THR A New Hip in Vegas

Thanks Layla. This forum has been so comforting to me with this surgery.
 
I walked around the block this morning with my walker. It was challenging and I took a small rest around the halfway point but I did it. I iced down immediately afterwards. I wish it was not so hot right now so that I could venture out in the afternoon also.

I saw my OS on Monday; he was happy with my progress and thought my incision looked fine. He told me if there is any worry about my incision that I could text a photo of it to his surgery team for evaluation and that they'd only have me come into the office if there was a problem.

I am so pleased with my recovery so far. I had minimal bruising and swelling and just realized during my OS visit that I had no numbness around the incision site. My OS's office has been very supportive. I was impressed by the care I received in the hospital. The nurses had me iced up 24/7 and I never had to ask for pain medication; the nurses made sure I took it on schedule. I think the amount of time I've spent icing has improved my healing.

Before the surgery I had this thought that I'd go back to work after 2/3 weeks. That is not happening; I am planning to start a phased return at the 4 week mark. I have tapered off the OTC pain medication and am using Tylenol.

My OS did start discussing surgery for my right hip. He was surprised that it was not hurting me but said it might after I heal from this surgery. As I stated earlier in my thread we are planning a vacation to Capri in October; my OS said he can give me a vacation steroid hip injection to keep me comfortable during my vacation. He said a lot of people request that. So as I recover from this surgery, I am hoping that I can strengthen my right hip/lehg and put off the next replacement for quite a while.
 
Hello there :wave:
What a great update. Thanks for sharing your progress. All seems well and a trip to Capri sounds fantastic!
Lucky you! Hopefully your right hip holds out for a good long time.
Enjoy the weekend!
@DinVegas
 
:wowspring: You sound splendid.
Stay slow and steady, and things will keep getting better.
Onward..:ok:
 
I was feeling good enough to go back to work on a reduced schedule so I requested paperwork from my doctor's office to release me on a part time basis.

I just found out from HR that although I was released they didn't put in my maximum hours per day or week - so I'm at work now but still up in the air. I didn't think that the FMLA paperwork was rocket science and that surely the doctor's office has filled it out before.
 
:oyvey:Good Grief.
However...Hope knees and hips are doing well.
 
@DinVegas hello! I just realized you and I are surgery sisters! You sound like you are progressing right along. That is a good thing. :yes!:

You gave me a good chuckle about your FMLA statement and hope it all smoothes out.
 
Happy One Month Anniversary to Lefty!
I hope you have a great weekend as you continue on the journey! :walking:
@DinVegas
 
I’m very frustrated. I feel like I should be able to ditch my walker and cane by now. I still have to rely on them. I’ve experimented with putting weight on my left leg and it’s just not happening. I feel like I’ve regressed in my recovery. I called my OS yesterday to ask about my recovery progress and ask for a refill for my p ain pills and did not receive a call back. I guess I could have been more proactive today but I had gone to a hair appointment and when I got home I fell asleep with my ice packs on. It’s not so much my hip hurting as it is my thigh and knee on that side. Is this normal for a month out of surgery?
 
Yes, it’s normal. I’m 7 weeks out and I kept thinking it should be better but I’ve learned from this forum, it’s not fast. I’ve had pains on and off everywhere, hip, groin, knee, foot , thigh but it gets a little better every day. I had to learn the hard way, but don’t overdo it. Don’t do exercises, don’t go to PT, just let it heal on its own. And we will be fine. I’m healing very nicely.
 
@DinVegas I'm sorry you feel a little down and feel like you've regressed a bit. I wonder if it has to do with your return to work and would it be possible to scale that back a wee bit?
If you are worried, yes, talk to your OS but it sure sounds like a bit of the "overdid it club" activities.
In answer to your question, yes it is normal to have thigh and knee pain at a month post op. Remember, they did some pretty major manipulations and even some sawing and hammering and stitching in there!
Plus the months of limping and favoring your hip caused all sorts of muscle imbalances that are now trying to kick back in.

hugs and I hope this week is better for you. :flwrysmile:
 
My woes are probably caused by the "over did it club". I took it pretty easy over the weekend but decided to cook an easy dinner. I went to work part time yesterday and iced for a total of about 4 hours when I went home. I was still pretty achy at bedtime so I massaged CBD oil into my sore thigh. It seems to have helped. I've been putting a heating pad on my operated leg when I wake up in the morning. When I had my knee replacements, PT would always start me off with a heated wrap before therapy and I figured it might be a good way to start the day since my thigh is pretty stiff when I wake up. I'm trying to figure out the path to ease my soreness.
I need to print out the activity chart for my husband because he's upset and worried about my recovery. He was reassured when I told him that the news from this site was my recovery and aches and pains are not unusual.
Although I wish I could wave away my soreness, I'm coming to terms that it will just take time. I'm trying to log how I feel each day into my calendar so that I can look back to see how I've improved.
 
