THR Rthr done, 11/3

Status
Not open for further replies.

sandiegomom

junior member
Joined
Aug 8, 2015
Messages
69
Age
50
Location
San Diego
Country
United States United States
Gender
Female
hi Everyone, I'm happy and grateful to report I had an "uneventful" rthr on 11/3, 5 days ago. I'm surprised at how mobile I am. I walk pretty handily with a walker and even go little bits unaided around the house. Overall, it's remarkable to me that my hip is in less pain than prior to surgery already and my back pain has subsided almost instantaneously -- yeah! I always wondered if I had a bad back and a bad hip. I think, thank God, it was a bad hip only. I am very, very sore and swollen. But I went down to just Tylenol for pain as of this morning. Does this sound on track to everyone?

I'm surprised to find my challenges currently are everything but my hip. I have a splitting headache, ongoing since yesterday evening. I am hugely constipated, and I am crying off and on nonstop today. I have never handled pain meds very well; I was on Oxycodon and OxyContin until yesterday but it really wasn't worth the pain relief it provided. It kept my blood pressure so low (averaging 85/55), it just makes me feel generally awful. My husband has no idea what to do with me!

I think I'm reaching out because I know intellectually that I feel really great, hip wise. But I'm sitting up here crying and I don't know why. Am I "coming down" from anesthesia or what? What is going on???
 
Welcome to the other side @sandiegomom . You are indeed coming down from a very traumatic procedure. Post op blues are all a part of recovery. Just roll with it - this will pass. Here's a link to an article from our Library: Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Constipation is very common post op. Here's another article for you: Constipation and stool softeners

Be very careful about reducing your pain meds so early. At this stage you need to stay ahead of the pain. The only way to do this is to take the pain meds as prescribed around the clock. They will help you get more mobile.

Here are some articles for you about this process. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have. And don't worry - all this will ease. You are on the road to recovery!

First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!
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
Activity progression for THRs
Home physio (PT)
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?
 
Thank you! Your response has already calmed me. I will continue the extended release oxy at night; I am sleeping really well - I woke briefly maybe three times last night. But I feel ok with just Tylenol during the day. So far anyway. I guess I can ramp back up if I backslide in the painscsale. Sitting in the recliner I'm at a 1! Walking around, maybe 4 max.
 
I too had trouble with low blood pressure and often had headaches during hospital stay I believe due to to medications. I stopped taking the narcotic at about day seven and had bad headache I think from stopping cold turkey! It lasted about a day. I also had a major blubbering meltdown my first day back from hospital so I think the combination of the medication and the surgery assault on our bodies and the scary thought of being home without hospital care are the perfect storm for an emotional outpouring!! I'm about 4.5 weeks post surgery and continue to take Tylenol extra strength a couple of times a day and sometimes take the night time Tylenol to help with sleep. The reclinr and walking pain levels sound on par with what I felt in the early days. I have had some up and down days during the four weeks, so just accept each day as it comes and know that the next day will probably be a better one. All the best!
 
Thank you @Skatie, for your response. I'm embarrassed to say I made that first post high as a kite! I really hated those narcotics, boy oh boy. I'm now 13 days post op and I do have a few questions, if anyone will indulge me. But before I do:

1. I find this surgery/procedure to be a remarkable, almost miraculous, solution to the horrible arthritic pain I was having. The Dr. sent me a pic of my femoral head post-op -- I had ZERO cartilage on all weight bearing areas of my femoral head; it was just this bright red ball, with a skirt of cartilage at the bottom. No one knew it was that bad; so my worry about doing it now or doing it later was for naught...I'm so glad I had it done! Even with post op swelling, tightness and all that goes with surgery -- I am so happy to be out of arthritic misery. Hallelujah! Above all, I feel OPTIMISTIC again, about everything in life, and I did not feel that way when I was laboring around in pain 24/7. For those in the pre-op stages...the anxiety and stress I had about this surgery was unfounded. I was having heart palpitations, anxiety, ringing in ears, sleeplessness...I was so upset about this surgery prior, when I should have been excited and dancing into that hospital! Get a great surgeon and just go with it!!!

