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THR Did it, tied right shoe lace!!

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@sandee good luck to you and I hope the water was wonderful for you! Oceanside is one of my favourite places in the whole world. You've had a rough go my dear - you get full marks for perseverance and courage. I really, really hope it works out all the best.
 
Update Monday Feb 17 2014. . .I went to mall today . ... I go to mall with a friend of mine about once a month, but she is not a walker like I am. We must have walked for 3 hours. I took breaks when needed since my left foot got tired after 1 hour. (We were not speed walking since my friend is only 4 foot 9). I stretched my hip when needed (by putting right foot up on a couch and leaning over as much as I could and hugging my knee).

After walking I noticed a big difference in my hip. Not as tight! So. .I'm thinking "I need to walk 2-3 hours each day to feel this loose????

But. . .

I also fell down (fell forward) tonight when I was outside. As I was getting Lucky (our 11 pound Pomi-Chi) to come in and scooped him in my arms, I tripped over our big blue tarp that is covering a large pile of dirt. The walk way is only about 3 feet wide and I didn't pick my feet up as I should have. I knew it was there and down I went.

The dog jumped out of my arms. Luckily there was a pile of dirt to the left so my hand didn't go directly on the ground. I was much more scared than anything since I didn't want to dislocate my right hip. My left knee kit the ground - or the dirt, not sure. My right knee didn't really hit anything since I must have been trying to protect my right hip.

I'm 27 weeks post op as of today. I did scream going down but once I moved around on ground and noticed that I wasn't in any pain (hip) after the fall . .. I got right back up within 50 seconds. Able to walk away just fine after taking two very slow steps. . .so not as to fall again. After the fall I felt my hip loosen up even more. That fall was about 3-4 hours ago. My hip feels good. Much looser than ever before.

Looks like modern science is a gem since my hip is fine. two more days and I get a massage. Will report on that too.
 
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Now almost 7 months PO. Had a massage yesterday for first time - ever. First time since surgery as well. (Mine was posterior so I have an 8 inch scar).

I noticed immediate results with more flexibility after the massage. It wasn't near 100% better, but I did notice small changes after the massage when I put my pants on. Since I only had the massage yesterday, I can't say much. I also need to keep on getting them and right now I can't afford $60-$90 massages from a licensed massage therapist. I'll have to wait until I get 30 bucks to go to a student and wait until I get 15 bucks for the gas to get there and back since I live at least 25 plus miles away to get to a massage school. I'm looking to get my next one sometime in April. I hope.
 
@sandee Great news that the massage has helped.I agree the cost of these therapies is quite prohibitive.What kind of massage did you have as that's another issue that there is so many different ones to choose from.I have not had any massages post surgery and considering giving it ago
 
I was told from my MT she recommends me going once every 2 weeks, and then once a month. She said she was doing a "nice medium pressure" on my back. Oh, it felt so good! Swedish Massage.

She said she wants to focus on my hips and glutes since I'm "So very tight". Funny, since I just posted on this - early this AM and now it is afternoon and I can feel my hip area near the scar - tingle.

She told me it is best to do the "Skin roll" and it would be hard for me to do since my scar goes from my side to my butt.

I didn't know there were so many different types of massages and I found out that the sports massage would probably be the best for me since it works with surgery patients. I didn't know.

If anyone is considering going to a massage, I'd say "know yourself first". I was wise in waiting to go until 6 months PO since that is when I had the money to go and I also knew my hip wouldn't dislocate if they maneuvered my leg in any way. And she did. She did some nice stretching with my leg and I was so glad I waited since it would have been a bad idea at 12 or 14 weeks post op.

Still can barely cross right thigh over left, but it is better than 4 months post op. Recovery slows w-------- a------y d ------- o ---- w----- n after the 4 months post op.

I notice more changed once every 6 weeks now. Sad since I was seeing improvement weekly (sometimes daily) when I was in the 1-12 week area.
 
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I forgot one thing that some others may share with me: Fear of stairs after a total hip.

I can say the fear does go away. Since we live in a two story house, I must go upstairs to get to my bedroom. Our bathroom toilet doesn't work downstairs so I asked for a bedside commode and I used it for about 4-5 weeks. May be I used it for 3 weeks. Once I got to week 3 or 4 I was going up stair slowly and up 13 steps. Since we have a landing it allowed me to stand there and rest (only a space of 2 feet by 2 feet). My mom took my walker up for me. Once I got to the landing I had to wrap my mind around : how to get up these last two steps since I had no railing on either side in the upstairs hallway. I only had to do two steps but I had major fear of those last two. (Last two going up and first two going down before the landing area).

I remember asking my mom "put my walker right here and hold on it to so it doesn't move when I put my left foot up" (left up first then right foot up). I was so freaking afraid of my walker moving once I got to the last step and I held that fear until week 8 post op . . .then. .. I went to a cane.

