THR Complex THR....has anyone else been through this?

[Josephine]

Jeepers, Vida- that is one manky looking femur! But since the damage was done so long ago, it's more than likely hard as nails! They often are. But the fracture is clear to see and needs gentle handling until it's healed. Certainly weights should not be on the menu. As for the differences in protocols in various places, this is very much par for the course. Some surgeons are very dictatorial with their instructions, others leave it to the PT and most come somewhere in between!

As for the dental treatment, according to latest notes, the only dental treatments which have been considered a risk are root canal, deep cleaning and extractions. Infection: peri-prosthetic infection - also known as late onset infection. Currently there is a growing opinion that these opinions are not supported by any actual evidence and were the result of supposition over the years. Latest opinion (as you will see in the article) is that peri-prosthetic infections are of an unknown origin and may even be laid down at the time of surgery. You certainly should not self-prescribe antibiotics.

 

[Vida]

Josephine

Manky eh? Oh well you work with what you got... I'm luckier than many. And don't worry, I'll go easy on the hip and not self-prescribe anything, I was given a prescription but won't do anything until I'm told. The moral of the story...don't eat hard candy while you're spaced out on percs.

 

[Vida]

bottomshollow

Thanks so much.

 

[jjhipster]

Vida Hope you are feeling better. I to have CHP and was diagnosed at 3 months old. I was able to put off a replacement until last week, age 40. My brother had his 3 years ago at age 41. My surgery too was a little more complex than normal due to scar tissue and bone spurs. I had my hardware removed when I was about 19 because it bothered me so much. I am glad I did. I am only 5 days post op and walking with the walker is very painful. I have not started PT yet, that will be on monday. Just wanted you to know you are not alone and I will keep up with your recovery. I will also take note on no hard candy while on percocet. I have been having trouble keeping the pain under control, so groggy I understand. Take care and happy holidays.

 

[Vida]

jjhipster

Thanks for your kind words. I really identify..... I had a horrible year in my teens after my leg was shortened to help reduce pain.. an osteotomy and installation of a massive bit of metal that stuck out and clicked when I moved, 6 months no weight at all, then hardware removal...no PT in sight. Being a bolshy person, I walked up and down in the school gym every day for three months, focusing on my gait. Everyone thought I was mad. But at the end of it, I had no noticeable limp. I've had inflammatory issues over the years since but have been lucky to make it 40 more years. It has only been unbearable for the last 5 months as by then I was partially dislocated and bone on bone. All that has now gone, replaced by recognizeable surgery related misery, which comes and goes depending on activity. I think those of us who have had previous ops have an added emotional burden..the body seems to file that trauma away at some visceral level. THR was, for me, quite emotional. I was that young child in hospital, hours away from my parents for almost 9 months and that 17_year-old who lost a crucial year of adolescence, on top of what is happening in my life now. Interesting. Anyhoo, manky as it may be, my hip has worked hard and will keep on going, with care. I know you will also do very well because you have already been challenged and you rose to it. Just take the great advice offered here to get lots of rest, use plenty of ice and take lots of painkillers, don't wait for big pain. You need to be comfortable in order to walk a little and do PT. All the best to you, stay in touch and let me know if I can help.

 

[C Mac]

Hi Vida,

You mentioned walking above. Are you on assistive devices any longer and what is your weight bearing status at this point? I'm glad that you stopped the leg lifts (with weights...) for now, in a few months maybe you'll be back to it -- with just the leg and not the weights for starters.

You mentioned that the OSs worry about the hardware management and leave the rest to the system -- that's usually the way it is here in the US as well. Those surgeons have such a narrow specialized focus, which is good for hardware installation!! When we struggle with soft tissue adaptation it's often up to us to find some supportive professionals that can help with these issues -- physical therapists, massage therapists, pain management specialists, chiropractors etc.

I'm happy to keep in touch
Take care,
Cardie

 

[Vida]

C Mac
I'm full weight bearing and using a cane. At the moment I've cut the PT down because I'm walking and have needed to up pain meds because the abductor exercises hurt! There seem to be good days and meh days, and as long as we understand that, its manageable. Overdoing things is a natural temptation and a curse!

 

[Josephine]

Vida, what IS that in your avatar? I can't make it out and it's really bugging me! (such small things to spend my time worrying about!)

