Depression/post-op blues - open for all

Partly this is due to my perhaps unreasonable expectations an out how far along I would be at 10 weeks.
There is no timeline for this recovery. Literally every THR recovery is different - even on the same person. Just allow yourself time to heal. Perhaps put the festive decorating and letter writing on hold for now. You really need to save your energy for healing.
I am near!y 6 weeks but have decided that if it takes me 12 or 15 weeks then so be it.
Good way to look at this recovery. It takes as long as it takes. Your hip is in charge.
 
Hi @Jamesdean. I like your hip replacement blues! Plan to reread the ditty when my moods starts to slip. Thanks for sharing!
 
Well @hiphoser Thank you kindly. It helps me to write, I never ever gave the recovery any thought but I didn't actually give the operation any thought either, maybe I am just a bit naive, who knows but I really needed it done. What I do know now, is that it could be a long haul but am now prepared for that. Have a good weekend and please get in touch if you need and we can sing the blues together - actually if there's two us its probably not the blues anymore, not sure.
Dean
 
Thanks also @Jaycey. I am fiddling a bit with small pieces of decorating followed by knitting while sitting on ice. I still struggle with feeling blue when these set backs occur. I seem to find it hard to see beyond the fog of recovery, to something brighter ahead. So I appreciate the encouragement from all of you fellow hipsters. Today is starting a bit better pain-wise, so that’s wonderful. They tell me my issue is some glut medius tendonopathy, which was present before my hip replacement. The trauma of the surgery really stirred up that old scar tissue and made it quite vulnerable to overdoing. I read another funny post somewhere in the forum about the perverseness of our bodies in not notifying us DURING the thing we are overdoing, but instead screaming it 12 hours later! Arrrrgg. Makes it difficult to know how much my poor Glute will tolerate at 10 weeks post op. So, I’m trying to err on the side of caution. Thanks again, bonesmarties!
 
Yeah. I found post op to be pretty depressing. All you here from your friends is how fast "others" were up and running just a couple weeks after their surgery and now you are hoping for the same results while living 24/7 in your recliner. In my case I had a front tooth fall out, just fall out, at 1:30AM five days after surgery. It was a crowned tooth that broke. The protocols regarding dentistry had to be waived to take care of this problem. All the dentists visits associated with this and all the antibiotics I had to take really racked my psych and my digestive system.
I must say though that once I could drive myself to PT, my outlook changed dramatically.
Now, I look forward to doing this, less the dental problems, all over again with the other hip on Jan 29th.
 
All you here from your friends is how fast "others" were up and running just a couple weeks after their surgery and now you are hoping for the same results while living 24/7 in your recliner.
Total rubbish and so unhelpful. Everyone seems to know a "friend of a friend" who was training for a marathon just weeks out of surgery. NOT! Anyone who says this has no idea about this recovery.

Sorry to hear about your tooth @Hipdeedo ! Not exactly what you need on top of recovery.
 
Not sure if I've checked in since my surgery on 1/29.Pretty sure I haven't. Surgery went well. I'm exactly four weeks out now and have been feeling sorry for myself off and on.
The hardest part of recovery for me is that I haven't been able to sleep and that beats you down both physically and mentally. My doctor prescribed Tramadol at my 1st follow up visit (3 weeks) rather than continuing the Percocet which was making me pretty "jumpy". I also take it before bedtime and take Advil, maybe 3, during the day. Well, it worked! I'm sleeping for about 5hours now and the Advil is doing a good job on the pain.
Home PT will discharge me in a couple days. Then I have decided to continue PT outpatient for about 6 weeks (16 sessions). It will be nice to drive somewhere with purpose.
So, all in all, I think I'm doing well. I really appreciate this forum. It's been helpful. It's hard to read how tough this can be for so many, but the little things that people are doing to cope are helpful to know.
One last comment. Consider using a tall walking stick in lieu of a cane for outside walks. Your posture will be better, stability better, it gives the palm of your hand a break, but what I like most of all is that when you have to take a little break you can lean on it.
I hope some of you try this.
Best of luck to all of you with your recovery.
 
Hi @Hipdeedo :wave:
This is the toughest part and I too had quite a spell before legs would settle down and let me sleep. No-one likes to feel dependent and sleep-deprived..having depression after major surgery is quite common, as you know, and all we can do sometimes is hang tough through it.
It will get better and better. I hope the PT hasn't been overly aggressive and leading to added aches and pains. You are still in early days, so let things heal before you ask that leg to perform.
I borrowed my father's "Moses stick" at one point during recovery.:) It did fairly well as long as I remembered to stand straight and tall and practiced my heel/toe gait. I had become a toe walker to keep pressure off of my hips, apparently.

Keep the faith, we are rooting for you:ok:
 
Thanks for the advice. The forum has been so helpful. Yes I know that BoneSmart isn't keen on PT, because it can do more harm than good. I'm going to take it slow. I feel fortunate that my insurance also covers the out patient PT, because I'm the type that rather do the exercises at home I would break protocols and begin doing stuff I'm not supposed to. My doctor told me that he could release me to play golf again once I've finished the PT so that's the carrot for me. That will be almost three months.
I might have confused you with the comments about the walking stick. I'm not really doing much extended walking yet, but I did use it all the time when I rehabbed the left hip two years ago.
 