Once I got to a cane the fear went down, but those last two stairs were hard since I had a railing on the right side (going up) or on left side (going down) before that landing. Good thing our railing was on the "right" side of my hip.

I remember with that cane, I'd walk from my bedroom down the hall to bathroom (all of 4 steps) and the bathroom door was right there - right next to that step that does down. I had fears of getting to my bathroom since I feared I'd fall down the stairs - even though I'd have to take an extra step to go to the stairs. The bathroom was to the right, stairs were straight ahead. Coming out of the bathroom was worse since once I got out, left was my room (only 4 steps away) and one step (or two) to the right and I'd go downstairs.

When I noticed the fear go away of those first two/last two steps near the landing - I was around 12-14 weeks post op. Even though I was going up and down those steps since week 3 post op, and my mom kept saying "You can do it sandra, you can do it. You did these step 200 times before with your cane and walker and you did it 10,000 times before your hip replacement" and I knew that -- but my fear crippled me until week 12-14.

I stated doing the opposite of "good leg up, bad leg down" and I did "bad leg (right) up and good leg (left) down" around week 13 post op. What I noticed was as much as it hurt to just lift my right leg up on that stair, it hurt MORE to go down on my "good" (left) leg. It used some other muscle group.

Now at almost 7 months post op, my fear is all gone of those stairs. I was able to almost run up/down stairs around 5 months post op. It still feels "Funny" going upstairs with my right leg leading, but the "funny" feeling is decreasing. I know it is the scar tissue. I was also told the "capsule" is healed. not sure exactly what that means, but I was told that it healed at my 6 month post op.

The funny feeling in my leg and butt is still there when I walk, but it is not like it was when I was 3 months PO. I'm looking forward to 1 year - Aug 2014. . .hoping I'll have less "funny" feeling. I can still have that "Yep, I know that mental is in my hip" feeling.
 
Hi there @sandee - I have merged your two threads into this primary one. We prefer to only have the one thread in the recovery section to ensure that we can look back easily through your post surgery recovery history for context etc. - thanks heaps :)
 
Well, after watching all of the Olympics and watching all of the skiing activities and how the people bend over at the hips and just pull off their skis (Velcro I guess) and they have no problem reaching and bending over - (Of course not, they are athletes and they are very very fit). . .so I watched thes skiers do this over and over again. Bend over - reach and pull the ski off or the snowboard or whatever.

I wondered if I could ever reach my right ankle just by bending over while standing. I now can say that I can reach all they way down and my hand is 6 inches away from the FLOOR (knees bend of course) and my hand is a mere 3 inches away from touching the top of my foot when bending over. I haven't been able to reach past that half way mark on my right calf since 2003. This is a MAJOR milestone for me. 3 inches away from reaching the top of my right foot?

I may be able to do toe touches (standing up/bending over) by 10 most post op. I can't believe I'm progressing so freaking fast. Looks like that massage did wonders for my hip. I can't wait until I have funds for another massage.
 
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I don't know if this is real or just imagined. But I was doing my normal shopping as I always do on the 4th of each month. 7am to 9am I was shopping at 3 different stores before work. After work by noon, I was back shopping. At the last store around 12:30pm I noticed a clicking feeling in my right hip. I didn't hear anything- It felt like my hip was clicking.

I'm not sure how that could happen since my "old" hip was so very far diseased with arthritis and it was so far gone. I mean my "normal" hip should be a certain size and mine - well mine was shaved down to a really small oval shape. It wasn't a complete "circle" due to arthritis . It looks like a mis-shapen moon with hills, valleys and craters all over the place. I asked the doctor to take a picture of my hip joint and it looked very bad. (I think I since lost that picture).

But now I have a new metal base and a ceramic ball joint. My doctor did NOT show me the prosthetic to me before I had the surgery in face to face fashion. He didn't show it to me after my surgery either.

But I did see it on x-ray. It looks so freaking smooth and big like the other was looks like. My old hip joint was half the size since arthritis eats the bone - literally. (I had bone on bone).
don't know how I could be clicking since my ball joint doesn't have any hills, valleys or anything in it.

Unless it is some kind of screw coming loose? had this happened to anyone else at 7 months/29 weeks post op after a posterior approach THR?
 
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Wow, just read through all of these posts @sandee - thank you so much for sharing your story. You're of similar age to me (but have suffered a whole lot longer!) dislocation at the age if 13? Wow! Having suffered several dislocations myself I know exactly how painful they are & can't imagine a 13 year old child enduring that!!!
Anyway, as others have said, your recovery sounds just perfect & you're clearly keen to recovery fully & quickly, but please don't overdo it - I think you said in one if your post, you've suffered all these years, a few more to get it absolutely right isn't going to hurt!
As for the clicking, is it with every movement, or only with extreme bending/twisting? If it's with extreme, please take care, it could be a sign over overdoing it. If it continues & you're concerned, please go & see your surgeon/consultant --- if nothing else, they can reassure you!
Take good care & keep up the good work :-)
 
Thank you Michelle. Yep, age 13 . . was walking in wet grass . . .and fell down/tripped and my hip fell out of socket in 1989. I remember feeling that 'referred pain' in my right knee for several months before my hip gave out. When I fell down, I fell flat on my boo boo. I said, "I've fallen and I can't get up". Since you were born in '76, then you know the commercial I'm talking about. Everyone (all kids) were laughing at me since they all thought I was making fun of the commercial. But I got up three times AND fell down three times and I was in extreme pain. And I was so scared!

