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Bilateral THR Anteriors 15th June 2015 - my recovery

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End of day 14 . So I have read tammies recovery @thr5/15 and the problems with pain in knees etc, doing too much, not using sticks when still possibly limping/ leaning... re read the activities for week 3, and realised I too have done too much. This is even after I had a terrible night with muscle spasms etc.

So what do I do today, I walk for 20 minutes, but I did this walking down the road and back, without any form of stick/crutches and wonder why by the time 20 min came and I was back home, I couldn't walk too well. Now I ache and throb.

So now I know and have been reminded yet again that rest rest, elevate, ice, use sticks, have patience and stop being so very stupid:bignono:, and take meds regularly. In fact that's the only thing I seem to have been doing properly.

I will now follow advice found all over this forum and do as I should, especially as having had bilateral THR.

x
 
Hi and welcome to BoneSmart! As Jaycey said, we get quite a lot of members under the impression that anterior approaches mean less pain and a faster recovery but it's all a matter of perception if you've never had surgery before! Put more simply, whilst any other approach might take around 8-12 weeks for full recovery with pain levels running for about 6-8 weeks, an anterior can take around 5-7 weeks with pain levels going at about 3-5 weeks or even less.
 
Hi Josephine thank you so much for reply and for this great site.. That does put things in perspective and makes sense.
I will listen to my body and follow the mantra and other links I have been sent.

I will also continue to read other recoveries.

Thanks again
x
 
OMG day 17 and I am in pain big style. Although am still positive as I know this can happen, but I also know why I am in ' discomfort '.

For the first time I managed to sleep from 11 pm by changing meds around.

But I still have problems lying on my sides as there is still some swelling but also it starts to throb after a few minutes. So I have to lie on back and this is where my problems arise.

I already have disc degeneration and arthritis in lower back so get lots of lower back pain.

The biggest problem is... I slide my knees up in my sleep and then flop both knees outwards, a bit like the giving birth position!!!

I woke up at 2.30am and was stuck in the flopped out knee position. I cant even get in this position when awake..

Managed to get legs and hips back:groan:and moved about to try and release the stiffness and took some oromorph 10mg. But this made me weird and gave me insomnia so got up. At 7 am took 2 dihydrocodeine and 2 paracetamol and lay on settee. Eventually got some sleep until 10.30am.

I am in a lot of right leg stiffness now especially in the groin area. So am on the sticks and lying down. Not at the same time though.

The other half will have to take care of my 12 bunnies running around the garden :catdance:. I know thats not a bunnie but they do dance about !! And the dog and cat.

I have had to take 2 tramadol. I am hoping I can take dihydrocodeine at 7am and then tramadol at 10.30am.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can prevent my legs and knees doing what they do when I am sleeping:heehee: as i must look a bit of a site plus it hurts.:swoon:.

I have actually tied a scarf around both thighs loosely, in a figure of 8, just in case knees go up and then go flop. This has stopped them flopping too far outwards. Have tried pillows but that hasnt worked.

Any ideas would be great:roseshwr: on the knee flop and also the meds. I am now going to ice.

Xx
 
Poor you what a nightmare and the scarf in a figure of eight too!!!! I found it difficult to solve this problem in my early days. Sleeping position really affects us - sorry stating the obvious - I tried wedges, pillows, sofa sleeping (didn't think of scarves!!) in desperation I got a foam tunnel type of thing and this didn't work. I hope someone will be along soon with a constructive idea for you. For me it gradually improved and became a non problem so time was of the essence! Take care
 
Hi @copsham , thanks for your reply.
So you kept doing that as well! I thought I was possibly the only one who did things like that in their sleep:friends: I suppose you could say its an extreme way to stretch the inner thigh muscles and tendons without any effort. But my word the after effects are very painful.

I am still icing, elevating and taking pain meds, so I hope the pain eases soon.
Arnie, our french bulldog, is keeping me company, so I am being soothed by a low snoring noise!! :puppysmooze:
X
 
Hi @Suzette,
One good thing about Bonesmart is that almost any problem that arises, there will be someone on the site who has experienced similarly. We are all so peculiar in our reactions to everything so it is reassuring. x
 
It certainly is. I am really happy to have found the bonesmart forum and the great people on it
x
 
@Suzette Youve come a long way these past couple of weeks. Sometimes "less is more" and we're surprised by the healing that takes place when we don't try so hard.
Today is one month and I have been able to sleep on my side for just a few days now. Sleeping on my back I had to bend my leg and it would flop but I only had one floppy leg to deal with. I did find that a little "tilt" rather than lying totally flat, with a small pillow under the higher side leg helped. Until a few days ago I had to take a lot of short naps, too - these helped with short bouts of side lying.