@luvinlex totally agree about how accomplishing small chores can make such a difference. Keeping spirits up is quite a process, and that has been very helpful for me as well. Glad you had someone around to support you in that way.
@Korky51, I'm not surprised that in the UK there is a lot of support available. I saw on the news that GB even appointed a minister of loneliness, recognizing this as a "health epidemic," http://time.com/5248016/tracey-crouch-uk-loneliness-minister/ Certainly that is an enlightened perspective on health, in my opinion. And for THR, managing the (often unexpected) emotional aspects play a big part in recovery.
Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts on this important topic, the discussion is truly helpful.
 
It's been 9 weeks exactly today and I feel recovery has plateaued. No improvement noticed for about a week. I'm still in pain a fair bit of the time (which oddly enough moves from groin to thigh to shin on the affected side and not really in the hip) and actually was in tears in the supermarket car park this morning with frustration as I'd started limping again. The 2 things which really don't help are having moved house, several hundred miles away just before my accident so I haven't had chance to make any friends yet and the fact that my husband is by nature a very quiet man who is not very warm and affectionate so I feel lonely too. Not that we can do anything about either of those things.
So, I apologise for feeling very sorry for myself but I don't know how to shake off this low mood. I have no clue as to what to expect in terms of physical recovery either-how long, for example, might it be before I could put on a sock or shoe unaided? You are the only peeps I can ask. Someone asked me this morning what I was giving up for Lent. Well, I felt as I have already lost Christmas and New Year by lying in hospital with a broken femur and now I'm still lost to my "normal" life in so many ways, I've given up quite enough for one year!
 
@S00zd 9 weeks is still very early out especially if you had your THR due to a fracture. Then you moved house! A big change and everything is all new.

If you have started to limp again go back to using a walking aid or hiking pole. It's very temporary so please don't get discouraged.

Is there a leisure centre anywhere near you? When I moved I found the gym a good place to meet people. Or, if you fancying singing find a choir. It really does lift your mood to sing and choirs are a great way to make friends.
how long, for example, might it be before I could put on a sock or shoe unaided?
Do you have any bending restrictions? To tie shoes and put on socks I started bending forward from a seated position. Reaching down to do this was much easier for meet than putting the foot on the opposite knee. It took awhile before I had the flexibility but just keep trying.

You will get there my friend. And please don't ever think you are alone in this. We totally understand and are here for you anytime!
 
Thank you Jaycey. I can't quite manage to reach far forward enough to get at that foot at the moment, whatever I do but I will keep trying. Not that it matters but I had the fracture just after we moved house. So the hospital and all the staff were strange too. I was not well treated and have put in a formal complaint-and have to face a panel of senior hospital nurses and management tomorrow to discuss it. Not looking forward to that!
 
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I can't quite manage to reach far forward enough to get at that foot at the moment
Keep trying. And lift that leg up a little bit when you are bending down. Soon it will be easy.
have to face a panel of senior hospital nurses and management tomorrow to discuss it
Wow - I so wish I lived nearby. I would love to be your advocate at this! Anyway, don't assume this will be negative. I issued a formal complaint about my cardiac care and it ended up very positive with changes made to benefit the patient. Go in with the attitude that you don't want what happened to you to happen again. They may welcome the input to try and put this right.
 
@Jaycey-many thanks for your fabulous support. I was actually able to get that right boot unlaced and OFF about an hour ago, so there is progress!
You have no idea how much I wish you could come and be my advocate too. :scaredycat:It runs into 3 pages of A4 and there is yet more to say. I am only doing it in the hope that it will help remind staff that the folks in the beds are actually real people and not tasks!:umm:I shall imagine you there :SUNsmile:
 
S00zd - my hospital experience was less than stellar too… Mainly to do with pain management and one or two aggressive nurses who were not empathic at all… enough to put me off hospitals for life.. Seems to be a UK thing reading some of the posts here..
 
I shall imagine you there
I will be with you in spirit! Stay focused and confident. What you have to say is important. Above all, do not ever think anyone in that room is better or more knowledgeable than you. They may have medical expertise but you have first hand expertise as a patient!
 
Poor you, SurreyGirl-I empathise obviously.

Jaycey-I'm a recently retired senior nurse myself and I told them if it was my ward where these things took place, I would hang my head in shame!
 
@SurreyGirl @SOOzd so sorry for you, but just a quick interjection to say my treatment at a W Yorkshire hospital was perfect. I didn't want to go home at all!
 
Post-op blues, sure did kick me in the butt for a bit and is scary. I was lucky to have a wonderful network of friends to help support me. However I do live alone and my grown children live out of state. The "blues" hit around week 3-4 after I had come down with a nasty stomach bug and really felt like I was never going to get back to my independent self. I kept ruminating about work, responsibilities etc. I have (will have again) a strong yoga practice and am a firm believer in mindfulness/mediation and the mindful practices that Thich Nhat Hanh writes and speaks of. Practicing Mindfulness and meditation with sound breathing exercises helped me a great deal. Mind you is is a daily practice for me and I do mean daily, some days I am better at keeping myself present and calm than others.
Key is to take it one day at a time, What is that qoute from the Dali Lama?"There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.” So happy to have found this forum to share, the support is amazing.
 

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