THR Diary of my journey to happy times

[Klassy]

Day 67, another happy milestone to report: I was visiting at a house which has a nice straight modern staircase. And I found that I could manage the stairs with alternating feet, just making moderate use of the handrail. No toddler style! Up AND down!!! I did it several times to be sure it wasn’t a fluke.

With Leftie I only discovered that ability on Day 81.

But to be fair to Leftie, the main problem I had back then was with the left knee, not the hip. My ability to alternate feet coming downstairs has quite often disappeared, sometimes for months, because of pain in the left kneecap. Maybe having two good hips will work some magic there.

 

[Mojo333]

Stronger and steadier
Double hippydom will be sweet.

 

[Klassy]

My 10 week anniversary.

Alas, I am spending it in the Over Did It Club.

The problem was two days of glorious sunny weather after a period of rain,cold, wind etc. So I had two lovely days of: up at the crack of dawn and buzzing around with housework, cooking, dancing in the kitchen, whatever. Out for a drive (as passenger) and a longish walk with one crutch. Back home and some solid hours of gardening, with no crutch. And because I knew that the forecast for today was for nonstop rain, I kept going in the garden yesterday even as I began to feel tired and aching.

And then, suddenly, a lot of pain in my glute (I think. On one side in the area of lower back/ upper butt).

The crazy thing is that it isn’t on the operated side, it’s on the side with the three year old Leftie. Well I suppose none of my body has had so much load for ages, so it was a strain waiting to happen.

So today has been a quiet day of lying down with ice. Just getting up the minimum required, using a crutch and limping very badly. It is very confusing to be using the crutch back on the right side, after weeks of using it on the left.

I have no pain if I stay off my feet. And the pain on walking is less than yesterday.

And the good news is that Rightie is absolutely fine. She is quite smug.

 

[Klassy]

Today I had my follow up appointment, 10 weeks post-op, with my surgeon. (This is a different surgeon from the one who did my left hip three years ago because I now live in a different part of England). I spent the preceding two days resting and icing in a desperate effort to repair the ODIC damage so I could walk into his office without crutches, to no avail.

So I had to limp in to see the surgeon using two crutches. He looked aghast. I reassured him that I had been walking fine without crutches three days earlier, until I had overdone it in the garden. He looked happier. I added that the pain was all on my left side, not in the hip he had replaced, and he looked happier still.

I have noticed that my left and right hips have some sibling rivalry going on. It turns out that is nothing compared to the rivalry between left and right hip surgeons.

The surgeon had a look at my incision scar, was pleased with it. He showed me the X-ray taken the day after the op. I was interested to see that this replacement had a big screw into the pelvis, which looked rather gruesome to be honest. And this prosthesis had a much longer section going down into the thigh bone than the first hip. I commented on that and he said that he thought the left hip prosthesis was too small. Oh dear, the left hip surgeon came highly recommended and I had had total confidence in his choice of device, but now I have a niggling worry. Is the current pain in my left leg a sign of something wrong, in the three year old hip which had reached the stage where I had forgotten about the replacement?

I said, would the larger prosthesis be why my leg was more painful in the first few days this time? The surgeon didn’t like this. He said it was a well established scientific fact that patients with two hip replacements always thought that the second one was more painful even though it wasn’t. I said that I had kept a diary of both recoveries, so I knew it wasn’t a matter of misremembering. But then I relented because I could tell his ego needed stroking, and told him that after a slower start, the recovery for this hip had been better than the first one.

That cheered him up, and he got quite chatty. He explained how he could tell from the pre-op X-ray that the right leg was shorter. It involves drawing a line across two loops at the base of the pelvis (? ischium), and if the legs are the same length then the end of the line will meet each thigh in the same place relative to a little bit that sticks out on the femur (lesser trochanter?) . I could see how the alignment was quite skewed in the before X-ray and then nicely straight in the after X-ray. So I am hopeful that I now have a well balanced pair of legs.

I asked about restrictions and he said that I could sleep on either side, no need for pillow between legs. I can cross legs at the ankles, but must not put right foot on left knee. I said, oh but I have been doing that, it’s how I put my shoes and socks on. His expression was somewhere between shocked and amused. He said, doing that might make the hip pop out, but since it hasn’t popped, it must be very firmly in place. I guess I had better stop doing that. Disappointing. I had been hoping to get to the point where I could cut my toenails soon.

