THR Carita's Recovery Thread

Carita

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Hi Friends,
Well, 20 hours post op!!! So gratefuI! I took your collective experience with me...thank you! Anterior approach, 300ml estimated blood loss, bone on bone. Staff was wonderful. Resting after walking to the door in my room with therapist. I have a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood and wooded hills.
5 mg oxy, tylenol and Celebrex for pain. Ice and elevation. My concern is a large portion of my anterior leg from incision to knee feels dead and heavy. No feeling, as if I'm dragging a mannequin leg. Quads are firing and I'm able to bare weight lightly. The numbnessness prevents me from feeling confident about going home. Is this the log leg I read about? Dead long leg? Needing some reassurance. Staff not alarmed and say let's watch and wait.
Should I continue to post on this thread....too foggy to figure out the correct place for my story.

With gratitude,
Carita
 
@Carita , congratulations on your new hip. I cannot answer the question on log leg from personal experience since I never had one but it sure sounds like it. Someone will be around soon to start a thread for you on the recovery side. For now, rest, elevate and remember to keep icing.
 
Congrats on your new lease on life. Yes my friend, that is log leg. There will be various points of numbness. As long as it isn’t pervasive or keep you from having control when you walk it should be okay. Some overall feeling of weakness is normal for any surgery. Let the nurses be your best guide. Let them know about your fears/doubts if that continues. Post when you’re able. I’ll be following.
 
Thank you CST, Hip and Leejaa. Yikes! This numbness is so strange. PT just left. I walked about 50 feet and climbed a few stairs. Enough teaching to get me in our house tonight. RN will medicate and do dressing change then I'm heading home. Sleeping in my own nest tonight without vital checks and beeping pumps! Thank you to all,
Carita
 
Hi Carita,
Congrats on your new hip and welcome to recovery! Hopefully you are resting comfortably at home by now with pain well managed.

In regard to the numbness -
The initial post op numbness is a result of the anesthesia or a regional block which can produce numbness lasting for up to 72 hrs post op.

Small sensory nerve fibers are cut with the incision. These nerve fibers run from the inside to the outside of the hip and cutting them causes the hip to feel numb after surgery. It is a temporary sensation. While healing you may experience sensations of tingling, pins and needles, itching, burning and even the feeling of a minor electrical shock. These are usually good signs that the nerves are spontaneously firing through the regeneration process.

Log Leg - is your brain is telling your leg to move but the muscles and soft tissue have been so traumatized that there's no reaction. It will ease in the days to come.

Following are the Recovery Guidelines which I believe you’ll find beneficial.
Stop by often, we look forward to following your journey.

Wishing you comfort as you begin healing. :)


Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask the at each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
@Carita
 
Hi @Carita
Hope you are home and settled (for the most part, as I know how unsettling this experience can be)
Good old log leg...I had the same experience as you can tell many others have too) All temporary, so try not to worry.
Those quads will be super tender also so just keep your meds tracked on time to stay ahead of the pain, stay hydrated, and ice, ice, ice.:ice::ice::ice:
I highly recommend taking stool softeners regularly also as those meds can sure get you off kilter.

Healing hugs coming your way.:loveshwr:
 
There is no place like home. I hope you had a restful night though do not be surprised if sleep is elusive at first so make sure you nap anytime the mood strikes. I am not normally a napper but recovery taught me the wonders of just drifting off during the day. Take care.
 
:wave: @Carita, so happy that you're on the healing side now and that you're resting at home. Home always makes us feel much better. Log leg can be annoying, hopefully you don't have to deal with it for long. Definitely take your meds as prescribed, elevate and ice so you stay ahead of any pain. For the next couple of weeks just concentrate on resting, sleeping and doing a little walking in the house, nothing major though.
 
Hello dear hippy friends, thank you for leaving me post op well wishes! Today was day 4 and quite challenging. I'm walking (bed to chair to BedR to BathR to kitchen) with my wheeled walker, icing, elevating, napping, eating healthy foods, hydrating. Sleep has been good. Taking 5 mg Oxy every 3 hours ( tried to reduce total doseage by 25% today, ouch!!!), 500 mg tylenol every 6 hours, 200 mg Celebrex every 12 hours, 325 mg aspirin (as anticoagulant) every 12 hours. Lots of generalized itching, no rashes or skin break down. Spoke with RN from joint program today who suggested upping tylenol a bit and continue with Oxy through the weekend. Itching is likely from the Oxy. Reminded me I had a big surgery 4 days ago and to take it EASY!!! They suggest more activity than Bone Smart and I'm sticking with yours.

Pain is most concentrated on anterior thigh of operated leg, aching, stinging and burning. The wretched posterior pain is gone!!! Numbness extends from hip to a few inches above knee. Toe numbness on operated leg.

My hospital experience was great. I'm so pleased I've joined you on the other side!!

Dozing off....goodnight friends. Thank you for everything.
Carita
 
@Carita Welcome to the other side! Sounds like you are doing great. Easy does it. Get the icing and elevating going. Be sure and put a towel between your skin and any ice pack.

You are on your way!
 
Thank you Jaycey!

Day 7! Need a bit of reassurance. Impatience bug hit hard along with doubts of recovery. I can sure be my worst enemy! I'm following Bone Smart protocols: ice, elevate, rest, hydrate to a tee.
Yesterday on my feet a bit with walker in the kitchen. Rearranged flowers and got soup started. No energy for anything else. Must not compare with the stories of crutchless at 1 week!
Continue with large patch of numbness from hip to mid thigh. L foot also slightly numb. When I straighten L leg while standing I have burning and pulling along the incision to above the knee. The posterior pain I had prior to surgery is gone! The sciatica too! So grateful! Now there is a dull ache with heaviness and a lack of strength. I'm guessing this is all to be expected.
Any hints to put this impatience bug in its place?

With thanks,
Carita
 
Hi @Carita
At only one week, what you’re experiencing sounds pretty normal to me. Keep reminding yourself that you’re basically at the beginning a recovery that takes a full year, even longer for some. You don’t have much energy because all of your energy is going to healing first, not leaving much for anything else. Just roll with it and nap when you’re able.

In regard for the numbness -
Small sensory nerve fibers are cut with the incision. These nerve fibers run from the inside to the outside of the hip and cutting them causes the hip to feel numb after surgery. It is a temporary sensation that normally resolves over a period of six months to one year post op. While healing you may experience sensations of tingling, pins and needles, itching, burning and even the feeling of a minor electrical shock. These are usually good signs that the nerves are spontaneously firing through the regeneration process.

Continue doing what you’re doing and read through the Activity Progression for THR from the Recovery Guidelines.
If you follow it you should stay on track without overdoing it.
A great week to you! :)
@Carita
 
Numbness should subside. Eventually -- after your incision is completely healed, 6 weeks -- you might want to stimulate any remaining areas with a spiky massage ball. It is far too soon to think about any such right now.
 
Thank you CST. That is a good idea for later down the road. Right now I know rest is all I need but the "do something now" voice tells me it is not enough!

I just took a shower and washed my hair, put on a bra and clean clothes. That makes a difference in how I feel. I ordered dinner from our favorite little neighborhood restaurant that hubby will pick up at 6. It's TLC time! And as you all say, this is temporary.

Thanks to everyone,
Carita
 
@Carita congrats on your new hip! You actually sound like you are doing very well and right on target for the post surgical doubts and concerns to begin creeping in You sound like you are doing very well.. I remember having numbness and numerous zip and zaps in and around my thigh muscles and hip joint.
I commend you on taking it slowly in regards to exercises, etc. You are doing very well! :flwrysmile:
 

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