 

[Vida]

Josephine

I am such a luddite about this stuff, obviously I should try to resize. This is Ozzie, the world's most wonderful cat, (sorry all you cat lovers who think ou have the one,) who is unhappily wearing a collar after getting an abscess on his leg. Like me he needed help from the experts to get his life back. He banged into things and tended to be crabby but he eventually came to acceptance and is now good as new! A sort of animal/THR recovery allegory. Thanks for the distraction, today is a bit of a painful downer. Do you have ESP?

 

[Josephine]

Aw yes - I can see it now! Poor kitty - they do hate those things, don't they? And with good reason, I think!

 

[oldyellr]

Josephine

This is Ozzie, the world's most wonderful cat, (sorry all you cat lovers who think ou have the one,) who is unhappily wearing a collar after getting an abscess on his leg. Like me he needed help from the experts to get his life back. He banged into things and tended to be crabby but he eventually came to acceptance and is now good as new! A sort of animal/THR recovery allegory. Thanks for the distraction, today is a bit of a painful downer. Do you have ESP?

Vida, my cat had to have one of those collars after she got attacked or hit by a car, or something. I felt sorry for her and cut it back, then had to add an extension when she found she could chew at her stitches.

Here she is after I cut the cone down:

Here she is later:

Now you can't even find the injuries. I hope I do as well.

 

[Vida]

oldyellr
Aw poor little thing. They recover faster than we do. How are you faring? I still feel more like the first pic!

 

[oldyellr]

I'm not too bad at just over 10 weeks. Today I had a flood in the basement, washing machine drain hose came apart. I spent a couple of hours scrambling around with a shop vac. The hip got more exercise than I'd planned, so I'm resting now.

BTW, I wanted to mention your avatar picture is getting cut off at the top because it's portrait and the board likes them square. If you crop the bottom so it's square, it would show perfectly.

 

[Vida]

@old yellr

This is so wierd. That same thing happened to me 2 days before surgery.. we have a very old house (for BC) and the washing machine flooded the entire basement including my husband's pottery studio. The overpriced emergency guy's camera showed that the entire drainage to the street had to be replaced urgently. I was in hospital 4 nights over a w/e and came home to concrete being drilled and no flushing for 2 days and a bill for $15k! Thanks for the avatar info...I can't seem to do anything technical on this handheld android.

 

[oldyellr]

Vida, you can crop and resize pictures on line here like this:

 

[C Mac]

Oh, those poor kitties!! Well, at least THR patients don't get the E-collar after their surgery

Vida, I saw your post over in the other thread about LLD and wondered if you did not experience any LLD from your dysplasia and previous surgeries? If not, that is amazing!!!!

Hope you are feeling a bit better today, you'd mentioned having some pain issues yesterday.
Take care,
Cardie

 

[jjhipster]

Hey Vida just checking on you to see how you are doing. Us CHP's gotta stick together. Hope you are ok today.

 

[Vida]

C Mac jjhipster
I limped slightly until age 17 when I had an osteotomy to shorten my leg due to extensive pain that showed up out of the blue. I've always had terrible ROM and a few bad bouts with disabling bursitis over the years but I consider myself very lucky that my hip lasted so long. I remember being told years ago by some doc that I would never be a candidate for THR because of my old embedded hardware-I guess times change. My OS says he corrected a small length discrepancy this time and did a nice job cleaning up the world's ugliest scar.

BTW, I was part of a big CDH study that followed children who underwent a new type of surgery at Nuffield in Oxford during the 50s. Josephine I wonder if any others from that group have passed through? The surgeon was Sommerville and we were all x rayed once a year until 21. I would assume after early osteotomies and fixation, most needed replacement.

Thanks you guys for caring. I had a burst of euphoria at being off the crutches but reality is setting in. I am finding abduction hard, I don't think I've had that ROM for years, so I've stopped until I go to PT on weds. My right knee is sore anyway and now the other is playing up on the operated leg, likely from my efforts to improve my gait. And I am a bit sad because it looks like I'll have to cancel our Feb trip to Argentina...just too soon after the surgery and fracture setback. Sorry to whine, I am luckier than most and good times lie ahead. Now, where are my percs? X

 

[Poppet]

Oh Vida, that is sad about your trip, never mind honey, stay and party with us over Xmas/ New Year.. We have heaps of fun

Slow and steady...

 

[Vida]

Josephine

My father is in a residential care facility where CDiff is rampant. He has a severe case. I am 7 weeks post... should I be concerned about visiting... my husband is more worried than I am. Thanks for your thoughts.