Then he said he would see me in another 3 months for a final appointment. That was good to hear. The hospital for the first hip only gave me one follow up, at 6 weeks. I felt that was very early in my recovery to be signed off.

 

[Elf1]

@Klassy what a wonderful update! Sounds like you had a good visit with your surgeon. They are funny if you accidentally bruise their egos!

I get where you would get that niggling worry but think your pain is from the overdoing in the garden. I would ice, rest, and elevate for the next couple of days and see how you feel.

 

[Layla]

, but now I have a niggling worry. Is the current pain in my left leg a sign of something wrong, in the three year old hip which had reached the stage where I had forgotten about the replacement?

I wish your surgeon would have chosen his words more carefully. I hope you can let this go because you’re doing so well and you KNOW why you’re hurting right now. You just couldn’t resist the opportunity to check out that club (ODIC) this time around to confirm that it’s not your thing. Nothing but a bunch of sad sacks in that place.
I’m confident you’ll be back to where you were soon with the TLC you’re engaging in.
Hopefully today is better than yesterday.
@Klassy

 

[Klassy]

Thank you @Layla , you are so right. I am one of nature’s great worriers, in every aspect of life, and I am really trying to stop worrying about things I can’t control. (It can be helpful to worry about things we can control, so we can take steps to reduce risk - I should have worried more about ODIC!)

You are right about the surgeon’s lack of tact. I may have misinterpreted what he said, but I felt he was almost gleeful about the fact that I had pain in a leg that someone else had operated on. It was also unsettling to see the X-ray with two very different sized prostheses. It made me feel unbalanced and I thought, surely they can’t both be correct, so is Leftie too small or Rightie too big? But I guess the way to look at it is they are two different legs with their own particular needs. And two different surgeons with their own opinions, but both have done a huge number of hip replacements with a very high success rate. Maybe there is no single right answer. Both new hips will do their job perfectly.

I should also remind myself that I have plenty of history of doing myself various injuries in the garden! Dating back long before I had osteoarthritis or hip replacements. I get so absorbed in the moment and what I want to achieve that I lose all common sense.

The garden is looking lovely though

 

[Layla]

It was also unsettling to see the X-ray with two very different sized prostheses. It made me feel unbalanced and I thought, surely they can’t both be correct, so is Leftie too small or Rightie too big?

I’ve seen this many times here. Latest one I can think of is Schaargi. I checked back and her x-rays are on post number 464 of her thread, so you can see you’re not alone in this. Not sure if the same surgeon did both of her hip replacements, but it looks like her surgeries were only 17 months apart, so a good chance I guess?

I get the “worrier”. I’m the same, so easy to relate, Klassy.
I hope you’re having a lovely Sunday and I wish you a great week ahead!

 

[Klassy]

Thank you again @Layla, I am having the most blissful and blessed of Sundays. It got off to an excellent start, when I found your thoughtful message from yesterday for comfort and company when I woke in the small hours. Then after a couple more hours of wonderful restorative sleep, I woke again at a more sensible time, to find Left leg definitely improved after 4 days of no change.

Then we had a date to go out to lunch with friends I hadn’t seen since pre-op. Fortunately they either had no expectations of hip recoveries or are very tactful, and made just the right amount of allowance for my crutches. We had booked to go to a special pub that required an 80 minute drive, a bit further than I had gone before post this op, but the journey wasn’t bad at all, just a bit of stiffness on getting out of the car. The weather, the setting, the food, the company, all perfect.

Now I am back home resting and icing ahead of our regular Sunday evening handbells.

Thanks for the pointer to Schaagi’s X-rays. It is interesting and reassuring to know that other double hippies also have non-matching sets.

I also read a little further on in that thread and was most amused by your mother’s description of your chair as catapulting you. I wonder if there is an emoji for that.

 

[Klassy]

3 month anniversary, time for an update!

