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THR Clairebella’s recovery journey

I feel it in my outer thigh area with soreness. My knee is tight feeling when walking it gets better as I move. I would love to have somewhere to walk but that’s not in the cards currently. My leg is still swollen and doesn’t feel like my other leg yet. I am trying to sit in a cushion + chair off and on. I was told that it takes time.

@Esmeralda let us know what your doctor says.
 
Yes, I’m concerned a lot of my referred pain continues post op too. Do I just walk on through it??
 
Yes my leg still feels very different to the other one!
 
To be honest I still don't understand referred pain !

When mine first started it was the only symptom that I had from the osteoarthritis in my hip, so that I actually thought it was my knee that was the problem. After using a knee support for several weeks with no improvement, I then went to see a private physio as I wanted a quick result as I was limping quite badly by this time, she thought it might be because of a compressed nerve in my back, so lots of exercises and lots of cash later, still no improvement, then referred to practice's head poncho, who after a quick examination thought it was a hip problem and one x-ray later a confirmed diagnosis of osteoarthritis from the GP, sent to me by text message, which appalled me at the time as I was just so upset by the diagnosis and needed to talk to someone.

How did your referred pain start ? And prior to the operation did anything relieve the pain ?
 
A text message is awful for sure.
I have always had referred and radiating pain.
I always had groin pain radiating down my thigh and into my knee and beyond. The more I sat at work the more the pain travelled and ached. I used to say it was like radiating toothache all down my leg. If I walked the dog too far I would pay for it the next day with the pain flaring up. I was prescribed a nerve drug - pregabalin. Which did help a lot.

The referred pain to knee causing pain is quite common in hip arthritis my PT tells me - that’s pain from nerves travelling down the nerve pathway I think.
 
I had groin pain. When it first started it was so sudden and sharp I went to the emergency department thinking I had appendicitis.

Turned out to be my hip and eventually radiated to my back and down my thigh. The pain was relentless.
 
The groin pain can so often be confused. My GP for weeks thought it was my ovary.

For the one month recoverees and for those 4-8 weeks can I ask about pain relief??!!
At this point for me, paracetamol 4x daily is not relieving pain. I thought I’d not require any more than that at this point so it worries me somethings not quite right.
 
We all have different tolerances to pain. Some can handle more, some can't. I only took oxy for about 2-3 days, it makes me nauseous so I just used Extra Strength Tylenol when needed.
Adding ice and rest when you have pain is almost as good as meds.
 
@Esmeralda Two years ago I was much more fit than now. I was running 5Ks at a turtle’s pace. After one such race, I came home and my knee felt wonky going up the steps. This could have been the referred pain. When I went to the orthopedist in November I was diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis in both hips. I got to the car and had a nice boohoo session as I felt much too young for severe OA but I had an explanation for what was going on. I can’t imagine getting told this by text as that’s very insensitive. The doctor did not see anything on X-ray to explain my knee pain.
 
@Clairebella I am down to just the extra strength Tylenol now plus Celebrex. The Celebrex is keeping my other hip in check. I need to do the ice as I had stopped doing this. Currently my knee stiffness is more aggravating.
 
Extra strength tylenol I think is our regular paracetamol dose - 2 500mg tablets. I’m also needing 15 mg dihydeocodine 3/4 times a day. I’m lying in couch now and have the ache all down leg even at rest which worries me.
 
I truly think no two recoveries are exactly alike. One of the nurses at my OS told me pre-op that taking meds to help pain was making it easier on other bodily systems which made great sense. Ask someone at your doctor’s office if they have a help line. I would be taking the extra medicine if I was feeling that. My dear caregiver knew a unicorn which has not helped.
 
I didn't realise referred pain was so common, luckily I've never experienced radiating pain due to my hip.

@Clairebella Sorry to hear that you're in pain even when lying down, that's my go to position when I have any real aches and pains going on as I find it really helps, much more so than sitting. Have you been doing anything a bit different today that might have aggravated your hip ?

Re pain relief I'm trying to mix it up a bit, alternating between paracetamol only and over the counter Co-codamol. As my hip is happy when laying down, I tend to take just paracetamol on waking and before going to bed, if needed, and then take Co-codamol during the day if I start to feel more uncomfortable. As some days are definitely better than others I'm just trying to adapt my pain relief as I go along.

