THR Finally Home!!

[emilymae99]

Oh my goodness, what a week I've had. I went into the hospital on Tuesday (19th) and have only just returned home. I've definitely made my mind up that I do not like hospitals one bit. It's so nice to feel the fresh air outside after being on the ward for a couple of days.
Surgery went well, but I completely underestimated how much pain I was going to be in afterwards. I was so upset on the first days because I didn't think it was going to be so bad. However, I did have some lovely ladies on my ward who had just had PAO's so we were all struggling together.
I had a lot of trouble with low blood pressure as on day 1 and 2 I couldn't stand up without fainting (anyone else?) which was also very frustrating because all I wanted to do was to go home!

So happy I am finally home. I've already managed the stairs and I'm having a curry for dinner which is something to look forward to after having to live off hospital food for the past 5 days. My pain is ok, and I think I'll be able to manage it now that I'm starting to get used to it.

Very small steps in a long, but hopefully successful recovery!

 

[REM]

@emilymae99
Welome to the group Emilymae.
Yes, my blood pressure was very low two days of my stay. Felt light headed and nausea and had trouble sitting up in the chair. Keep up with your meds. Use lots of ice. It helps with the pain. My ice packs have become my best friends. Keep us posted on your progress. There are lots of people here who have been through what we have and can offer you alot of advise to help you with your recovery. What does the POA,s mean? I'm not familiar with with that description. Rest well. Best wishes.

 

[DEL2018Jul-2]

Hey Emily Mae...
Welcome to the hipster club : )
I fainted the day after surgery (in the hospital)! Was feeling great in the AM, walking around and doing steps, then dizzy and light headed in the early afternoon : (
They had to keep me another night ~ it was the saddle block (takes up to 72 hrs. to get out of your system) so you're not alone for sure!
So happy to hear you're home now YAY!
Wishing you a wonderful pain free day and sending positive healing vibes to you~

 

[Layla]

Welcome to Recovery!
So sorry you had a rough start. Those early days can be hard. Please read the Recovery Article below.
I believe you'll find it helpful. Pay special attention to The BIG TIP.
Hope your day is peaceful!

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:

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

3. Do what you want to do BUT

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

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for THRs​

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 a 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 history before providing advice. @emilymae99

 

[Layla]

PAO- Periacetabular Osteotomy, is surgical treatment for hip dysplasia resulting from a deformity in the acetabulum, the curved portion of the pelvis that forms the socket of the hip joint.

Aren't I smart @Bone-obo ? Gotta love Google, lol.
Thought I'd save @emilymae99 the explanation. I'll bet she's doing this > Or this > or all 3.

 

[Crisps]

Welcome home , I hope you enjoyed your curry It was toast and a proper cup of tea , followed by bacon butty that I just had to have as soon as I got home.

 

[Bone-obo]

Congrats, @emilymae99! It looks like you're well on your way to being an exemplary hippy and proud member of this little community of ours - welcome, and well done on surviving your first week!

Aren't I smart @Bone-obo ?

As smart as they come, @Layla! I always learn something from your posts - although I think I'm gonna need to find some pictures of PAO. (I think in pictures and sounds - weird.)

 

[Mojo333]

Home sweet home.
So glad you are home and with an appetite! I barely could nibble grapes and crackers.
Hope you are comfy and resting and icing!

 

[REM]

@Crisps
Bacon Butty? That's one I'll have to google.

 

[emilymae99]

thank you all for your lovely replies, I've been half asleep all day! It's very weird because there are times where I feel very nauseous so I'll just have a nap, and then it goes away and I'll be starving!
I've been moving around a lot more today, as when I was in the hospital I didn't do a lot and I wasn't putting weight through my leg because it's incredibly painful (as expected). However, today I've been putting a lot more weight through it and it's becoming a lot easier to do (still painful but it needs to be done to get my bone to heal). Forgot to mention I had a ceramic hip that was non-cemented.

 

[Layla]

Do lots of this >
Add in some of this >
And a little of this > Only a five minute walk every few hrs. without the shoes and shades.
You're doing great. Wishing you comfort for today!
@emilymae99

 

[REM]

Bacon butty=bacon sandwich. I love BLT. Bacon lettuce tomatoes with mayonnaise and cheese on toasted bread. Could just about eat my own weight in them.

 

[Jaycey]

@emilymae99 Welcome to the other side. Take things slow and steady. Ice is your friend! If you are tired - sleep. Your body needs to heal from all the trauma.

 

[emilymae99]

Hi, I wrote about my time in hospital on my blog! I would try and sum it all up on here but I keep getting really tired whenever I try, so I'll just link the post -http://myhipdoesnotwork.blogspot.com/2018/06/hip-replacement-week-1.html

 

[DEL2018Jul-2]

Hey Emily Mae ~
I have a little song for you today, hope it cheers you up ~
"Humility" by the Gorillaz's (awesome new song and fun video....)
It's on my "PT or physio play list" I posted bottom of my 2nd page ~ lots of fun stuff (old AND new)!
I hope you're feeling better ~ sending you lots and lots of healing vibes

 

[emilymae99]

Hello! I am just over 2 weeks post op and I'm feeling so much better!! I had my first physio appointment on Tuesday and he told me that I'm allowed to walk with 1 crutch and, if I'm comfortable and able to walk properly without a limp I don't have to use any!!! Physio went really well and he said I was very far ahead in my recovery and will be back in no time, so I'm super happy about that. He also said that the only hip precaution I need to follow is the no crossing of legs (the others don't matter because I had the anterior approach!) Next week we'll be using a static exercise bike to really get my hip moving, and I might also be allowed to start swimming again next week depending on how my wound has healed (I'm an ex-national swimmer so I can't wait to get back in the pool).
I've been doing all of my exercises every day since and I'm already starting to connect with my hip (if that's the way to put it?) I'm still in pain but definitely not as much as I was pre-surgery and also a couple of days after. Every day is a new day, and I'm starting to feel so positive about life again!!

 

[Layla]

Happy Friday!
You sound great. Full of hope and a zest for life.
Please, please be careful with PT. If anything hurts, STOP.
You mentioned you're still in pain. I'm wondering what type of pain and it's location.
I hope it is not being aggravated by PT, hindering your progress. Something to ponder...
A great weekend to you!
@emilymae99

 

[Bone-obo]

Glad you're feeling so much better! Just to reinforce Layla's words of wisdom, easy goes it with PT and activity in the beginning - this new leg thing isn't quite the leg you knew. The new flexibility and length of your leg can flummox your muscles for a while, and they'll get sorer faster than you think. (Been there, done that.) I remember one of my early PT's where I did everything the therapist threw at me, including exercises intended for advanced patients, and waltzed out like it wuz nothin' - then spent two long days icing the fiery wreckage.

That said, you do you! If your exercise feel this good at this point, hey, you're gonna be flippin' your fins again in no time!

 

[emilymae99]

@Layla So the pain I'm getting, I think is more of a muscle ache just around the new hip, unlike the pain I had in my thigh after surgery. However on top of that, I am getting really knee pain, but I'm just putting that down to an old injury flaring up because I'm walking properly again. My Physio specialises in knees and hips, so I'll let him know about the knee pain and see what he says. I'm just trying to keep mobile but just not overdo it now!

 

[emilymae99]

@Bone-obo yes, I'm starting to understand that my leg is different now, especially as my hip doesn't click whenever I move it! Thank you for the warning about overdoing it though, I'll be a bit more careful as I found myself having to get the ice out last night... but hey, you learn from your mistakes I guess!