THR FINALLY!!! Cynthia777's Recovery Journey

[CatLady1]

@Nana757 - I have screws in my hip- they are there to anchor the acetabular cup into the pelvis (until the bone grows around and secures it). I've got dysplasia, and very shallow cup area / narrow hips.
I'd be curious to hear how many dysplastic hip replacements are screwed in?

I'm also uncemented, but I'm pretty sure uncemented has nothing to do with the acetabulum screw.
For that matter, I'd be curious to hear how many hip replacements are due to dysplasia, vs other issues?? Are we 10%? 20%? Anyone know?

 

[geneva]

@CatLady1 great advice for you to move forward with.....it's great that for the most part our Drs know our unique issues.....good reminder not to compare ourselves to the activity or PT of the others here on BS.
I too started on a bike am , pm.....and found a great recombinant bike for $50 on Craig's list. Not the state of the art but great until I can hopefully get on my own cruiser I hope. I found I was pretty sore the first few afternoons of daily use
Wishing y all the best at work....will it involve naps and plans to lay down and stretch out? Oh gosh , take it slow! I just talked t a friend who had THR with very mild displasia , similar to mine and she said it was about 9 months before she felt stronger, totally forgot about her THR , and was skiing! Mote comfortable in her body than she was in her 20s! Yikes, inspiring but also more the point to be patient for us all.

 

[CatLady1]

@geneva - thanks for the kind reminders. I will feel extremely successful if at 9 months I am feeling quasi normal. But I am already well please with the results of this hip surgery - just being able to walk a half mile up the road with no pain, or up a steep hill near our house and only be out of breath from the exertion-- not be dragging my lame leg behind me (or feeling the need to walk backwards to cut the pain).
Work naps? Ha ha... no, but I live down the road from the office, and if it gets that bad, I plan to go home and rest / make phone calls. I'll take my ice packs to work with me too. I've already been back at work anywhere from 2 -5 hours per day (5 hours was the stretch). I do think I'll get worn out getting back into the groove.

 

[Jaycey]

I'm also uncemented, but I'm pretty sure uncemented has nothing to do with the acetabulum screw.

You are correct. The screws are all to do with the type of implant and how your surgeon positioned it. Both my hips are uncemented, no screws and they were both replaced due to dysplasia.

 

[Cynthia777]

Wow, pals, I don't know how to thank you all for your posts...what a mood boost!!! Thanks all!!!

Yesterday and today (Days 17 & 18) I just kind of took a total mind rest. I've had to run my business during my recovery (mentally, not physically...thanks goodness) and it's a constant problem solving type of job. Thankfully I have my hubby and daughter doing all the physical aspects of running the business, but mentally the work is exhausting.

Every day I feel stronger physically, so I'm trying to push myself a little more each day. Since I have no formal PT (still not sure why my OS said I don't need it), I've been focusing on walking a little further each day. Today I walked 1/3 of a mile (around our swimming pool) and it felt great. I still use my walker, as my other hip has collapsed, so I won't go to a cane until after my next replacement (praying for an end of March or first part of April surgery date). I'm pretty shocked that I'm suddenly so ready to move forward without reservations (ive just felt this way over the last two days). I've noticed my emotional state has also improved, so no teary eyes for a few days now.

I guess that's about all I have to report...pretty boring, huh?

Sending hugs and prayers to all of you and will be catching up on your threads to see how you're all doing.

 

[Nana757]

Nothing is EVER boring about your posts. I can feel the renewed energy in your posts and am so happy for you. And, glad to hear the blues are subsiding. Wow, 1/3 mile is perty dern good! Have a wonderful night, my friend. I'm still trying to pass this daggone kidney stone, so we can leave for our trip in a few days. Shouldn't be too much longer now before it makes its grand exit !

 

[CricketHip]

Hi @Cynthia777 just popping over to say hello and let you know that I continue to send good vibes and healing energy to you. Monday seems a long ways off but hey, it's already Saturday night and at least your appt is in the morning!
Yikes, of course you know best about the latex allergies!! Why do they minimize that stuff! Good heavens.. like we don't know our bodies!! So glad you figured it out before the second go around and before it got really ugly..
My incision line was pucker for quite a while.. can't recall the exact timing but it was long enough for me to get a bit worried, then all of a sudden it seemed to smooth out.. I still try to massage some oil into it each night.