And this may not be a major thing for many, but I pretty much went "commando" for the first three weeks as my undies would bind up and put pressure on my groin after a while. :dubious:
I wore loose shorts around the house and soft knit tights/leggings or scrub pants when I went out.

Patti in Vail AZ
 
Re: commando, I've seen it suggested to wear boxers (hubbie's?) to avoid the binding. I did not try this as I bought a few pair of undies in a larger size, which have been getting me through.

Re: the dreaded leg flop, I tried last night to sleep on my op side (@Suzette you might have one side that is less sensitive than the other....). I didn't lay directly on it, but just tipped to that side. I put one pillow on the bed, my left knee on the pillow, then a pillow between left knee and right knee, then the right knee. If you can bear that position, having your legs lean to one side might keep them from flopping. You can play with the heights of the pillows to get the right angle. Hope this helps!

AH
 
@DesertHorses Go Commando Girl! I did the same thing because of the elastic issue as well. My incision is still tender to this day at 6 1/2 weeks out. I tried to watch a little tv laying on my op leg last night and it still feels not quite my own yet. :)
 
Hi @DesertHorses , thanks for your reply, It seems there are a few leg flopper hippies out there. I too have been commando, as the incision sites were being irritated by the knicker line. But this is getting much better now :yes!:

I will try the little tilt as at least that may stop one of the legs flopping! I will put a pillow behind me to see if that will stop me rolling back onto my back and the potential double flop.

There must be a floppy hippie phenomenon and potential for some new stop the flop equipment to be invented:wink:
 
Hi @donor and @agileHippie thanks for your replies too. My left side seems less sensitive than my right. So I will try the pillows too and by trial and error hopefully something suggested will help.

My scars are healing great, if a bit lumpy. They have strange feelings of numbness, itching and in some areas even a slight brush of a touch actually really hurts.

Thanks all for your input and I feel quite chuffed to be in the hip flop club

x x
 
Although I am yet again still awake. I am prepared with pillows my leg scarf, just in case, pain meds and am ready to try new sleeping positions out. Hopefully no hip flop tonight, as at long last and after a very boring day resting, my hip throb muscle and tendon pain is subsiding a bit.

Tomorrow is a new day :yes!: x
p's the dog is still next to me.....snoring.....alright for some !
 
Still awake too - at least it is not so hot. Hope the flop stays away tonight for you!
 
Holy cow Suzette! Your hospital stay was worse than mine and that is not an award anyone wants to win! Thank god that part is behind you and now you can start healing. Regardless of how the surgeon gets into our hips, they still saw off femur heads, carve out pelvis's and screw things back together..... All causing the ever so un-enjoyable weeks of healing. You persevered and I wish you the best care and healing now!!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
Hi Suzette
Just responding tp your reply in Whitecovers thread -

Re going back to work do, do be careful. i can only speak from my experience. A few weeks after my op my hip pain was not bad, I was not sleeping though, taking medication but theoretically could work from home. However when I did little things for myself online i made ridiculous mistakes. I meant to order one 1kg bag of epsom salts but ordered 10. I ordered two sticks/canes before the op but forgot and ordered two more, I ordered what I thought was one chain to hang specatacles around neck but it was a box of 10! So don't underestimate the drain on the brain as well as the body!!

I can't believe it you had bilateral only 18 days ago and HR thought you would be further on in your recovery. A relative of mine annoyed me with a similar approach so i printed out a copy of the hip being operated on, muscles being held back and bone sawn off. i was gruesome but it was the reality. A copy should be given to your HR. The reality is more than the discreet scar that we end up with LOL!
 
@Suzette (HI!!) the HR person who is questioning your recovery is one of those people who thinks this recovery is that damn piece of cake. What the heck??? I just had one hip done and I BOW DOWN to you folks who had both done at the same time. You are far more brave than me. Your pillow figure eight scarf is just one more thing we all get to chuckle about in this recovery. In someone else's thread....@Tweefishy .....I wrote about my PT apt this am and how i was so happy to be there I dropped my drawers to show off my incision. This was much to the horrors of the woman therapist who had not pulled the privacy curtain. At that point, I was NOT commando for once, whew.
 
Hi @copsham I too am STILL awake...I am thinking the same as you and print off the process of a THR or even send them a link to a YouTube video. I had to watch a video again the other day to remind my self exactly what was done in there.
That's also my worry making mistakes both from tiredness and the meds plus once you do a bit they think you can do more!!
I hope you get some sleep soon xx, Especially as tonight is cooler too, although it hasn't helped me much yet!

@Tweefishy I have just caught up on your story and the setbacks, hopefully there will be no more. It's easy to twist in the wrong way. I will be more aware of what I do after your experience. good luck in your healing too x x

I think I must try and force the sleeping....
 
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