THR Allahere_recovery

[Peaches]

Hello, @allahere. You tagged me elsewhere (my thread, I think), so I wanted to drop by yours and see how you are doing. You're around 4 weeks out from surgery it seems, and sounds to me as if your progress is similar to many who went through the THR at the time I did last year (I'm over 1 year out). I guess it does feel "slow" compared to the super-fast-and-easy recoveries we sometimes read about, but it's been important to me to heed the advice by others on here to NOT compare oneself to others. I truly believe what I read about how how those hips will dictate the recovery. I agree with you a thousand percent on this one, too:

Being comfortable is certainly important for thinking more positive and for better recovery. I personally can not force myself into happy thinking if I suffer physically.

The traumatized soft tissue from the surgery doesn't know "positive thoughts" from a hole in the ground. It's going to hurt in the beginning when you try to sit for long, and it doesn't matter how many happy thoughts you have in your head. I too found it impossible to find a good chair to sit in.
I rented one of those "high hip chairs" like you see at HSS's doc offices from
https://www.landmetro.com
It was $50 a month and a 3-month minimum to be paid upfront. BUT you could cancel it after the first month, which I did. So I paid only $50 and it was well worth it to me. Still, I couldn't sit there for a really long time and couldn't do work from it. I don't have any good answers about the sitting problem other than time. Once the restrictions are lifted, that will help.

I really wanted a recliner, too, but have a tiny apt., so I didn't do it. I wish you all the best with your recovery. It's different for everyone, but for me and maybe a fair number of others, it's not a straight line progression. It's got dips and peaks and valleys and is rather unpredictable. Over time the good days outnumber the bad ones. I have no regrets at all that I had the hip replaced. Take care.

 

[Zebra]

@allahere, how are things going? Did the right leg feeling longer thing settle down at all? Can you walk pretty well now as the right leg gets stronger? Did the incision pain pretty much go away? (I am a baby when it comes to pain). Can you side sleep or do you have to pretty much have to still sleep on your back? I'm a little concerned about sleeping since I sleep pretty well now!

My appt. is coming up with Dr. Bostrom so I have been thinking about it. Just curious, did Dr. Bostrom order the MRI pre-op for you, or was that another doc? Is it possible to reach the RN or PA by phone before or afterwards, or only e-mail?

Also, here in NJ, the OS docs have the primary care doc do the pre-op physical. At HSS, do you have to go see their HSS internists docs first for the pre-op physical exam and then go again, right before surgery, for a final clearance exam? Or just once? I was a little confused how that works. I was wondering if I would have to ask my primary care doc for a referral to their primary care docs and how that would work.

Hope you are feeling better and can sit down now. I haven't ordered a high hip chair yet but it is on my mind.
Best wishes.

 

[allahere]

@Zebra - thanks for checking in with me...

@allahere Did the right leg feeling longer thing settle down at all? Can you walk pretty well now as the right leg gets stronger?

It's getting better with every day, slower than I would like... I can walk without a cane but I can only "pretend" that I'm not limping. When I go outside, I use the cane and b/c my walk is still rather uneven, the more I do it, my back is getting tired, from all this work and tension, very quickly. I need to stretch it, in bed, and with all precautions it's a bit tricky, but my PT guy taught me how to do it. I think I'll start the outpatient therapy this week: my PT, a very cool guy, told me that they are in general more aggressive and have more equipment to work with patients like me and I'll benefit from it more and faster.

There are moments, usually in the morning, after lots of rest, when I get up and being half asleep, start walking (to the restroom) and my hubby said I was not limping, at all, but then somehow my body still remember how to limp and I start limping again, dammit, and I hold by the wall, to help myself etc... It's probably hugely psychological too, and I'm trying, all the time, to get rid of it...I think, even IF it's possible in my case, it'll take a few months before it'll get resolved. We'll see.

@allahere Did the incision pain pretty much go away? (I am a baby when it comes to pain).

