Good! This is major surgery and both mind and body are traumatised. All who go through THR are very brave. Be proud of that and go at your own pace. In the end, we all get there. Just at different speeds.
THR Finally on the recovery side!
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Hoppy Nanny
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I just happened across your thread & was reading how well you've done since your THR.....back to work & doing well.
Then reading you feel that others expect more from you.....well!! From my perspective (one, who has been there, done that!) you are doing extremely well.
I found this surgery to be the most demanding emotionally than anything I've ever done. It was a complete emotional roller coaster. You are so right @pamac this operation is trivialised, especially by the media who make it seem like it's an everyday op & recovery.
Of course you are glad not to have that awful pain, but there is still pain in recovery that takes a good time to go.
Take your time, heal at your own pace & take the tablets if you need them.......you will see the back of all this & be glad that you went through it....just not yet. Take care. Chrissie x
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Then reading you feel that others expect more from you.....well!! From my perspective (one, who has been there, done that!) you are doing extremely well.
I found this surgery to be the most demanding emotionally than anything I've ever done. It was a complete emotional roller coaster. You are so right @pamac this operation is trivialised, especially by the media who make it seem like it's an everyday op & recovery.
Of course you are glad not to have that awful pain, but there is still pain in recovery that takes a good time to go.
Take your time, heal at your own pace & take the tablets if you need them.......you will see the back of all this & be glad that you went through it....just not yet. Take care. Chrissie x
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Nana757
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Oh, my dear @pamac. You do sound so much like me. Once I had my surgery, I was so determined to recover as quickly as possible. Even at my age, I wanted so badly to "impress" all my loved ones and friends with my quick recovery. Then I realized that I needed to think about myself, first and foremost, and the heck with what everyone else was thinking. And, to my surprise, once I backed off and followed the BS mantra more, my healing process took off like a rocket. I'm not here to say that I am back 100%, but at 8 weeks, I dare say I'm at 90%. I do still have issues with my knee (for some reason, it just hasn't gotten on the bandwagon yet) and the muscle just above my knee. But I'm certain they will return to normal when they are ready. In the meantime, ice and Motrin are still my best friends. I do hope your recovery continues to progress and BTW, chocolate is a wonderful "soul" food. Have a wonderful day.
DeepBreath
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Healing vibes flowing for you. 
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pamac
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I do feel better. I have to be at work this morning but I'm fully prepared to tell them I'm not ready for full days at the office yet. I had been complaining about this numb spot on my thigh, but it seems to be waking up a little bit. I also have a place above my knee that feels sprained. They must have given it a good twist! @Nana757 and @Hoppy Nanny you both hit the nail on the head. Emotional Roller coaster with some "I got this!" added in. Now I've set myself up at work that all is ok. I'm again so glad to read that I'm not alone - not that I wish this turmoil on anyone! This will be a good week and I see my OS on Friday. First visit with anyone since the 2 week mark. I've got my motrin, ice and chocolate and ready to take care of me! You are all the best.
Nana757
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I'm so happy to hear you're doing better. You made me smile this morning. I'll betcha when you see your OS on Friday, he will probably let you know you went back to work too soon. I can't remember...did he ever release you to return to work?
Constanze
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Hi @pamac - so glad you're better. I wish you: no more post-op blues. It's interesting to read about the bonesmart mantras and finding out that my case is not typical. I had all those things pre-op: The blues/dispondent mood, log-leg ...and post-op, things got better.
Among family, friends and colleagues, nobody trivialised my surgery. On the contrary: Pre-op some people like a qualified young nurse I met at the gym warned me and told me off for leaving it until too late - said I would suffer from chronic pain when she saw me limping. Post-op, a colleague - she's Polish actually - said I couldn't cycle to work 7 weeks out. I replied: "I'm fine, thanks". And while my male colleague - a scientist my age and much more athletic than me - took 12 weeks time off work with a phased-in return to work, I just returned after 6 weeks full-time and was fine. It looks as if when people don't expect too much, that you get better sooner. I also wasn't chucked out of hospital after a few days: In Germany, the standard is 7 days hospital and 3 weeks rehab. I used to envy people in the US and the UK who were allowed to go home so soon and was wandering whether this encouraged them to think positive sooner and not feeling so ill. Now I understand that everything has too sides. What if I had gone home after 2 days. I honestly don't see my husband accompanying me to the bathroom and shower and helping me put my socks on. In hospital and rehab, you are not dependent on your relatives and friends caring for you - it's the professionals that do it. And I must say I met lots of people from different backgrounds and made friends with them. This distracted me and I had no post-op blues. I also made friends with the nurses, doctors, and physios in my ward - they were all very supportive. All this contributed to a rapid recovery: I threw away my pain meds after 3 weeks, my crutches after 4 and drove after 4. But I'll stop now and wish you a happy recovery and success with work - Constanze
Among family, friends and colleagues, nobody trivialised my surgery. On the contrary: Pre-op some people like a qualified young nurse I met at the gym warned me and told me off for leaving it until too late - said I would suffer from chronic pain when she saw me limping. Post-op, a colleague - she's Polish actually - said I couldn't cycle to work 7 weeks out. I replied: "I'm fine, thanks". And while my male colleague - a scientist my age and much more athletic than me - took 12 weeks time off work with a phased-in return to work, I just returned after 6 weeks full-time and was fine. It looks as if when people don't expect too much, that you get better sooner. I also wasn't chucked out of hospital after a few days: In Germany, the standard is 7 days hospital and 3 weeks rehab. I used to envy people in the US and the UK who were allowed to go home so soon and was wandering whether this encouraged them to think positive sooner and not feeling so ill. Now I understand that everything has too sides. What if I had gone home after 2 days. I honestly don't see my husband accompanying me to the bathroom and shower and helping me put my socks on. In hospital and rehab, you are not dependent on your relatives and friends caring for you - it's the professionals that do it. And I must say I met lots of people from different backgrounds and made friends with them. This distracted me and I had no post-op blues. I also made friends with the nurses, doctors, and physios in my ward - they were all very supportive. All this contributed to a rapid recovery: I threw away my pain meds after 3 weeks, my crutches after 4 and drove after 4. But I'll stop now and wish you a happy recovery and success with work - Constanze
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@Nana757 How did you guess I didn't get an official release to go back to work? mmmm. At my 2 week visit I saw the physician's assistant and he said I could work from home as soon as I felt like it. So I just turned that into getting back to the office as soon as I felt like it too. I just didn't know that I really didn't feel like it yet!
