Bilateral THR Bilateral THR recovery

[Mojo333]

Happy Sunday, Both at Once pal.
About now, I was tired of sitting, tired of trying to get comfortable ... Legs were restless and icing was great but getting old too.
This is the tough part...but I live Layla's oft mentioned suggestion to try and gauge improvements on the weekends ..vs day by day.
This recovery thing has lots of ebbs and flows.

 

[JMM2019]

Thanks @Mojo333 2 weeks today with my new hips, seems like a lot longer. I feel really good, no fevers or night sweats and the pain in very manageable. Still on Tylenol and 2mg dilaudid every 6 hours, so that helps. I finish up the dilaudid tomorrow, interested to see how bad the pain is when I‘m just on Tylenol and ice. I’m walking fairly well with the walker but I don't do well at all without it, should I be more mobile at this point? I’ll admit I haven’t done as many of the exercises as I was told to do, but honestly the first week i just rested...and I’m ok with that

 

[Celle]

I’m walking fairly well with the walker but I don't do well at all without it, should I be more mobile at this point?

No. You're doing fine. There's no set time by which you should be off the walker.

When you start forgetting the walker and leaving it behind, that's when you're ready to move on to a cane. Until then, it's safer to use the walker than to risk having a fall.

 

[Mojo333]

They had me on Dilaudid too...necessary for my comfort and mobility.
Definitely stayed on the walker for the first 3 weeks but did do a few solo cruises on countertops and sofa...gingerly.
My quads felt that had been beat like a punching bag...weak.
It will get better...

 

[Rellimarual]

I only had one hip replaced, 2 weeks ago and while I get around ok on the cane (the one I have is a bit too long, so I’ve ordered an adjustable one), I keep the walker on the floor where I spend the most time. You get tired very fast in these early weeks and that’s when balance becomes challenging. You don’t want to risk a fall.

 

[JMM2019]

3 weeks in, hips are feeling pretty good. I walked outside unassisted for 30 minutes the last 3 days. My knees started aching bad a week ago, I read on BS that’s normal because they use them as leverage during surgery, but I don’t have any bruising, so I’m not sure that’s the cause of my pain. My lower back also hurts, especially when I try to stand up straight. I think it might be due to sleeping on my back (which I despise) and/or all the time I’ve logged in the recliner. Okay, I’ll stop whining. All in all, I’m happy with my progress

 

[Jaycey]

@JMM2019 Try putting a small pillow under your knees when you sleep on your back. It takes the pressure off the lumbar spine.

 

[Mojo333]

Hi my beleaguered bilateral bud. Good to hear an update.
Congrats on the walking...unassisted.
I felt the same way about the sleeping situation.
I know you will get there as I did, but man, I sure wanted another position to get into.

This is the part that gets tough.... Too much sitting... but too much walking....my quads were so Tender.
It's alot.
Keeping it between the lines of enough but not too much can be tricky.
Stay attuned with your body as it will tell you and keep the ice going after activity ...
Continued wishes for healing... Hang in there.

 

[Mojo333]

Hello "Both at Once"
Just wondered how things were going?
One month post op, for me, was a prime time for cabin fever and a bit of the post op doldrums. Hopefully you are taking it all slow and steady and feeling that you are getting stronger every day.
@JMM2019

 

[JMM2019]

Hi @Mojo333 nice to hear from you. Definitely feeling a bit of doldrums, just looking forward to being able to move around freely. Still trying to get my gait corrected. I walk with a wider stance, because it’s less painful and more stable, but I think that’s a really bad habit. How was your gait at 4 weeks?

 

[Mojo333]

Not the greatest...it was also hard to figure out how I was supposed to transition to a cane
I dont know if I had a wider stance, I did have a shorter gait....and used my cane to lean on when I was stopped more than anything. Don't overdo and keep icing and elevating. Most of this is just a time thing, unfortunately. I still did steps one at a time for quite a while to keep from overstraining my quads.
Keep the faith...it will get there.