How I define "pain" (in my pre op days) is gone, even from the incision area, but there is still some discomfort behind the scar. The nurse in the hospital (same as Josephine here on BS) said that in post op we should include all kinds of uncomfortable feelings - such as stiffness, tension, burning etc. - into the answer about the pain level. With this "new" definition, I'd say my "pain" is now 1-2.

I wish I could explain to you how I was afraid of the more pain or different pain after the surgery: I thought pain meds won't work for me or I'll have side effects, I was sure something will go wrong with me... It was my first surgery - I didn't even know what epidural means, since my baby delivery was in another country and without the epidural - I was so so so scared. I honestly tell you now - the pain before the surgery is worse and getting only worse in time... And this post op discomfort is getting better, at my own pace: after the first week I was off pain meds, after the second week almost all the swelling got down, in the third week I started to sleep on the side, and now after the fourth week I can sit in chairs (almost ANY chair! although I'm still careful with any new chair). I'm sitting now in my favorite Herman Miller's chair, although on a pillow (to avoid those curves in the seat).

@allahere Just curious, did Dr. Bostrom order the MRI pre-op for you, or was that another doc? Is it possible to reach the RN or PA by phone before or afterwards, or only e-mail?

No, Dr. B only did X-ray, nothing else. All MRI were requested by other doctors: my rheumatologist and the spine pain specialist.

I usually emailed to RN with my questions and she would answer, not right away, in a day or two; and once I spoke with PA. They picked up the phone right away, but you need to have their business cards with their direct numbers. And btw once, on Sunday, on the eve of the surgery, I called at their general number, requested to speak with the doctor and I said that it's an emergency, they asked who is my doctor, then told me that Dr. B is not an "on call" doctor, but if it's an emergency they will connect me with another "on call" surgeon, and they did. He introduced himself and answered all my questions... I was kind of panicking a bit b/c I didn't have two tests' results and didn't want to go into the surgery before I'll see them and didn't know what to do tomorrow, on the day of the surgery...This story is in my thread somewhere

@allahere
Also, here in NJ, the OS docs have the primary care doc do the pre-op physical. At HSS, do you have to go see their HSS internists docs first for the pre-op physical exam and then go again, right before surgery, for a final clearance exam? Or just once? I was a little confused how that works. I was wondering if I would have to ask my primary care doc for a referral to their primary care docs and how that would work.

Yes, it was confusing to me too. Dr B, when I was agreeing to the surgery, sent me to his assistant to schedule the surgery, and when we agreed on the date, they took my insurance card, were checking something and then gave me the paper, where I had 2 dates and brief instructions: 1. a date for the surgery and 2. a pre-surgical exam day, two weeks earlier, with their internist.

Btw I mentioned to Dr B that I want to see the HSS rheumatologist, b/c I wanted to discuss some autoimmune issues etc. He said that he can give me a rheumatologist as a clearance doctor. So I didn't have to do the clearance with my PC.

@Zebra - keep me posted how your appointment will go and also how you will decide to proceed. You should chose what, as you feel, is best for you, of course. My follow up appointment is soon, July 18 (they called and shifted it to a week before the previous date b/c he'll be at the business conference.) They said that PA will do the follow up, but Dr B will be available if any questions will arise...

 

[Zebra]

"I wish I could explain to you how I was afraid of the more pain or different pain after the surgery: I thought pain meds won't work for me or I'll have side effects, I was sure something will go wrong with me... It was my first surgery - I didn't even know what epidural means, since my baby delivery was in another country and without the epidural - I was so so so scared."

@allahere, this is so me. I have never had any surgery, and I am so scared of the surgery pain or whatever else could go wrong. I have almost zero pain now. Just a dull ache in my hips when I move. The OS docs say my hips are almost "fused," so while I can only walk very very slowly and just manage to get up stairs sideways and have no range of motion at all, I also have no pain at night, etc. I think if I was in excruciating pain it would actually be easier to make the decision. At least I would get that "instant" pain relief everybody talks about, even if the hips were not that great. And I have to do both, probably eight weeks apart, which is a pain.

