Hip Infection Anterior THR Recovery by KCDawg34

[Nivea]

I am 18 days post op LTHR and am surprised at the different protocols, as well. I was in the hospital 27 hours from check in to discharge. I was up 3 hours after I got back to my room post op, walked in my room, then to the hallway and down about 5 doors and back. I was using the bathroom by that point as well. I was sitting in a chair for several hours. My surgery was anterior and have no restrictions. I went to the OS for my 2 week post op and the doctors mantra is "keep it simple". I have 13 stairs to get to the 2nd story in my house and went up those stairs the day I came home. I haven't needed pain meds, other than Tylenol since the day I came home. I know all doctors are different as each recovery is different. When I went for my pre admission testing, the cardiologist said to get up every hour (during the day) and walk for 5 or 10 minutes. I haven't seen that elsewhere, either.

At any rate, I think we are all getting there in our post op recovery and we learn from each other. We also have support from each other. I found this site after I had surgery but wished I found it earlier as I had no idea what to expect. Everyone I know that had hip replacement surgery had the 90 degree rule and PT.

I waited way too long to have my surgery and was in excrutiating pain. The recovery, for me, is a huge relief and not as bad as I anticipated.

 

[Krista]

Sometimes patients just don't fit into the parameters of a surgeon's preferred protocol. I'm sure my surgeons would have like for me to have been discharged from the hospital sooner (THR - 4 nights and gluteal tendon repair - 5 nights), but I just wasn't in good enough shape for that, for a number of reasons, such as inability to walk for days, low blood pressure and getting a proper pain management regimen figured out. @Nivea, your recovery so far sounds like a dream to me!

 

[Nivea]

@Krista (((HUGS)))) You are so right and you never know until you go through it, if it will be seemingly "text book" or not.

I do have back issues that we will address once my hip is fairly recovered. I waited far too long to have my hip done. I couldn't walk. I went to the orthopedic urgent care and didn't know if it was a back issue, or hip. I was xrayed and told my back can't be touched until my hip was replaced. It was worse than the OS expected. However, my recovery has been fairly uneventful. My back still is an issue, but some of it has eased since the hip contributed to it.

I have to say I was stunned by the protocol of my OS. I can't say it would work with everyone, we are all different, but it is working for me. His philosophy does go against the bonesmart mantra, as he believes you should keep busy during the day. I do not mean non stop, take time to sit and rest. However, don't nap during the day, if you can help it. He believes that you should tire yourself out during the day, so you can sleep better at night and try and keep a normal schedule. I have no restrictions, sleep in whatever position is comfortable, etc. He says to "keep it simple".

There is not a one size fits all. As varied as the protocols are, the varied are the patients and their recoveries.

 

[Horseshoe]

Congrats KCDawg, you sound great. Your hospital sounds very organized. My hospital didn't have any fake cars, beds, equipment, etc to practice on yet signed me off. Too bad as I ended up having trouble at discharge and could not flex my knee to get in the car -entire leg was very swollen, didn't have a drain this time which I think reduces swelling.

The LLD tends to work itself out so hopefully it won't be an issue. Glad you're doing so well!

 

[KCDawg34]

Congrats KCDawg, you sound great. Your hospital sounds very organized. My hospital didn't have any fake cars, beds, equipment, etc to practice on yet signed me off. Too bad as I ended up having trouble at discharge and could not flex my knee to get in the car -entire leg was very swollen, didn't have a drain this time which I think reduces swelling!

Thanks Horseshoe. Appreciate the kind words.

I did have a drain and I agree that it really helps reduce swelling. I saw the amount the staff emptied from it and I can't even imagine having to absorb that back into my body.

At NKC hospital, the entire 9th floor in the Pavillion building is set up, and occupied by, orthopedic patients. This really allows the nurses, medical technicians, etc. a better understanding of what an orthopedic patient needs. They also have a pretty good eye for what their patients can and can't do, which is absolutely critical in the first couple of days following surgery. Let's just say it was a huge contrast to what my 78 year old MIL had to go through after she had a THR in another (world renowned) hospital this past year. She was in a general section of the hospital and those nurses and techs had no idea what to do with her, and she suffered because of it.