2. Also, @Hip Hip Hooray!, I have to call out your posts in particular. I read your recovery thread (given my familiarity with Dr. Matta, plus you are a fantastic writer!), and at some points (in complete ignorance!), I would read something and say, "Oh, that won't be me..." Namely, when you said you couldn't be around people with aggressive or negative energy post-op. Also, when you said you had moments of real sadness and grief and you attributed that to your hip surgery/recovery. I must confess, I have had the exact same experiences, much to my surprise. My father in law came for a visit about 5 days post-op, and his energy (as best I can describe it), was so aggressive, too aggressive, for me, I literally had to turn my body away from him so I could not receive it. This sounds utterly crazy, but I thought of you in that moment. And I cried, and cried and cried when I got home. I was just immensely sad, and still feel a sadness in ways I haven't really pinpointed. Someone else on this forum mentioned the fact that a body part of yours is now medical waste. Well, my hips bore 3 super amazing kids, and carried my body through such fun sport and activity. I mourn its absence in a really odd way, and obviously this procedure makes you think of aging and such. I'm still going through that process, I think. I guess my learning is that there is an emotional and psychological aspect to this surgery that is not often emphasized and to me it's the tougher of the recoveries! Thank you @Hip Hip Hooray! for generating dialogue on that front; I am grateful.

Now, my questions:
- What are the common conditions one can get if they overdo their rehab? I have a tendency to overdo, and I really DO NOT WANT any type of stubborn tendonitis or tight muscle condition of some sort to drag me down months to come. I will go back into the articles to gather them if there are any, but if anyone knows, say, the Top 3 things one can get from overdoing it, I'd love to have those top of mind to help keep me in check. I feel really, really great, for 13 days post op. As of today:
- I'm not using any assistive devices to walk
- I am using a pedi-cycle (the hospital pt lady told me to get one and use it ASAP, working up to 30 mins x 3x/day)
- I'm doing light pt (10 straight leg lifts, 10 abduction squeezes, 10 adduction squeezes)
- I do 1 'activity' per day - go out to lunch, run 1 errand, etc., then rest pretty much rest of day
- I sleep very well at night (about 10 hours, wake up briefly twice), plus a nap

Also,
- I have a 'functional' (vs. structural) leg length difference, post op. My legs are anatomically exactly the same length, but if you watch me walk it looks like my surgery leg is 2 inches longer than the non surgery leg. My physical therapist says one hip is rotated up, and the other is rotated down. So we are working to fix that in physical therapy. I can't really get a good smooth gait going until this is resolved! If anyone has experience with this and can offer help/exercises/timing on resolving this, I'm all ears.
*A note on pt: I am 50/50 on pt (I live in the US; my pt is a PhD, and I gather pt differs amongst the countries represented on this forum). I think sometimes they do not help, sometimes they do. For my shoulder surgery they helped immensely in me keeping from getting frozen shoulder. For my first hip surgery, not really. For my knee, not really. So I take the good and toss the bad and go from there. So far my pt for my post op hip has focused on my functional leg length difference and I most definitely feel an improvement when I leave there. The problem is it wears off an by 36 hours later I'm back to feeling like one leg is much longer than the other. Anyone have stories to share, or hope to offer!? In addition to my above pt exercises, I'm doing two hip exercises to help the leg difference (too hard to explain online but they are really tiny little moves they want me to do).

Any experience on the above out there? Thanks to all! Your intelligence has proved so helpful this past month, or two, or three! :)
 
