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THR Clairebella’s recovery journey

:mcoffee:
Good early morning (here!)
@Clairebella

My quads were definitely my biggest complainers after my BTHR.
Felt like someone had used them for a punching bags.:sorry:
I had anterior approach and I know they had to pull all those big muscles aside to access the hip and put in prosthetic.
They were definitely sore and traumatized and seemed particularly aggrivated by uneven terrain ... - Inclines and Declines stressed them, and yes, you feel it later.
Some things you do, and suffer a bit later but they are most often short-lived and just require extra ice and babying to get back on track.

Knowing what is unhelpful to our healing is a learning process, and it is all temporary
It gets better!
 
I’ve just started my 6th week. For the first time I tried a mile long walk on crutches and trying to keep good form. It went ok but hurt a lot in the evening and I was very stiff the next morning. Took my paracetemol on schedule and did some gentle walking around the garden to ease the stiffness. Iced and out my feet up for the rest of the day and only got up for dinner.

My body was definitely tellling me I was overdoing it and this is 5 weeks plus out.

Today everything feels normal so will try another walk but not push it!

Moral of this story. You have to listen to your own body and not go by a prescribed guide - not even a Slimpod one! Xx
 
Hang in there! The incline on a handicap ramp should be fairly gentle- I used these at school prior to surgery to avoid stairs. You have probably overwhelmed your muscles and incision. I am nowhere near ready to prepare a meal or tidy up as bending is a problem for me. My PT bed and floor exercises are getting slightly better. I was slow to start due to the pain. Changing clothes is a workout in and of itself. Find something pleasant and relaxing to do this weekend. I hope you feel better!
 
Clairebella said:
The activity progression advice worries be that I cannot do that remotely - how can I do meals and light tidying whilst on 2 crutches? Am I way behind?
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I have managed to do some washing up and preparing my own breakfast but I didn't do it using my crutches as I feel much happier using my walker as it's there for security but I can be hands free for example in front of the kitchen sink washing up. In fact I use my walker for washing, cleaning my teeth and even getting dressed as I just know it's there if I need it. Crutches have an annoying habit of ending up on the floor everytime I rest them against something.
 
Clairebella said:
Can I ask for how long this took before it settled?
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They were very very sore and tender for the first month, and got increasingly less so over the next 3-4 months. My incisions and immediate area around them were tender when bumped for over a year.
 
Hmm, maybe slightly. The nature of the pain is what worries me. When I weight bare or sit it’s a sharp pain down my thigh. I think yes likely muscular but this sharpness was worrying me so I call the ward yesterday and then later the consultant called me and we had a chat - most likely muscular but going into see him tomorrow and he will xray me.
 
I'm glad you were able to chat with your consultant and have an appointment tomorrow - it's the not knowing if it's serious or not that is so worrying.

Good luck for tomorrow - I hope seeing the consultant puts your mind at rest.
 
Good luck tomorrow!
Please let us know how it goes. Hopefully you receive some reassurance.
@Clairebella
 
As everyone has said, please keep us updated. I agree that not knowing is truly hard. Good luck today/tomorrow!
 
Hi everyone, thanks for all your good wishes.

Met with the surgeon, x-rayed hip and entire femur - look at that he says talking of the prosthesis, it’s beautiful! All absolutely fine, no concerns with the joint.

By resting over the weekend it persists but is possibly 1/4 better. He says most likely IT band or glutes muscle that I’ve irritated. At not even 3 weeks it’s early days he said and everyone heals differently. There is so much soft tissue and muscle to heal still. I’ve to chill out this week, continue with paracetamol and dihydeocodine and I’m back to see him in 4 weeks. Any other problems just email him though.

So I’m on the couch with ice, drugs and a cup of tea watching TV.
 
Clairebella said:
Aw thank you so much guys, for all your replies, and now I’m crying again

I will keep on with regular dihydeocodine just now even though it grinds my digestive system to a halt.

My op leg feels tight, a pressure almost within the entire thigh and the joint. It’s swollen. I have my long scar which has dissolvable stitches in it - it feels tight and sharp pain. I have the robotic probe would too which has steri strips on it - that feels right and itchy. My entire thigh when most sore feels tender and bruised, like I’ve been kicked in the leg by a horse.

Might seem a daft question - when you Ice where do you put your ice pack? I’m worried about putting anything on the scar.
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Hi well done! That’s all sounds very familiar. It will get better and I agree with others re major trauma to the area, it can’t hurt in the most unlikely places! Ice is great altho I couldn’t bear it in the first week as felt too tender, but everyone is different. Make sure the ice pack doesn’t come into contact with you skin, wrap in towel or pillow cases, etc. ice for 15-20 mins max wherever you need it, I tend to ice thigh, scar, and back of hip.

Listen to your body take it easy and drink lots water, maybe your hubs could get you jug of water and flask of tea to have by your side.

Wishing you lots of peaceful sleep and look fwd to hearing from you again soon zxx
 
You must be so relieved after hearing your surgeons comments. It's really good as well that he's left the door open for you to contact him if you have any further concerns.

It sounds like you've got your current recuperation in hand, the only thing that's missing is a slice of cake to go with the cup of tea :)
 
I’m 3 weeks today now! I still feel like I’m not doing much at all. I had a trip back to the hospital on Monday and all ok.

Now my new concern - when I do any pottering I have numbness/tingling from knee to foot. Now I did have an arthroscopy 1.5 years ago and did end up with some sciatic nerve irritation so is it this has happened again? It freaks me out!
 
Happy 3 week anniversary !

I'm sure I've read recently in a previous thread about how the sciatic nerve can sometimes become irritated after hip surgery but I can't remember whose thread it was unfortunately.
 
Esmeralda said:
I'm sure I've read recently in a previous thread about how the sciatic nerve can sometimes become irritated after hip surgery but I can't remember whose thread it was unfortunately.
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It's something I post quite often. Having suffered sciatica before THR and then having experienced at pain flare just post LTHR - I do (unfortunately) have experience. Numbness in the areas you are describing may be sciatic nerve issues. What was your previous sciatic nerve treatment.

I found Hamstring stretches from a seated position very helpful.
 
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