THR 15 year old has first new hip

[Josephine]

@tbatt9 I have concealed his body parts in the xray. I'm quite he doesn't want those displayed for all the world to see!

Other than that, jolly good hips!

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Excellent news. One day at a time. You have experience now, so you can avoid the pitfalls. I found that when I was upset, my pain increased. I did a lot of crying. Stress dumping.

 

[tbatt9]

Oops. Sorry about that X-ray. I haven't slept much in last few days and I didn't even notice as I was looking at the implants.

We are back home now and so far so good. Much better transition to home this time. We are following the mantras this time to the letter. Thanks again to this site and all who are so helpful sharing their experiences.


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[tbatt9]

So we are at day 5 post op for second hip and almost 7 weeks post op for first hip.

The good news so far is that we were better prepared for the home transition and didn't have the immediate crisis we did upon getting home last time. He is eating well and is more alert. But on the other hand he is very reluctant to try and move much. He will take few slow painful steps with walker but only as few as he needs to get from bed to the bathroom.

We have a rolling adjustable desk chair that is the only chair he's comfortable in. We use it like a wheelchair to roll him up to table to eat or to get parked in front of the TV. I'd like to see him try and move more but I know it's very early and he's still not even 100% on the right side.

I know that one of the principles expressed on here is that hips don't really require physical therapy more than just walking but the PT people in hospital seem so adamant that he do certain exercises several times a day. They claim it will help as if he doesn't exercise the joint it gets stiff and will be more painful. But he has zero interest in doing so and as a teenager gives me that I know everything leave me alone attitude when I suggest he do them.

On one hand maybe I should push him to try in order to prevent stiffening up, but on the other I don't want to have him torture himself while he still has a lot of pain. Maybe we should just try and get him on his feet more as if we leave it to him he will sit in that chair for hours until he wants to take nap in bed.


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[Josephine]

I know that one of the principles expressed on here is that hips don't really require physical therapy more than just walking but the PT people in hospital seem so adamant that he do certain exercises several times a day. They claim it will help as if he doesn't exercise the joint it gets stiff and will be more painful.

Don't ask me why they say that but it's not true! It really isn't.

But he has zero interest in doing so and as a teenager gives me that 'I know everything, leave me alone' attitude when I suggest he do them.

Well, in this case, he is right! Just have him get up to walk to the bathroom when he needs to and maybe one or two other little trips. Get him to eat at the table, for instance, or 'come see what's happening in the street' when the opportunity arises. You'll need to be inventive but just don't mention the 'E' word!

 

[tbatt9]

Just as I start to think everything is ok another issue comes up. I emailed photos of Matthew's surgical wounds and the dressings off to his surgeon this morning as his incision had a lot more drainage than the last time and just looked nastier to my eye. He wrote back,

"It looks indurated and blistering. Since this is happening on both incisions (he is referring to the main incision as well as the three small ones for the robot technique they use) I suspect he is having a reaction to the glue or steri strips. Please keep track of the drainage and send pictures again in two days. We will use iodine swabs over the incision to prevent bacterial growth in the area. If the drainage increases I will need to see him. Hold off on showering this area."

So now I am freaking out that he has some horrible infection although I know that some drainage is normal and he has no fever and the drainage is mostly clear or slightly yellow with a little blood at times. Its not thick or green.

The post op instructions we were given said it was ok to shower 3-5 days after surgery. He showered two days ago on day 5 and again last night day 6. Maybe it was too soon but I thought getting the area at least washed off by having water run over it was good idea and he was able to do so last time, but maybe that made it worse. Hopefully it will dry up and is just a skin surface issue that doesn't become a deep infection.

 

[Josephine]

So now I am flipping out that he has some horrible infection

That's NOT what he said! He just said it was blistering. That's nothing to do with an infection so stop worrying!

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

I was relieved to read Josephine's post. I hope he is doing better today.

 

[tbatt9]

Thanks. Of course you are right. Spoke to the dr a couple times since my post and he is sure it's an allergic reaction to the dermabond glue. I asked why it didn't happen with first hip and he explained that reactions act this way in that often the first exposure doesn't do much but subsequent exposures cause worse reactions. In fact he did have a very small rash the first time that did clear fairly quickly. It has already improved a little. Hopefully it will clear soon. I'm not so much worried about the rash but the blistering causing the incision line to still have a couple small holes. The dr has told us to remove the remaining steri strips and to continue to apply betadine and to give him Benadryl nightly.

Regarding the steri strips, they still seem to be adhered to his skin and if I take them off they will take some of the skin as well right on the incision line. The dr's nurse didn't seem to think that mattered and to just do it even if it takes some of the skin with it. Does that sound right? Maybe better to do it after he showers when they are wet?



Lastly yet another issue that I'm unsure about has


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[tbatt9]

Sorry forget about the last issue I started to post about. Meant to cut that line.


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[Michegon]

@tbatt9 Hi, Bilateral Jim here. It's great that the surgery's are behind him. Relax and let him heal. Just doing life movements are good this early in his recoveries. His body is using all available assets to heal the injured tissues. Great fuel and walking is all he needs in this early part of his recovery. Keep it up!