I figured out how to find people's posts. I struggled with the 'functional' length discrepancy when I was about your age. PT didn't identify the functional aspect but suggested treating the symptom (shim the shoe). A chiro suggested pelvic torsion and 'adjusted' to achieve even leg length that would last a few weeks. Another chiro/athletic trainer later said the hip was so tight (the one now replaced) that everything around it was altered and I would be prone to go back to the pelvic torsion/functional leg length discrepancy. He worked hard yanking the hip and 'opening it up' saying getting blood flow back should regenerate some soft tissue. I can only assume he was right as I got another 10-12 years full time skiing pain free out of it. There was also stretching and muscle balancing exercises involved. I will also say a strength coach I worked with in ski coaching years ago said, 'when it come to injury go to the PT and get range of motion back. Once range is back get out of there because they don't know anything about getting strength back.' Of course this won't always be true but I think any PT, athletic therapist or chiro has to be well rounded and very knowledgeable to really take the whole thing into perspective and fix you up. Anyone of them can focus just on their area and not really get you on the right path is my experience. I'm going to go down the road again as my new hip feels longer. Haven't yet determined if things are just out of whack or in fact there is some new length as I was warned there might be.
 
'when it come to injury go to the PT and get range of motion back. Once range is back get out of there because they don't know anything about getting strength back.'

Ha! Exactly.

I also like that I get a full 30 minutes with someone who must know more than me about physiology (at the least), so I pump my pt with questions while he works on me. I will call that a secondary 'pro' to seeing a pt vs. not going at all!
 
Hi

I'm so glad to hear you're happy with your surgery. :flwrysmile: Your body has gone through such a trauma. I had crying fits during my last recovery....not hip related. Even though you didn't see or hear what was going on, your body doesn't forget. Let it heal. Please take it easy. :prayer:
 
@sandiegomom, I just wanted to pop in and send out some cyber hugs for you. Post op, even when the hip is feeling so much better, is an emotional time.
I am the one who commented on how difficult it has been to think of my poor old pre op hip now being medical waste. I so hear you about how they once were strong and healthy, stayed strong throughout carrying and delivering babies, and even hung in there while diseased. You're definitely not alone in mourning them.
Also, I hear you about having to physically turn away from your father-in-law's aggressive behavior. Some emotions are almost like a physical assault, aren't they?
My own post op emotions kind of remind me of how I felt after each of my babies, and the resultant hormonal yo-yoing. I once described that experience to someone as being like one big, exposed, raw nerve. One minute I'd be elated and the next, in tears.
It's definitely an adjustment. Good for you for sharing questions and concerns. I really do think getting it 'out there' is very important, and this is a terrific place in which to do that.
I'm sending good wishes to you for a successful ongoing recovery. :flwrysmile:
 
Sandiegomom, a couple things:
In regard to getting tendonitis and where it is most likely to strike....hmm...anywhere in the lower torso is fair game. Could be IT bands, could be quads or glutes; shins; ankles,...head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. Point being, a lot depends on your own particular anatomy and propensities. If you have arthritis already, and where it is already insidiously attacking cartilege; whether you pronate; are your shoes in need of replacement (the answer is probably yes...go shopping), and so on. The "secret" to avoiding tendinitis is not in avoiding strain in that particular body part/area. It's all about giving your body time to recover, and to make very very very slow and gradual increases in activity as you do so.

Here's what typically happens...and we ALL do this, even though we know we shouldn't. We feel just a wee bit better after a few weeks of resting up from surgery. So we go for a short walk outside...maybe to the mail box, or even the corner. That goes well so the next day we go around the whole block. And if that goes well, we tackle the mall. STOP. Go back to that first corner. Repeat that short walk for a couple of days, maybe increasing to several times a day. Over a week that goes well, then add another corner. Stop. Turn around. Go home. Give that another day or two...if all is well, go around the block. Once. Later in the day, maybe once more. If all is well, keep adding to that in SMALL MEASURED AMOUNTS....bit by bit, day by day. That pedi-cycle you're working UP TO 30 minutes, 3 times a day? Work up to that over a good several month's time or more....that isn't the goal for next week. Start small...and stay small....add a minute here and a repetition there and give each increase a couple of days before adding more.

In general it's better to repeat small amounts of anything spaced out over the day, rather than one big workout. FULL recovery from this surgery takes at least a year...for many of us, up to 2 years. That means that just because you are feeling pretty darn good by next spring (and you really should be feeling pretty darn good by then) you are not ready to pull out all the stops. No matter what your preferred activities are, return to them in small increments....and back it right off whenever you realize you've slightly overdone.