 

[KCDawg34]

Well, I have arrived at day 7 of my second THR. Is wish I could say the second time around has been easier, but it really hasn't. Here's the rundown as best I can remember it.
- Friday and Saturday were pretty much a blur. I was still taking the medication full on and slept a lot.
- The home health PT tried to come on Saturday, but I pushed her off until Sunday. I was still feeling the effects of that exhaustive walk back at the hospital, and just wasn't up to it. She did come on Sunday and evaluated me. It was a lot of tests and discussion, with only limited walking/exercises. We set up appointments for another PT to come on Tuesday and Thursday.
- Monday was another blur. Watched some tv, read a bit on the ipad (nothing too involved though, as I currently have the attention span of an over-caffeinated toddler) and hung out. My wife only had to work a few hours, so she was able to assist me as needed. I went to bed and after about four hours of really good sleep, my good friend thigh pain decided to rejoin me. Shooting/burning pain down my right (1st surgery side) hip and thigh. I got up and hobbled into the family room and the recliner.
- Tuesday finally came, and it was a tough one. I got up and got my self situated. The PT came and we did our thing. He wasn't too pushy, primarily watched me walk and we went through the basic hip bed exercises. I made a can of soup for lunch and alternately napped, read, watched tv from then until my wife got home at 8:30 pm that night. She had a ton of patients she had to finish up before she left for 6 days in a row off with me.
- It was probably all the time alone combined with the pain to my right side, but the last few days have been an extremely emotional time and I was about as depressed as I could be in this process. For the first time, I just really couldn't see the other side and came very close to having a break down.
- Just a quick back story about some other stuff going on in my life. My son, D, is away at his second year of college and has been doing great. He's had the same roommate for both of those years and they look out for one another on a regular basis. D called us on Sunday night and told us his roomates older sister had attempted suicide, but that they thought they had found her in time. He called u back on Monday night, which I knew was a bad sign because he's way too busy to ever call twice in the same week (at least that's what he tells his Mother), and told us that his roomates sister didn't make it. He was beside himself with grief for his friend and his friend's family. He was also confused as to what he should do and how he could best help his friend. Throw two huge mid- term tests into the situation, and it was enough to overwhelm any twenty year old. We did all we could to help guide him, but there is only so much you can do at this point, and that's something you just have to realize a a parent. The realization doesn't guard you against feeling your child's grief though.
- But, I didn't fall apart on Tuesday. Instead, I got on the iPad and read Bonesmart which was helpful. Not only the great advice that people give, but just knowing that there were others out there dealing with the same things that I am and making it through to the other side.
- I tried the bed again on Tuesday night, but the thigh pain started again almost immediately, so back to the recliner I went.
- This has been long and rambling, I know. But, let me end this missive by noting that I am up and about on Wednesday ready to face another day, just like the rest of the people on this site do every day. One day at a time and I know I'm closer to being better.
- Thanks everyone. I hope you all have a great day.

 

[Jaycey]

@KCDawg34 I feel for you. Recovery is an emotional time but coupled with trying to help your son and increased pain - well it's just darn tough. Do make sure you aren't under medicated. Are you taking your full dose of pain meds around the clock? Icing and elevating throughout the day?

Thing will get better - you know that. Hang in there! Our condolences to your son and his friend.

 

[sammylou99]

Ah it's tough this recovery lark. I have felt much more emotional than usual and suddenly tearful. Tomorrow is another day and it will all get easier. Are you taking enough medication to help with the pain?
Sending hugs
Sam


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[opie]

@KCDawg34... I'm going to say it again. You really need the pain meds on a very regular schedule. I even set an alarm to take them during the night. I got my best sleep after taking them. You are still in the very early days where regular meds, ice, lots of resting are the center of your life. So sorry your son is dealing with such a terrible situation. You will get better. Settle in. Slow and steady. I spent lots of time on BoneSmart. Often in the middle of the night when I needed help. Reading and understanding I was not alone. Keep us posted.


