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THR Benne's 2nd THR Recovery

I remember a surreal mix of a day feeling like a week and at the end of a week wondering where all the days had gone. Hope you get a better night sleep tonight. Have you tried a pillow resting alongside your head and cheek on the side you normally sleep on? It kind of mimic's the sensation you're familiar with when dropping off to sleep. I can sleep on my back in bed but had problems trying to sleep in my recliner. That little trick helped me a lot.
 
Day 3. Another sleep-challenged night, but the pain is well controlled. Staying on schedule with meds and icing non-stop. Have been able to get up and do a mini-walk almost every hour.

Had to laugh at myself this morning: I thought it would be a good idea to put on my Fitbit so I could track my total steps today. I walked about 5 feet before realizing that with my hands on the walker, there is no movement for the Fitbit to record!

Ah yes, the post-op brain is a frightening thing! :heehee:
 
To this day I still track my steps. It’s amazing how much we walk in course of the day w/o even trying to! Especially in the grocery stores!
But for now I’m sure a few spins around the house will do you just fine.
I did get used to sleeping on my back but prefer side sleeping.
But sleep is elusive during recovery.
You know the drill! Nap when you can.
 
Day 4: Slight uptick in my pain level today. Am still icing constantly and taking meds on schedule. Guess the poor traumatized soft tissues in my buttock and thigh have finally realized what happened to them ... and are complaining!

Starting to see a little bruising now, too. (Well, I can't actually see the area, but hubs takes photos for me :heehee:.)

I so wish I had discovered BoneSmart prior to my first hip replacement back in 2019 because then I'd have a recovery thread from that surgery for reference. My recollections on the timing of things is pretty murky. I know every hip is different, but it would be nice to read about that journey now.
 
I had to laugh because I've only just plucked up the courage to look at the hippie badge of honour picture gallery, I made hubby do all the checking early on.

We're all different but I do remember that my pain levels fluctuated a lot during those first couple of weeks. I had a medication schedule but was advised to vary my dosage within a range to stay ahead of pain. I had a small amount of liquid morphine for breakout pain. I didn't have to take much but a little on and off for the first week. For me I think it was around day 3/4.
 
@benne68 Every hip is different -- even when you do both at the same time!! For me righty (AKA Hunky)took longer to heal and rehab than lefty(AKA Dory) did and complained louder through the process. But eventually they came together and now are totally Hunky Dory :wink:
 
I have the benefit of having a recovery thread from my last hip. As you said, they are not always the same - my OS referred to hips like children - same upbringing but may turn out somewhat different. But my prior thread has been helpful in some respects, most of which you probably remember anyway. Those include knowing that the first 2 weeks are hardest, that there seems to be a distinct time when the soft tissues in the thigh (damaged from the dislocation during surgery) start to heal but the actual surgery site in the hip becomes the focus of pain, and that new little areas of pain inexplicably come and go and should be of no concern. My week 3 saw significant progress last time, so I was looking forward to that and it has been so this time as well.

Your being active on this forum and reading other's threads will remind you of much of the info regarding the likely progression that your prior thread would provide if you had one.

Just keep pushing through these early days and you'll be on the upswing before you know it.
 
Thinking of you so much, hoping it’s all going to plan and you’re coping ok.
Got my pre op booked for next week!
 
Day 6: Now that I'm off the Torodol (anti-inflammatory), I'm seeing more swelling in my surgical leg despite the continuous icing and elevating. The bruising also continues to spread. But, happily, my pain is pretty well controlled with just the acetaminophen regimen. I take one oxycodone at bedtime to help with falling asleep.

The home health nurse came late yesterday for a check in and removed the large Mepilex bandage (I still have the special waterproof dressing covering the incision). I was so happy to be able to shower this morning, but ... it exhausted me. Post-op energy drain is real. Naps are wonderful. :sleep:

All in all, I am doing well for less than one week post op. But I'm not taking any chances. I know that "slow and steady" is the best approach on this recovery journey!
 
Sounds like you're doing wonderfully! Hopefully the swelling will settle as you adjust after stopping the anti-inflammatory meds. I imagine you are at that stage where all the colours of the rainbow start to show up in that bruising. Keep napping, icing and taking it easy... You'll be skipping about before you know it :flwrysmile:
 
Day 10: The roller-coaster ride continues -- while the pain is under control, I've had lots of swelling.

Plus, I seem to have developed dermatitis in the area around the waterproof bandage. The home health nurse was here this morning and sent a photo to the surgeon's office; waiting on a call back. She thinks it could be a reaction to the adhesive. Itches like crazy! Icing helps.

Otherwise, the recovery is going well. Did my first outdoor walk over the weekend. Just the length of one neighbor's house and back again on Saturday. Same yesterday. Today, I went a little further before turning around. Was so nice to be outdoors for a bit in the sunshine, but taking things slowly!
 
It must be great to be getting around outside after being cooped up in the early days. It took ages before my swelling calmed down. It seemed to be related to shortly before my next dose of medication was due and after that just a response to moving about. I'm sorry to hear you have a rash. I expected to react because I always do and surely enough it was horrible. I ended up with open blistering but it resolved. Ask if you are able to take antihistamines, if so it will help with the itching. Also a little trick is to gently scratch another area of skin and imagine it's the place. Hope it resolves soon :flwrysmile:
 
Sounds like you are right on track! I developed some dermatitis or something similar at a wound site for the Mako device for which they gave me an antibiotic cream which seemed to clear it up. Was itchy and annoying until it did!

Getting outside is nice. You've just about completed those tough first couple of weeks. Stay the course!
 
Hope the dermatitis resolves @benne68. Itching is the last thing you need. It might be worth getting the dressing replaced with a sensitive dressing - I generally react to any sort of plasters but have found the sensitive ones ok.

I don’t know whether you have a phone that automatically logs your step count, but if you do, it may be one way of going back to what happened the first time around, so you can track the progress of the two hips. Obviously weather and other things make a difference too. My progress is also measured in parkrun finish time data, except I haven’t done one yet this time around. Soon!
 
@Deni444 and @scorow Thanks for sharing your experience with the irritation. It's odd because I had the exact same dressing with my 3 previous surgeries without issue. My nurse mentioned she has seen an increase in this as well, so maybe they've changed the adhesive. Fortunately, I'm going in tomorrow -- a couple of days early -- for my 2 weeks follow-up appointment with the surgeon and will see what he recommends.

@Coddfish I have a Fitbit, but didn't purchase it until after my first knee replacement so I don't have any history for the first hip. It was, indeed, a great tool for tracking my 2nd TKR recovery!
 
Just returned from my (early) 2-week post-op visit to the surgeon. He thinks the rash is a contact dermatitis reaction to the adhesive in the mesh bandage that is applied over the surgical glue. No idea why I reacted this time, since I didn't have a problem with the previous surgeries.

He decided to remove the mesh, since the incision itself appears well healed, and advised me to wash the area well with soap and water to remove any residue. If it doesn't clear up in a couple of days, he wants to see me again. I can take an oral antihistamine for the itching if it is a problem.

Otherwise, everything looks good. I'll see him again in a month for X-rays and a final check.
 
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