I realized the other day that I was relying on my walker way too much. I was putting a lot of my weight onto the handles; I was able to get around faster but I was not doing myself any favors. My left hand has been going numb in the fingertips, probably because of my shoulder and back tensing up. I've taken a step back and started walking slower (so much slower) and forcing myself to put more weight on my operated leg. This doesn't make my leg feel worse and I feel like I'm getting improved motion. I still use my walker but I try to just use it as a balance security blanket. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be improving in the next few weeks and be able to ditch walking aids in the near(ish) future. I am also waiting eagerly for my last little scab to leave my incision so that I can exercise in the pool.
 
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I'm in UK and only used walker in hospital for 2 days. After that it was crutches. I'm 9 weeks out and just recently starting to walk without any aids, bit still using 1 crutch when I get tired afternoons. My PT says she would be ok if I needed a crutch up to 3 months post op to avoid any limping / gait issues. Try a cane if you want to get off the walker and stand up straighter. Don't worry about rushing things. Go slow, heel / toe. You'll get there!
 
I realized the other day that I was relying on my walker way too much. I was putting a lot of my weight onto the handles; I was able to get around faster but I was not doing myself any favors. My left hand has been going numb in the fingertips, probably because of my shoulder and back tensing up.
I did the same with my two new hips.
They are stronger than we think...
Just sore muscles.

Relax and use for stability...that's how I had to think of it
 
Hang in there and I hope to hear you are feeling improvement real soon. :flwrysmile:
 
Hello @DinVegas
Dropping by to say Hi :hi:
Would love to hear an update on your progress. If you're still using the walker, but trying to
move to a cane or crutch, try only placing your fingertips on it as you walk. Not only will it relieve the pressure, numbness and tense shoulders you're dealing with but help you confidently see you can most likely do without it at this point. Give it a try and let us know how you're doing.
Best of luck to you!
 
Hi @Layla , I've been meaning to post since last Thursday. Shortly after my last post I realized that I didn't need my walker so much, plus my incision had healed completely so I could start exercising in the pool. That made a huge difference in my regaining strength and confidence. I ditched my walker and starting using my cane.
I had my six week check up and told my OS that I had experienced a lot of pain a few weeks before but it appeared to be resolved. Turns out that my implant had slipped a few millimeters into my femer, the OS suspects that was causing my pain. I'm going back in 3 weeks for a recheck to make sure it's secure but he thought the X ray showed bone grafting to the implant - plus I wasn't having pain - so he has me continuing doing what I'm doing. He did caution me to call if there was any pain or changes in my recovery. Hopefully my next X ray will show that it's stayed in position because if not I'll have to be non weight bearing on that leg.

Right now my cane is being used basically as a security blanket and to help support my right leg. As soon as the pain resolved from my left hip, the right hip reared it's bone on bone head and demanded my attention. I'm happy to be able to exercise in my pool and told my husband that we'll be heating it on the weekends for at least the next six weeks.

During my OS visit I made an appointment for a steroid shot in my right hip right before we go on our trip to Capri and scheduled my right hip replacement for December 17. I met my out of pocket expenses for this year so I want to sneak it in before the end of the year. Truthfully, if we didn't have this Capri vacation scheduled I'd be doing the right hip ASAP.
 
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Hi, @DinVegas
Thanks for updating. I'm sorry to read your implant slipped resulting in pain. It is good to hear the pain has eased though. With any luck you'll learn the prosthetic is securely in place at your next appt in three weeks. Its too bad your right hip is bone on bone and in need of replacement. It hasn't allowed you to fully enjoy recovery. Sadly this is a scenario that's all too familiar.

Thankfully you have a date scheduled. I hope you'll be able to enjoy your Capri vacation without being in too much pain, you'll have to let us know how it goes.
Enjoy the rest of the week!
 
DinV,

You’re doing great ...

Re the corticosteroid shot - I did this with my recently replaced left hip for two years ... the effect initially was incredible - no pain at all - about every 4-5 months I would have another. They became less and less helpful til there was no effect. That is when I decided to have the THR.

I had two goals - get off narcotics and get walking. Pain is different person to person - I took a total of 25 mg of oxy on the day of the op and none after that - Tylenol was key to my recovery. No PT - just walking - overdid it 10-14 days in with unassisted walks around the block - and it set me back about a week.

You will be so chill in a couple of weeks - the corticosteroid shot is easy and nearly painless - takes about 3 minutes to set up with sonar guidance and 30 seconds for the shot. For me it was nearly instant relief!
 

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