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THR ChrissW's recovery thread

Do you know what @phillau43 you are so right. We are getting to the point of looking relatively normal from the outside ( I can even put on a full face of makeup though I really can't be bothered! ) I too feel lack lustre and in need of a nap by the afternoon but what can we expect when we don't sleep normally. In fact I'm impressed, on reflection, that I'm not in possession of suitcases under my eyes that reflect the extent of not having the obligatory 8hrs sleep a night. In respect of work it must feel different when it's your own business, obligation and responsibility from all angles. As the best judge of your own body and having got this far you can only do what is possible so just go with your gut, listen to it and take each day as it comes. Just make sure you are kind to yourself. Fingers crossed for us both with the OS next week, I'm presuming you've been behaving in the recovery period on the whole and that might help clear your thoughts. :thumb:
 
Good morning. Ive looked through the site and do realise that week 6 seems to be a point of heightened pain from what many are saying so I just wanted to add that my darn thigh aches more today! It has been steadily upping it's achiness and pain over the last couple of days but through the night and this morning I've found I'm having to assist moving it. I think it could be radiating from that Psoas muscle area based on sneaky leeks at other peoples posts! :shrug:
 
@ChrissyW, thanks for the update. It does seem like a lot of people experience heightened pain at around 6 weeks. I wonder why...? Hope you are feeling better soon!!
 
Well ladies. Just got back from my 6 week check up and the OS is happy with everything. Really interesting to look at the X-rays before and after and have him talk through it all. Only restrictions that remain are no bending to floor or twisting for at least another few months but otherwise I can do almost anything within reason, including a holiday as long as it would have nothing more than a short flight if over the summer. He just said remember to be sensible, listen to your body and remember that there will still be peaks and troughs because at the end of the day I'm only 6 weeks in. We spoke about the thigh pain and when I explained it, he did the move I really struggle with (bending knee and lifting my leg) and explained it was all elements of the muscle that are mending. He said all the things I've read on here about the hip feeling far better before the rest of the leg because of what that poor thing has gone through. Really positive visit overall. He's suggested that before I try drive myself anywhere I go somewhere quiet with hubby and practice an emergency stop and see how comfy I am driving too. Legally I can't drive if I can't do an emergency stop. He also said if work were prepared to look at a phased return that would be good but as a teacher he stressed no bending/ crouching down to speak to students or pick things up and to look at this from next week, just to see if I could manage a few hrs a day in total. We were happy so went for a cheeky Costa on the way home and hubby told ne he could breathe a sigh of relief as he'd actually gone ahead and booked the cruise holiday for the end of July.:happydance:
You were the first people @Mayhip8 and @ahipgma that I wanted to update. Have a good day my lovelies :yes!::loveshwr:
 
@ChrissyW

You'll notice that I have copied your newest post with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread: A copy also remains in Mayhip8's thread.
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Up early for my 7:45am appointment for my 6 weeks (to the day!) follow up with my surgeon. Everything seems to be okay, albeit yesterday was a relatively poor day as I felt uncommonly tired. I did rather over do it on Sunday though so only myself to blame. Hoping to drive to work after the follow up appointment and do a few hours.
 
Hope all goes well @phillau43 :dancy:. Mine yesterday was far less technical than I thought it would be so the same positive vibes being sent your way. I've got the physio tomorrow too so OS said they give the final nod on cans and can'ts :spin::yes!:
 
Thanks @ChrissyW - All good thanks. Surgeon happy and wants to see me again at 6 months and 12 months (I suspect he’s got a holiday to pay for!!) Went back to work as planned today and did half a day in the office, no appointments though so fairly easy. Still, I came home and fell asleep for 2 hours! Energy drain I suspect. Going back on Thursday to do another half day and already have a couple of appointments so will be more of a true test.
 
Glad all went well @phillau43 . I'm hoping, based on how today goes with physio, to start a phased return next week. Are you driving? If so any tips because you are right side like me? Did you practice the emergency stop? So long since I've ever consciously had to do one I feel like I'm having deja vu with my driving test! I tried to lay on my side last night but it was uncomfortable so I'm sticking to my herbal nytols, back sleeping and phased sleeping as I do feel like I'm getting sleep regardless of any waking during the night. Probably because we had really poor sleep in the early days post surgery what we have now feels like good sleep:sleep:
 
Hi @ChrissyW, it was good to go into work as it felt ‘normal’ again but a phased approach is sensible.
I tried a couple of short journeys in the car, on quiet days on quiet roads, and it felt perfectly normal.
I think an emergency stop is instinctive and reactive, and if needed you would jump on the brake as effectively as ever. If it subsequently hurts your hip you’d only know after the event - I certainly have the strength and agility in the operated leg to do so. I find the car seat a little uncomfortable on the surgery wound itself as the seats come up a little at the sides and press against it as you go around bends etc. I think a long journey might prove tedious. I drive an SUV which is automatic.
I told my OS I’ve been lying on my unoperated side when sleeping (or trying to) since the end of week 3, carefully and with various pillows strategically placed. He said he would prefer it if I slept on my operated side but acknowledged that pillows are a good idea. I can lie on both sides now but eventually they both become uncomfortable, either from the pressure on the operation area or by the hip aching. Still, it’s preferable to back sleeping! I’ve only had one 7 hour+ stretch since the op but generally I feel I’m sleeping better than in the first few weeks. I’m still popping the occasional paracetamol and naproxen but trying to do without. How are you getting on the pain relief?
 
Good afternoon @phillau43 thanks for your driving update, I'm going out with hubby later fir a test 'drive' before I ring work in the morning and negotiate a phased return next week so fingers crossed I can drive. I tried getting in to my car (a 4x4) today. It wasn't as easy as getting in to my husbands as mine is higher to 'climb' in to but I did get in but the pedals felt in a strange position for moving between brake and accelerator but I shall give it a go in a quiet area. I wad given some new moves by the physio and she spoke through getting up and down from the floor and how to get in to a bath when I feel confident enough. Quite funny though as shed stessa D trying to practice this fully clothed beforehand just to solid any embarrassment. The exercises are still gentle and aimed at muscle strengthening. Today though, for dome strange reason, all I seem to want to do is cross my legs and I keep reprimanding myself and I will resist ! Hope you managed your workload comfortably and I'm I,pressed at both your ability to sleep, even if just a little, on either side as I just can't and have tried, so not sure if it's a subconscious thing holding me back making me think it feels uncomfortable.
This journey is definetly slow and steady. I'm just using paracetamol now but do have a tramadol with it at nighttime alongside my little herbal sleep tablets. Hope to cut these completely this weekend and then just have them in for times when needed because both the pt today and os on Monday said some days would be bad days and not to be shocked if that was the case, which also seems true from reading other people's posts.
 
You've been doing great, Chrissy. I wish you luck on your practice run driving today.
You'll do fine with your emergency stop and feel confident getting out onto the big bad road again. :driver:
Best wishes with your phased return next week.
Have a great evening! :wave:
@ChrissyW
 
Sounds to me like you are doing great @ChrissyW and steadily, and sensibly, working through the return to ‘normality’ - whatever that is! I also have a 4x4 and I use the door arm rest like a crutch to support the right leg as I lift the left into the car - it seems to help. I’ve developed my own way of getting down to and up from the floor keeping from bending beyond the golden 90degs. Slow and careful Movements seem to be appropriate keeping the right leg quite straight - it must look weird. I tend to shower rather than bathe so I’ve not tried that, but imagine it could be tricky.
The sleeping on my side has been a gradual process, I didn’t do it instantly. Initially I lay on the un-operated side with a pillow from ankle to knee and another between the thighs. On the operated side I initially supported the weight off the wound area and only slowly relaxed over a few minutes when it feels more comfortable. After several nights of trying I can now sleep on my sides for reasonable lengths of time ie 30-60 minutes.
I’m sure we will have challenging days or periods ahead, but I keep thinking it is all normal, I am relatively young (!), I will crack this and get well again. I’m looking forward to main topic of conversation anywhere I go not being about my hip...
 
@phillau43 please do not go cracking anything! Your comment made me chuckle in light of our situation and all our precautions!:heehee:
I tried the up and down from the floor and failed! I could get on the my knees but then couldn't make the move to sitting and turning. It felt wrong, like I'd be twisting and I know that us a no no so stopped, got up and decided I've no rush to get on the floor so it can wait. The exercises they'd suggested fir the floor can also wait as, like we are told regularly on here, the hip does pretty well on its own and I'm trying to let it do just that, with just gentle strengthening exercises that have been good so far. Strangely it was a different PT and I didn't like her as much as the other one. She kept saying it had been a while since she'd done the post 6 week session which, as the patient, isn't the most reassuring, especially when you try the movements on your own at home and realise you just can't! :shrug:
The drive went well, though I had to do lots of seat adjustment for my foot to be able to transition between pedals. It was clear how I'd had to adapt pre surgery based around pain and necessary sitting position then. Emergency stop performed too and I'm going to ring work with ' the plan' well my side of it at least, later this morning.
I will also be calling the doctors to see if I can get an appointment for a couple of things, in particular sleeping or to be more specific lack of it, which is a worry in respect of working and the fact that as much as I have had improved sleep got the last 10 days it has been down to herbal sleeping tablets and I need to discuss ways forward as their precautions says they should they be needed for more than 2 weeks to Donal to a doctor. I didn't sleep last night, possibly managed an hour max, and did some movement whereby the ache in my thigh suddenly gave a shooting pain and got worse so I'll raise that with the doc too, though both the OS and the PT said the thigh pain I'd described was just part of healing I don't like the fact it just suddenly got worse. I was also more short tempered and poor hubby couldn't do right for doing wrong and clearly we all know how that ends up! Does this near 7 week 'situation' sound familiar to anyone? :what:
As I've said before it is really small steps journey this recovery lark and like you said @phillau43 normality and whatever that is for each of us will be warmly welcomed when it arrives! I know I'm getting frustrated, stir crazy and do miss just 'doing'.:sigh:
 
Seemingly stalled out progress and cabin fever!:sigh:
Definitely sounds like my second month out.
Keep it all slow and steady.
You will get there!
Hope today is a Good Day:yes:
 
Thank you @Mojo333 . Just back from doctors. She thinks I should add another tramadol and also the 'Blues' aren't helping (adding to the cabin fever most definetly)so I'm glad I went. The support on here is so appreciated :angel:
 
It's ALOT you have been through...this hip replacement business stretches us out physically and emotionally, especially when we are not used to limitations.
Sending healing mojo your way:roseshwr:
 
Just a quick question. Anyone else get thigh pain on sneezing? Not sure if I've. Cold or it's hay fever but sneezing doesn't feel good!
 
Hi @ChrissyW, busy day has meant I’ve not been able to reply. My thigh muscle (quad?) aches most of the time, but sneezing doesn’t exacerbate it. With regard to your sleep pattern, or lack of it, do you get much kip during the day to make up the lack of nighttime sleep?
 
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