As for your leg length discrepancy, there is a prevailing wisdom that there is a lot of settling out that occurs in the first few months after THR, and you should avoid lifts until you see how your body adapts naturally. Here's an article about it:
Leg length differential - LLD

And finally, regarding PT. There are lots of polarized views on this topic. I operate on the theory that there is no harm in taking it slow and easy....but potential for great harm from an overzealous therapist. We caution...if it hurts, don't do it. That's especially important for PT. Do remember that you aren't rehabbing from an injury...you are recovering from surgery....they are very different things. I vote to err on the side of caution, both in the very early weeks when you are fresh out of surgery, and even months later. That's when you start to feel so good, you believe you are fully healed....but inside where you can't see...you aren't yet.
PT: the seriously grave consequences of doing too much of it

San Diego....I'm going to be jealous of you all winter long!!!

Sharon
 
HI @sandiegomom, Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you tagged me, because I couldn't remember your screen name. Sometimes I get overwhelmed on this site. I am busy preparing for an audition right now, but I will write you a post on your thread in a few days. I'm glad to hear that you are doing well. Things get better, emotionally.
 
Hi @sandiegomom, I hope you are feeling better. I was thinking about your post. That sounds like a lot of time on the bike to me. I tried using the recumbent bike a couple of weeks after my surgery. I did ten mins. at no resistance, and I really regret it. The next day I was in a lot of pain. I decided to skip the bike for another couple of weeks, and the pain faded. Everyone's different, but that made my hips feel like raw meat. Now, I am biking daily. But, I'm over three months post op. What worked for me was to do a fraction of what I thought I could do. I also didn't do any straight leg raises, lunges, or squats. I was advised to wait four weeks before exercising. I'm really glad I did, now. I haven't had any tendonitus or or other problems. If I hadn't found this forum, I probably would have done too much too soon.

Hope you are doing well. Take care of yourself.
 
Hello, in case it's helpful to anyone out there, and following up on your replies - the PT in the hospital had instructed me to buy this pedicycle on Amazon and work up to 30 mins, 3x day. And to start with 10 mins x day in the hospital. I gave it up at about week 2 because it made my leg hurt -- it made it burn and tighten up, deep within the hip. It's probably the most awful thing I've done to my hip since the surgery. So I don't recommend it...for me anyway! So all of you who posted a word of warning to me -- you were totally right. As this site so often points out, walking with an eye on your gait seem sot be the best exercise.

I'm 24 days post op and am doing well. I do like PT; I think it's helping with my gait and leg length difference-feeling. And it helps me track my progress, similar to if I had a trainer. I would say most of my problems are not hip related per se: I have trouble sleeping, I get restless leg at night, I'm SO dang tired most of the day, and whatever mixture of pain meds I use I seem to miss the mark. Either they are too strong or too weak or make me dizzy, or depress me, or constipate me. I'm on a hamster wheel, trying to find my chosen cocktail! But the hip itself is pretty great: I even went to my in laws for Thanksgiving last night and socialized and stood around, and helped with cleanup -- 3 hours in all before I was cooked.

My latest question: Dizziness, which leads to mild but annoying nausea. I'm only taking Tylenol for goodness' sake! I stopped Vicodin beginning of this week. What is making me dizzy!? Is it even related to my hip/medication/anesthesia, or am I beyond the window for that? I don't know my BP right now, perhaps it is low; it was pretty low in hospital (85/55), and I've lost some weight since surgery. Anyone else dizzy at over 3 weeks post op? I feel like if I can lick that my spirits and energy will rise a bit.

I read so many of your posts, I'm sorry I don't have the time and energy to respond (I also have 3 small kids in the house to tend to in my spare time!); but I do read them. Thank you for everyone's insight.
 
Sorry to hear about the bike, I'd wonder about seat height, reach to bars and seat position too far back of pedals. Those are what I had to set up right to make it work. Rode 4 days straight this week, 10+minutes, 15+, 23 or 4 and today I did 30 minutes. I can get some twinges on the outside of the hip but nothing deep in at all. I don't know about the dizziness (also not a dr.) but wonder if you are on blood thinner and if that could have an impact. I was on them for about 30 days. Wasn't dizzy but don't know. Of course the sleep won't help. I've been sleeping pretty well. Some nights better than others. I was napping in the afternoons until about a week ago, now seem fine without it. A solid afternoon nap sure can feel good....not sure how three wee ones feel about that.
 
