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THR Doing it Alone

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Oh wow. Your post has made me cry. We all know how rough it is to get through a THR and yes, we all get emotional ups and downs. I can't imagine trying to do this alone. Remember, we are all here for you and will encourage you every step of the way. I am almost 4 weeks post op and things are getting better. I pray the same speedy recovery comes your way although you have experienced some set backs that I did not. I will keep you in my prayers. Oh, my OS didn't order any PT for me. He just provided me with simple exercises to do which I believe you can find on here...I'll see if I can locate them. He also told me to get a stationary bike at 3 weeks which I have just started using. It seems to be helping already. Perhaps you can find a friend to loan you one. It's something you can do there at home. Of course, check with your OS first. We all care and are here for you. Again, you are in my prayers. Deb
:flwrysmile:
 
Oh gosh, your post regarding your exercise problem just posted as I was typing my above post to you. Forget my suggestion about the exercise for now until you speak to your OS. At that time, you may also ask about the bike as that seems the easiest for me. However, due to your problem post surgery and the noise you heard earlier, speak to your OS before doing anything. Good luck. Contact me if you need to chat...my heart goes out to you.
 
NotDancingRightNow , I was given that exercise at 6-7 weeks, as I recall. Here is my OS's protocol. It was the most difficult exercise I'd tried and at first could only do it a couple of times in the outpatient PT gym. I got to where I could do it 5 times, then 10 and I'm now doing it 30 times with a 2.5lb ankle weight, but that's all. According to my guy's protocol, you're doing this too soon.
 
NDRT... doing that exercise too early caused me a lot of trouble..a PT actually had me doing it with weights at 3 weeks when I was only partial weight bearing. I was in a lot of pain for a week and it was a setback physically and emotionally. I stopped as people here suggested and have had no worries since. When I told the PT what happened she said: 'of course, don't do anything if it hurts.' Depending on how fit or unfit we were before surgery and the range of motion we have from pre-existing conditions, some of us respond to certain exercises much better than others. For instance, I cannot for the life of me do a clamshell on my side but I can do a side leg raise and other tiny exercises using bands. I think we all try to push ourselves at physio thinking we won't progress unless we do the 15 reps or whatever we're asked to do. As I haven't heard any noises so far, I'll stop right there and let others advise.
 
I had a few simple excercises (like lie on my back and move my leg outward) that hurt like bloody hell every time i tried to do them and my PT said 'STOP! we wait on that' and then gave me modified excerises.

Her words (even early on) were 'you know that saying no pain no gain? wel that does NOT apply to you here. If it hurts, DO NOT do it. we will work up to it'
 
[Bonesmart.org] Doing it Alone
You're a lucky man, Dave, to have such a smart PT when it comes to therapy after hip replacement. Some members have had really bad experiences with gung-ho "training you for the Olympics" types.
 
I like that Dave.. I have been posting the 'no pain, no gain' saying heaps of times lately.. good for your PT :)
 
Hey Dancer, Josephine has said that hips have a way of sorting themselves out. That was some of the best advice I've gleaned from BoneSmart, and I think it saved me a lot of aggravation, because I would have pushed myself to the point of pain with some exercises.
Please don't do anything that hurts. Slow and steady, ice and rest, and baby yourself a little. Oh, and, keep up with your pain meds.
 
Thanks Alex; I thought that exercises would cause some pain to some extent and I was ready to trudge through it... I'm disappointed that I am not as far ahead as I would have liked. I thought I only needed a walker for 2 weeks but I still need it when I go outside and today it has been exactly 4 weeks! shouldn't I be walking without a cane by now? I am still so swollen too... I thought this would have subsided as well. I'm just frustrated today. the fact that we just got another huge dumping of snow and I can't go outside does not help matters either and I have been a little more sore since my "rice crispies" incident yesterday....
 
I was kept on elbow crutches for 4 weeks and then told by PT to walk unaided indoors but use them outside to prevent falls due to uneven/wet surfaces, etc. I walked unaided (carefully!) to our local shop yesterday as I am finding putting weight on my shoulders aggravates OA in those joints! It's only about 300 yards away but I was shattered afterwards and slept for 2 hours after lunch. We are all different - a family friend was recovering well from THR last year when she overdid things and injured a hamstring, back in a wheelchair for weeks, not good. My family used to call me "Marine" as I strode off across the North Kent Marshes (Charles Dickens country) with them struggling to keep up - not for a while now!
Keep up the pain meds and let your body heal, one thing at a time. May all good things come to you this New Year!
 
