THR 9/21 RTHR On the other side!

[zuffa27]

Surgery was at Stony Brook NY. Came in around 700am, and now in my room. Pretty smooth so far, I will update and provide information as much as possible!

 

[Pumpkin]

Welcome to the OtherSide!
Glad you are out of surgery and in your room.

Here are the Hip Recovery Guidelines, the articles are short and will not take long to read.

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

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rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

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a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

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BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

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Activity progression for THRs​

6. Access these pages on the website

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Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Care In Hospital​

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
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

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.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

 

[Woodstockhip]

Great news! Hope you can get some sleep and those PTs don’t work you too hard.

 

[Elf1]

@zuffa27 welcome to the healing side and congrats on that shiny new hip. Right now you need to just try to relax, get as much rest as possible and work with the staff to keep any pain under control. It's always better to stay ahead of the pain than to play catch up after its taken hold. If they haven't already offered you some ice for your hip, please ask for some, it works wonders on pain.

 

[leejaa]

Congratulations on your new hip. I hope your pain is managed well and you have plenty of ice. Ask for ice for your drive home also as it really helps with all the extra activity getting in and out of the car and getting home. I hope your night is peaceful.

 

[zuffa27]

9/21 @ 7:37 update.....

Thank you all for the great words of advice. I was able to walk from the bed to the door and back. After that I needed something for pain so they gave me dilaudid. Right now I'm watching the Yankees and sleeping on and off. Biggest complaint is cramping but I am drinking water as much as possible. Will give update tomorrow. Night all!

 

[Mersada]

Congrats on making it through with your new hip. Sounds good so far!!

 

[Mojo333]

Good to see you on the healing side.
The first days were a bit jarring for me, so try to relax and hope they have you headed home soon where you can get more comfortable.
All Temporary....

 

[Layla]

Welcome to recovery and congrats on your new hip!
Hopefully you slept well enough last night and you’re resting comfortably with pain well managed.
May today be a good one for you.
@zuffa27

 

[ForumUser]

Congrats!

Biggest single danger in early recover is being MALE

First week is usually OK since you don't feel like doing too much, then second week ya start feeling waaaay better and can do anything - NOT!

Second week is when you set yourself back a week or so by over exerting, over exercising, over socializing, over whatever ...

Here's my story - https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/thr-a-doing-well.54206/#post-1305838

My lessons learned for early recovery:
- no early PT other than light stretching
- ice and elevate as often as possible
- do NOT fall prey to imaging you are healed simply because it doesn't hurt anymore
- get off narcotics as soon as you are able; this doesn't mean live with pain, it just means use Tylenol instead of narcotics if it works for you
- walk, walk, walk, but while walking be alert for bad habits - have someone walk behind you to help you understand what your body is doing

 

[zuffa27]

Day 2:

Still in hospital. Apparently my kidney levels were slightly elevated so they couldn't prescribe me Celebrex. I have to get a dose of radiation to stop the growth of new bone.

Did waddle to the bathroom and up and down a few flights of stairs. Scheduled to go home tomorrow. Oh and I'm surrounded in ice packs!

 

[leejaa]

Ice packs are wonderful and I am glad your hospital provides them. Soon you will be home and there is no place like home. Have a peaceful evening.

 

[zuffa27]

Day 3: Just got home. Man its painful. The nausea is about under control. Just iced my leg for 30 min and took medication. I'm trying to sleep but no luck. Thinking this might be my first test home

 

[Woodstockhip]

Oh, I feel your pain. Literally. Just got home today. Sounds like you are doing everything right — time will take care of it but man, it is hard to wait! Hope you get some sleep tonight.

 

[Layla]

Its good to hear you’re safely home. Take your meds on schedule and continue to ice and elevate. Elevate for no less than 45-60 minutes each time you ice. It will help with the pain and swelling. I iced almost non-stop in the early days. Just make sure to have fabric between your skin and your ice source.
Wishing you comfort and a relaxing evening as you begin to heal.
@zuffa27

 

[leejaa]

Ice and elevation are your friends. I, too, iced non stop except when walking for weeks. It helped with pain and keept the swelling down so the hip is happier which made me happier.

 

[Elf1]

Yep, what Layla and Leejaa said!

 

[zuffa27]

Day 4: Well the nausea is gone but man what a to sleep! I called my dr about sleeping on my side so he said I could as long as it was on the operative side. Scratched my head and said ok. Went to roll onto side and I swear I felt the implant haha Maybe not ready for that yet.

This morning I got up and moved and did my mini walks. PT is coming at 1130 so after reading many of the posts here I know to push myself until my body says stop, not push bc they want me to. Appetite is coming back and staying hydrated. Will stay icing shortly. Be well everyone!

 

[Layla]

Good Morning
It’s good to hear the nausea is gone. Sleep proves elusive for many early on. I know that’s no comfort, but you're not alone. Sleep when you’re able at this point, it will improve.
I didn’t sleep on my op side for many weeks. I was afraid to try it. What worked for me when. I finally attempted it was the use of an inexpensive body pillow ($10) from Target. I used it in between legs and found it comfortable and am still falling asleep this way 3+ yrs post op. Something to consider.

so after reading many of the posts here I know to push myself until my body says stop, not push bc they want me to.

Please don’t push yourself at all, only do what’s comfortable. PT really isn’t necessary in most instances, especially in early recovery. Walking alone as exercise will suffice, but not to excess. Use the Activity Progression for THR from the Recovery Guidelines as a rough gauge to remain safely active without entering the ODIC (Over Did It Club)

A great day to you!

 

[zuffa27]

Day 5: Well today went well. Last night I managed to sleep some and whoever suggested a body pillow....kudos!! It worked wonders. Bandage comes off on Sunday which means first shower! Still stiff, but expected, not constipated at all but just tired. Ill post scar pic once bandage comes off!