It's interesting about the nerve drug you were prescribed as I found that normal pain relief doesn't help with my referred pain. I'm hoping it will go away of it's own accord but if it doesn't, maybe that would be an option.
 
Hmm, maybe I’m just impatient?? I feel like there is no improvement but maybe there is physically just no pain improvement. I find myself walking off without the crutch and manage ok. However, I feel like I’m not doing enough daily due to ongoing aches and pains. My thigh feels tight and calf and it’s more dead leg/numbness I have - which I had also after my hip arthroscopy however that never got better. Surgeon said nothing seems wrong with sciatic nerve and he visualised it during surgery and no adhesions etc.

Also, when I go from sit to stand I start off with a limp, is that normal? I did that before.

Can people critique my day in a life please?!

Yesterday- got up, pottered in kitchen whilst making a coffee, cleared some dishes and rubbish and mess left behind by messy teen. Then stretched out on couch for 2 coffees.

Pottered again to get dressed and ready for day ( in joggers obvs). Massaged scar.

Had lunch. Rested again on couch watching TV

Went out in alvo with one crutch for 10 min walk along my street. It feels an effort toward the end and quads and calf feel tight.

Rest again.

Prepared and cooked tea - simple chicken curry so standing and pottering in kitchen for 30 mins.

Had shower and did my calf raises and attempted to stretch quads but it was really painful to do. Took painkillers and retreated back to couch to watch TV with husband ( started Yellowstone and loving it!).

How are you getting on @Esmeralda ?
 
Hi @Clairebella :wave:
This stage of recovery is certainly, as I remember, a time of slooow, booring progress.... :bored:
:gaah:
I know it is frustrating but it does sound very similar to my recovery and at one month out, insecurity about the success of my op along with the post op blues started to weigh on me.
I just had to remind myself often -
Tightness is a normal occurrence after this kind of major surgery. Your surgeon did major carpentry work and disturbed every millimeter of soft tissue in this area. You aren't tight because your muscle is underused and needs to be stretched and rehabbed. You're tight because your tissue is healing... If a long full step right now is causing pain and limping, don't take long full steps. Take smaller steps. Take a short walk several times a day, instead of longer walks. Use your cane. Use ice. Rest a lot.

It sounds like you have been doing this!

This isn't the time to do anything to excess. Baby steps now, and lots of patience, pays off big time later.

Consider yourself as still recovering from surgery and structure your return to your life as a slow, gradual process where you introduce very small increments in activity, and then give yourself time to see how you react to it.
Clairebella said:
My thigh feels tight and calf and it’s more dead leg/numbness I
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This was definitely my experience too. It gets better just not as quickly as we would like.
Clairebella said:
Also, when I go from sit to stand I start off with a limp, is that normal? I did that before.
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Yes, I had the start up Stutter Step thing going on for the first 3-4 months. After we rest, seems like everything goes into pause mode.
I would get up. March in place and wake things up before setting off.

Clairebella said:
Had shower and did my calf raises and attempted to stretch quads but it was really painful to do.
Click to expand...
Don't know what kind of quad stretches you are attempting, but my quads were definitely the most traumatized part of my anatomy after BTHR.
I found VERY gentle hamstring stretches using the wall a few times a day the most helpful. [Bonesmart.org] Clairebella’s recovery journey
Keep the faith, my hippy friend.
Early days, and All Temporary!:console2:
 
Aww, thanks @Mojo333 that’s so reassuring.
I tried the standing quad stretch holding onto a counter and lifting heel toward bottom and holding it behind me if hang makes sense!
Mojo333 said:
insecurity about the success of my op along with the post op blues started to weigh on me.
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This!!! Exactly how I am feeling. Yesterday I cried several times especially when my insensitive husband ask me ‘do you still need to use that crutch’.

I shall try marching before setting off, good tip!
 
You are at what I called the one month slump! We see pretty dramatic improvements in the early days. Then the routine sets in and it seems nothing is happening. In truth - a lot is happening. I saw some great progress between week 4 and 6 weeks out.

Hang in there and ignore that silly husband! Until he has had THR he doesn't need to comment.
 
That sounds very similar to my day- minute details changed. I had chicken, your curry sounds yummy. It’s reassuring for me to hear about your schedule. My surgical leg is still having little fireworks displays as things continue to wake up and mend. I do not know where they will be or for how long. My dad told me yesterday about his friend who never missed a beat or had to slow down. I told my dad that his friend is a unicorn and that I am not.
 
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