You seem to be making good progress with the sleeping and the sitting so that is encouraging to hear. I don't know what to think about the limping issue. When you stand up in bare feet, can you stand up with both legs straight, or do you have to bend the left knee? (that is what I have to do). Just wondering if your leg length is just a little bit off. Then the PTs could probably help with the gait.

My primary care doctor gave me a referral to Dr. Bostrom so that initial appt. is a go a few weeks from now. I am more concerned about driving to the upper east side from NJ and getting there on time in all the traffic than anything else.

BTW, I am sure you might have mentioned this, but is your incision on the side of your thigh (posterior-lateral)?
Or is it on your behind? Was just wondering how I am supposed to sleep at night, on my back, if the incision is actually right on my rear end!

Also, what materials did he use? Ceramic ball and plastic liner? Metal ball and plastic liner? Just curious. Both the OS docs I saw said they would use ceramic and plastic, since I guess no one wants to hear about metal.
But I was thinking of asking if a larger diameter metal ball might give me a better range of motion.

I noticed in reading through some of the recovery threads that you were asking people who their doc was.
How did you decide on Dr. B among the 8 docs you said you saw at HSS? I saw a guy from NJ just started a thread in recovery how Dr. Mayman did his hips both at once. But after seeing the "young" docs in NJ I was looking for a doc with 20 years experience, more senior, etc.

 

[allahere]

I have almost zero pain now. Just a dull ache in my hips when I move. The OS docs say my hips are almost "fused," so while I can only walk very very slowly and just manage to get up stairs sideways and have no range of motion at all, I also have no pain at night, etc. I think if I was in excruciating pain it would actually be easier to make the decision. At least I would get that "instant" pain relief everybody talks about, even if the hips were not that great. And I have to do both, probably eight weeks apart, which is a pain.

@Zebra - those are valid thoughts. Pain is the main factor for many THR candidates but also how much do we compromise and miss in life due to our hip (or whatever) problems. It took me 5 yrs to decide to do the surgery. Over those years, I was changing a lot in my life - first no dance classes (yes, it was hugely important to me , then no travels, then no shopping, no gym classes (I gave up - in this order - on yoga, swimming, pillates, biking and eventually almost anything in gym), I gained 35 lbs, I was not on a subway for 4 yrs, I was moving around by car only, I got (temporarily) disability parking permits. During my last year, the most difficult in each day was the short walk between the parking lot on campus til a classroom (I teach at the university). At home I was doing fine, more or less. I've heard all kinds of opinions from friends and doctors and doctors-friends: from "the sooner the better, what are you waiting for, you're getting more and more depressed from it" to "the best surgery is that has never happened, you should wait"... What helped me to decide were two life events and two phrases that I've heard from one doctor: my boyfriend has moved in (we were long distance for a couple of years before it) and I didn't want him see me limping around 24/7 and I got a granddaughter (who I could not play with or even hold in my hands long). And one great (famous!) rheumatologist said: "THR a surgery by choice, not an emergency, and you'll probably get ready for the surgery when you won't be able to sleep due to your pain... Think about it as a problem that has a solution, and be grateful for it b/c 90% of my professional challenges do not have solutions".

Last year I started to sleep in 20-30 min intervals b/c no matter what position I'd find for my hip I'd wake up in pain in 20-30 minutes... It was a torture... Btw the pain was not huge, not 8-9, I'd say it was around 5-6, and sometimes even 3-4, but ALWAYS there and it was waking me up!

For me, the big pain from surgery was only for two weeks and thanks god Norco worked very well for me. It took all my pains away (including headaches, pack pain, neck pain etc.) and I was in a very good mood while on Norco.

Of course I'm not happy that my legs don't feel even yet, and now I still have pains - in the back, in my knees, in the neck and even in my right ankle - when I walk. So I'm not walking much and when I walk - although OA pain free - I'm in all kinds of aches and discomfort, due to LLD. But I don't have a choice - I'll HAVE TO believe that with time it'll resolve itself... If not - I'll deal with it later, I don't want to think about it now

 

[CodeGirl]

@Zebra , if you are still interviewing surgeons and you are looking at HSS, I'm pretty sure that they have a few OSs there that do the Direct Anterior approach and I believe someone recommended one of them in another thread. If you are looking for the least amount of pain and an easier recovery, I would certainly consider choosing the Direct Anterior approach as opposed to the others. I think that the Mini-posterior is also supposed to have less pain and a shorter recovery but I believe that they still cut some muscle in that approach although not nearly as much as with the standard posterior. The approaches that cut muscle require post-op restrictions to prevent dislocation as the muscles have to repair themselves to fully protect the joint and I believe that some of the recovery pain is due to the muscle being cut. With the Direct Anterior approach, there is no cutting of muscles, just stretching. That is why there are a lot less restrictions post-op, less risk of dislocation, less pain and faster recovery. It is easier to sleep on your back because the incision is on the front of the thigh and you can sleep on your side whenever you feel comfortable. I was able to sleep on my side only 4 days after my second hip surgery. I think it is worth it to speak with an OS who uses this approach.

As for knowing when to take the plunge, the biggest deciding factor for me was how much I was limiting my life and "adjusting" to my lack of mobility. I never had real pain in my hips, I had pain in my legs when I walked any distance and I found I was slowly adjusting my life so that I never had to walk very far. My poor puppy dog was getting shorter and shorter walks. I could no longer enjoy activities that I loved. I decided at 54 yrs of age, I just was not willing to spend another year pulling myself up stairs, not being able to get up from a squat without pulling myself up with the counter, having discomfort getting in and out of cars, etc. I am so happy that I have done this and feel so excited about the life ahead of me! I will soon be able to cross my legs again and even better, sit in the lotus position when I get back to yoga. I'll be able to sleep in any position again without a pillow between my legs. I won't have to swallow NSAIDs like they are candy which is really not good for my body in so many ways. I could go on and on but you get the picture. Think of all of the ways in which you may be limiting your lifestyle now because of lack of mobility. Do you want to live that way another month, year, or decade? Only you can make that decision for yourself. Take your time and research the approaches well so that if you decide to go ahead, you get the best possible outcome. We are here for you!

Tami

 

[allahere]

I don't know what to think about the limping issue. When you stand up in bare feet, can you stand up with both legs straight, or do you have to bend the left knee? (that is what I have to do). Just wondering if your leg length is just a little bit off. Then the PTs could probably help with the gait.

My primary care doctor gave me a referral to Dr. Bostrom so that initial appt. is a go a few weeks from now. I am more concerned about driving to the upper east side from NJ and getting there on time in all the traffic than anything else.

I didn't have LLD before my OA started and I developed a crooked posture to avoid putting weight or any pressure on my right hip. Even though I knew that I've lost the cartilage on my right side, strangely my right leg started to feel longer, that is how my pelvis got angled... Nobody ever measured my legs' lengths so I don't know how big the difference is now... I'll ask Dr B during my follow up (July 18). Now I'm just doing what I'm told - strengthening my muscles and trying to practice to walk even. I have some time before September when I have to start my work then it might become interesting...

No, I can't stand with two legs straight now: it's either the right leg is bent or the left one will get on its toe.

I would not worry about traffic from NJ. If you'll have a car service - ask them how much time do they think they need to get to this address (HSS) and then, if you worry so much, you can just double the time. If you'll arrive earlier, chances are they can take you earlier too. Or you'll just wait. I think a good doctor is worth it. People fly to HSS from other states, and there is a hotel right across HSS, for such folks.

BTW, I am sure you might have mentioned this, but is your incision on the side of your thigh (posterior-lateral)?
Or is it on your behind? Was just wondering how I am supposed to sleep at night, on my back, if the incision is actually right on my rear end!

The scar is not exactly on the side and not on the rear, it's kind of in between (is it posterior?). I certainly could not sleep on this side, and I could feel it while sleeping on the back, but not too much. For the first two weeks I was trying not to move much while sleeping - which was difficult for my back. Now 4-5 weeks out, it doesn't matter, I can sleep on another (left, unoperated) side. And I can sit. So my back gets some rest. It's not doing weel only when I try to walk... And several times I've already rolled, in my sleep by accident, on to my operated side, and it was ok. So, not sleeping on my right side is more bc/ of my fears and a habit more than discomfort on this side. Make sense?

Also, what materials did he use? Ceramic ball and plastic liner? Metal ball and plastic liner? Just curious. Both the OS docs I saw said they would use ceramic and plastic, since I guess no one wants to hear about metal.
But I was thinking of asking if a larger diameter metal ball might give me a better range of motion.

Ceramic and plastic. But the stem is still metal (titanium) and this is why I was so trying to do the Metal Allergy Test before the surgery. Dr. B dismissed this Melisa test as "non-reputable" but I insisted, he gave me the prescription, next day I drove to NJ and they drew blood. The results were ready in a week - all negative, for all (14?) metals. (but I was worrying only about titanium and nickel). I understand that all the allergy tests are very approximate, not 100% exact, but I wanted to know from some sort of medical institution, with some scientific certainly, before I'll insert a metal part into my body.

My ROM is very good now, PT is amazed (a former dancer + hyper-mobility issues of all my joints, all my life). We didn't discuss the diameter of the ball, so I don't know...

I noticed in reading through some of the recovery threads that you were asking people who their doc was.
How did you decide on Dr. B among the 8 docs you said you saw at HSS? I saw a guy from NJ just started a thread in recovery how Dr. Mayman did his hips both at once. But after seeing the "young" docs in NJ I was looking for a doc with 20 years experience, more senior, etc.

I'll answer to you via PM about it, ok?

In general, if I'd be you, I'd be very "difficult" in all medical offices in pre op and would asked all kinds of questions: how can they guarantee the LLD will be gone, how long the body will be adapting, what if not... They won't give you 100% of course, but at least you'll hear from the person who does it all the time, every week, for many years... The decision will be yours - it's your health and your life, not theirs... Then in post op, you'll switch the thinking and won't doubt any more... You can't go back. You'll work and think for recovery only.

This is why being in pre op I was reading alot in the BS pre op section not only post op. I was curious how people to decide to do or not to do the surgery. Post op folks are much more categorical - "never look back", "I wish I'd done it sooner"... I don't regret that I've taken time to decide - at least Metal-on-Metal implants are almost gone during my "thinking years" and a couple of doctors that I sensed "soemthing is not right" are almost gone from the practise (even at HSS), so I've been searching for the surgeon for myself and for the right time in my life...

@Zebra - you don't have to rush, unless you feel miserable you can wait and the materilas and techniques will be only better later. That was my logic, but - how much do we want to wait for life?..

 

[Zebra]

I noticed in reading through some of the recovery threads that you were asking people who their doc was.
How did you decide on Dr. B among the 8 docs you said you saw at HSS? I saw a guy from NJ just started a thread in recovery how Dr. Mayman did his hips both at once. But after seeing the "young" docs in NJ I was looking for a doc with 20 years experience, more senior, etc.

I'll answer to you via PM about it, ok?

@allahere, please do PM me about the docs. I'm interested in your impressions, since you saw so many of them.
I know it may be asking a lot, but I agree with you I should be able to ask these guys if they can more or less guarantee me that my already uneven legs will come out "even." Dr. B just going by the x-ray, I dunno. Makes me nervous, that no matter if I show him how I am standing now, etc. that when the procedure is done the x-ray will be the only point of reference. I know there are some OS docs that also do an MRI specifically for help in positioning the implant and Dr. Mayman does that computer navigation stuff also specifically to get the LLD right. The 2nd doc I saw in NJ told me both my legs are the exact same length on x-ray. So I was like, well, that's great for the x-ray, but how about me?

 

[Zebra]

@CodeGirl , that is exactly what I am doing, limiting doing stuff when I have to walk very far because my legs can't handle it. It is stupid. I feel stupid. I Know I have hit the wall as far as functioning goes. Only 9 months ago I could get around fairly easily with a cane. Now, it is like slow mo. Very slow.

