THR 8 weeks out and not happy

[dogmom1960]

Hi I live in Dallas. I have heard what everyone is telling me, and I am trying "tame" down what I am doing.
I was able to nap my first week back, or there was no way I could have made it though that week.
I am going to try and limit my expectations for a couple more weeks and see how it goes.

 

[BarbaraR]

@dogmom1960 , oh, too bad, I just moved here in January and was hoping we were neighbors! It gets better. Hang in there.

 

[dogmom1960]

hope you like Austin, I have always enjoyed my visits there!

 

[BarbaraR]

Yes, so far I do, thanks.

 

[LadyJune]

@dogmom1960 I saw your thread and wondered how you are doing this week. Going back to work is always a hard call...what is too soon and how much is too much. My hope is that this is a much better week for you!!

 

[dogmom1960]

pulling back on my expectations has helped, but I am still having some pain in that hip, so I hope am not one of those few who don't have a great recovery. for those reading this, I am having some groin pain, but also on the outside, near my scar, but it's not scar pain. looking at the x-rays, the Doc says everything looks great.
I wish they could live in our skin for a day. Now that I am on week 9 I keep hoping I am going to wake up and have an ah-hah moment. I woke up every hour last night. Not sure why, just uncomfortable.
The doctor has me on 2 Aleve am, pm. I would love to say that I am not frustrated, but that is not the case.

 

[LadyJune]

Are you doing PT? I have had this nagging pain, soreness, aching and I described it as running from the end of my scar down toward my knee. Prior to my 6 wk appt with OS I was beginning to think I had messed something up. My X-rays looked great and I was told that these sort of pains are normal. When I went to pt yesterday they were able to pinpoint the muscles that were causing this. They also did some massage all around my hip...incision included and checked tendons for tightness. I'm wondering if your tendons might be some of the issue...just guessing. They also Told me I needed to be using lotion and rubbing circles all over the incision to help with the scar tissue build up. Maybe someone else will chime in, but I think I needed to be doing more of this type of thing and didn't even realize it.

I am also doing the Aleve like you but also have a Rx for Tramadol. I'm using that as needed and have also used muscle relaxers at bedtime (left over from back surgery and ok'd by my OS).

As far as sleep, I have seen others comment on waking up uncomfortable in this stage but not sure about every hour. I started using Melatonin after a few weeks in an attempt to break the waking cycle. Not sure what your views are on things like that, but it might be an option.

 

[dogmom1960]

I am only doing the PT exercises they gave me in the beginning. the basic ones everybody does. I have not been ok'ed for out patient PT yet. I don't see the doctor again until mid July, so nothing is going to happen until then. I have been told he is very conservative and will not do strengthening until everything is healed. I have been doing massages around my scar. I have had ACL surgery so I know the importance of not letting scar tissue build up.

 

[LadyJune]

That is good that you knew about the scar tissue. With back surgery they never said anything about it but DH had ACL many moons ago and remembered that part.

 

[zauberflöte]

@dogmom1960 hi there! I just checked my journal for pain and pain meds, and I was taking advil and tylenol at 9 weeks, but did not note how much LOL. I was also having many different kinds of pains here and there, and who knows what caused them-- I didn't! I described some in great detail, but they never came to anything except this groin pain/tendonitis that I am having fun with now.

I was also still in "not very good sleep" mode. It was thunderstorm season, and one of my cats used the bedroom window as her in/out door-- all of those kept me wakeful. This too shall pass!

Just for comparison, I didn't go grocery shopping alone till the beginning of the 6th week-- nearly passed out at the cash register, but got home ok. I could no more have gone back to work then than fly to the moon!!!

 

[kcolle49]

THR 3/25/14 About 10 weeks Post Op. I relate to your post, some days I am discouraged. I have not wished I could go back because some tasks have gotten so much better. Started back to work for a few hours felt good. Then a few days of not so good. Found out today from the Physical therapy department they wants to extend my sessions 2 x a week until the end of July. I understand their reasoning and will talk to the Doctor on Thursday about it. Nothing is really wrong but I got off to a slow start after surgery. I was totally commented to the sports, weight lifting, and the horseback riding, that broke down the hip. This is different. I feel powerless over so much of this process. .

 

[dogmom1960]

Hi everyone. Bad night last night. not sure what happened but woke up with the pillow on the floor, not between my knees. I have both groin and outside hip pain. Not having a great day. thanks for letting me whine today

 

[LadyJune]

@dogmom1960 Are you still icing at night? I had to do that last night. Wondered if you commute...after back surgery I carried ice packs up to work. Would use one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. If you are at a desk that might work for you too. If not then maybe the drive in and home from work. @Josephine recommended more than 30 min and she might have some suggestions on the pain you are experiencing.

 

[dogmom1960]

I go to bed with an ice pack every night. when I went back to work, the first week I iced at work as well. if it's been long day, I will ice when I get home.

 

[zauberflöte]

@dogmom1960 I am so sorry you had a bad night. Do you find that good and bad alternate? A few days of one, then a few days of the other? Totally typical!! There are people on here who carried ice to work for many months-- I seem to remember somebody sitting on it! By the time I went back to work it was 5 1/2 months, and there were hours of driving and sitting with no opportunity to even stretch out the legs. You can bet I iced when I finally got home! But by 6 1/2 months, I was doing way more drive-sit experiences, and there was very little problem. What a difference a month can make! I think I must have been an ice addict LOL

 

[LaurenAnne]

You are still very early in recovery. It is a painstaking and slow process. I am your age and about 20 months post op. You have to have patience. I think it is harder because we were younger at surgery (I was 55, bone on bone) and we want to get back to our usual fast pace. Give yourself time, it will come. I just started with a personal trainer about 6 weeks ago to try to get more flexibility and endurance. I want to feel like I could "walk Disney World" again. Best of luck to you.

