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THR Finally on the other side

@Tra2419 I believe I bought the wedge from an on-line mobility shop. It didn't have a brand name. Just put "wedge cushion for sitting in car" into any search engine and you will find something similar.
 
Thanks for the search guide lines. I have a short car- when I bought it I was thinking gas mileage and engine life. Now I will always think vehicle seat height. The wedge will help. I struggled to get my legs in for the longest time but I blamed it on long legs.
 
Thanks @Jaycey will do. Went for car ride and it was very uncomfortable. Again, Thanks. :)
 
@Tra2419 I've managed to find a wedge cushion for the car, it was from a uk company but I'm sure you will be able to find something similar where you are. What I liked about my cushion is that I had the option of a deep or shallow wedge, I ended up choosing the shallow wedge as I didn't want to add too much height whilst in the car.
Hope you find something suitable soon.

Quick progress (or not) update

Yesterday was 2 weeks since I left hospital and much to my surprise I'm still sleeping downstairs in my makeshrift bedroom aka our dining room. However, I did manage to go up and downstairs once yesterday. Considering we've been living in this house for approx. 18 years, I'm amazed that I've never noticed before just how steep our stairs are and also how narrow the stair treads are. Going up was relatively easy ( I had my husband following behind me, just in case !) But going down was slightly more nerve wracking, and when I reached the last stair but one I realised the bannister stopped and I had nothing to hold on to for the last 2 steps - something else that never troubled me before ! This has made me realise that I need a lot more practise before I return to sleeping upstairs as I want to be really confident on my own.

I still haven't ventured outside for just a walk, and was planning to go out in the garden today but the thunder and lightning has put paid to that.

Today my leg all the way down to my foot has been feeling a bit odd, the best way to describe it would be that it feels a bit sleepy, or just a tiny bit numb, like I've been sleeping on it awkwardly, so I'm going to try elevation and ice to see if that helps before venturing upstairs again.
 
@Esmeralda I sympathize with your stair case issues! Prior to my hip replacements I slept on my couch for about a year as the stairs up to my bedroom were too steep, had NO bannister at all, and there was no bathroom on that level. After the bilateral THR I slept in a make shift room set up in my front room - and stayed there for about 3 months. Even when I did finally move back into my bedroom navigating the stairs was a challenge! Oh there are places to put my hands for support but nope, no railing at all and it is steep with a Uturn zig in the middle of the stair case. So take your time, just sleep where you are comfortable for now ... it still is very early days into your recuperation. And the odd feelings in your leg will come and go for a while as your muscles and nerves get use to the new body dynamics of having a new hip.
 
@djklaugh - I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for you, at the moment I'm having trouble with just one step with nothing to hold on to, so a whole set of them must have been a nightmare.

On the subject of stairs I've gone and hurt myself again, I decided to have another practise run and without thinking I led with my operated leg going up as this is what I would normally do, as soon as I did the first step I knew it was a big mistake as it really hurt mid thigh - I don't believe how stupid I've been since having this op, I'm not normally this careless ! Afterwards I was able to carry on without any side effects but now, a couple of hours later I can't weight bear at all on my operated leg without a severe shooting pain mid thigh, does this sound like a soft tissue problem ? Needless to say I'm back in bed feeling sorry for myself again !
 
Trust me, you're not the first or only one to do things like this. I spent plenty of time in the chair thinking about if it's muscle or did I really screw up. Usually, a day or 2 with a lot of icing and resting it proves out to be just soft tissue that's aggravated.
 
Esmeralda- I am so sorry for your recent trouble! Stairs without proper hand rails are horrible! Hope your leg feels better!
 
Esmeralda said:
On the subject of stairs I've gone and hurt myself again,
Click to expand...
I am sorry to read this. Especially given you mentioned the stairwell is steep with narrow steps. If you're unable to forfeit using the stairs for awhile longer due to the need to access areas of your home, consider carrying a cane in the hand you're not using to hold onto the bannister to rely on for strength for the last couple steps until you're feeling more confident.
 
@Esmeralda i am also having that strange sensation from knee to toe so hopefully that’s par for the course.

I’m also thinking going up that step shouldn’t have caused any major issues - certainly not with the joint and if you have no pain in the groin then I would assume just like me it’s hopefully the quad muscle and soft tissues. Rest and an ice pack. Mine I think is a bit better since Friday and I have spent the weekend on the couch or in bed. However I will still go along for my check up as like everyone else it’s that worry of have I screwed it up or is it just muscle.
 