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[chuckster]

KC hang tough you got this !! The emotional stuff is very understandable this is a brutal process that's why people wait years and put it off it's hard. They key is to focus on the future a pain free future where you walk and climb stairs with out thinking about it. You are getting there. I'd kill to be where you are at.

As you know I am between #1 and #2 with 7 weeks to go (April 27) I don't know how I'll make it. My new hip is great but my old is seemingly worse by the day and waiting 2 years and the strain of the last 3 months adjusting to the new hip has exacerbated poor hip #2 .... they both were equally as bad with end stage bone on bone OA ....I can't believe now my surgeon talked about doing the second one in the fall. I could NEVER wait that long I'm in excruciating pain on my right side. People see me with the cane and assume it's because I had a TLHR Dec 15 it's not it's because the other one is horrible as the first was!!!!

So, hang in there and be happy you are so far along in the process..... any advice, tips, or encouragement to help me to April 27 would be appreciated. I'm also asking to be on the wait list if I can get it done sooner!!

Good luck and god bless your family thru these trial and tribulations. We got this --one day at a time [emoji1305]

Chuckster

 

[Delphi]

KC, I am so sorry that you have had such a terrible week. It is such an up and downer of a recovery, particularly the first week, and then to add in the emotional trauma that your family has gone through, well, it's very tough. Keep your chin up. I have found the people on this forum very caring and supportive , so use their help when you need it. Thinking of you, and hoping that you start to feel better soon.

 

[Horseshoe]

KCDawg, first off I'm very sorry to hear of this young woman's passing, it's a tough blow for her family, for those who knew her and for your son. It's a loss of innocence. I received some unexpected news right after my first thr and being stuck at home rendered me useless and I was so frustrated at the time, my reserves were spent. It also put my annoying double thr saga in perspective. So, I had a mini meltdown, splashed some cold water on my face and the moment passed. Do what you need to do to get the lead out otherwise it just builds up, it feels good to release it.

I found that recovery is not always straight forward and can get very frustrating when you've been progressing nicely and then it stagnates or you develop pain. We are so tired of pain, aren't we? To be fair, you've had two major surgeries within a few months, that's got be taxing on your body. Oxy meds made my early days a haze too and was able to move to XS Tylenol which I took round the clock initially. Perhaps the pain is trying to tell you to dial back activities or to stay on a meds schedule. Pillows under my knees worked a charm. Agree with Opie about setting your phone alarm at night along with some crackers nearby, the 5am dose ensured I'd wake up to a painless morning.

On a positive note, this is the type of recovery where a single day or even a single nap can make all the difference, so many times I'd wake up and be able to do something I couldn't do just mere hours beforehand

 

[KCDawg34]