Hi, Anyone who is listening! Merry Christmas. I just wanted to share that I'm 6.5 weeks post op and honestly feel normal! I don't know why; I did pt 1-2x a week for the first 3.5 weeks; it was centered around "rebalancing" my body; i.e., to undo all of the doing I did the year prior to surgery -- the limping, the compensating, etc. So I ended up doing mostly glute, back and quad work for the most part (massage, muscle activation, etc). Oh, hamstring stretching too. I also had a huge LLD that they really helped in closing the gap. I still err on leaning on my "good" hip when standing still (trying to break pre-op habits is hard!), but he LLD is barely there. Dr says by 3-6 mos it will totally go away, and that I'm 83.5cm on both sides, so it's partly in my head!

Then at about 3 weeks I just felt like I could go to the gym vs pt; my energy level was there, my mind was feeling positive and I had no hip pain! My pt agreed. So I've been going to the gym for about 10-25 mins on elliptical and or bike, then upper body work, then some stretches, balance and/or pt exercises. I'll do that for a day, rest a day, then go back.

I should say I really turned a corner once I got off of narcotics. Also, when I went off of aspirin and was then able to switch from Tylenol to Advil for pain -- that was the mental game changer that made me feel optimistic and happy and myself again.

I went to my post op at 4.5 weeks, and my Dr. Said I was doing "totally awesome!" And I could go hit a tennis ball for 20 mins or so, in 2 weeks. I could not believe that. I though maybe at 12 or 16 weeks I could.

So I hit a tennis ball, for the first time in 14.5 mos, and it was great! Every body part is sore from it, except my hip, lol!!!

My incision site bugs me and I did have two sutures work their way out, as @Lseven i think mentioned having happen. That freaked me out! And it's bothering me -- it sort of stings when I stretch my leg straight after sleeping with my legs bent. But I think that's all in the healing. As much as I can stand really big pain, I cannot handle "stinging" pain -- I cringe just typing about it.

I also don't sleep well. But that's because my back gets sore by the end of the day, and my shoulder hurts, argh! My hip area (upper quad, along front) is tender, my Dr says from the manipulation done in surgery. And I'm still a bit swollen. The swelling doesn't bother me physically but it does my ego -- who wants 1 big hip? I'm told at about 12 weeks that should subside.

I still ice -- everything!, knees, shoulder, neck and hip -- I am a big believer in ice to keep inflammation at bay.

Last, pre op I couldn't do 1 straight leg lift. It just wouldn't go. Now I can do about 25, but it takes a lot of engaging of the quad. A straight leg lift is the hardest thing for me to do. Even lifting my op leg to cross my legs is hard (I have no restrictions). I hope that comes back!

So bottom line, I have a lot of work ahead of me in terms of strengthening my op side, my upper body and my cardio. I'm in terrible shape! But I'm totally cruising and most importantly HAPPY!

Thanks for listening; I hope this helps someone out there. And I have a pic of my femoral head if anyone wants to see it -- totally devoid of cartilage on the weight bearing surface. It was time!

God bless.
 
You're another one whose disappearance was troubling so good to hear an update. You'll forget about the sutur mexpulsion soon enough but it is troubling. The swelling seems surprising to me. I have a lot of muscle def back but a good bit of mass to regain. I think as you use that leg and muscles more you'll lose the swelling. Muscle contractions are most of what takes lymph fluid and such away. No muscle use and it pools.

I forget but assume you must have had anterior if the quad engagment is hard. My tough one is lateral lifts but they're coming for me. Got to keep doing them but can't do them when they're tired. Enjoy your xmas in the sun and warmth. We're definitely a white xmas with -18 and some snow yesterday.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,167
Messages
1,596,868
BoneSmarties
39,356
Latest member
JanieMarie
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom