THR Anterior THR - 5/21/15- I Did It!

[Rustie]

I did update my signature @Jamie...but it doesn't seem to be including it in my replies?

@Josephine or anyone. .I am just shy of 4 weeks out from my surgery. I'm impatient and frustrated. I am now wondering how long this current issue (swollen calves /feet) may last? Is there anything I can do to help my lymphatic system along?

 

[Sullivand]

@Rustie
Hi! I am also 57 and 6 weeks post op. I had Valium but quit taking it after my surgery. I was on Norco two weeks and currently take Tramadol and Tylenol. It works nicely. I have swelling in my legs as well. I have learned that it is my body's way of telling me to rest. I only plan one small event a day and if it's a busy day I sometimes need a day or two to recover. This forum helped me to understand that the fatigue and swelling was a healthy reaction to a MAJOR surgery!
I also say let your boyfriend do everything! You are indeed blessed to have the support. My husband does it all ~ he felt so sad this happened that he needed to feel useful. I am writing this while my home is being cleaned and not by me. I am resigned to take pleasure in the help!
Listen to your body and sleep and recover and go easy on yourself!



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[Sullivand]

Oh and one more thought~ I had a bit of a set back during your exact shy of week 4. It seems like many do~ i was SO swollen and fatigued. Go with it and sleep and rest with ice and elevated legs. It will pass. I am losing the fatigue at this 6 week time but everyone is different. I wish for you patience, acceptance and peace. You are doing great! Hang in there, sister of the hip! ;)


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[Rustie]

Thanks @Sullivand. I'll tell you all where my impatience comes from..I talked to a total of 3 people (personally) that had the same procedure and their recoveries were nothing like mine has been. One man (older than me) went back to work after two weeks. Considering how I was feeling at two weeks, I can't figure that one out..no way, no how. My impression of how fast I would be recovering was totally wrong.

So..yes, I know I have to regroup and accept what is if I'm going to get the most positive result from this surgery.

 

[Jaycey]

Slow and steady @Rustie ! Every recovery is different. You are discharged from hospital to recover - not yet recovered. It's a short space of time for a lifetime of no more hip pain.

 

[Rustie]

Oh and one more thought~ I had a bit of a set back during your exact shy of week 4. It seems like many do~ i was SO swollen and fatigued. Go with it and sleep and rest with ice and elevated legs. It will pass. I am losing the fatigue at this 6 week time but everyone is different. I wish for you patience, acceptance and peace. You are doing great! Hang in there, sister of the hip! ;)


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This helps me a lot! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me.

 

[Josephine]

@Josephine or anyone. .I am just shy of 4 weeks out from my surgery. I'm impatient and frustrated. I am now wondering how long this current issue (swollen calves /feet) may last? Is there anything I can do to help my lymphatic system along?

I did give you advice in my post - post #20. If this continues to week 10, then get some lymphatic drainage massage therapy but not before. But I think what I've suggested will go a long way to help. Week 4 is so early. You just need to be patient - it's not good being anything else at this stage because you can't change it.

I did update my signature @Jamie...but it doesn't seem to be including it in my replies?

I imagine you're on an iphone or tablet in which case signatures don't show.

 

[Josephine]

I'll tell you all where my impatience comes from..I talked to a total of 3 people (personally) that had the same procedure and their recoveries were nothing like mine has been. One man (older than me) went back to work after two weeks.

Well, he didn't have your surgery and you didn't have his and his age is irrelevant. Plus, many times when people tell you of their experiences, they are fibbing! Looking back is always sugar coated.

 

[Sullivand]

@Rustie
I'm so sorry you were misled. Maybe we forget the bad steps to recovery. I think I will make a mental note to be honest when someone asks me about my experience and say everyone is different~ and then offer my phone number to call me post op! A lesson learned!

 

[Rustie]

Just thought I'd share here..I emailed my docs office about my edema, before I posted about here. They responded yesterday, giving me instructions very similar to what has already been said here. (@Josephine) They indicated that I should be sitting with my feet up for an hour in morning and the same at night. And "feet up", they informed me, is not sitting in recliner. (Of course, this is what I've been doing.) So, as of yesterday I began with putting my feet up (above my heart) for several hours. While I am still feeling some thickness under my toes, I am better today.

Thanks, so much, to all of you who took the time to respond to me! ☺

 

[Sullivand]

Oh yes @Rustie! A Bonesmart mantra is toes above the nose! You poor thing no wonder you were so swollen! You will be so much better now. I am better on the couch with pillows~ the swelling goes away quite quickly once it is in control!