Hey notadancingrightnow; From all the love you have received you can see that this is the right forum for you. Just continue to focus on your recovery. Try not to focus on the other issues right now. In time, as your spirit heals the universe will send just the right person into your life and that of your children. Keep strong, keep focused! You can do it!!
 
Notdancingright now; dont worry about the time spent on the walker and please dont get frustrated with yourself. I spent and/2 weeks on the walker after my first surgery, but progressed quickly of the cane. dont worry, as long as you are exercising and doing the right things as outlined by PT just breath. Remember recovery is always upward but not necessarily linear. You may have some dips and setbacks along the way.
 
There are no shoulds associated with THR. No time table when you should be off a cane or off pains meds or being able to do any activities. Your hip is in charge now and from what you have been sharing - you both went through a bit of a battle. Time for healing and nurturing yourself. Take those meds if you need them. Short walks if you feel up to it. Leave the PT for now if it hurts. Happy healing!
 
Thank you DebB, I am glad to hear you are doing well.
Thank you everyone else for the advice; I've stopped that exercise and take things a little slower. I must admit, I am not a very good patient....
 
Hold on. Self-esteem alert, now I have to chime in! You just repeated your husband's put down! You ARE are a good patient. You are doing/feeling exactly right at this stage of the journey. You are just not a patient patient. Very few of us are. As evidence I offer a little whine I just had on Damn! 's thread. It is so great to be able to whine in a safe place where people understand and care, instead of moaning at our spouses, partners, kids and friends who are just trying to help. What do you say, shall we put on out big girl panties, stick on an ice pack and consider ourselves perfectly imperfect? Eh?
 
You are right Vida; I'm just having a tough time... my husband is such a dr jekyl/mr. hyde. One moment he is sweet and the next he is angry at me for some crazy reason or other. I just disclosed to me yesterday that he has "obsessive compulsive personality disorder" (which is different from OCD) and that he was diagnosed years before I met him! it all makes sense now..his behaviors; and he chose this time (my surgery) to be worse than I have ever seen him since I have known him. I've tried to stay out of his "path" and I realize this is not a site to post our marriage woe's so I won't continue down this path. Sometimes I just wish he would leave for good because he is becoming more and more of a person I do not enjoy being with and it is not making my recovery any easier. It's tough when kids are involved though. I'm trying to have faith that whatever happens, I will get through it. some days/moments are just not that easy. I miss the person he once was (or lead me to believe he was) it feels like i've been betrayed all this time.
But enough about that; that you for your support; it really means alot! :)
 
Difficult to deal with life's issues such as you find yourself in. Most important is your recovery. Four weeks is very early in the scheme of recovery for a joint replacement.. You will get there :)
 
In my experience, people with personality disorders are the toughest to live with/deal with: many are unable to show real emotion or empathy and often build a web of deceit in order to manipulate people around them. So its OK to be angry about your husband's disclosure. Having said that, many seemingly mentally healthy (but weak) men have trouble dealing with their partners ill health.. its not uncommon to hear that a man has left his wife to cope alone with cancer because he can't deal with the emotional pressure. The stories I've heard would make your hair curl. I'm not a mental health professional but you obviously have a lot on your plate right now and the only way to manage is to tackle it in bits. First, please take care of yourself, you need to get yourself physically strong for your kids. Put everything else aside for now, its way too much. When you feel able, find a counselor who can help you sort out your feelings and perhaps, if it comes to that, get some legal advice. Meanwhile we're always here to help with moral support.
 
Excellent advice, Vida. Healing is number one. And then small steps on all the other issues.

The behavior you describe as Jekyl/Hyde is pretty typical of someone who has a personality issue and abusive tendencies. Be prepared that the stronger you are mentally, the more his behavior may become erratic if he feels he cannot control your responses. The sooner you can talk to a counselor about all of this, the better.

In the meantime, let's focus on how well you're doing with your new hip!!! Most of us were impatient in recovery, so you are normal in that respect. But, I think you are doing just fine and you're going to find yourself making some pretty significant improvements in the next few weeks. Just continue to build slowly. Don't try to wean off pain medications too quickly....if you hurt, you need them still. Keep in touch...we care about you!!!
 
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