I needed surgery of course and the docs wouldn't tell me a thing since I was a minor. I remember being rolled into the ER and I said, "Um, ain't I supposed to be out by now?" I was told "Not until you are on the operating table". At least they played my favorite music for me and I remember the strawberry scent of the mask before I went nite nite. My THR recovery room waking up in 2013 . . .was much better than waking up when I was 13. I was so cold in the recovery room when I was 13. In 2013, they made sure that I was all covered up and I was nice and warm when I woke up from my THR. I was scared going into surgery when I was 14 too since I knew what to expect with all the beeping, nurses, noises. Very scary for a kid.

So the clicking. . .It wasn't the entire 20 mins at the store. It seemed to click and then I'd say to myself "What is that feeling?" and then it would stop.

I haven't been playing any racquetball since late Jan/early Feb 2014 . . .since I just can't get up at 5:30am. I wake up 6:20am and I must take our dogs out immediately. My schedule is so full right now. Half the time I leave home around 8am. I'm the busiest person without a full-time paid job or being a mother.

If I returned to racquetball - I think it would help my hip and get the stiffness worked out. I know it helped the stiffness before. I don't run since I'm told not to (even though I do enjoy running after the ball or running to the water in the ocean). I need to return to my hamstring stretching too since I've been very l-a-z-y about that since Christmas!
 
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no more clicking feeling. It seems it was only that ONE day and only a few times when at store.

I had have some major deep hip pain around March 7th, it felt like I had my old hip back it hurt so bad. But it only lasted for half an hour.

I haven't been to the beach since Feb, no other massage (too costly) and no playing racquetball.
The big thing is -time heals. I can feel looser inside after every month that passes.

I used to LIMP after sitting for 2 hours back in January.
Now March, it seems I can sit for 2 hours straight and I don't get up to limp.

Progress. It's slow, but nice with surprises.

Must go to GP around April or May so I can see my hip surgeon around Aug 2014 for my 1 year post op.
 
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Alright everyone. If anyone has been following my thread (this one) since the fall of 2013 - you'd know that I wanted to know "Will I ever be able to reach my right foot again and put my own sock on again - without a sock aid?"

Well I'm 33 weeks post op. I'm almost 8 months po. April 12th will be 8 months po. I was taking my socks OFF in bathroom for shower. I wanted to try it. Put my right foot up on knee (standing) and bend over and reach.

I did it. I really had to reach and stretch really hard to to be able just touch my right ankle with my left hand (from the inside ankle) and grab the top of my right sock - once I did that - my sock came right off.

I was so freaking excited - once I got out of the shower I had to take a picture. (see below).

My next goal: To reach the inside of my right ankle with right hand and to sit on couch and touch right foot then - tie my shoe.
 
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Let's see if this picture works

[Bonesmart.org] Did it, tied right shoe lace!!
 
Fab - well done you - that's great progress. It's lovely to get a measure of how well things are going, I know they take time, but you're doing really well!


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®
 
@sandee . Very cool! I tried that recently in the shower as well and it worked. I washed my right foot and between all the toes with almost the same ease as my left side. That's progress. I am glad you are getting better and better all the time.
 
:happydance::dancy:Such joy! Such joy! I cannot wait to do my own socks!!! touch my own toes!! tie my shoes!!! Do ya think I will even be able to cut, trim and paint my very own toes someday?:dancy:
 
I so want to be able to buckle my left sandal and not just the right, to not limp, and to go up and down stairs one at at time..I want to be able to not plan my day around how much I will have to walk and pretend not to limp! Thank you for this board. How would I ever get ready for April 15 surgery without it.. I am so appreciative.
:loll:
 
Slowly but surely! Congrats on reaching your right foot! Whoooo - hoooo!
Are you familiar with foam rollers used for exercise & PT? You should lay on your wound on the roller & roll back and forth, breaking down the adhesions. It hurts, and you might be able to do it for a very short time at first. Continue on (patience required!!) and it should get easier. Google foam roller - hip replacement surgery. Also roll quads, back, hip to knee laying on side (IT band), flexor a (see link for this).
https://drbenkim.com/hip-flexor-stretch-pain-stiffness.htm

Very inexpensive : try same moves with a reg tennis ball - roll on it. Also, sitting on a tennis ball on one side and moving around stretches the piriformis & glute. Switch sides.

Keep up the positive attitude & appreciative each small step of progress! Blessings to you!
 
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