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THR Campervan's recovery

Happy to hear you are home.
You got this, ice, rest & "do nothing" if that's how you are feeling.
Get up, walk a bit, have a snack back to rest! That was a lot of my early days.
 
I've found it helpful that I already have a good long term relationship with ice. Knowing when to go for more ice vs when I should really med up set me up for success this round.
I love that your doc literally said it's fine to do nothing. A lot more people need that advice.
 
Now Day 4 and I'm doing much better that I expected. Swelling is increasing. Bruising is minimal. I'm icing and elevating and taking paracetemol and diclofenac as prescribed. I slept for 7 hours last night with only one toilet visit. Yesterday I walked 3 loops around the outside of our house, and thats 360 metres plus all the general walking to bathroom etc.

Pain as yet isn't an issue unless I move my leg in a couple of directions, which I can avoid doing. Sitting idle pain level is zero.

As yet no log leg.

I have gentle exercises that the hospital physio gave me and these are the ones that my surgeon and a colleague of his that also does anterior have stipulated for their patients. Surgeon told me to merely do those, walk and we'll discuss if I need further physio at my 2 week review appointment on 29 May.
 
Glad to hear you are doing so well!
It took me about 3 days to have log leg, but it passed very quickly for me.

I keep being astonished how little it hurts. And yet the brain fog and fatigue are still in full force.
 
@luvcats as yet I haven't got the brain fog but have definitely got fatigue. I feel ok one minute and weary the next so I sleep for anything from 30 minutes to an hour and a half.
 
This afternoon I noticed a blister under my dressing. I phoned my hospital and nurse said it's likely a friction blister. I'm to monitor over next day or so and I may need to get dressing changed.
 

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The good thing about a protected intact blister with clear fluid within it is it's generally considered sterile. Definitely keep an eye on it.
 
The blister is getting smaller. Other than that, everything is coming along much better than I anticipated. I walk 2 or 3 times a day for 10 minutes. I don't have a lot of bruising but a new one appeared today on outside of leg just above and behind knee so makes it painful to sit on dining room chair. I'm icing frequently across the day

I can walk easily unaided with no limp. I am doing so around a single room, eg bathroom, but as soon as I move between rooms I use one crutch. When I do my exercise walks I use two crutches.

I no longer need to hook other foot behind ankle to lift leg onto bed. I now push my knees together and raise both and pivot. I find operated leg hurts if I let it drop inwards or outwards hence pushing knees together.

I'm doing some meal prep, just reheat stuff. Hubbies doing the rest. It's all easy given I had 22 prepared casseroles, soups etc in the freezer.

I use my grabber a little to get dressed. Long handled sponge was a waste of $20. Raised toilet seat on loan from hospital is proving useful as it's the kind that has bars at side to push up.

Review appointment is 29 May.
 
You're doing great!
I still use my walker around the house.

When we bought our house 2 years ago, we had chair height toilets installed. It was an excellent decision. We aren't either of us getting any younger after all. I've been very glad to have that as my hip got worse.
 
This morning I walked 1.2 km with crutches doing loops around outside of house on concrete paths. My hubbie watched me through the security cameras and I'm noticeably dropping my right shoulder, ie hip replacement side. It doesn't look like I'm limping, merely lopsided. Weird!
 
I figure we've been limping longer than we realize and our stance is all cattywompus. It will take a while to train ourselves back to standing up straight.
I'm going to get PT once the 2nd hip is upgraded. I know I'll need help rebalancing.
 
My surgeon said we'll discuss at my 2 week review what PT I should have. I thought I could do without as he has given me an excellent rehab progression timetable. But now I think I should go to PT to address the should drop. Issue is my amazing physio is having his shoulder replaced at beginning of June so I'll be seeing one of his young staff and I have this thing that young physios don't understand old bodies and push us too hard.
 
Hubbie has checked my crutches. Rubber foot on left had been replaced but not on right. So left crutch was 6mm taller than right. Probably has something to do with shoulder droop especially as I use crutches like hiking poles.
 
That would certainly do it.
The advantage that hip joints do not of themselves require PT to heal is that you don't need to rush. Find out when your amazing senior PT plans to be back at work and set up your PT then. 6 or 8 weeks healing will give your body a chance to sort whatever it is going to, and then PT can tackle the rest.
 
He's away from treating patients for at least 3 months, so unlikely back till at least mid September.
 
Weird thing is that if I've sat in a chair for maybe half an hour, normal chair without feet elevated, then I'm getting knee startup pain in my RTKR so same side as hip replaced. Anybody got any ideas why?
 
Campervan said:
knee startup pain in my RTKR so same side as hip replaced
Click to expand...
You are barely one week post-op, so this is completely normal. You are recovering from major surgery that caused your body a lot of trauma-- all of the nerves and soft tissues in your leg were disturbed during the surgery.

All of us experience pain up and down our legs -- into our knees, calves, ankles and even our backs -- as those traumatized muscles and soft tissues heal.

Remember that you are very, very early in this year-long recovery. It's important to keep icing and elevating as much as possible to reduce swelling and promote healing. And try to be patient; it will get better -- with time.
 
I see surgeon for 2 week review on 29th May. Right now my issue isn't my leg, its my shoulders and wrist. My hip is doing well, little pain other than muscle tightness particulary quads mid thigh and hamstrings just above back of knee. Pain levels range from one to two at most.

Detail is below, but big picture - I can't use crutches. As long as I concentrate and go slowly I can walk most of the time without a limp without crutches. Start up pain does make me limp for the first few steps, but I can avoid this as long as I stand up, pause for 3 seconds and then concentrate and walk. When I go out I will take either crutches or my cane but I plan to avoid going out.

In February 2023 I fell and hurt my wrist. May 2023 I was diagnosed with FCR tendonitis which improved following cortisone injection which lasted till September. October I was diagnosed with a partial thickness tear and was in a cast for a month Oct/Nov. I also wore a rigid brace for months before and after the cast. Using crutches has flared up the tendonitis so I'm wearing the rigid brace in hope it settles down quickly. The brace makes it difficult to use crutches and I can't go down to one crutch as I need crutch in left hand for right hip. Same for using my cane.

Before my hip replacement both my shoulders rotator cuffs were sore with certain movements, the left worse than the right. I think this is from using my arms to push up of things rather than my legs and abs while my hip was painful. And from particularly moving around in bed on my elbows to avoid using my hands given the FCR tedon issue.

I look a right mess icing my hip/leg, wrist and both shoulders. I'm rubbing everywhere with Natures Kiss antiflamme which contains Arnica and bunch of other stuff. I not sure I could rub with Voltaren Gel given I'm taking Voltaren 75 twice a day.
 
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