 

[Maya'sdad]

Hi, very happy to hear all is going well. Maya's surgery for THR was done at just age 13. She is now 14 and back to school. Doing quite well. I'm sure he will be up and running around in no time. I wish you all the best during recovery. Thoughts and prayers...

 

[tbatt9]

Maya'sdad, thanks so much. I remember reading your story as we were trying to figure out what to do. Glad to hear your daughter is doing well.

Matthew is progressing but it seems a little slower than for the first hip, which itself was done less than only 8 weeks ago. I guess that's to be expected but I am just so eager to try and get him back to his old self its hard to be patient. He still has this horrible rash from the dermabond glue that is very slowly resolving. I am hopeful it wont leave a very ugly scar but in the big picture if that's the worse thing hes left with we'll take it.

With this hip he has been having altered sensations in his leg and foot which at first I thought were attributable to the compression hose being too tight. When his surgeon called yesterday to check on his wounds I discussed this with him and he didn't seem that concerned as he had to lengthen his leg quite a bit and with it the nerves. He thinks that will resolve on its own in time as the tissues heel and the swelling goes away. He has intact motor function its just some numbness and tingling and aching pains. We have a follow up appointment with him in a couple days so we will see what he says then.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

It's still very soon after the surgery. He's been through so much...I'm glad to hear that the rash is slowly resolving. Time and patience, I think. The meds and ice really help with the pain.

 

[tbatt9]

Update as to Matthew. He is now 4 weeks post second hip, 10 weeks post first hip. First the good news. His blistering rash as a result of an allergic reaction to the surgical glue resolved, although its left him with an ugly scar we hope fades soon. His nerve pain in his foot is still present but may be very slowly improving. He returned to school last Friday but is still dependent on his walker. But he is still seems like he has a very long way to go. His biggest issue is that his energy is still very low and he fatigues very easily. The fact that he was discharged with a significantly low hemoglobin has made the expected post op energy drain much worse for him. I am certain that has also contributed to make his pain and difficulty getting off his walker even worse. Psychologically he is also dealing with the stress of trying to catch up at school with a very demanding course load while coping with his fatigue and pain. We are trying to get him off the narcotic pain meds so he can think but then he can’t sleep and he gets even more tired. I find myself second guessing our decisions although I know ultimately he had to go through all this. Time heals all wounds. But its hard to be patient when its your kid you see crying from the stress and strain. When I drop him at school it kills me to watch him limp in with his heavy back pack pushing his walker. Maybe we sent him back too soon. The school has been great to accommodate him but there is only so much time he can miss. If he were to miss much more time it would be even more overwhelming for him to try and catch up. One day at a time I guess.

 

[Pumpkin]

tbatt9,
Glad to hear your son is slowly but surely improving.

When I drop him at school it kills me to watch him limp in with his heavy back pack pushing his walker.

The school needs (and is required) to further accommodate your son by providing a second set of books at school, there is no good reason he has to carry a heavy backpack while his hips are still healing.
I will do a little asking around of my school district friends and be back.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

I'm glad that the rash is healing. I am very saddened to hear that he is back in school with a heavy backpack and a walker. This recovery does not have to be so painful, if you take it very slowly. I followed the mantras and didn't have the pain. If it were me, I would tell him he can stay home and heal for as long as he needs to...even if if takes a year. (which it did for me.) Lifting anything heavy really sets you back after this surgery.

I feel he will catch up in school as he is older. To me, his health and emotional state is far more important. I'm sorry if I am overstepping boundaries, but it doesn't have to be this way. He sounds very intelligent, and there is plenty of time. I think he'll get there faster if he returns home and rests, without outside pressure.

The emotional part of this recovery is intense. I cried buckets, and I had an easy and smooth recovery.

 

[tbatt9]

Thank you for your comments. I think part of our problem is our expectations were not realistic about the recovery. When we first were considering doing this I assumed he would need a prolonged recovery time. I was thinking he might have to wait until high school was over and try and do this then even if it meant deferring college for a year. But then the surgeon really made us feel like with the modern technique he uses (mini-posterior robotic assisted) the recovery time was far less and that he would be back to normal activity level within a few weeks. But that was apparently far too good to be true. Who knows though? Maybe in couple more weeks he will be much improved.

 

[Pumpkin]

tbatt9,
I heard back, request a 504 meeting. My friend also said:
"To expedite this get a physician to write a lifting restriction and have the MD request a second set of books. Have the family identify who the counselor is and have the counselor work to expedite the books. Problem is the school here had 60 days to formally convene a meeting which is why I think you will get faster response with an MD order."

Good luck with finding solutions for your son,

 

[Krista]

In the meantime, he could use a rollator walker, and could put the book bag on the seat. I believe that he absolutely should not carry a heavy book bag for weeks or months yet, why take the risk? It's much easier to use a rollator than a regular walker anyway. You can get a smooth gait going. I use one all the time.


And as far as his exhaustion goes, at 4 weeks I was exhausted all the time, and I hardly went anywhere, not to mention high school with a demanding academic load. And I hadn't had major surgery just 6 weeks before the second one either. No wonder he is so worn out!