No complaints at all about my new right hip. The scar has healed nicely to a thin dark pink line (definitely bearing no resemblance to Frankenstein, in-joke for @Layla !), though it still feels slightly raised to touch, and the skin around is numb. I have some faint soreness in the general area of hip and top of front of right thigh, if I really think about it. The right leg is happy to be the good leg for stairs. I haven’t given it any major challenges yet in terms of high steps. I just tested my balance and can stand on the right leg for 49 seconds. I had to stop before beginning to lose my balance, not because of any discomfort. 49 seconds is pretty good for me, as I haven’t been practising at all.

I am now able to sleep on either side. It did feel a bit sore lying on the incision at first, but bearable and getting to the stage where I barely notice it. I have permission to sleep on either side and decided to push on with it rather than letting it come naturally in time, because I had a suspicion that back sleeping might be contributing to lower back pain. I’m now getting my regular 7 to 8 hours a night, usually made up of 2 to 3 hours, loo visit, then 5 to 6 hours. Happy nights!

My little detour into suspected GCA is also looking good. I was on a high dose of prednisolone for 16 days until the rheumatologist declared me “low clinical probability of GCA” ( I guess that is as definitive as they dare to be) and then tapered off over 18 days, and have now been off steroids for 16 days. The side effect of extreme sleeplessness persisted even on the lowest dose and took a while to wear off afterwards, so my sleeping has only reached its current excellence in the last week. I also had a persistent mild headache after finishing the steroids, which has also gone in the last few days. It’s a bit hard to untangle the effects of getting the drugs out of my system and being able to sleep on my side and therefore sleep more soundly, but the overall result is great.

Only not so great part of me is the left leg. After a two day orgy of scenic walks and energetic gardening, I had a sudden and utterly inexplicable onset of lower back and butt pain on the left side 3 weeks ago. It was so acute that I had to go back from zero to two crutches, just to hobble painfully around the house. No pain when lying down. I had a scheduled visit to my physiotherapist 11 days ago, who reassured me that he thought it was overused strained soft tissues adjusting to my new alignment, not anything to do with the three year old implant. He said I was doing the right thing by resting, icing and going back to two crutches. He gave me some exercises, which I have been doing, with caution. It has been extremely frustrating! Getting around with two crutches is far more annoying than in the early days of recovery, when I didn’t feel like doing much except lie in bed. Plus my husband had got used to the independent version of me. So we have had some grumps. There was no improvement for 2 weeks, and I was trying all the well-known local dealers to get a fix of the P&P pills* to no avail.

[*Patience and Progress pills. When I get the formula right, I will make a fortune]

However, the light has appeared at the end of the famous tunnel. Pain is less, I can get around with one or even no crutches inside. This does tend to get sore after a while so I am trying very hard not to overdo it. Yesterday I was able to walk indoors with two crutches and no pain at all, if I really concentrated on posture and using my glutes. Getting there!

I attach a photo of my new, not so matching, hips. With a little modesty apron drawn on which I hope covers any embarrassment!

 

[Layla]

Happy Three Month Anniversary!
Lovely update, Klassy! Aside from the frightening detour you took with the eye health scare and most recently the soft tissue strain / pain you’re dealing with, you’re recovering nicely. As you know from your first surgery, you still have many months of progress to look forward to and I hope you’ll continue to document your healing journey here. I enjoy your posts and thoughtful words to others through your personal experience with THR. Wishing you a great rest of the week!
@Klassy

 

[Giddsy1]

Good update Klassy, glad to see things improving.

 

[Klassy]

14 week anniversary. A couple of milestones achieved in the last week. I have resumed driving. I could probably have done this earlier, but as a reluctant driver, I put it off. But all was fine. And I cut my toenails for the first time post-op.

I’m getting close to where I was four weeks ago. I mostly walk indoors without aids, use one crutch to go out and about. I can walk up and down stairs alternating feet, with the help of the handrail. I saw my physiotherapist 5 days ago, and he was complimentary about progress. He increased the intensity of a couple of my exercises. I’m still cautious with them, keeping well within my capacity, so progress may be slower than if I pushed myself, but I can see improvement in strength and ROM without pain, so I am satisfied.

My left leg is still a bit sore a lot of the time when I walk, with the pain moving between lower back to butt to back of thigh. I can sometimes manage to walk without pain. My right leg is very good considering it is the operated leg! I can feel a strain in the right upper front thigh at times, particularly at the end of the day when going upstairs. But it is only during the exertion, not afterwards.