When I first read about the direct anterior approach, I was really excited. I thought, finally, this is something I can wrap my head around. It is a risk, the person doing it has to be very skilled because it takes more skill. But at the end, you can walk after just one week? None of these myriad restrictions? I was all for it. I even watched videos of them doing it on the hana table with the ski boots. I was sold.

When I first went to see an OS doc, it was only a few months ago, I thought getting the hips done would be simple. I thought I was a typical case. I am not overweight at all. But the OS doc told me my muscles were too tight to do the anterior. That he needed to use the posterior to be able to loosen up the muscles.

So I kind of gave up on it. But I agree with you totally. If I could do the direct anterior I would want it. It would be easier to do both hips with it, as I have to do both, like you did, one after the other.
But I didn't think about pursuing it as far as booking an OS who specializes in direct anterior, as I had the impression it was a "no go."

Just curious, how did you have so much confidence in such a young surgeon? Your OS doc just completed his fellowship a few years ago so he has been in practice maybe 2 years or so? The first OS doc I saw in NJ was also young and I really liked him, but a lot of people told me for such a major surgery I should find a doc with 20 years experience who does hundreds of ops a year, etc. etc.

If your doc was in NJ I would go to him. Just based on your awesome results!

 

[CodeGirl]

@Zebra , I googled the heck out of surgeons in my area who used the direct anterior approach. When I discovered Dr. Goyal, I read every review I could find by patients of his and could find nothing but 5 star reviews. Towards the end of my search, I stumbled upon a youtube video of him doing a seminar about joint replacement and was so impressed with his ability to explain the whole thing and I decided that he was my surgeon. Before I saw him for my consultation, I asked his PA about the number of surgeries Dr. Goyal has done and was reassured that he does hundreds every year. While he may be younger, he has a great deal of experience with this specific anterior approach and it seems to be extremely successful. There is an older OS at the Anderson Clinic who also does anterior, but I was sold on Dr. Goyal. I found out that he does not use the Hana table but he does use a fracture table and I am really pleased with the results. For anyone reading this that may be looking for an OS in the DC area, here is his website: https://www.orthopedicsurgeondc.com/ He is one of two surgeons doing the anterior approach at Anderson Clinic: https://andersonclinic.com/

As for OSes in your area, there is definitely at least one at HSS who I've seen recommended for Direct Anterior approach, Dr. Michael Alexiades. Is he the OS that you had your consultation with? My doctor said it was only people whose weight might be an issue for the healing of the incision and men with very large muscle mass in their legs who he would use a different approach on. If you haven't had a consultation with Dr. Alexiades then I would think it might be worth the trip. I found some threads on here about him:
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/dr-michael-alexiades-in-nyc-experiences-and-results.9619/
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/my-trip-down-recovery-lane.23154/page-8#post-576605
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/a-thank-you-and-an-introduction.25102/page-4#post-633408

So yes, find an OS who does hundreds of surgeries a year and who has outstanding reviews by his patients and is highly recommended by them. Ask all the questions you can think of when you go for a consultation and you will know when you find your surgeon.

 

[Zebra]

And several times I've already rolled, in my sleep by accident, on to my operated side, and it was ok. So, not sleeping on my right side is more bc/ of my fears and a habit more than discomfort on this side. Make sense?

@allahere , that us what I've been thinking a lot about lately, as I get more serious about moving forward.
I'm like, how the heck am I going to observe all those post-op precautions? When I sleep, I roll over to one side, then the other, my back, my stomach, I'm all over the place! Even with a pillow between my legs on my back, I would probably be rolling all over.

Even just getting in and out of bed. How could you not bend over to lift up the "log leg" in the beginning or just to get out of bed to reach the walker? And my left leg angles inward, so I am always crossing my feet. So with one hip done, still will be hard not to cross the feet, right? ughhh.

How are you? Vital signs good? Did you go to PT?

