Hip Resurfacing 34 Year Old Hip Resurfacing

[Hippyshakes1987]

Wednesday 1st December

Well a short and sweet entry for today. Hip seems great, wound seems better, pain better, slept better . . . head space so much worse.
Everything seems to have turned a corner today, less pain for sure and feel more comfortable. Have no idea why but just feeling down today.

 

[Going4fun]

Feeling down is a part of the process for many people.

You've just gotten over this huge ordeal--the whole anxiety and fear about the surgery. Lots of adrenaline flowing. I think once your body and brain realize "hey, I think we're ok here" there comes a letdown.

Understandably because it took a lot of energy to go through with the surgery---and your body is working really hard right now to recover from the surgery.

But it will pass.

 

[Bodie’sMom]

Hi @Hippyshakes1987. I meant to comment on your posts yesterday. Love your very descriptive sense of humour and your great attitude, towards the whole process, and everything, you have been through, at such a young age.

I‘m sure your posts will help others that follow, after you. I have a daughter, your age and I hope you can talk to a loved one, about how you are feeling. Sometimes, that’s all we need.

It‘s a tough phase to go through, when you can’t do much. Only so much TV you can watch and you want to sleep, but it’s so hard and you want to be up and it’s the same thing.

Tomorrow is a new day and it will only get better from there!
Hope you feel better

 

[Layla]

Everything seems to have turned a corner today, less pain for sure and feel more comfortable. Have no idea why but just feeling down today.

Aww, I’m sorry you’re having a down day. This is very common, it’s called Post Op Blues. I realize that’s cold comfort, but please know that many of us have experienced this and it’s normally short lived. I’ll leave an article from the Recovery Guidelines in case you haven’t made it through all of the info yet.

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Post op blues is feeling depressed, weepy, nervy, shaky, fearful of the future, anxious, overwhelmed by what is happening to you, convinced it's never going to get any better and finally, uttering that most intense of all cries "I wish I never had this done!" It arises out of a variety of...

bonesmart.org

I hope you feel better soon. Betting you will.

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

@Going4fun thank you. I think your right for sure I just seemed far more short tempered yesterday thankfully most of it came out in unimpressed looks at my dog rather than comments to anyone. Let’s hope today is better.
@Bodie’sMom thank you that was lovely. That was my intention to simply help the next person in a similar position but must say it was really nice to wake up and read comments like these so a bonus result. I think sitting still is harder than I gave it credit for, sounded like a nice break, has become a stint in solitary confinement. A better nights sleep last night and feeling good today so off to a good start!
@Layla thank you. I will read over this today, just from the paragraph I can see it looks like it hits the nail on the head. Drifting back to a better head space I hope but will read so I’m more prepared for the next day like that.

 

[Going4fun]

And you can relax about switching over to one crutch. You don't need to force that--at all! Use two if two gets you around easy. Over time, even with two, you will put more and more weight down and use the crutches more for just balance. And then you can switch over to one crutch and it will be natural, without effort or planning.

Just let that happen ... Trying to force things along can be really disorienting. You've got enough to deal with. and you're only a week out from surgery. You really don't want to work towards anything in that first week. You want to get up and walk for sure ... but stay conservative. You'll naturally evolve.

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

@Going4fun thank you I appreciate that. To be honest I moved to one crutch because I was putting less and less weight on the two and it certainly worked the leg more and stabilising took some time but I always had the second nearby if needed.
One seems to be going well now though and leg certainly used to the extra work

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

Thursday 2nd November

What a difference a day makes! Woke up uncomfortable at the usual ungodly hour but after some shifting around managed to fall asleep again, 7 hours of sleep without any medical assistance.

As my previous entries have certainly shown, mornings are always a sensitive time in my day to the point I had begun to dread sleeping. Well today was different. I woke up began to get out of bed, before I knew it I was sat on the edge of the bed, grabbed my crutch and stood up. It took a moment to realise but the whole movement had happened quickly and almost totally pain free.
Im not sure what the answer is to this mystery, maybe enough time had passed from surgery, maybe the swelling has gone down, maybe it is just one good day but today I have felt less pain than I have in over two years.
If it does turn out to be just a good day I will take it. I needed it. I needed this day to show me that I haven’t always felt this way.
I think I have spent so long in pain that it just became my normal, I couldn’t remember what it felt like not to live in pain, not to wake up every night, not feel like being hit by a car every morning. I needed today.
I must confess l didn’t use this as an excuse to do very much, thinking about it I didn’t use this as an excuse to do anything today.
I have booked my doctors appointment to have the stitches out and not sure if they will replace a dressing or I’ll be free from both on the same day but I’m excited to say good bye to that last slice of the hospital.
Today has made me really excited for what’s to come, I’m happy to be patient with the process but I’m so happy to think that I might get back a part of me that I’m not sure I ever realised I had left behind.

 

[Hippielife]

Your words are similar to many of us hippies after surgery. Pain does not need to define you any more. Take this time to heal , soon you will have better days every day.

