THR concal's recovery process

[bottomshollow]

Sounds like you're moving right along and doing very well, @concal. Keep up the good work and keep us posted. We care.

 

[concal]

I feel like I am regressing instead of progressing. My thigh is very stiff and sore, and my leg keeps on going to sleep. I am back on the pain pills and not doing very much pt or walking. I am wondering why I am so stiff. I am going on 4 weeks out. Is this part of the recovery process? I had less pain a week after surgery.

 

[NoraJ]

Hi @concal. .. I had little pain early on but as the healing progressed I had more pain and discomfort. It seemed to be more muscular than the actual hip. I still have stiffness but have been reassured by others on the forum that is normal! It can last several months whilst the internal healing is ongoing.

If you are very worried you could contact your GP or OS but you are doing the right thing by resting for a few days and using ice and elevating. But I still took paracetamol at 4 weeks and still do occasionally. It is common to need pain meds for much longer than four weeks.

Be kind to yourself and take it easy.

 

[concal]

All the swelling is gone. My thigh is back to normal. Do I still ice? I swear I had less pain with the swelling.

 

[beachgal]

It sounds muscular to me too. I'd get out the ice and pop done Tylenol and take it easy for a day or two.


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[NoraJ]

I have read here that Josephine and others will say that stiffness numbness ect is a still pain....or a sign of pain. The ice certainly won't do any harm and is a natural pain killer.

 

[Jaycey]

I am wondering why I am so stiff. I am going on 4 weeks out. Is this part of the recovery process?

I called this point in my recovery the one month slump. You feel like things are no longer progress. But in fact they are! Keep taking those meds if you need them. Be kind to yourself. Things have moved dramatically for the last 4 weeks. The healing is still going on - big time! Keep icing and elevating. Plan a day of activity and then a day of rest. You'll get there!

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

Think perhaps at the four week mark we start to do more.....longer walks...taking back chores & don't realise it.....but the muscles do and they let you know it. Also I cut back the meds at that stage. The stiffness goes on for some considerable time! Icing is the best! I still do it sometimes at nearly a year out if I've any sign of stiffness! It gets better and better @concal......my hip is now forgotten. It takes time & a lot of patience...Chrissie x


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[concal]

I am at 31 days out and really getting myself all worked up and worried. My right hip (replaced 2012) is starting to bother me when I walk and I have low left back and butt cheek pain. I am worried that something is out of alignment. I am not doing any pt and still walk only 500 feet per day. Reading that I can be walking for 30 minutes seems like a cruel joke to me. I had no recovery pain with my RHTR so I am comparing that to this experience and I am just not liking all this pain. I started taking ibuprofen and tramadol but am not getting much relief. I spend most of the day on the couch, but do get up every hour or so. I contacted the OS and he wants me to come to the office for pt. I was so anxious to start driving and now I don't even care, and still not driving. Is it possible for something to be out of alignment, and would pt help? thanks

 

[NoraJ]

Oh @concal it sounds like it's been a tough few days. I'm sorry that you're in pain. I too had lower back pre op and post op. My physio thought, and my OS concurred, that it was muscular related to my gait. My gait had altered to accommodate my very limited range of movement and poor hip rotation. Likewise post op it is a muscular pain related to my gait and I'm attending PT for treatment. I have found a gradual improvement in my pain. I still get twinges and I am cautious but it is not constant and I don't need a heat pad on it like I did a few weeks ago. But I found the heat pad really effective as a pain reliever. It felt like it seeped into the muscles and eased them directly.

I would urge you to attend the PT to have an assessment. If they feel it needs to be assessed by your OS they will suggest that I'm sure. I am doing different exercises now to help strengthen my lower back and gluts in addition to the exercises I was doing previously.

The difficulty (I know as I went through it) is feeling low as you feel you aren't making progress like you feel you be. The fact that you already had a THR must compound that. But I hope you feel relief soon and let us know how you are doing.

 

[NoraJ]

Hi @concal,

I haven't seen you about here.. are you doing better? Any contact with PT?