Glad you are doing so well. the twinges and assorted pains can be disconcerting.. then poof! Gone again.
Take care sweetie and keep up the good work!

 

[gullimac]

I will offer a perspective on the no "formal PT". I have worked as an Athletic Trainer in a rehab setting and can say that I used to run into two types of people. There are some that don't push themselves hard enough during rehab and need someone to push them (some gently and some with a heavy hand). There are others that go about rehab too hard and need to be reigned in. VERY RARELY do you find a patient that does just as much as needed and not too much (think goldilocks here). I think you have an OS that recognizes that he may have on his hands the rarest of things--someone that has learned themselves well enough to be trusted to make those choices for themself. You, my friend, are a unicorn.

 

[Cynthia777]

@gullimac
You are too kind! I wish I was that "unicorn", but unfortunately I'm afraid I must be one of those people who need to be pushed. I've tried to analyze why my recovery has been so easy and I think it's because I'm not doing enough physically. I'm convinced if I had formal PT, I probably would be experiencing a lot more post-op pain. I notice the further I walk, the more stiffness I feel in the evening. So, my game plan has been to increase the walking at least every other day for about four days and then I take a day off and just rest. This has been serving me well so far and will have to do until I get my second THR. I think my OS most likely didn't order PT because I still have a collapsed femur on the hip that still needs replacing? Your thoughts?

 

[gullimac]

@Cynthia777 I respectfully disagree. I think you are pushing enough. I believe if you were not pushing enough, you would not progress. Your plan of gradual progression sounds spot on to me. Of course that is just my 2 cents (and it might be nonsense )

The condition of your second hip surely has some bearing as does the timing of your next surgery. It should have some influece on what you are doing right now.

I stand by my assessment of unicorn status. Now where is that unicorn emoji I need to make my point? Get on that BoneSmart.

 

[45goingon90]

I would agree with the above statement. You are a Unicorn. And you are doing fantastic at moderating your progress! Clapping Hands! I bet your OS will order PT after your next surgery. I think you are correct in thinking he doesn't want to mess with anything until your collapsed one is also fixed. No point in adding insult to injury... You are a Rockstar! Keep doing what you are doing.
I remember the emotional stuff well after my THR, it was not much fun, but you are in great company. I think we all go through it. I'm happy for you that it is subsiding. I think part of it is that we get so exhausted that we can't keep it together. o the more you rest the better you feel. (Just my thoughts) God has definitely chosen you to be his miracle child here...you are very lucky! If only everyone could have such strong faith! Big Hugs to you. I pray for your continued blessed healing.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[Jaycey]

@Cynthia777 You are living proof of what Josephine always preaches here - hips don't really need PT. What they do need is walking. And your approach is perfect. Slow and steady increases and days that allow full rest.

 

[Toddlermom]

@CatLady1 I read that hip replacements due to dysplasia was approximately 10% of all THR annually. Not sure where I saw this.....but I think it was on a dysplasia website.

 

[Nana757]

Oh my dear @Cynthia777
You are doing everything the way it should be done. Slow and steady, walking when you can and increasing as your comfort level dictates and taking days of rest, in between. I think your OS is a wise man for not ordering PT, knowing your other hip has collapsed. And I love that @gullimac is spot on....you are a unicorn!

 

[Hipster Girl]

Hi @Cynthia777 1/3 of a mile is incredible this early on! Color me impressed. My opinion on the PT is that your surgeon didn't order it because of your other hip but more than likely he will order it next time. In the meantime, the walking should be plenty.

Glad to hear the blues are subsiding and it's good you took a couple of days to rest mentally. This process takes so much out of us in every way and sometimes the mental part is harder than the physical. Good for you to recognize you needed a break.

Keep up the great recovery, you are rockin' it! :cool:

 

[Cynthia777]

I just LOVE my Bonesmart family! I hate to think what I'd do without this forum?

