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THR Finally on the other side

Aww, @Esmeralda :console2:

It's very easy to get depressed or down after surgery, especially if it feels like it is taking a while to see improvement. You are out of commission and out of circulation for a while. And when you find yourself having to deal with other emotional issues, it gets overwhelming...

No one is immune to having some post-op blues—from the toughest to the weakest, from the most independent to the most dependent—it can affect anybody.

I hope you get some reassurance today.. All Temporary, my friend.
Hugs.
 
Thank you @Mojo333 @Clairebella and @Hippie Chick for your kind words.

Yesterday was not a good day and I didn't leave my surgeons post op appointment feeling great either. He was happy with my scar, although there is some puckering and said I could begin massaging bio oil or something similar into it. He thought the discomfort and hardness under the incision would gradually go away as the healing continues.

He thought that my recovery wasn't as far as long as it should be based on me only managing 10 mins walking before discomfort kicks in, he also seemed to think I should be doing the physio more than I am (at the moment it's practically non existent). I still have some restrictions in place for a further 6 weeks basically anything that would involve my right leg crossing the mid line, and the 90 deg restriction has eased a bit. Re driving he said as I'm an automatic driver I need to be able to cope with moving my operated leg between the two pedals easily and being able to brake hard - he suggested trying this out with the car parked before attempting to drive it. Honestly how I feel at the moment I don't even want to think about driving yet. He also mentioned that I should not be needing any strong pain relief now, he was ok with me using 8mg/500mg Co-codamol ocassionally if I really needed to but otherwise just use paracetamol.

He didn't really examine me apart from looking at my scar, he didn't check my leg length (not that I mentioned it) or how my balance was or my range of movement or lots of other physical things that I was kind of expecting and no x-ray was taken either - that's at the next visit in approx. 10 months.

I do have an issue from my visit that is causing me some concern but I need to check with his secretary what it's called before I can discuss it further as it's something I have never heard of.

On the whole, even though I wrote loads of questions down for my visit and covered most of them I don't feel happy with the overall outcome of my appointment, if that makes sense. It might be that I'm feeling quite needy and worried at the moment so I'm only dwelling on the negative side of things but I don't feel that I've come away with anything positive apart from the fact my scar looks ok :sad:
 
Esmeralda said:
He thought that my recovery wasn't as far as long as it should be based on me only managing 10 mins walking before discomfort kicks in, he also seemed to think I should be doing the physio more than I am (at the moment it's practically non existent).
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There is no timeline for this recovery. Every THR recovery is different, even on the same person.

More physio will only be for strength building - not what you need right now. I would focus on slow increasing your walking distance. Don't push - just take it slow and steady.

Have you had an x-ray post op. I am a bit surprised they didn't do another one. These follow up visits include checking for bone growth around the implant.

Please don't be discouraged about this visit. They are often rushed and very short. Do call the surgeon's office about any issues that you need to clarify.
 
Sorry your appointment was rushed. That must be very annoying. Do liaise with tge Consultants PA if you have concerns.

Let me know how you get on with the Puckering scar. I am massaging mine but it is still sore and hard - the only bit of my hip that still hurts.

I suspect my long awaited appt will be just as short sadly…

Hang on in there. Us August September hippies are tough x
 
@Esmeralda That stinks that your visit went that way. My visit is two weeks out. I had X-rays taken at my two weeks appointment. Now when I have groin pain or something doesn’t feel quite well, I still want reassurance that I have not accidentally messed something up. Logically I understand this, but my humaneness is stressed. My walking with a cane is getting better but PT exercises not so much. The next ones on my chart- getting out of a chair without pushing up, leg lifts where my knees are equal height, etc. scares me a little bit. At times like this, seeing a PT for 15 minutes would be very helpful. Right now riding in a car seems a lot- climbing in, bracing for the bumps, getting comfortable, etc. Sharing the recovery journey here is keeping me grounded that recovery takes time and healing is taking place despite the new challenges that pop up. I can so relate to what you are going through now. Sending hugs!
 
@Esmeralda sorry also to hear a bit of a rushed appointment. Any clarification I wouldn’t hesitate to email or call his secretary and ask. I’d also question why you didn’t receive an X-ray.

I also have discomfort as soon as I do too much. I had 2 colleagues around today and just general pottering getting tea etc has left me super sore this afternoon. I’m elevating my leg and I’ve had to take codeine and paracetamol. I’m taking codeine daily still but a small amount. Paracetamol alone would not take my pain away.

So don’t feel discouraged- slow recoveries doesn’t mean no recovery. All at our own pace and we are all different.

Do you have another PT appointment ?
 
Thank you for your support and kind words.

@Jaycey - I had an x-ray before being discharged but that was it. I was surprised at not having one done at this post op check as from other posts on here it does seem to be the norm to check for new bone growth - I can't even blame the NHS as I've paid privately for this operation :sad: I will be following your advice re working on slowly increasing my walking distance as I do feel that is the way to go for me. Interestingly the PT that I saw a few weeks ago, did say that my recovery might be slower due to my thyroid condition, which was not something I was aware of.