 

[allahere]

@Zebra - don't worry about following precautions: the body is pretty much telling you, especially right after the surgery, what is possible and what is not. You will NOT be able to roll over in the first weeks no matter how much you'd want At HSS they teach you to always keep the pillow between the legs. At home, when I started to be able to bent my leg in bed in my knee (it's easier to sleep on the back this way), I learned to keep another pillow from the outside of my operated hip, so the leg has support and not falling OUT too much in my sleep. So, with all these pillows around my body, I could not move much even if I wanted. Only later, when the leg felt stronger and I started to forget to put pillows around, I started to have those moments when I'd roll over in my sleep etc... Btw with so many pillows around me, in this heat in NY, what was really helpful is to keep big ice gel packs around the hip, almost all the time. I was changing them even in the middle of the night, and yes I was waking up at night a lot for a couple of weeks, 4-6 times a night.

As for the log leg and how to get in and out of bed - I really underestimated how difficult it is. I thought I'd help with my hands (no, you can not bend, due to this 90 degrees rule), I thought my muscles are strong (no, they could not move the leg, at all, not an inch), I didn't buy those leg lifters (if you live alone, you need one!). So I ended up asking my hubby to help me in and put of bed, every time, even at night. For about 8 days and then the leg started to move.

Of course, Josephine is right: the hip is healing by itself, with or without exercises. To me, it's just hard to be patient and wait when it'll heal, I want "to help" it and I do some stretches, gentle exercises etc. In my case the problem is the walking. And if they say walking is the main exercise, well it's still not easy for me ...

I saw an outpatient PT the day before yesterday. He was good: listening to me and then measuring me everywhere. He said that according to his estimate my LLD is around 1.5-2 centimeters. He explained that LLD can come from 3 areas: from the lower part of the leg (from knee to ankle), from the upper part of the leg (from hip to knee) and in the pelvic area. My LLD is certainly somewhere either in the upper part or in the pelvis. He said that if it's in the former - he can't help me, it should be done during the surgery. But if it's in the pelvic area - there is a lot that he can do but ONLY after my hip will totally heal (in a year? or even longer?). Because he'd have to do pretty strong stretches of the hip and rotations of the pelvic area, etc. in the attempt to put the pelvic area back to normal.

He said that misalignment of the pelvis usually happens either during the bad falls or during a wrong walk, for years, with a bad hip (I had both).

He also said that his measurements are only about 80% correct and that only the OS with a full length of X-rays of both legs can confirm or deny it for sure.

So, we decided that he wants to wait for me to see Dr. B (tomorrow) and he wants me to say all these complaints to Dr B. Then he wants to see Dr. B's prescription and then we'll proceed. Of course for now, PT won't be doing anything strong with the hip and probably only general strengthening of muscles and trying to even my walk, etc.

As for the shoe lift, he said as a temp measure he'd recommend to use it, just to make my walk easier, and prevent bad back aches.

That is about it, for now... @Zebra - will you see Dr B? When? What did you decide for yourself? Do you have a pre op thread here on BS? I'll be in touch.

 

[lovetowalk]

Don't worry. They teach you how to get in and out of bed in the hospital. It was important because I was up for the bathroom every toe hours! I, too, used to move around a lot, but after THR stay in one place. Just yesterday, after 5 weeks and 3 days, I can turn over onto my tummy. What a milestone that is. Still have to think about it, though. I doubt you will be thrashing all over your bed. It was something I worried about that never happened.

 

[Zebra]

As for the log leg and how to get in and out of bed - I really underestimated how difficult it is. I thought I'd help with my hands (no, you can not bend, due to this 90 degrees rule), I thought my muscles are strong (no, they could not move the leg, at all, not an inch), I didn't buy those leg lifters (if you live alone, you need one!).

@allahere, it really does seem like recovery is challenging, especially for someone like myself, who is solo. I looked at the leg lifters on Amazon, they have loops at the end to lift your foot. Not sure if they would work. Some of the reviewers said they worked great, some said not so much. Also, getting up every few hours during the night to ice, that also sounds difficult. Not just getting the ice packs and getting in and out of bed, which is hard enough, but I don't do well with sleep deprivation or broken sleep.

No TEDS though, right?

I really appreciate your in depth information because it really helps me evaluate what I will be looking at.

Maybe I will start a pre-op thread if anyone has had experience with in-patient rehab. I would prefer to go home, but it does seem like I could be stuck with too much to handle. Most of the people on here went home, but they also seemed to have plenty of support.

