THR Bumblebee in Recovery

[Bumblebee]

Since I can't get on the floor to do those exercises just yet @Josephine , is my only option ice and pain meds?

 

[Josephine]

You can do them on the bed or the settee. That's what I did.

 

[Bumblebee]

Another milestone reached...solo in the shower! I have bars on the shower walls which helped of course for steadiness. The only thing I couldn't do was dry from the knee down...so called in help for that.

Still holding off shaving....afraid of bleeding to death while taking the blood thinner.

 

[Layla]

Yay for Bumblebee!
Regaining that confidence in the shower is a wonderful feeling.
I had the same thought about shaving / bleeding
With a whole lot of "don't really care to shave right now" mixed in.
I still want to get the Giraffe razor. It looks so easy.
Hope you have a good week!

 

[Josephine]

The only thing I couldn't do was dry from the knee down

Personally, I found (and find) that by the time I've dried off the rest of me, I'm dry from the knees down anyway!

Still holding off shaving....afraid of bleeding to death while taking the blood thinner.

Whilst not for a moment wishing to demean your anxiety about it - I have to admit this did give me a chuckle!

 

[Bumblebee]

Since progressing to cane 2 days ago I am getting more outside of knee pain (IT band?) Of course, still only walking in the house with it but nonetheless walking more without the confines of the walker.

 

[Mojo333]

Yay for progress!
Great for you bumblebee!

 

[SaraK]

I did have different areas that hurt when I switched to cane and then when I transitioned off of it. PT said different muscles being activated because of less balance/support and change in mechanics/body position,

 

[MammaT]

Experiencing the same thing with different pains. Our muscles are just jacked up from wrong walking. I am really noticing this time going off cane that when I am concentrating on heel-toe and standing straight, painful areas feel better.

You’re doing great @Bumblebee! ( and I have same bleeding phobia, been using electric razor, got brave yesterday and used razor, no cuts!)

 

[Layla]

Hi @Bumblebee
Remember the knee is used as leverage to dislocate the hip. I'm wondering if that's coming into play?
Reason being...my knee didn't hurt immediately after surgery but became sore, black and blue and also swollen about 17 days post op. Mainly everything I mentioned was on the outside of my knee as you've described with yours. Something to consider.....
Hope it eases soon!

 

[Bumblebee]

@Layla....my joint was not dislocated. Went the Superpath route.

 

[Layla]

Lucky you...
So back to IT band?
Whatever it is GO AWAY!
Hugs

@Bumblebee

 

[Mojo333]

How did they get it or to replace it?

 

[Bumblebee]

Here is the explanation from a surgeon who performs it:
A hip dislocation occurs when the femoral head is forcible removed from the hip socket, which can happen with major trauma like a car wreck or during most hip replacements. A vast majority of hip replacement surgeries begin with twisting and pulling the leg in order to dislocation the femoral head out of the socket. This dislocation may occur out of the front of the socket as in the anterior hip approaches or out of the back of the socket as in the posterior hip approaches. However, the SuperPATH technique makes dislocating the hip joint during surgery unnecessary. Preventing a post-operative hip replacement dislocation starts with eliminating the intra-operative hip dislocation.
Avoiding the hip dislocation during a hip replacement surgery is accomplished by preparing the femoral bone first. In situ femoral preparation refers to reaming, broaching and implanting the femoral component without cutting the femoral neck and without dislocating the hip joint. Since the femoral head remains in the socket, the hip joint helps stabilize the leg during the femoral preparation. Because the femoral neck remains intact during the femoral preparation, the femur is stronger and less likely to fracture, a fact I presented at ORS in 2010. Interestingly, every orthopedic surgeon has at one time or another implanted a femoral IM nail into the femoral shaft without cutting the femoral neck or dislocating the hip joint. This in-situ femoral preparation just utilizes the same skill set every orthopedic surgeon already has for trauma cases (broken bones) and applies it to joint replacement cases.

 

[Layla]

Hi @Bumblebee
If you don't mind sharing...
Did you seek out a surgeon, or a surgeon who uses SuperPATH?
Thanks for the explanation.
Hope you have a great day!!

 

[Bumblebee]

Good question. I had several consults with surgeons who performed a variety of approaches and then made my decision based on the q&a I received from all.

 

[hipster333]

@Bumblebee I hope your knee pain is doing better! I didn't have SUPERPATH so it's hard to compare. I keep ice mine when it starts to hurt. I've been doing more cane walking and a little no aid walking which I'm finding is hurting more on the hip side and in the groin. How are you healing otherwise?

 

[NanaMama]

@Bumblebee - I nearly broke the 90 degree rule (thought I'd need to put my head between my knees) reading the SuperPath description. I was chiming in to wish you a Happy Two Week Hipaversary!! Can you believe it? We're 14 days "post op" and much improved from our former, wimpy selves. I think it was @Layla who said to measure our improvement by the week, not the day - and that is so true. One week ago today I went from walker to crutch. I'm not sure I'm ready for a cane yet. I feel 'fully supported' with the crutch down my entire left side. Here's to the next 7 days .... one at a time!

 

[Layla]

I did measure progress by the week @NanaMama and specifically by weekends, for myself.
I mentioned most of us can remember what we did from weekend to weekend because in most instances
spouse / SO is off work and home, visitors are stopping by and in the memories created you seen to recall
how you were feeling, what you felt capable of etc. it was easier than trying to recall progress on any given Tuesday... if that makes sense.
I also think if you're doing well with a crutch, you'll transfer seamlessly to the cane. I never used a crutch
but went from walker to crutch and while it took a little adjustment, it wasn't more than a couple days.
Sorry for derailing your thread @Bumblebee but I know you're generous and won't minding us hogging a big fat post on your thread. Hugs to you both!

 

[Bumblebee]

Each day is different...some days I walk rather well other days and times of the day, barely walking. Night time everything hurts. Not everything is tied to the hips..I have leg and foot pain, pins and needles, at night, on both sides, pre and post op surgery. Not sure if it's RLS or something else. Have to admit I thought that all my pains would go away post surgery...wishful thinking. Oh well, just trying to stay positive and get to the best that I can be.
Anybody ever try acupuncture for pain? Wonder if there is much of a risk for infection after THR?