THR Equestrian's recovery with Ehlers Danlos

[PolarIce]

Thread started for surgery this week!

 

[Jaycey]

Well done @PolarIce ! We are with you all the way! All the best from a fellow equestrian lover!

 

[Pumpkin]

@PolarIce
Here is a copy of the hip recovery guidelines to help you prepare for your THR on the 2nd.
Wishing you an uneventful recovery.

Here are the Hip Recovery Guidelines, the articles are short and will not take long to read.

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

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rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

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a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

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BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

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Activity progression for THRs​

6. Access these pages on the website

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Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Care In Hospital​

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

OneStep App Request

Since December, BoneSmart has offered a number of pilot tests and special promotions with our partner, OneStep. Members were allowed to use this unique app at no charge to help us evaluate the program’s effectiveness for prehab and recovery for joint replacement patients. Feedback has been...

bonesmart.org

 

[Magsmom]

@PolarIce
Another horse lover!!! I grew up riding hunters & jumpers. (I wanted to be a jockey but at 5’9”, that wasn’t going to work!) But then I moved to NYC and set it all aside to work on Wall St for too many years. . But I just love it and miss it terribly. We also were part owners of 3 thoroughbred racehorses a number of years ago. Soo much fun.

do you ride? I live in NJ now near the beach but also close to some beautiful horse farms. My hope is to start up again this Summer (I had both hips done late last year - left in September and right just after Christmas.)

good luck w your surgery! Are you having one or both hips done? There’s a lot of great info and support here. Please keep us posted. I’ve had a ridiculous number of orthopedic surgeries and wish I found this sooner. There’s always someone who’s faced whatever you may be feeling on a particular day- pain wise, sleep challenges or just feeling a little blue. It’s soo helpful to know there are others feeling the same way.
Ice, ice and more ice. It’s a wonder. If I get myself wedged into our recliner w a pack on my butt cheek (posterior approach), another in my groin and a third in the knee area I can get some decent rest for a few hours.
Good luck!

 

[Caison113]

You're going to do great! The absence of pain will be a miracle for you.

 

[Hippielife]

@PolarIce I see you have a date in Feb for hip . And you have had a lot of bone surgery fom 2008 - 2018. My goodness..that’s a lot. In time you will be on your ride again too!
Talk of horses drew me in. Always had horses and never gave up on riding. Three hip surgeries over the years have been fortunate to have a great gaited Tenn Walker.

I see another rider has joined us . Magsmom… your reply is very encouraging.
We have all faced a number of challenges along the way to move forward to a better quality of life.

Sending lots of healing energy to you all.

 

[PolarIce]

You guys are so wonderful. I am so grateful for all of you. We have 2 Canadian Horses(yes it's a breed), and I mostly have been eventing them, but do enter the occasional hunter/jumper show for fun. We also do a lot of parades with our horses(Calgary Stampede Parade-the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth!). I had to stop riding in November this last fall, because the pain was just becoming too much(even with pain meds). I refuse to give up riding and won't be. We will take it easy and get back into it cautious.

@Magsmom I am getting my left hip done. The right one will eventually need doing, but still have some decent usage out of it yet, so just like everything else-I'm going to use it as much as I can until it starts significantly affecting life.

Thank you so much for the well wishes, prayers and PMs wishing me all the best. It truly means a lot.

 

[Layla]

Hey there and a Happy Sunday to you!
Hope you’re hanging in there as surgery is getting closer.
As of this morning you have a surgery pal that joined the ranks here, Giddsy1. We’ll be following both of your recoveries, cheering you on from the sidelines. Not long to wait now…thankfully. I hope you’re able to rest comfortably.
@PolarIce

 

[Hippielife]

Beautiful horse and I am with you on your ride too. Great pic thanks for sharing. A well trained talented horse and rider.
I miss eventing. Parades and endurance racing on my Arabians was a real high of sorts.
After hips I needed to change my horse to a gaited horse my surgeon recommended a gaited Tenn Walker and no bouncy bounce and only poling. Riding on my Walker is like sitting in a easy chair when he goes into his running walk gate. A slight rocking side to side In the saddle.
We do champagne races holding a glass of champagne while in the running walk around the arena for 8 minutes. Smooth as glass Ride.
I miss going thru endurance trails up mountains and thru rivers. But my hips were more important to preserve as long as possible. My hip surgeon was a rider and raised Friesians so important to follow his advice and change my riding habits. One hip is 24 yrs old and still going.

Sending good vibes your way for a complete recovery .

 

[Giddsy1]

Yes as layla said I have lthr on the 2nd of Feb,
thanks for the info from your hip replacement hippielife, gives me alot of encouragement.
All the best best for your thr PolarIce.

 

[subie2021]

@Hippielife Why not try that walkin' horse on trails and through rivers? We chase bird dogs with our horses, and they go up trails, down trails, through water, over the flat, into woods, wherever we need to go - in shape they can go all.day.long. We have a TWH and a Missouri Fox Trotter.
Can't wait for winter to break here. My guys have been on vacay for over a year and we're all wanting to get back in - and under - the saddle.
To keep this hip related...best wishes for a super outcome Polarice! You'll be riding again before you know it. And good luck to all the upcoming hippies as well!