 

[Layla]

Today has made me really excited for what’s to come, I’m happy to be patient with the process but I’m so happy to think that I might get back a part of me that I’m not sure I ever realised I had left behind.

Aww, I love this! It will keep getting better and better, please hold onto that. And IF you have another down day, or hour, remember it’s only temporary. Something that really helped me was not to look for daily progress but pick a single day of the week and on that day only each week, reflect back on the progress you made over the last seven days. The weeks will begin clicking on by, it just doesn’t feel that way initially.
You’re on your way!

 

[Jamie]

@Hippyshakes1987 .... are you taking anything for that early morning pain or difficulty sleeping? You're very early out from your surgery and you may need a little help with some Tylenol (paracetamol). You can take 1000mg doses up to 4 times in a 24 hour period. Many people take a dose at bedtime or if they awaken with discomfort. Or they may take a dose to get the day started without that morning "creakiness." Give it a try if you aren't taking anything for pain.

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

@Layla this is a brilliant idea thank you! Crazy to think I have only been home a week and the comparison across the week is huge regardless of the good or bad days in between. I’ll be doing this from now on.

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

@Jamie thank you. Sadly my personal history with painkillers is a little complicated, my original injury was misdiagnosed as a back injury and no scans were done. Over a year more and more pain meds were prescribed until finally I withdrew myself from everything over night to regain my life and search for the answer to my pain on my own.
The downside to this was it has left me with an insane tolerance for pain medication. Since the surgery I have been taking paracetamol and codeine but it had little or no effect. My consultant has said unfortunately the option is to take very heavy pain meds to register on my unique scale or to tough it out with some basic tablets which is the path I have chosen.
Admittedly harder day to day but allows me to retain a personality.

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

Friday 3rd December

Well my old and unwanted friend discomfort returned in the middle of the night like an unwanted ex booty call. Nothing serious just some discomfort and some of it different and new.
So as of 4am this morning we are cooking with . . .
- some exquisite planter fasciitis
- a dash of skin peeling on my foot (operated leg)
- a squeeze of knee pain
- a slice of very tight thigh
- a 34 year aged tight lower back
Delicious!!
Bizarrely because this is all fairly new and different I don’t mind it’s uninvited presence as much. My guess with all of this is as my pain has got less from the surgery and I have been moving more freely and trying to hold myself correctly after all these years and everything is waking up after a long period of time off.
My body really feels like it’s needs a good stretch however I’m a little hesitant with stretching anything right now, have stitches being removed Tuesday and have first physio session next Friday so I think it’s a good idea to hold out until then and see what they suggest with stretches to aid rather than interfere.
A big thank you to everyone on here it’s always a great source of information to come on here and search any weird symptoms before I go anywhere else eg skin peeling on my foot who saw that one coming!?

 

[Jamie]

Actually stretches are good for you as long as you do them gently. Don't worry about your stitches. they won't be impacted by any stretching you do. Just ease into any stretch and don't push past any mild pain or pulling feeling. You'll be fine and maybe that will ease your muscles. You can use heat on any tight areas....just not where there is active swelling or over your incision. Try icing your leg as much as possible....not just the 20 minutes that is sometimes recommended. Just be sure to keep a towel between you and the ice source so as not to damage the skin. The cold is very good for pain.

 

[Schaargi]

@Hippyshakes1987

A peeling foot, huh? My weird, out of the blue, symptom was that I couldn't burp for days after my surgery. I will never again take burping for granted.

Good luck with those weird symptoms!

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

@Jamie thank you! Have been icing a lot and have introduced some heat today. I will give the stretching a go and see how it feels.

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

@Schaargi oh my god I’ll take the peeling foot all day over not being able to burp! Had to tell the wife about that one she agreed we couldn’t go without which I see now really highlights the calibre of our manners.

 

[Hippyshakes1987]

Saturday 4th December

l’ll make it brief tonight as less is changing daily and as much as future young guns may love to read about me sitting in the sofa each day I’m starting to bore myself with daily updates. I think now I have reached a steady state plateau I will start updating as and when there is something to say.
I would go as far as too say there is now no pain in my hip bar when I have to move the leg in and out of bed or off the sofa and even then it’s very mild discomfort. The only thing I can still feel is a section of the stitches are quite annoying no painful just conscious of them.
Planter fasciitis has eased off a lot, I have been through that before luckily and I know that for me wearing shoes with a good innersole helps a lot and I have these from the last time so that was simple. Maybe be careful of living in slippers might be good to go to the shoes earlier in the process.
What is left is just muscle tightness in the leg and specifically around the knee but I am mixing in some heat to go along with the ice and fingers crossed it will ease of with time. A bath would be amazing to ease those aching muscles!!
As I said I think now everything has plateaued which came a lot earlier than I thought I will just update when there is more to say. Stay hippy!

 

[Layla]

Nice update! Please stay in touch as often as you like, we’d love to follow your progress. Positive updates are an encouragement for those following behind and you’ll always find support here on those not so good days, which will become less and less.
Wishing you a peaceful rest of the weekend.
@Hippyshakes1987