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[donor]

@Rustie.....I had a few people tell me what a piece of cake this surgery was going to be. So I thought....it's gonna be a sinch!!! I am super healthy, in shape etc etc. HA NO WAY. If I run into any of those fibers I'm gonna punch them in the hip. Just like @Sullivand says....we will be more truthful. I was 5-19 so we are on the same timeline. Xo

 

[Cookie42]

Oh, man, yes --- every surgery is different, even on yourself. My second hip was very different from the first. There was a guy who had surgery the same day I did with the same doctor. While I was lying in bed and leaning heavily on the walker when I was up, he was marching up and down the halls only using a cane. At our first checkup (we seemed to have appointments scheduled the same day and time) I was very dependent on my cane while he was walking fine with no help and talking of playing golf. At the second checkup, I was walking fine with no assistance and he was using a cane and limping. I took it slow and steady and he rushed things.

I guess what I'm saying is don't compare and don't rush!

 

[Rustie]

TGIF everyone! I did stay (very) low for a cpl of days, kept my feet/legs up above my heart and also wore the TED stockings the hospital sent home with me. As of today, I believe that the swelling has gone down almost 100%. Yay! So now I'm just going to have to be careful not to overdo moving forward. I don't need that to happen again.

I have a couple more questions for all of you experts...

I have been wearing (since surgery ) very flat sandals. Would that be considered okay..the "right" type of shoe to wear after surgery. I failed to ask the dr...

Also..and I know i can call on this, but tought I'd ask here anyways..my hip is ceramic w/titanium. Do you know if this makes having an MRI a big no-no? I supposed to get that done (different health issue) once a year..but am now wondering if that will even be possible?

Thanks again for any advice you may have. I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend!

 

[Sullivand]

Hi @Rustie,
I think that for good support and for taking walks you will need to wear good fitting athletic shoes. As for sandals I found really cute ones with a bit more of a sole and support but don't look like "old lady" shoes~ I admit to a bit of vanity~ they are called Fit Flops. They are online. I buy a half size smaller if that helps.
Glad your swelling has improved! It comes and goes depending on your activity level.
As for the MRI I have no idea!
Keep listening to your body!

 

[Rustie]

@Josephine..I am now (just over) three months out and am still have been experiencing lower leg and feet edema at times. Is this normal? If I sit at my computer for any length of time or am on my feet a lot (have had a few parties recently ) I swell up. I can't figure it out. :( where do I go for the lymphatic massage yoy mentioned in your #20 response to me? Thanks so much for any help you can give me with this.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

@Rustie, You sound like you're doing great. It's amazing how different everyone's experience with hip replacement is. I think when you were sleeping and napping a lot in the beginning, that was actually very healing and healthy. I just wanted to lay perfectly still after my surgery, and to sleep. Sometimes people will pressure you to get up and around. Your body knows what it needs.

One of my close friends had her hip replaced 9 weeks before I did mine. She didn't have any pain! I had intense pain, but the tramadol and percaset took care of it. Our experiences were totally different. Some of that is the doctor's recommendations. With Dr. Matta, I was allowed to put weight on my legs and walk when I felt ready. With my friend, she was told not to put full weight on hers.

I'm glad to hear the swelling went down. I also think it's great that you have a helpful boyfriend, and that you have been able to sleep. Both of those will really reduce your stress. I'm on my own, so I kind of have to do more than if I had help. My ex offered, but I wasn't comfortable accepting.

All the Best to you...

 

[Rustie]

Hi Hip, Thank you for your encouragement / support. I have been doing well..for the most part. I've had a very full/fun summer. (So sad to realize its mostly over!)

My only issue, I think, is the swelling of my legs abs feet that I get when I sit for more than an hour or get really busy. Am curious as to why I might still be experiencing this..this many months out from my surgery. Hopefully someone will chime in with their thoughts and /or suggestions.
Thanks!
~Rustie

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

@Rustie, I didn't have the swelling. My close friend did. It was rough on him. I think we all manifest different symptoms due to stress or discomfort. That sounds like it's your sign that your body needs rest or attention. (I can't sit for long, either.)

I did have some slight swelling in my ankle the first week after my bilateral surgery. The head nurse asked me if it hurt when she was putting on the stockings. I told her that I had sprained it way back when I was seventeen. It hadn't bothered me since then. For some reason, (maybe scar tissue or cellular memory?) it became tender in the beginning of my recovery. There's a lot of mystery in healing...