 

[PolarIce]

My trail riding buddies actually own and breed walkers. The last photo I posted above-the black horse on the left side of the picture(I'm on the right in royal blue) is actually one of my close friends, and that black horse is a Walker and she adores them.

Thank you so much for the well wishes. It's finally starting to feel more real now. Appreciate all the positive thoughts and well wishes! With all my heart, THANK YOU for being my amazing support team.

T-3 days.

 

[PolarIce]

Yes as layla said I have lthr on the 2nd of Feb,
thanks for the info from your hip replacement hippielife, gives me alot of encouragement.
All the best best for your thr PolarIce.

I just realized now only are we having surgery on the same day next week, but the same hip as well! woohoo! will be thinking of you my friend

 

[Giddsy1]

same here, let's keep each other informed on progess as same hip and same day.

 

[Magsmom]

To follow up on the horse theme….we have quite a cross section of horse lovers. So cool! This pic is maaaany, maaaany years ago -

at the ASPCA Maclay Finals at Madison Square Garden.
Here’s to all of us being back in the saddle soon.

here is one question for the group….. I’ve been trying to go back into a regular bed to sleep (vs the recliner I’ve been using). I find though, that with the really firm mattress on the bed, it’s very hard to sleep on my side. (Only trying my left side since it was done in September. Too soon for the right one.). Under “normal” circumstances, I love a firm mattress. I’ve tried an extra pillow underneath my hip but that didn’t work. Maybe my hips are too bony? I’ve been looking at some kind of fluffy mattress topper to soften things up a bit. Anyone else have this issue???

 

[subie2021]

Magsmom, I had the same problem pre-surgery...my firm memory foam mattress was painful. I bought a big fluffy topper thing that was like a feather bed - really soft and cozy. But I got snuggled down into it so deep that it was very difficult to turn, let alone get out of bed. Next purchase was a two inch memory foam cooling topper and that was much better...soft enough to cushion but not so soft to trap me. It's perfect now on the new hip.
Overall, the sofa was my best spot for a while. The cushions were about perfect, and being able to sort of lean against the back took weight off the bad hip while allowing a mostly side sleeping position.

 

[Magsmom]

Yes it certainly is hard to turn over!

My bed is memory foam - Temperpedic’s firmest version. I looked at the big fluffy mattress toppers today but now that you mention it, it will just make it that much harder to turn over.

I’ll try one of them and make sure i can return it in case it doesn’t help. Feel a little funny considering a memory foam topper for a memory foam bed!

I lucked out with this recliner we purchased a few years ago before one of my 2 shoulder surgeries. It’s ugly as all get out - but it’s pretty comfortable and about the only place I can sleep now - if I sleep at all. I’d do anything for a full night’s rest. I’ve stopped daytime naps for the most part as they just make it harder to sleep at night.

Best of luck this week!

 

[Hippielife]

Thanks for sharing pics so many beautiful horses. We have some very talented horses and riders.

I still ride my Walker at 17 hands high on trails No mountains to climb. I don’t compete in endurance racing any more to hard on me. Some mountain trails are extremely challenging cliff/ canyon on one side and barely a enough width on the trail on the other side.

i cannot sleep on a regular type mattress they have to many pressure points. I sleep on a soft sides water bed. It has zero pressure points. It’s not swishy bouncy at all because it has baffles in separate 5”wide vertical channels built inside from head to toe.Very steady and no motion .

 

[Mojo333]

Dropping by to leave my well wishes and good mojo for Wednesday.

Byebye hip pain

 

[PolarIce]

Thank you so much @Mojo333 that means a lot! I will start posting as soon as I get to the hospital to keep me busy, and I will ask hubby to post an update when he hears how things went. So many people here rooting for me, it's hard to not let it affect me in such a beautiful way. I am truly grateful for all of you.

Dang girl! @Magsmom look at that position! you're really good! Hard to build a solid lower leg like that. You look amazing! I know riding horses for me has been life saving in more ways than one. Because I have hyper-mobility I can have very loose joints if I don't stay active. I just injured my shoulder over the weekend lifting a small bag of feed, and that's because I have done no exercise at all for almost 2 months now. It's scary how quickly you lose muscle and fitness when you don't use it. I now have my arm in a sling until surgery to let it recover for surgery day. Going to need that arm! my other wrist is fused so it's going to be a lot more difficult to work with.

@Hippielife that makes my heart sing to see you're still riding! I feel like riding horses is truly the best sport you could be part of to keep those legs and hip musculature strong. I'm not 100% sure how it effects deterioration of the joint but I guess I will take the risk. Though having said this, I am going to alter the disciplines I am part of a little bit to help decrease my chance of falls.

Oh the life of someone with hyper-mobility...

@Giddsy1 we are so close mate! you and I in different parts of the world, but will be going through the same thing. Again I've said it before, but always so grateful for all the support I have been getting from everyone on here. Much love.