I am trying not to overdo things, but it is frustrating. This week I have started painting the window frames and doors inside our renovated house. Today I managed to sand, wipe down and put the first of two coats on the first of 14 doors. The middle section is easy. The top requires me to stand on the bottom step of a small stepladder. The stepping on and off is a bit of an effort for the right leg acting as good leg. Left leg says, don’t even think about asking me! Then I sit on the floor, on a pile of cushions, to do the bottom section. Getting down is somewhat difficult, getting up again is almost, but not quite, impossible. But I manage it safely. And the door looks great. But oh what a slow process.

 

[Reanda]

Goodness Klassy what an achievement, bet that door's looking good. Its tricky getting up off the floor even with cushions, assume they're quite firm and don't roll about..I hope you get help with the other 13 doors! Is surprising what we can do with a bit of creative thinking and careful maneuvering. Best wishes for your progress.

 

[Giddsy1]

Good update Klassy.

it is frustrating at times, though it sounds your coming on really well. That cockapoo seems to be getting closer and closer. lol.

 

[CricketHip]

Klassy, your updates are so interesting to read. Your left low back/hip pain sounds a bit like Piriformis syndrome? Has your PT checked for that? I apologize if this has already been discussed and I missed it.
I have low back issues and pirifomis,too. Especially after a lot of bending over/picking up gardening.
for me it's my QL -quadratus Lumborum- which inserts into the upper hip area. Then it stirs up the piriformis.

Here's an interesting article that i found with a quick search, it helps explain it better than I am doing!

What causes QL tightness?


It is very common for the QL muscle to become tight and overactive, this is because it is compensating for other weak muscles around the area. It can also become tight due to repetitive movement – such as twisting, bending or lifting improperly – all of which puts added stress on the muscle.

Then there's this article to look at, too.

Piriformis syndrome

Basically, simply a muscle spasm with consequences, piriformis syndrome is far more common than people (including doctors) realise and really is a pain in the butt on two fronts. First it's extremely distressing and can almost totally disable the sufferer Secondly it can be a long term problem...

bonesmart.org

 

[Klassy]

@Reanda , you are back! I have been wondering how the trip went. I will head over to your thread to check. Yes I agree that a bit of creative thinking is required. I discussed with husband, and we agreed that he will do the top of the doors ( lucky man, being of normal height, can do it just standing there) and some of the bottoms (he’s not the most flexible either, but we can share the effort). Let’s see how far we get today!

Thanks for the links @CricketHip . The description of causes for QL ticks every box for what I was doing to bring it on: “compensating for other weak muscles around the area …repetitive movement – such as twisting, bending or lifting improperly” . The pain isn’t just in that area, but as you say, it probably stirred up the other muscles to join in. The physiotherapist didn’t mention piriformis syndrome, but he did say it was various muscles in the area, so perhaps meaning piri I and QL without naming them. He gave me some stretches, but I will also add one from the linked article. Only on the non-operated side for now. And another idea from the articles is to use heat. I’ve been icing, but now I am sitting here with a hot water bottle against my lower left back and it does feel good. Oops, sitting too long too, getting up right now!

 

[Layla]

Great update, Klassy. Sounds like you’re moving right along. Behind the wheel driving again, mastering nail grooming, greater ability to navigate stairs and partaking in household projects, all so positive. I hope you enjoy the rest of the week.
Happy Thursday!
@Klassy

 

[Klassy]

Happy Thursday to you too @Layla , and Happy Easter too!

I forgot to mention one other milestone, and that is that I can now stand on one foot and bend up the other foot to soap it in the shower. Which means I don’t need the sponge-on-a-stick device any more. I dispensed with the raised toilet seat and frame a couple of weeks ago, so that is all my aids packed away except the crutches.

 

[Layla]

I borrowed the majority of my assistive devices from my dad as he had both hips replaced. I loved watching that pile grow as I kicked each one to the curb. Even better was the day I drove to his house to return all of them. I understand and remember the feeling well! I did hold onto a cane though which I kept in the back seat of my car for about a month post op “just in case” thankfully I never needed it!
Happy Easter to you also, Klassy!
@Klassy