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THR 30 days and still recovering <

Josephine,

Gah, I missed the lack of Tylenol ...had I not missed it, I would have said my experience was connected to the ability of Tylenol to knock the edge off ... my experience was 4g a day, then dropped the midday dosings (net 3g), then cut in half each dose (net 1.5g), then eliminated midday half (net 1.0g), then dropped evening (net 0.5g), then dropped morning.

The key, Marvin, in my experience is to listen to the great advice you are getting here from the moderators.
 
The funny thing about PT is that early on its mostly OT. adapting so you can get on with daily life. But PT is often confused with strength training.
Back in 1971 they treated cartilage injuries with open menisectomies.. And a cast! for six weeks.. No PT was ever done for me.. And I was skiing the next year. Of course the other part of the prognosis I did not like ( You will have arthritis in 20 years.. That was 50 years ago.)

When your hip is all healed as my knee was after TKR it will scream for Train Me.. That for me ( and it is different for everyone ) was at 12 weeks.. My replaced knee could not pass a bike for wanting to take it for a ride.
 
Thank you everybody for the advice. It’s 19 days today and when I get out of bed, my calf aches and my feet are on pins and needles and now I have pain in my hip and thigh, that is new. I’m trying to stay positive but I thought at 3 weeks everything would get better. Making me want to cry. I sleep a lot now , which is not like me, I don’t like it, always tired. Should I have imaging on my calf and foot, to see what’s going on? How much pain in hip and thigh is normal at 3 weeks. I didn’t hardly have any until today, is it from sleeping to much?
God bless everybody on this site.
 
I don’t have advice as I’m fighting my own post THR problems. I am one day behind you and I too expected to feel a little more like myself by now. I’m having inner thigh/groin pain when putting weight on my leg. It’s frustrating and I have shed some tears today. I hope you get some relief and recover soon. :friends:
 
@Chaotic @Marvin L is there something else in your life you can focus on? Diversions are great pain relievers.. Sometimes post op we focus on every pain and magnify it unconsciously.

When I had my TKR I felt like myself 12 weeks out.. and did not think of the knee at all. Before then it was tough not to think of the operated joint..

Please neither of you panic. You have to remember your entire body is adjusting to a new position. And I think Marvin L your body is telling you to sleep.. Your perception is that there is a set number of hours you have learned is proper for sleep( we all compare ourselves to those "oughts").. In the days before artificial light people slept most of the winter.
We are all subject to the opinions of those who we surround ourselves with and we develop certain expectations. Society says what we should do and feel.. A community like BoneSmart knows better; that a whole recovery is long and goes at its own pace for each unique person.

So each of you go easy and ride with it. It is truly a roller coaster in early days.
 
Thank you, for the wise counsel. I’m accustomed to being busy and this is new to me. I probably do overthink every ache and pain. I started taking about a 20 minute walk outside and doing a few more chores around the house. Actually, it’s a blessing to sleep, gives body opportunity to heal. Ultimately God i s in charge and in him , I put my trust. I’m going start looking at progress weekly rather than daily.
God bless everybody going through this.
 
I found TKR pretty easy recovery.. Why? I am no better than anyone else. BUT I love to be lazy! Its sheer indolence! Bless you @MarvinL
 
Martin,
At three weeks your body is only beginning to repair itself. These are considered very early days of the journey. Recovery can take up to a full year, even longer for some. You have a wound, your flesh was cut. Depending upon the approach used your leg may have been aggressively manipulated in an effort to dislocate your hip. Again, depending upon approach muscles may have been cut, soft tissue was disturbed, there was a lot of trauma to the area. Your bone was sawed and a reamer used to create space for the prosthetic. You experienced a major surgery, an assault to your body and it's now beginning to heal.

I'm not sure if you've been to your post op. If not, please make a list of your questions and concerns for the surgeon or PA. I also think you'd benefit from calling the office of your OS with a list of questions. You repeatedly mention calf pain, but maintain it's been checked. Possibly you need to bring it up again.

Are you taking the prescriptions you mentioned your doctor called in for you on Friday? You said you read the side effects and were afraid. The pharmaceutical companies have to list every possible side effect, it doesn't mean you're going to experience them. You need to get some relief from the pain you're describing. Yesterday Josephine surmised you were under medicated.
Are you following the advice she gave you?

You asked again today if you should have imaging on your calf. You need to discuss this with the office of your OS.

All we can do is suggest what works for the majority of us -
Activity balanced with rest / sleep. Follow the Activity Progression For THR -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/activity-progression-for-thrs.13187/

Set aside exercising for a later date when you're no longer in pain. It's not necessary anyway -
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.

Take your meds on schedule. If whatever you're taking is not managing your pain well enough - phone the office of your OS.

Ice for 40-60 mins, no less, several times daily. Target 4x daily.
Elevate
Drink lots of water
Eat some protein daily, it helps repair and build healthy tissue.

Get outside regularily. You will feel like less of a patient if you get out to smell the roses, breathe in some fresh air, look up at the blue sky, feel the warmth of the sun, listen to the birds chirping. It will do you good.

This can take some time so try not to focus on every new ache and pain. Most of them are fleeting anyway. And it's wise to measure progress by weeks, not days, or you'll continually be let down.

