lot for 4 days post op! I bet your dog was happy to have her fetch buddy back

 

[LeftKath]

The Orange "glue" is a betadine solution. But it dries sticky, kinda like the goo that gets left behind on a apple when you peel the sticker off. They sure slather it on both legs. I have a lot on my toes. it's quite sticky and difficult to get off even with the special lotion they send us home with. It sticks to the inside of the TED socks too so when I peel them off my legs some of the goo comes along. I think I still had some on my feet when I went to my post-op appointment with my RTHR bqck in September.

 

[LeftKath]

Time for a update at Day 8
The recovery has been pretty different this time. The last couple of days have been pretty rough. I've been so wiped in the late afternoon and evening and my leg has throbbed from hip to knee. I haven't been able to reduce my pain meds as much as I would have hoped this time.

The big driver is I think I've been doing too much! Despite all the wonderful warnings I've received.

Right after my RTHR in September I developed Meralgia Paresthetica. Of course I didn't know what it was back then. Couldn't even brush the top of my incision bandage without painful zaps. And quite a bit of the skin on my right thigh was numb. I would wake up at night with a horrible burning sensation over the skin of my right thigh. Now almost 8 months later I still have numb skin but the super sensitivity has subsided.

So after my first THR I was icing, icing and resting extra because that's all the nurses at the surgeon's office could suggest to help calm down those nerves. This time no sign of Meralgia Paresthetica so I didn't really have much holding me back. Today I'm consciously cutting my activity level way back to see if activity level is the culprit. Fingers crossed.

 

[djklaugh]

@LeftKath That ODIC (Over Did It Club) can sneak up on you even when you do not intend to join it! And it does not need a diagnosis like Meralgia Paresthetica to grant you entry. So yes cutting back and taking it easy for a day or three is a very good idea!

 

[LeftKath]

Day 13
Had my first post-op appointment today with the surgeon. Nurse removed the big (and by now weird smelling) bandage and the surgical staples, noting that all looked good. This wasn't as painful as is sounds; just felt a little tugging and pinching. She cleansed the area and applied some steri-strips which will probably stay in place for about a week until they fall off on their own. They took some x-rays and the surgeon reviewed the results with me. He reminded me that I'm still sort of supposed be a couch potato; that he wanted me to give the stem enough healing time to meld into my femur. He said that by the first day of summer I can pick up the pace a bit. That will be about 4 weeks post-surgery and sounded similar to what he told me last time.

Last weekend I made a concerted effort to stay away from that OIDC. I really wanted to wean the rest of the way off of those pain meds. The oxycodone certainly has its place in the healing process but combined with the stool softeners and the Miralax I was just feeling gross. Fitbit actually helps me stay out of the OIDC. Since I usually feel better in the morning it's too easy for me to burn through steps. But running a sanity check on my steps on Fitbit throughout the day makes it easier for me to park it and ice up. So hooray, I'm done with the Oxy and the Lyrica but honestly feeling a little lightheaded.

I mentioned the lightheadedness to my surgeon today and he said that I might be a little low iron/anemic and that my body was focusing on healing right now; to take it easy, give it time and eat healthy.

When I got home I looked back at my pre-surgical bloodwork. It was Normal but at the low end of Normal. So hamburgers and spinach salad tonight! Maybe I'll have my husband pick up some iron fortified raisin bran cereal for me. I usually just eat a yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast. Adjust the diet a bit and rest and if I still feel just as weird in a week I think I'll check back in with his office.

 

[benne68]

He reminded me that I'm still sort of supposed be a couch potato; that he wanted me to give the stem enough healing time to meld into my femur.

Yes! It's so important to allow that early healing to take place. There will be plenty of time to exercise later. ( Besides, how often do you have permission to be a couch potato? )

I mentioned the lightheadedness to my surgeon today and he said that I might be a little low iron/anemic and that my body was focusing on healing right now

BoneSmart has a very interesting diagram that explains why this happens. You can find it here:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/energy-drain-for-thrs.12415/

 

[Layla]

Happy One Month Anniversary!
I hope with the passing of time and ramping up the diet, the lightheadedness is gone. Wishing you a wonderful week and hope you’re enjoying steady progress!
@LeftKath