 

[Poppet]

I am at 31 days out and really getting myself all worked up and worried. My right hip (replaced 2012) is starting to bother me when I walk and I have low left back and butt cheek pain. I am worried that something is out of alignment. I am not doing any pt and still walk only 500 feet per day. Reading that I can be walking for 30 minutes seems like a cruel joke to me. I had no recovery pain with my RHTR so I am comparing that to this experience and I am just not liking all this pain. I started taking ibuprofen and tramadol but am not getting much relief. I spend most of the day on the couch, but do get up every hour or so. I contacted the OS and he wants me to come to the office for pt. I was so anxious to start driving and now I don't even care, and still not driving. Is it possible for something to be out of alignment, and would pt help? thanks

Hi @concal I will tag @Josephine for her comment.

I would imagine your body is realigning following your second THR. Did you get any joy at the surgeon's office?

 

[Josephine]

I think I know what it might be but I need to be sure.

Can you tell me the exact site of your pain using this chart?
Please note the instructions in the smaller image

 

[concal]

I am at week six and my groin pain finally disappeared after a week on aleve and tramadol. I am back to taking 1200 mg arthritis strength Tylenol and tramadol twice a day. My pain is mostly a discomfort at the incision area -it feels heavy and tight but the sharp pains are gone. whew. It was really hard reading about the remarkable recovery threads here while feeling so down but now I am doing better. The Os said the x-rays looked perfect and was not interested in any pain I had once he saw the xrays. I felt kind of brushed off, but in his mind, all is well. I started pt at his office and do the exercises with little discomfort other than the stiffness. I am still not walking a lot but pt told me that once around the track (700ft) was fine and not to push it-which seems odd as it sounds like most people here walk lots more at week 6 but I am done comparing myself to other people as that got me really down and upset. Josephine, if you are reading this, what did you think that pain was? I am a little protective of my leg I think, in case the pain comes back. I still ice every two hours and have slight swelling in my thigh. I started driving my truck last week and had no pain using the clutch which was a huge relief. Thanks to everyone that gave me encouragement; living alone and not knowing anyone here(other than my parents) has been a daunting experience

 

[NoraJ]

I am glad to read you are feeling better. You sound like you are doing great and should be able build up your walking on time. Great news on the driving...that must have been a huge load off your mind. To have managed your recovery alone is brilliant. I'm not sure I'd have done so well. Hopefully in time you will get to know more people around you and build up a support network.

Hopefully Josephine will be able to answer your question but you may need to tag her to draw her attention to your post. Just put @ before a members name and they should get an alert to read your post.

RTHR May 27th 2014

 

[beachgal]

@concal, it is tough to read of other's experiences of recovery but don't be discouraged. You are writing your own book and there are a lot more of us who live with peaks and valleys during rehab that those who are running races. Kudos on a great visit with your OS and hopefully some of these things that are still giving you worry will resolve themselves soon.


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[Hoppy Nanny]

Glad things are getting better for you @concal! X


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[Carriemay60]

@concal We are just two days apart in our surgery dates. I also made the mistake of comparing notes with other threads here and got myself very discouraged. My butt, thigh and hip pain still bothers me a fair bit. Once I stopped comparing and accepted my recovery as individual I started celebrating my own little victories and felt so much better. There are so many factors in a person's recovery and I don't think there are two the same, even in the same person. I concentrate on walking more than PT and go at a pace with both that does not leave me feeling I've set myself back. I am happy for you that you are starting to feel better. Be kind to yourself

 

[concal]

week 9 update. saw the Os today and he told me I could get on my horse at the end of next week. I was so happy at the time and now I am so nervous. I still have some discomfort-thigh still swells and area over scar is numb and feels very tight. I did tell him all this and he still said I could start riding, but to be careful and take it slow. Guess I'll see how I feel next week. I did well in pt and was released. I also found out that I did not have a mom hip, but a combination of titanium and polycistine. That was a huge relief. I finally got down on the floor and was able to get up without too much of a struggle-I just needed to grab on to something to ease me up. Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement and kind words, I have not kept up with everyone's progress and offered encouraging words of my own. It is funny that being a shy person, I am still shy and reticent on the internet!

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

Good update @concal......but don't get on that horse until you are nice & ready..sounds like it won't be too long now! X


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