@SurreyGirl - I've just ordered my Bio Oil online as the local stores don't have it in stock, so it will be interesting to see how much it helps.

@Hippie Chick - Reassurance is a big thing during all our recoveries - thank goodness we have this forum to rely on when it's not forthcoming from elsewhere. I notice you're like me and not enjoying car journeys at the moment - do you have far to travel from your sister's to your home ?

@Clairebella - I do have one more PT appointment, it was originally scheduled for last week but because I hadn't really done much PT since my first visit, I thought it best to reschedule it and it's now booked for next week. I think I will ask for more gentle PT as I don't feel the original PT she gave me is right for me at this stage of my recovery.
 
I am just over an hour away depending on how swiftly she drives. Regarding recovery, I think slow and steady wins the race. Unless you are a unicorn, then be a unicorn.
 
@Hippie Chick - An hour or so in a car is a long time with a new hip, I hope it isn't too uncomfortable for you. Maybe taking some pain relief just prior to the journey might be helpful ?
 
Just received my copy of my surgeon's letter to my GP surgery updating them on my 6 week check and he mentions I might possibly have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome affecting my right leg. When I was at the appointment he certainly didn't call it that as neither my husband or I were familiar with the term he used although from googling it I think it amounts to the same thing. From looking at the symptoms listed I can see why he thinks I might have it and thankfully my symptoms have slowly lessened since the first week post op but are still lingering unfortunately. Does anyone have any experience/knowledge of this condition ?
 
Did you surgeon mention CRPS? If you do a search using the search function (top right blue bar) for CRPS or RPS you will get a list of threads that discuss Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

There is also a very good article in our Library on this: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS or RSD)

It's good news if your symptoms are easing.
 
@Jaycey - Yes he called it CRPS in his letter to my doctor but he didn't use that term in my face to face meeting with him last week. He called it something else but the terminology was more medical and neither my husband or I recognised any of the words used. I will definitely check out those threads and the article - thanks for your help.
 
I’m interested in why he would diagnose or even suggest this in an acute pain phase following a total hip replacement?? I’m not convinced that’s even appropriate given you are only 6 weeks post op? Is it because you still require pain relief?
As a contrast - I had my review yesterday with the surgeon and he said having 30-45 mg of dihydeocodine a day was a tiny dose and pain at this point is still completely normal. To take pain relief as I require and not be concerned that I still need it.
 
@Esmeralda My sister works with coding- sometimes things are coded to make sense for insurance or other purposes. With this being in your chart and the current emphasis on transparency, I would call and ask about it. I am glad your symptoms are lessening. That’s good news!
@Clairebella I am glad your surgeon supported continuing pain meds as needed.
Are you both still elevating and icing? I am still dealing with swelling and still need to.
 
I'm 3 weeks behind you and still on narcotics twice a day with top ups if needed. Still have groin pain and using a crutch and not doing much more than potting around the house and walking and then icing. I haven't left my house yet.
Don't worry about pt. I'm adhering to all the restrictions and plan to until I feel right whenever that is.

The surgeon comparing you to a timeline isn't right and stressful.
The best judge of how you're going is you. First you make progress then you have a setback.....if in some roundabout way you're going forward...well that's your recovery.

Can you get your local doctor to order x-rays and write a covering letter to the surgeon to ask him to assess the film.

Wishing you well and no stress necessary at this point.
 
@Clairebella - No it had nothing to do with pain relief. We had been discussing the fact that my operated leg was still quite swollen and my husband then mentioned the difference in colour between my two legs, which led to discussing the other symptoms I'd been experiencing, such as the burning pain down the front of the shin, sometimes on the sole of my foot or the top of my foot, ocassional muscle spasms around my knee area which wake me up from sleeping, and a heightened sensitivity to touch on my right calf, all of these symptoms apart from the burning pain, which was at one time really bad and felt like my leg was on fire, I'd put down to the swelling and having to wear the TED socks.

He did say it was very unusual for anyone to get this condition following hip surgery, but it's possible I might have it but if I do it's mild and the best thing I can do is to keep moving as much as possible at this stage, and hopefully the symptoms will continue to lessen. This is purely a guess but he might have put it in his letter to my GP in case these symptoms don't disappear and then the GP has a starting point for further investigations at a later date.

At first I was quite worried but I reminded myself that these symptoms have lessened over the last couple of weeks and hopefully they will continue to do so and in the meantime I want to try to understand what CRPS is, in case it does turn out to be an issue for me. Fingers crossed it isn't !
 
Do you think it might be "restless legs".
I had that in my legs after my knee replacement and it was almost more than I could stand. It went on for weeks and was relentless.

My legs and feet were twitching , sensitive and very swollen. Constant icing and elevation was the cure.

I wore teds stockings for four weeks after the hip surgery because I was fearful of it happening again.
 
I'm not a doctor but I think color difference in legs as well as swelling happens. I had same. Also got spasms in my legs that almost shot me out of bed, I'd say "ow, ow, ow...then wake my partner and ask him to rub it!
And to say you should be further along isn't very encouraging for you as the patient and having questions and concerns. Each recovery is unique, cause we are all unique!
I wish you a happy day!
 
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