Well, I just finished week two for my left hip and week ten for my right hip, so I thought maybe I would catch up my diary.
- First, I do want to thank everyone -specifically @Jaycey, @chuckster, @Delphi, @Horseshoe, @sammylou99 and @opie - for your kind words after last week's entry. They certainly made me feel better and of course really helped me keep everything in perspective. A couple of major surgeries coupled with family drama and the haze of narcotics can emotionally trigger pretty much anyone, and I am certainly not an exception to the rule.
- Just a heads up on my son, he had three tests rather than two. He failed the first one miserably as it was literally the next morning after he got the news about his friend's sister. His professors allowed him to move the other two and he was able to buckle down, take them and did very well. After his last test, he made the four hour drive to his roommate's hometown and spent the day with him at the wake. Spring break was this week and he is actually at the beach. It's been a somewhat muted vacation for him, but it came at the perfect time.
-As for me, left hip week two was significantly better. The pain and swelling were much improved and I was able to shed much of my heavy medication. I am down to primarily using Tylenol for pain, though I am averaging two Percocets a day to smooth the edges when needed.
-I've transitioned from the walker to the cane full time. I figure I will be on it for a number of weeks yet, which makes me feel good about investing in the nice wooden one earlier.
- Had my two week check in with my surgeon yesterday and he says things look great. Took out my stitches, released me for work on March 27, and gave me the paperwork for handicapped parking. I generally don't need the parking, but otherwise I would never make it into the office from our parking lot. It's forever away! I will see the surgeon in six weeks when he will do X-rays on both hips to see where we are.
- The surgeon did note that my leg muscles- which are still fairly large/strong from running - made the Anterior approach significantly more difficult for both legs, but especially the left. He had to stretch and move the muscles around moreso than usual, which was leading to my thigh pain. He also noted that my IT bands are also much, much tighter than they should be, probably from running previously but then helping to stabilize my hips as they gave out. Long story short, he gave me orders for outpatient PT twice a week for four weeks, primarily to work on stretching the IB Band. He also told me that I was in charge and if two times was too much, just go once. And if once was too much, then just don't go at all. He also unknowingly quoted @Josephine and said hips really don't need anything to help them heal, but in this case, PT might be helpful for the IT bands.
- I'm taking it easy today as I really overdid it yesterday. Went to visit the MIL who has been in a nursing rehab unit since early January. She fell and shattered her hip in 16 places and was non weight-bearing for 6 weeks. The surgeon told us she may never walk again, but she actually made it 80 feet using her walker. She is going to transition to an assisted living facility for a month and then to an independent Senior apartment after that. Whenever I start feeling to sorry for myself, I just think about what she has gone through and all of my travails seem pretty easy by comparison.

That's pretty much it for week two/ten. I know I'm going to have some rough days going forward, but I do feel I have made some good progress and look forward to even more. Best wishes to everyone here.

 

[Delphi]

Great update, KC. Really glad to hear that you have turned a corner and are now on the upward path! Also good to hear about your son. I am sure that will have taken a weight off your mind and will help you to feel more relaxed and positive about your own recovery.
Take care of yourself and take it easy!

 

[Jaycey]

Easy does it with the return to work @KCDawg34 ! Don't forget the energy drain. Are you doing a phased return to work?

 

[sammylou99]

Sounds like a sensible surgeon as far as your PT is concerned. I found I was doing to much and everything ached so taking it much easier now. So glad things are getting better. It's a marathon for sure but think how much better we will all be by the summer
Sam x


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[KCDawg34]

Easy does it with the return to work @KCDawg34 ! Don't forget the energy drain. Are you doing a phased return to work?

No phased return. I'm basically back with no restrictions. That said, I have a desk job for the most part and I'm in a position where I can leave early and/or work from home if I want/need to. I usually travel a lot, so I'm used to working in hotels and airports, so working from home isn't that cumbersome. And my boss is very supportive. He told me not push it when I get back and feel free to work from home when I needed to. He cares about what you get done much more than where you get it done, which is a great thing.

 

[KCDawg34]