@Eman85 Thank you for your sensible take on things. Pre op when I thought about my recovery journey, it never crossed my mind that I would be my biggest obstacle to overcome. I have come to the conclusion that I am no longer able to multi task, if I'm carrying out a 'manoeuvre' I mustn't talk or think about anything else apart from what my feet are actually doing and I shall have to carry on like this until it all becomes second nature.

Thank you @Hippie Chick, things are gradually improving after trying my hardest not to weight bear too much on my operated leg yesterday. The sharp shooting pains have stopped thank goodness and I'm now almost fully back to weight bearing. I still have a very slight ache in my groin area but that was from a previous mishap and the area around the incision still feels tight and pulled but again that's been fairly standard since early on.

Thank you for the good advice @Layla, I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm not under any pressure to move back upstairs just yet.

@Clairebella Thank you, it's strange that I seem to be unable to listen to my own advice, I think fear is making me completely irrational. It's good to hear that your pain is subsiding but as you say it's definitely worth going to get it checked out as you have the appointment now.

I'm going to try to be very well behaved today as my youngest son is flying back from America this evening after spending almost 3 months working in a summer camp. He's coming here straight from the airport tomorrow morning for a short visit and I don't want him seeing his poor old mum stuck in bed and in pain after another mishap ! :)
 
Glad everything is going better! Super excited for you about your son’s return. Three months is a long time! Enjoy your visit today!
 
Thank you @Hippie Chick, I am really looking forward to tomorrow, as I haven't seen either of my boys for a while as my eldest has been in Australia since January. I will have to wait until December for his return but it will be lovely to see his brother tomorrow. Even though they are both grown up and in their twenties, I can't help missing them.

@Clairebella - I'm glad to say the stabbing pain hasn't returned thank goodness, but I am still having to take the heavy duty pain relief to keep the pain in my groin subdued. It was only a week ago that I was managing to cope with only paracetamol in the daytime - hopefully it won't be too much longer before I get back to that.

I have my first outpatients appointment with the physio at the hospital on Friday - I'm not looking forward to that as I've felt too sore to exercise much since last Wednesday and I think they might not approve of my lack of effort !
 
I’ve also been a bit too sore for the PT exercises. I’ve kept up with ankle pumps and the bed one of sliding heel towards bottom and that’s about it.
I keep reading and remembering that hips heel pretty well all on their own! Without all the exercises.
Hope your night was ok.
 
Please be careful re the physio. Mine had me doing some lunges and I was doing them yesterday combined with walking around the garden and have groin pain this morning. I’m taking that as a warning to ease off on them..

Sorry to hear about the stairs. I was at a friends house last weekend in a Victorian house that had very steep stairs and I was scared. Makes the ones I have at home seem a doddle now.
 
My OS just prescribed the bed exercises plus standing ones. Weeks 1-4, 4-6, and 6-beyond. They get more challenging each set. I can do one set easily now and the second set later is harder. Also walking inside the house- there are nasty, no handrail stairs at both doors out. I avoided lunges prior to even thinking about surgery as my hips/knees hated them. Please be careful- groin pain plus surgery pain does not sound like a picnic.
 
@Clairebella I'm glad to know it's not just me that's being cautious about doing too much physio when feeling sore. I'm just trying to potter around regularly to keep my hips moving and combat stiffness. Painwise, last night was fine, I seem to have less trouble when I'm laying down. I have noticed a new ache in my right knee today, which I don't think is due to anything I've done recently, it must just be a knock on effect from the op and everything else that is going on in that area.

@SurreyGirl - Lunges ? That word isn't even on my radar and I will definitely be having a dose of selective hearing if it's said in my presence on Friday. I hope your groin pain eases soon.

@Hippie Chick - does your physio exercises make you ache afterwards or is it just a little difficult at the time ?

I tried the stairs again today and I am feeling more confident now (as long as I remember to follow the rules) I've managed to cope with the few steps without the handrail by switching from one crutch to two but at the moment my husband is handing the second crutch to me as I haven't been carrying that up and down the stairs at the same time. So I need to add that into my journey now and then I'm sorted !
 
I can feel them- ache/burn but successfully complete them. Completing 2 rounds not trying 3 yet. Second round I feel them more while completing them. I shudder at the thought of lunges.
 
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