I now have solidified in my mind that the more I do, the more stiffness I can expect in my non-op hip. Yesterday I had increased my walking quite a bit more than what I had been increasing during previous days and boy did I feel it! I awoke at 3:00 a.m. with quite a bit of pain in my non-op hip (my op hip didn't notice the increased walking whatsoever). Since my OS hasn't told me how much my non-zoo hip has collapsed, I can only assume the increased walking may have caused the femur to collapse a bit more, so today I will rest and will resume my walking when my hip feels better.

As @Jaycey stated above, I have to agree that the walking alone (with no PT) has been the way to go (at least for me). My op hip has progressively gotten stronger and stronger without any of the post-op problems many have experienced while doing PT. However, I must agree with @gullimac, there's really a fine line between doing too much and not doing enough during the rehabilitation period. Once I have my 2nd THR under my belt, I think I'm going to go easy on the PT (maybe go to a few sessions) and put all my energies into walking as my form of rehabilitation. Of course this may all change once I'm in the midst of my second recovery...time will tell.

@Nana757....ongoing prayers for your speedy passing of that nasty kidney stone!
Sending thank yous and hugs to 45goingon90, gullimac, Jaycey, CricketHip and Hipster Girl and anyone else I forgot to list.

 

[CatLady1]

@Cynthia777: >>I notice the further I walk, the more stiffness I feel in the evening.<<

I did feel that way too. It was right at the start of the 3rd week when I thought I'd be brave and take pain meds every 12 hours, instead of 8. The first 12 hours were fine; the second 12 hours, about 9 hours into it, I got out of the recliner, and it was -- "OMG, this is not the time to stop pain meds". I was so sore in my operated hip. I did notice that every time after that when I got out of the chair, the less sore I felt, and by bed time around 11, most of the soreness was gone, only stiffness. I still took a Hydrocodone before bed - just so I could sleep through the night and guarantee the pain wouldn't interfere with sleep. The next day, I felt my normal morning stiffness, with most of the pain gone. But I backed off the walking.

Since you've still got a 2nd bad hip, your OS may not be having you do PT so early. I know mine stated he was more interested in having the bones / new hip solidify and muscles heal - with no extra stretching beyond what walking does. I did my heel slides, and butt clinches, ankle pumps daily, but that was about it. Towards the end, I used @Squirrellymom's quad stretch exercises (which really helped with the sore incision area), but that was it.

My OS is looking at the recovery as a year long process, not something that gets done in 6 weeks. I know when I had a humerus bone fracture, PT told me it could take 8 months for the muscles to heal to the point of having arm strength and not noticing weakness. I think we all get impatient with recovery because our hip has stopped hurting, so we feel we should be 'cured' now. It's easy to forget that the months (or in my case, a couple of years) of gradual degeneration of the hip joint means it will take months (or more?) of getting back to moving correctly. In my case, it was using muscles the wrong way to walk (to compensate for immobility and pain), so I'm probably having to learn the right way to move again.

 

[CatLady1]

@Cynthia777 -- You're at the point you'll probably start seeing progress a week at a time, rather than a day at a time. I know after about 3 weeks, it didn't seem to improve much daily, but when I looked back a week, it was, "wow, I can do this now, last week it was stiff/hurt". I noticed that yesterday walking up some steps -- 10 days ago, I still had a weak feeling going up; yesterday, it was an almost normal feeling, like I didn't need to assist myself by holding on to railings to take the pressure off my hip. Of course, you've still got a bad hip to sort out, so it's probably hard to figure out which half of you is now working well??

 

[Cynthia777]

You hit the nail on the head @CatLady1! It's truly been a balancing act trying to strengthen the post-op hip, while trying to take it easy on the collapsing hip!

 

[Jaycey]

My OS is looking at the recovery as a year long process, not something that gets done in 6 weeks.

Finally a realistic OS. So many surgeons set such aggressive expectations. This is major surgery. You don't just recover in weeks. Healing and increases in mobility continues. After all, you didn't get to that horrid, painful stage in a matter of weeks.