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THR A 39 year old's recovery

I am so glad you can help alleviate that stabbing pain with massage :) i wasn't allowed to massage any of my cramped quads or calves"better not, in case you move any clot along" arrgh!
I stuck my op leg out in front of me to sit//stand for many weeks! I remember the absolute delight I felt the first time I got out of a chair hands-free. And later (much later) the toilet. And very much later a little rushwork footstool that had been impossible for half a year before op. And waaaayyyy later, the impossible-- rising from a squat!!!
You are coming along very well! Anywhere there's swelling, ice it-- you have the routune down pat!


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whiteshoecovers said:
One week + one day update:

Wow, rough week. I have included Oxy back into my pain management but don't have it dialed in yet. Comfort at night and sleeping is better but I'm still trying to balance my daytime dose so I can be lucid enough to work a bit (a couple phone calls and a little computer work).
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Your description after surgery may be normal but if in pain get off the leg n ice the heck out of it . My Dr said if pain is in range of 6 to 10 take meds. 10 is the worst pain. As everyone has told me on here slow down, rest, ice. It's not easy but I want to have to go get another surgery done

My primary pain is in my inner thigh. I get a stabbing pain with every foot-step when I walk in certain spot in my gait: just before I unload my foot. With ~90% body weight it is almost gone, but with 100% it's pretty severe. I am hoping my Dr will let me see a PT I had previously that was successful in needling my adductor for relief of similar symptoms, but am doubtful he'll want me to allow her to puncture my skin in fear of infection. We'll see. After walking a bit it is the hangover of this stabbing pain that remains and what I am trying to manage. It is also aggravated when I sit in a chair.

Overall this is worst than I was expecting. Again I was told the recovery would be "easier" than my previous hip scopes, but am now realizing these comments where made in terms of restrictions and necessity of PT and not pain level or duration. Being an athletic active person, I don't see PT as a burden but just as a specified daily work out which is what I want to do when I get well anyway.
 
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@whiteshoecovers, I see you've made it to the other side. Patience and sensibility (and the right pain meds) will get you through this. Young is only part of the picture of recovery. It's excellent that you are really aware of your body and what's going on through your recovery. Keep documenting (whether it's here or another journal). It's interesting to look back and see where you were in the mind/body arena and how you dealt with it. There've been a couple recommendations to consider seeing your GP (although your 2 wk appt is right around the corner) to consider adjusting or changing those meds. I've never done well on them, but once I found what worked for me, the alarm/schedule really made a huge difference in the early part of my recovery. Getting the pain under control went hand in hand with the mobility.

Getting in and out of bed became an art in itself in my recovery. I found with my right side done, getting in and out of bed on the left side was much more manageable. It was easier to get adjusted and stablizing with the left unop leg getting in and out. If I get the other side done, I'll be swapping sides of the bed for a while. Standing from a sit and those first few steps is a classic issue for everyone in their recovery. It will continue to get better.

I so remember that pain/pressure when shifting the weight off of the leg. I felt it with the few post-op exercises for a while. It too should subside or diminish. Remember the kind of work you just had (yes, 11 days is still "just had") done. Our bodies are amazing at recovery; give everything a chance to subside from the surgical trauma.

I found that soft, wrap type ice packs worked really well. I had a couple in rotation during my waking hours.

Hoping that you are able to rest at night and you continue to feel better.
 
I wanted to add that I've had zero issue with fatigue. Besides a day or two after surgery I haven't found my energy levels to be compromised at all. Granted I'm not doing very much but I mention this because it is a common complaint I've read on this forum. After I am up walking around the house for a bit or preparing a meal I definitely want to recline with some ice, but I would call this discomfort or pain and not fatigue.
 
@whiteshoecovers , the energy drain is not something that everyone feels. Each and every recovery is different. I had very little energy drain post RTHR but this was certainly not the case after my LTHR.
 
Day 13

Should I be able to do a straight leg raise at this point? I haven't been trying to and haven't been instructed to try, but don't think I can.


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Worry not! There are no "shoulds" in this recovery. Lots of soft tissue and muscles are traumatised post op. Just give yourself a bit of time. Things that seem impossible one day are easy a few days (weeks) later.
 
I'm feeling discouraged today.

I have quite a bit of pain in my groin that is almost identical to my worst pre-op pain. Is this common? A sign that removed hip was the source of this pain? Or a red flag?

Though I did ramp up on my Oxy I didn't find it very effective in relieving my pain and it has started to result in a headache that is exactly coincident with my dosing. I go in for my first check-up on wednesday (two days from now) and will ask about alternative meds then.
 
whiteshoecovers said:
I have quite a bit of pain in my groin that is almost identical to my worst pre-op pain. Is this common?
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Yes, this is post op pain. Have you increased your activity levels? Are you still icing and elevating regularly. Do talk to your GP or surgeon about alternative pain meds. It sometimes takes awhile to get that post op pain management cocktail right.
 