 

[djklaugh]

@JMM2019 You are one month out from having TWO major surgeries! Relax and let the process move at a sedate pace because if you push too hard it may actually slow you down by further traumatizing already stressed tissues and joints. The oddities of gait, stance, and movement will sort them selves out. Next year at this time, I predict, you will look back on this period of time and think "oh that didn't last so long really". Ice, elevate, do any and all exercises given to you, walk, eat well, sleep as well as you can ... you are doing just fine!

 

[Layla]

Happy One Month Anniversary!
Still early in the game, brave double hippie.
I think bilateral‘s deserve a reward for signing up for “both at once”. I know I wouldn’t have the courage. Hang in there...lots of time left for healing and room for improvement.
Enjoy the rest of the week!
@JMM2019

 

[JMM2019]

Thanks so much for all the encouragement, it really means a lot to me. I took everyone’s advice and backed off pushing it. I walk slowly inside for 15 min. now, focusing on proper technique, and guess what... it’s HELPING! It’s a Christmas miracle . In addition to my hips, I’ve also been icing everything else that hurts (knees, back) and that’s helped too.

Thanks again, it is soooo nice to have my peeps help me through this!

 

[FCBayern]

Definitely have to be the turtle and not the hare! Good to see things going the right direction!

 

[Mojo333]

Happy happy, joy joy.
It IS a process, but well worth it all in the end.
I can do this now

 

[JMM2019]

Hi all, happy holidays. I’ve had a bit of a setback. I started having pain in the left hip joint about 10 days ago, so I rested and iced for 3 straight days. That didn’t help much at all, so I emailed my OS and his PA responded: As patients start to ramp up activity, pain can increase at times. There are also times when you can irritate the iliopsoas muscle of the hip which assists in flexing the hip. If you are having pain, it may be best to back off activity and continue stretches without strengthening of the front of the hip.

After reading up on psoas problems, her advice makes sense, but after 10 days of rest I’m hobbling around like it’s week 3 (I just hit week 7). I also tried stretching and it definitely made it worse. As far as exercising, I really wasn’t overdoing it, just those basic exercises they gave me, once a day, and walking for 15 minutes. At no point did I feel discomfort while exercising. The pain is sharp when I walk and the joint throbs when I’m resting. Any guidance is much appreciated!

 

[Elf1]

@JMM2019 sorry to hear you're having a setback. Can I ask where exactly are you having pain, side of hip/thigh, groin, front of thigh?

Also, what kind of basic exercises were you doing? You're at a prime point to overdo, even though you don't realize it because you were feeling so good. You may want to lay off everything but a bit of walking around the house and icing/elevating for a while.

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @JMM2019
Sorry you are hurting.
I, like Elf, am curious to what exercises you were doing.
Groin pain isn't uncommon after THR but you sound as if it is really causing alot of discomfort and I hope you are still icing as much as possible.
Tightness after this major surgery can certainly make things easier to strain...so I stayed with a shorter hair when walking (back to the walker when home at times when hip felt particularly stressed)
Things you do regularly may be making the situation worse. For example, stretching into hip extension (thigh back behind the body) is usually not recommended for hip flexor or iliopsoas related groin pain.
I would massage the area at times which I found helpful when particularly tight.
There is more extensive massage described here for psoas pain.
Also, if you are careful to keep heat away from incision area, some time arm pack on groin might help.
Do you have a follow up scheduled soon? It was comforting to me to have follow-up x-rays to confirm all was okay.
Try to take smaller steps and shorter walks several times per day vs longer walks while this is hopefully resolving.

 

[JMM2019]

thanks @Elf1 and @Mojo333 The most pain is in the groin. It does help to ice but the pain returns shortly thereafter even though I’m resting and not exercising. These are the exercises I was doing:
Once daily, 10-20 reps
-lift leg straight out to the side
-move leg backward, keeping knee straight
-move leg forward, keeping knee straight
-bend hip and knee up as if marching
-bend knee back toward buttocks
-heel raises

I have a follow up with the OS Jan 5