BTW, when I did PT a few years ago they did those strong stretches of the hip, pushing my thigh toward my chest with all of their body strength. It felt great at the time, but I could see why the PT would be cautious about that.

 

[allahere]

@allahere, it really does seem like recovery is challenging, especially for someone like myself, who is solo. I looked at the leg lifters on Amazon, they have loops at the end to lift your foot. Not sure if they would work. Some of the reviewers said they worked great, some said not so much. Also, getting up every few hours during the night to ice, that also sounds difficult. Not just getting the ice packs and getting in and out of bed, which is hard enough, but I don't do well with sleep deprivation or broken sleep.

No TEDS though, right?

I didn't have TEDS. They pulled on those teds preparing me BEFORE the surgery but I’ve never seen them after the surgery.

I was trying to be as independent as possible - sock grabbers (I used them for taking my cotton pants on), grabbers (for anything that you drop, and in post op I became so clumsy that I dropped things all the time: a phone, a credit card, a key, a paper, clothes, icepacks...), special chairs (recliner and ortho), lots of food on top shelves of the refrigerator, clean cloths on high shelves - all these things certainly help BUT I still don't know how anyone can handle the first two weeks on his/her own... Unless the recovery is really painless and problem -less. Even when I, say, was chilly at night, it was difficult to find and pull over the blanket. I had bouts of the fever, I'm still a bit anemic (rapid pulse) and get tired easily. My hubby was huge help.

If I'd be by myself, I'd go into a decent inpatient rehab, for the first two weeks, and then would arrange a number of friends to visit me every day, for another two weeks.

Btw I saw Dr B yesterday, for my 6 week follow up. So, here is my report for you @Zebra and for myself too -

First did X-ray again of course then waited for almost two hours, there are 12 people in the lobby and they were all for Dr. B. But when he got into my room, he was not in a hurry, at all. He said the implant and the incision look great, my operated leg and hip is still stiff, showed me a couple of exercises to stretch the hip muscles, gave me a prescription for the outpatient therapy. He said that swimming in clear water (not ocean) is ok, biking, Pilates and weight lifting are all ok. No high impact sports and no yoga yet. If I need to fly somewhere (I might go to San Francisco which is a 6 hours flight from NYC), I will just need to take an aspirin. We discussed the airport gates…
He recommended to follow restrictions for another 6 weeks. He’ll see me in 6 weeks again (will be 12 week post op).

As for LLD, he said that by X-ray I have no LLD whatsoever, and that he’s sure that my body will readjust, although it’s slow. He said it’s very important NOT to wear any shoe lift and allow the body to settle.

 

[Zebra]

Don't worry. They teach you how to get in and out of bed in the hospital. It was important

@lovetowalk , did you have the "log leg" everyone talks about? If so, how did you lift it in and out of bed?

 

[lovetowalk]

I didn't have the log leg, but I did have a weak leg. I hooked the good foot under my operated leg ankle and gave it an assist while swiveling on my hip. That was a non- issue for me. I got a lot of practice because every two hours I had to go to the bathroom!

 

[Zebra]

Hi @allahere, I'm not too good with this computer stuff, but I sent you a PM. I tried to create a new one and gave up, so it's just attached to the existing one. Regards.

 

[toohip]

Hi Zebra, Did you have an appt yet at HSS...this thread has really helped learn more about HSS...I am having surgery there in mid-August...I have pre-op 2 weeks prior, plus they have a class all about Hip replacement. They also have an informative booklet that is available on their website. What is LLD?

 

[MajorHeidi]

Hi @Zebra @allahere
I too had log leg for about 8 days. It felt like a concrete log! Seriously....
I went home the next day at about the 26th hour.
I needed help to get in and out of bed for at least the first 4-5 days after getting home, and you have to get up like every 2-3 hours due to all that fluid they pump into you.
I had bedside toilet for about 2 days I think before we moved it over the toilet.
Those rails on that thing were a must in order to get up and down.
TMI maybe....
Glad Alla you are doing well!