Thanks for the prompt reply, I really need the reassurance today. It really sucks that my post-op pain is the same as my pre-op pain. I was working under the optimistic assumption that it would be different, I am really tired of this groin pain.

My activity level hasn't really changed much, just laps around the house with my cane (occasionally only carrying it) every couple hours to break up sitting up in bed working on my computer with ice ALWAYS somewhere on my hip.
 
Sounds like you need better meds. Unlike pre-op pain, post op pain can be managed. Call your family doc or surgeon's office. You just need something that works for you.
 
@whiteshoecovers - Hope you can resolve this groin pain, I'm not looking forward to post op
since reading all the threads, I have revised my vision of where I'm going to be at 1 week, 2
weeks, 3 weeks etc.
 
@souldancer we're all here because we are calling BS on our painful hips and ready to show them the door, and we'd do so whether the acute phase of recovery was 2 days, 2 weeks or 2 months (God let's hope it's not 2 months). It'd be nice if our expectations where properly managed, but it appears there is a large variability in the length of this phase independent of patient age, fitness or degree of disease. For some people its easiest to expect the worst and hope for the best, and for others, I guess myself included, need to expect the best and just deal with it if we're delt with anything else. Maybe that's what I needed to make this decision.
 
If you can do a straight leg raise at 13 days you belong in the record books!!! If you Have been doing them, I can tell you that just the thought of it gives Me a severe pain in the groin!
I was still on at least a 5/325 of percocet plus 325 of tylenol every 6 hours, with 2 whole percocet at bedtime, when I was at your stage. This was major Major surgery, and your hip and leg were treated like you were a rag doll in the jaws of a pit bull! (And we pay them to do this and thank them afterwards too!! :lol: ) all the healing will not actually be done for up to a year, although you may feel pretty darn cocky and pleased with yourself long before that! :)


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Just back from my 2 week follow-up. I only saw the PA, but he was the one that also participated in the surgery.

Staples out and incision looks great. I explained all my pain and he reassured me it was all very normal and nothing to worry about. He wrote me a new script for norco to try instead of oxy, and said he could then call in one for tramadol if I didn't like that (You have to physically go to the office to pick up the norco and oxy scripts, but he can call in tramadol to the pharmacy).

He really emphasized how PT is prohibited at this stage and all I should be doing is resting and walking as tolerated. This really promotes an internal conflict within myself that is fueled by others on this forum who appear to start regular PT early, and by my brother who is a PT (but not locally). But I guess you have to listen to the guy with the knife.
 
wow that is interesting to see your pt doesn't want to see you do anything yet i had a pt come in on day 3 to get me doing some basics to keep the joint moving and adjusting to the leg now i am day 16 and in out patient pt for 2 days a week for 8 weeks. did you have a anterior or posterior/lateral surgery? i just got back from a 3.2 mile walk with my dog and wow can we say my booty and legs had a nice wow what you doing to me lady burn! a good muscle wakeup burn not a omg! i overdid my leg. though i think i have hit the energy drain pit, i thought it was the oxycodone but i took that at 10 am and those only go for 4 hours. but going to play with pups and must do my home pt exercises daily. i wish you luck but i do find it odd on why he doesn't want you to even walk. you have to take it easy yes as i am learning from here and the drs but they say walking is essential to get the new hip moving as well as keep the joint area from scarring over. hmm. well i am not a dr. lol! good luck
 
As I said in my previous post, the instructions from my PA were "resting and walking as tolerated".
 
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Whiteshoecovers, I think you are wise to follow the recommendations of your OS and PA with regard to physical activity. These early weeks set the stage for the rest of your recovery. I'm sure you don't want to overdo and end up with inflammatory conditions in the long term.

It sounds like you are doing quite well in recovery and I hope that continues for you. Good luck with the Norco!

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WSC, after hanging around here now for several years, I've seen that the PT question has no clear answer. In the US, it appears to be more the norm to have PT for hips, but that can vary from just some in-home exercises to full-blown 3x a week right out of the starting gate. Once you go to PT, a lot depends on how knowledgeable the therapist is about THRs. There are big differences between recovering from a sports injury vs rehabbing from a stroke vs recovering from surgery. But in all cases, too much too soon is detrimental, and sometimes you only know that in hindsight. So taking it slowly, and easing in to this stretch or that push, are the watchwords for this process. There is no harm in waiting, but there can be harm in starting too soon.

What I have seen in four years on this forum is that patience pays off and impatience breeds problems. I am happily back to dancing and cycling, after too many years of being sidelined, and I don't take that for granted. Hang in...you'll get where you want to be.

Sharon
 
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