Life got the better of me for a bit there, so I haven't had the chance to really catch up. Here we go with my patented, bullet-point style of posting (oh, the things you learn in business school) .
- Today is actually the end of week 13 for my right hip and Thursday will be the end of week 5 for my left hip.
- Mu surgeon had me check in with my regular doctor and they did more blood work. Turns out that I am currently what is referred to as "anemic." I don't really know the scale, but they said that I was a "hard 9" (truthfully, they just said I was a 9, but I have always wanted to be a hard 9, even as I know I my best looking days, at most, I am a 7...maybe an 8, but only if you are looking at me and have just have hip surgery and are still on the hard pain medications). They explained that they wanted me to be at a 13 and that they would give a transfusions at 6, so my 9 pretty much split the difference. They started me on iron pills to try and goose my system and now I have to go back and be re-tested in a couple weeks. I still get pretty tired at times, but most of the time I feel great.
- The left hip is doing great. I have minimal pain most of the time and my thigh pain has pretty much dissipated. I do still have some areas of the thigh that feel a little "funny," (e.g. slightly sore, occasional pins and needles, dead feeling), but it is really pretty minimal. If I can just continue to progress the second five weeks at the same rate as I did the first, I will be very happy with my left hip.
- My right hip, on the other hand, refuses to do its job and get better...at least within the timeframe that I demand, lol. Truthfully, it's not really my hip as, for the most part, that part feels good. It's absolutely stronger than before and other than the first couple of steps when I stand up, works exactly as it should. But I continue to have the same nerve pain down my IT Band and into (on top of?) my right thigh. I also continue to have some pretty rough muscle pain in that same thigh. PT is working on it with massage and stretching...and I think it gets slightly better each week...but dang, it's slow. And even as it gets better, I still have nights (the worst is almost always at night) that are very painful.
- For the most part, I am sleeping very well, albeit I am still in my recliner. Once I feel I can comfortably lay on my side, I will try the bed again. I did actually roll over on my side at PT for the first time in more than three months just last Thursday, so I am hoping a bed is in my future. I still have more than a month before any planned travel, so I have time...otherwise, I need to find a hotel chain with rooms that sport a recliner instead of a bed.
- My PT is pretty good. Sometimes it is a bit painful as he works my legs over, but the nerves feel better afterwards. Usually I work with him for about 30 minutes and then work with a PTA for the other half. They are always trying to get me to do this or that exercise. Some are not bad. Others I've tried once and then said "nope" when they asked me to do it again. And there were a couple that I just giggled and shook my head no when they were presented. I believe they think I am a problem patient because I refuse to do much of what they ask me to, but I really don't care. I am very polite when I do it, but both my doctor and Josephine have given me permission to decline to participate, so that's what I am doing. My poor PTA spent 5 minutes explaining how all the muscles worked together and the exercise he wanted me to do was necessary, blah, blah, blah. When he finished I thanked him and then politely said no once again.
- I started back to work on March 28. I was supposed to start on the 27th, but I way overdid it over the prior weekend helping my wife situate her mom in her new home and was just too swollen to make it. I worked part of the 28th in the office and then was at a photo shoot for three days after that. The folks in the studio were super nice and actually brought in a couch from their offices for me to sit on, so it was almost like being at home.
- I made it through all 8 hours at the office yesterday without too much difficulty, but I'm not planning on doing that too often for the next couple of weeks. Basically I am looking to come in a bit late and leave a bit early on a regular basis until I get a bit stronger. I am able to work from home and my boss has told me to do whatever I needed to in order to get better, so the work thing shouldn't present too much of an obstacle to my continued healing.

If anyone actually made it through all that...I'm sorry. I probably should have posted some type of warning. The lede here really is "I'm ok, and doing better by the week." I wish I could say I was doing better by the day, but that's not really true as some days are just better than others. But apparently that's the way this healing process works, whether I like it or not.

Best of luck to everyone else as they journey toward "better," however you are defining it at the moment.

 

[Nivea]

Good to hear that you are doing well! I am 7 weeks post op tomorrow and my hip seems to be doing well. My recovery has been fairly uneventful, for which I am grateful. My issues are more from my back as I do have chronic issues, besides the fact that limping for so long didn't help. Also, my right heel (non operated leg) and knee are protesting a bit. I did talk to my OS when there for my 6 wk check up. He wants things to settle down a bit more and see how things shake out. I am not back to work yet but I am sure it won't be all that much longer as I am figuring about the 10 week mark.

 

[KCDawg34]

Sounds like you are going in the right direction, @Nivea. I go back for x-rays here in a couple of weeks and am hopeful that things are all where they should be and that I will just continue to get better weekly. I've got a few back pains myself, but I've just got to believe they are from contorting my body to favor my hips for so long. I think that they should improve once I can strengthen that whole core area down the road.

Good luck on the return to work. It can certainly be a bear.