@Constanze I think I did OK being released from the hospital second day (although one more would have been nice!). For me I felt a little abandoned on the therapy side. I was given a piece of paper with a few exercises on it for the first 2 weeks then just told to walk. A weekly visit with PT I think would have been very comforting and helpful.
@Hoppy Nanny I have been at the office for about 3 1/2 hours and going for my second walk now and will ice and rest again when I get back. I have peanut m&m's too.
@Constanze I think I did OK being released from the hospital second day (although one more would have been nice!). For me I felt a little abandoned on the therapy side. I was given a piece of paper with a few exercises on it for the first 2 weeks then just told to walk. A weekly visit with PT I think would have been very comforting and helpful.
@Hoppy Nanny I have been at the office for about 3 1/2 hours and going for my second walk now and will ice and rest again when I get back. I have peanut m&m's too.
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Enjoy your walk!! Peanut m & m's ...now you're talking!
Had the same......all the info & help prior to my op.....then sent home from hospital with an exercise sheet & told to walk, walk, walk. I walked like a dervish, had lots of pains & limped badly until I found BoneSmart!! They put me on the right track.
I had my follow up appointment at 8.5 weeks and he got me hydro & physio from 13 weeks. Not seen anyone since. That's 2 years ago. You do feel rather abandoned x
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Had the same......all the info & help prior to my op.....then sent home from hospital with an exercise sheet & told to walk, walk, walk. I walked like a dervish, had lots of pains & limped badly until I found BoneSmart!! They put me on the right track.
I had my follow up appointment at 8.5 weeks and he got me hydro & physio from 13 weeks. Not seen anyone since. That's 2 years ago. You do feel rather abandoned x
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Plum Perfect
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Hi @pamac so happy to hear of your great recovery. I'm not sure I'd be so happy to get back to work but I'm retired now so I DO want to get back to my life. It is interesting how we are all so different in our personal needs. I'm looking forward to some binge watching on Hulu. I upgraded my subscription to commercial free and have saved some long running TV shows to binge on. It's interesting that several of the shows are from Australia. Keep up the great recovery and don't over do on your work, put yourself first.
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Had a pretty good day today. My work email is piling up and I walked away for a walk and an ice. Did that twice today. Left work early yesterday too! I feel much more in control.
I have to do my job and I will to the best of my ability, but I will not let it affect my well being!
The outside of my thigh is still numb and weird feeling, but I don't have any hip pain. After walking a mile at a pretty good pace with a slight hill at the end, I can feel some discomfort. Knee is still a little sore, but much better!
I have to do my job and I will to the best of my ability, but I will not let it affect my well being!
The outside of my thigh is still numb and weird feeling, but I don't have any hip pain. After walking a mile at a pretty good pace with a slight hill at the end, I can feel some discomfort. Knee is still a little sore, but much better!
Nana757
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@pamac,
It was a hunch, just from the way you were talking, that you didn't get an "official" return to work. I'm not sure what kind of company you work for or what kind of insurance you have, but with the company I retired from, HR was the dept. that approved my return to work and only with a signed release from my OS. I'm assuming, and I hope I not offending you in any way, that your company doesn't have that kind of return to work policy. Did they ask you to come back sooner or did you volunteer? I'm only asking out of genuine concern for you and your well being.
On another note, knee pain is a common ailment with us hippies. It too shall pass.
It was a hunch, just from the way you were talking, that you didn't get an "official" return to work. I'm not sure what kind of company you work for or what kind of insurance you have, but with the company I retired from, HR was the dept. that approved my return to work and only with a signed release from my OS. I'm assuming, and I hope I not offending you in any way, that your company doesn't have that kind of return to work policy. Did they ask you to come back sooner or did you volunteer? I'm only asking out of genuine concern for you and your well being.