 

[Josephine]

Meds, that is another question I have. How long typically is someone on them? Since I started driving, I do not take any during the day, but by the time I get home at night, I am pretty sore so I am taking some just to take the edge off.

As long as is necessary. There is no set date.

how much pain/discomfort is expected, OK?

Actually none!

Unfortunately Tylenol does nothing for me.

But how much were you taking and how often? Usually when poeple say that, I find they were taking one regular T once or twice a day!

they prescribed meloxicam, and that did not do anything either. the only relief I ever got before surgery was thru shots. I have tried using Aleve, but its not a great deal of help either.

Unsurprising. Both are NSAIDs and pretty useless as pain meds.

I am only doing the PT exercises they gave me in the beginning. the basic ones everybody does.

And they are usually far too aggressive and too many

I have been doing massages around my scar. I have had ACL surgery so I know the importance of not letting scar tissue build up.

This is a hip not a knee. Hips don't get 'scar tissue', that's why they never have to do MUAs on hips!

I'm going to ask you some questions and it would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't compare this with the bone-on-bone pain you had before surgery!

)

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. how often are you icing your hip and for how long?

4. are you elevating your leg, how often and for how long?

5. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

6. what kind of PT/exercises are you doing? How much and how often? (and detailed details would be appreciated, please! Reps, sets and session and all that)

 

[dogmom1960]

1. Pain level averages around 3-4.
2. what they gave me when I left the hospital-- 50 mg tramadol 1-2 tablets, rotated with 1-2 tablets of hydrocodone-APAP7.5-325. however at this stage I will only take 1 of tramadol if I am really bad. otherwise just 2 aleve in the am, pm.
3. I only ice at night. at work it's not very easy to do. I did not experience a lot of swelling, and besides numbing for a while, not sure what other benefits I am getting.
4. have never elevated my leg, unless I am in bed. it was never a recommended protocol.
5. I live by myself. at 9 weeks out, I am doing all of my own shopping, housework, cooking. i have been doing that since I started driving. The only thing I gave up on was my yard. it killed me to have someone come and maintain it for me this summer.
6. I am not good about keeping up with my PT now. I was in such good physical health before the surgery they seemed pretty silly to me. I walk with my cane now, I do go to the gym, ride the bike some, but I usually go to the pool and walk in the water. I am doing some shoulder, chest and arm exercises, nothing major. even if I don't work out a lot being at the gym is a huge mood lifter for me. it makes me feel normal again.

 

[Josephine]

1. Pain level averages around 3-4.

Gosh, that's a high at 10 weeks out.

2. what they gave me when I left the hospital-- 50 mg tramadol 1-2 tablets, rotated with 1-2 tablets of hydrocodone-APAP7.5-325. However at this stage I will only take 1 of tramadol if I am really bad. otherwise just 2 aleve in the am, pm.

I think I said earlier that Aleve is pretty ineffectual as a pain med. You'd have much better relief taking 1,000mg Tylenol 3-4 times a day.

3. I only ice at night. at work it's not very easy to do. I did not experience a lot of swelling, and besides numbing for a while, not sure what other benefits I am getting.

Ice is nature's pain killer.

What kind of work do you do and at what stage did you return?

4. have never elevated my leg, unless I am in bed. it was never a recommended protocol.

okay - no worries about that.

5. I live by myself. at 9 weeks out, I am doing all of my own shopping, housework, cooking. i have been doing that since I started driving. The only thing I gave up on was my yard. it killed me to have someone come and maintain it for me this summer.

I know exactly how you feel but was still very wise of you!

6. I am not good about keeping up with my PT now. I was in such good physical health before the surgery they seemed pretty silly to me. I walk with my cane now, I do go to the gym, ride the bike some, but I usually go to the pool and walk in the water. I am doing some shoulder, chest and arm exercises, nothing major. even if I don't work out a lot being at the gym is a huge mood lifter for me. it makes me feel normal again.

Well good because to be honest, you don't need it. Hips actually don't need much 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. And since you are at work and doing all your own housework and shopping, etc., that is your PT. Do nothing else and I think your pain will abate.

However I do have one more question for you - can you tell me the exact site of your pain using this chart?
Please note the instructions in the smaller image

 

[dogmom1960]

I work at an advertising agency, so I am up and down from desk quite a lot. but on the flip side, I do have sit at a computer quite a bit. I never really stopped working. I was answering emails the day of my surgery, which I am reading is pretty common. I stayed at home for 3 weeks, went back to work full time week 4. I took naps at lunch each day for a week & half. will still do that if I get tired. my pain based on your grids would be R2F/C in the front and RB/D and E. today has been a better day I have not had as much pain. I did take a Tramadol before I went to bed last night, so I am wondering if that is what has made the difference. I think the doctor was more worried about swelling, leading to pain. I will take your suggestion on the Tylenol and see what happens. I don't have a lot of faith in Tylenol. I have pretty bad headaches from time to time and it does nothing for those. this is different so I will give it a shot. I am also keenly aware of the overdose issues with Tylenol as well.

I knew you were going to say do nothing else, but mentally that puts me in the depression mode. Honestly, I would rather hurt than be depressed.