Chin up...you can do this!
@MartinL
 
Marvin L said:
I’m going start looking at progress weekly rather than daily.
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@Marvin L I like this very much. Thank you @mainegirl1 I appreciate your comment and advice. I am known to be a bit impatient (understatement if you ask my family), tomorrow will be a better day.
 
Thank you, I appreciate the feedback, puts things in perspective. One thing, about pillow under knee when sleeping, can I put a pillow behind my knee when I’m sleeping? Also, anybody taking Gabapentin? What is it for?
 
Marvin L said:
can I put a pillow behind my knee when I’m sleeping?
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Do you mean if you are sleeping on your back put a pillow under your knees? If so, yes this helps take the pressure of your lower back. The pillow between the knees is to insure the top leg does not fall to the bed while you are sleeping. It's best to avoid crossing the midline when you are in recovery.

Gabapentin is usually prescribed from nerve pain. Are you taking it now? I took in just after my RTHR and it worked great for me. But they did not send me home with this drug.

At three weeks out you are almost to the point I called the one month slump. Recovery seems to "slow" at about one month out. But the truth is there is still a lot of healing going on. You are right to take things in weekly stages at this point.
 
Marvin,
I work with all of the BoneSmart moderators and they are giving you some very sound, practical advice. It is a war and not a battle sometimes with the recovery process and I wish you safe and proper recovery.

I did want to clarify a couple of things for you that I noticed. If you are still experience swelling problems then TED hose are appropriate. Jo's comments related to TED hose were specific to DVT and that TED hose can be useful for swelling but these products do have their pros and cons to them. If you are getting any specific pain in your calf at this point consult your surgeon immediately.

The other thing I did not see in this string of posts is any communication you have had with your surgeon or his nurse and make sure they are aware of any issues. Also, if the Tylenol is not working there are other products like anti-inflammatory medications such as Advil, etc.. that can help but would check with your surgeon on this due to the side effects these medications can have.

Mark
 
Thanks again for the advice, helps a lot. Swelling is going down slowly, but it is going down. My ankle and foot is the most swollen part left. Calf has gone down a lot. I experimented with going to cane today, probably could do it. But hip and thigh begin to hurt a little, so I will wait a few more days. Tomorrow I’d 3 weeks. It has been a big improvement, I don’t struggle gettin in n out of bed anymore. Can shower on my own. Think I’m going to take a drive to the bank tomorrow. I do my post op check up at 6 weeks. Half way there. It’s hard but I’m going to take it slowly, I don’t want to hurt myself. I’m taking a break from the exercises, hope the doesn’t hurt the healing and strengthening, you say on here hips don’t need much exercise. I will have plenty of time to exercise, when I’m healed up more. Not planning on going back to work until August or September.
God bless everybody and may your journey to healing be fast with minimal pain.
 
Marvin L said:
I’m taking a break from the exercises, hope the doesn’t hurt the healing and strengthening, you say on here hips don’t need much exercise. I will have plenty of time to exercise, when I’m healed up more. Not planning on going back to work until August or September.
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I dropped PT and just did some stretching and walking until several months post op...when I did get some instruction on gait training and strengthening.
Helped me, didn't hinder my recovery...and I am a strong double hippy that walks mostly six hours per day with no pain, without a limp, and I feel decades younger.
I think this is an excellent plan. If you feel like the swelling is an ongoing problem, do think about asking your OS office about whether you need to wear TEDS or make an appointment to be checked.
Healing vibes coming your way
 
Will call dr about the teds. They never told me to get them. And I was really swollen when I saw them at 1 week.

Is it normal to feel more pain in my hip and thigh, than before. So strange, I had no pain in the hip or thigh and now I do. Aches though, I guess that’s normal 3 weeks out?
 
You will feel pain in tissue and it will move around and change. Think about how you can pull a muscle just by a movement. Now think about how they pull your muscles to disassemble you for a THR. You think those muscles are ready for exercise or to be strained?
 
You sound a lot like me in the beginning , and I thought everyone had to wear the ted hose :shrug: I had to wear them 23 hrs a day for 4 weeks:scare: I've heard a lot of comments in regards to helping with swelling and they really helped me with that , I just found them annoying and hard to take off and put back on . I would also suggest taking your time on switching from a walker to a cane , make sure your steady and not limping and you will be fine:yahoo: hope everyday gets better for you
 
Yes, it's normal. You're going to experience pain. You're only 20 days out of major surgery.
Ice, then ice again if you're sitting around. It helps with pain and swelling.
Ice for 40-60 mins, no less, each time you ice.

If you aren't able to get out of the house as a diversion, try to find things to do to occupy your mind as a distraction. Consider structuring your days a bit, if you're not already. If you live alone, find a way to get out and talk to people, interact, feel a part of the world for a time. I think it will help ease your mind over the process. Recovery takes awhile and there can be ups and downs, so buckle up.
Are you getting out of the house at all?
@Marvin L
 
Marvin L said:
Is it normal to feel more pain in my hip and thigh, than before. So strange, I had no pain in the hip or thigh and now I do. Aches though, I guess that’s normal 3 weeks out?
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[Bonesmart.org] 30 days and still recovering <
 
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