On another note, knee pain is a common ailment with us hippies. It too shall pass.
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@Nana757 If I had it to do over, I would take short-term disability instead of using my accrued personal time. I didn't prep myself for how long I needed to be out and it wasn't addressed by my surgeon's office. I talked to one person who had this done a year ago and she told me she was working from home in a week. So I thought no big deal! Right?
In discussion with my HR person, she said I should take the first two weeks off and see how it goes. Then my first week working from home, if I just checked my email and worked an hour or so, they would count that as a full day of work. Then everything after that week I would start using personal time again for the hours I didn't work. It was all pretty loosey-goosey which surprised me.
Advantage for me. No reduced pay. Basically a free week of personal time.
Advantage for them. If I took disability, they would have to disconnect me from the network until I was released back to work. That would mean more work for them in either finding a temp or paying others overtime.
Of course after that "free week" I worked 32 hours, then the following week right back to 40.
We are very short staffed (always) and then to top it off a young woman in my department was diagnosed with lymphoma while I was out and had to start very aggressive treatment right away.
I'm not being pressured by them, HR is understanding and the people I work with are understanding. Everyone is pulling out their hair because there is just no one to get the work done. It's my coworkers I feel for.
But I can't care more than the owner and I just can't let it affect my recovery. I hate that 20-20 hindsight feeling.
My knee is getting gradually better thank goodness! I really appreciate your kind words and concern. AND for listening to me vent. My goodness I wrote a novel.
In discussion with my HR person, she said I should take the first two weeks off and see how it goes. Then my first week working from home, if I just checked my email and worked an hour or so, they would count that as a full day of work. Then everything after that week I would start using personal time again for the hours I didn't work. It was all pretty loosey-goosey which surprised me.
Advantage for me. No reduced pay. Basically a free week of personal time.
Advantage for them. If I took disability, they would have to disconnect me from the network until I was released back to work. That would mean more work for them in either finding a temp or paying others overtime.
Of course after that "free week" I worked 32 hours, then the following week right back to 40.
We are very short staffed (always) and then to top it off a young woman in my department was diagnosed with lymphoma while I was out and had to start very aggressive treatment right away.
I'm not being pressured by them, HR is understanding and the people I work with are understanding. Everyone is pulling out their hair because there is just no one to get the work done. It's my coworkers I feel for.
But I can't care more than the owner and I just can't let it affect my recovery. I hate that 20-20 hindsight feeling.
My knee is getting gradually better thank goodness! I really appreciate your kind words and concern. AND for listening to me vent. My goodness I wrote a novel.
Nana757
post-grad
Oh @pamac, I totally understand feeling bad for your coworkers. Been there and done that, but your health and well being is more important. With that said, It's great that HR is working with you and is trying to be flexible. I was afraid for you, if something went wrong at work, who would be liable. But it sounds like you have a good handle on it now. Just be careful and back off if you need to. I am so sorry to hear about your coworker that has Lymphoma. That is so sad. I hope the aggressive treatment does its job. I'm happy that your knee is calming down now. That is definitely good news.
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Had my appointment with OS on Friday including Xrays. Everything is where it's supposed to be and he was very happy which makes me very happy! Incision is good. The numb weird feeling spot is normal and he is not concerned. My knee pain is almost gone. He said they try to be careful, but there's a lot of maneuvering. Just today the stairs feel better. I was doing fine, just felt a little something going up. Didn't feel that today. I did some yard work today - still carefully! I'm REALLY behind at work, but I'm only going to do what I can do.
Nana757
post-grad
That is, indeed, great news about your OS appt. And happy to hear your knee pain is all but gone. That gives me hope, as well. I think my OS was a little more aggressive during the maneuvering stage of surgery. Which is probably why I'm still having issues. Not every day, but enough to be annoying. But taping it helps. Be careful out there when doing your yard work!
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Sunday morning check-in! It's raining which is wonderful here and I have the window open enjoying the sound. Things are going well. I've been back at the gym doing the elliptical getting my stamina back up. Amazing how quickly you can become out of shape. I have been working on balance excercises, probably the stuff anyone who had PT did alot sooner, but I feel fine waiting until now. Doing step ups, some single leg dead lift, plank, situps. It's great! Whatever I'm doing it's working, my butt and quads are super sore. I'm up to almost a full golf swing - OS said to pace it to Nov 6th which will be 3 months. I'm happier with the yard now which I have neglected for the past year . My husband does the big stuff, but I don't expect him to do the details. I still have my numb spot on the outside of my thigh, but it is very gradually getting better. I did some reaaranging and sorting in the basement yesterday and feel a little sore in my groin. I was dragging boxes around so that is probably it.
I feel better in my head too and more normal (or at least more myself! ). That "PTSD" like reaction was the most unexpected part of this whole ordeal so far. ok I wrote a novel but it's been awhile. Now I need to cruise and get caught up with you all!
I feel better in my head too and more normal (or at least more myself! ). That "PTSD" like reaction was the most unexpected part of this whole ordeal so far. ok I wrote a novel but it's been awhile. Now I need to cruise and get caught up with you all!
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