Revision THR 'Fractured Neck of Femur/Pinning - Broke hip 5 weeks after replacement'

[Layla]

Good Morning!
Hang in there, Sparkly. I waited for the "Day Four is going to be the worst" and it never happened. So hopefully it doesn't for you either. I wouldn't count on it and really wish the medical professionals, or whoever, wouldn't plant that seed. Each recovery is individual, even with the same person. Take your meds on schedule and ice often. Wishing you comfort and hoping today is no worse than yesterday.
@Sparkly

 

[Sparkly]

Thanks all, little better today than yesterday pain wise. Managed shower no problem so that felt good. Lying out now to take a nap have foot elevated as I seem to have a pressure point on my heel that’s been hurting. I still have no real swelling of any kind. I did up the meds to 2 every 4-6 hours and added 1000 mg Tylenol. Is it my imagination or does the leg seem longer, when I walk with walker I seem to have to bend at knee to match the length of other leg???

 

[Elf1]

@Sparkly you have to love that first shower! Glad to see you've added some Tylenol as it can be a great help, just be sure to take into account any Acetaminophen that the Oxy has and don't go over 4,000 mg total per day.

Most of us have had the heel pain/burning feeling, sounds like you're doing good getting it off the bed. You can also try putting something soft and fuzzy at the foot of the bed. I used my fuzzy throw at the bottom of my bed, others have used sheep skin and some have used fuzzy bathroom rugs.

Give the leg length some time, a lot of us feel this way at first but once things settle it usually works itself out. There are a few people that do have actual leg length difference and have a lift in their shoe but I think these are the few and far between.

 

[zauberflöte]

Hi @Sparkly ! Glad things are improving! I was advised by OS to take the percocet at the 4-hr interval to start with, so there would be no wearing off. I calculated my tylenol amounts very carefully, using splittable 325mg tablets. Since the percocet was also splittable, this meant that I could adjust the actual oxycodone amount very minutely. Take away half a percocet? Add half a tylenol! Ready to start weaning? Just substitute an equal number of tablets of tylenol for whatever percocet was removed. And by continuing taking on the "every 4 hours" schedule, if I'd made a mistake and needed more percocet, I only had a couple of hours to wait. For the lucky easy second hip, I quit percocet at 2 weeks. It had taken 6 on the first, to give up that blessed night time dose.

It seems you have not been given an anti-inflammatory NSAID. My OS gave me Celebrex for the first hip, and meloxicam the second. It probably added at least 50% more pain control.

Both my hips swelled up plenty-- you are more fortunate than I. As to leg length, I too felt there was a significant difference, but it was illusory. "Perceived LLD". But! I felt much more balanced after the second hip had settled out, so maybe there'd been a tiny tiny difference after all, or maybe simply it was that my pelvis had been tilted.

It is such early days yet for you! 3 days from today you may be amazed at how much better you are than when you first got home. By two weeks, you'll probably really see and feel differences. Keep up the good work!

 

[marieltha]

The feeling of leg lengths changing seems part of the recovery.
Since you notice it using the walker, have you adjusted your walker?
I assumed my walker settings from my first knee were fine for the second (11 months apart). When I used it to practice walking the day after surgery, my husband and the home care RN, both observing, simultaneously said, “Your walker needs to be adjusted”. Felt much better after the adjustment.
I still had the uneven feeling every now and then as I walked more, but not while using the walker.
Felt more even again sometime after the second month.
You are doing great to be so close to the surgery.

 

[julesglass]

I agree the walker needs to adjusted correctly. PT showed me how to adjust it on my first hip. Stand with walker with arms down along your side and the rails of the walker should line up with your wrists. My Mom found out she had hers too high at her PT session. Take it easy @Sparkly, you got plenty of time to Sparkle!

 

[Barbaraj]

I think it's early days, @Sparkly, and I am betting that perceived difference, and thus unbalance, in your leg length will lessen with time. I, too, had a slight difference between right and left after my first surgery, although I didn't notice it all that much until I went to PT and there were exercises which highlighted this (I had to modify the exercise slightly between legs). My surgeon assured me he'd take care of it when he did my left leg and, frankly, I got used to it pretty quickly. I am not sure how much the actual difference in length was, but the first few days when you're lumbering around on a walker, I am sure it probably seems much worse than it really is. Do make sure your walker is properly adjusted (did they do that for you at the hospital?) although even though the OT person adjusted mine before discharge, I really hated using it and was fortunately able to graduate within a week to walking poles that first time. Weirdly enough, this time around I kicked the walker to the curb within a few days and really haven't used an assistive aid. I think it is because I'm less tentative about putting my full weight equally on both hips. But, again, you are so early on--lots of time in this early recovery which you need to focus on controlling pain and I'm sure once you're more mobile you'll be able to more accurately assess whether the leg length difference is going to be a problem going forward.

 

[Layla]

Hi @Sparkly
Good for you tackling that first shower already. I'll bet it felt wonderful!
Following is an article on Leg Length Differential -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/leg-length-differential-lld.6173/

For your heels, place something soft under your ankles so your heels aren't resting on the bed or sofa.
A soft rolled blanket, towel, or sheepskin I've even heard works well. Hope this helps.
Wishing you a peaceful night of restorative rest.

 

[Sparkly]

Thanks for all the advice. I’ll be honest I kept hearing about how easy it would be on the other side, I’m not finding it easy. It’s 5.00 am I just got up to the loo back in bed with hubbies help lifting the dead leg. And my hip is screaming at me. Taken 2 oxycodone round the clock right now. Had a melt down yesterday evening .

 

[Jaycey]

I’ll be honest I kept hearing about how easy it would be on the other side, I’m not finding it easy.

I don't think any of us who have been there think just post op is in any way easy. It's not! Frustrating, painful and at some times darn depressing. But the good news is all this is very temporary.

Focus on getting your pain managed. Are you icing several times per day for 45-60 minutes? You mentioned earlier in this thread that you had no swelling. But you do indeed - soft tissues, muscles and tendons have been traumatised. Internal swelling is what is causing that pain. Ice to get this under control.

 

[Layla]

Aww Sparkly, I'm sorry. I hope you're icing. It truly helps with pain and swelling. I iced almost continuously
in the early weeks and believe it helped immensely. If I was sitting or laying down, I was icing. If you're not already doing so, please give it a try.

I'm sorry you had a meltdown. Know you're not alone. It can be an emotional rollercoaster, but it's only temporary and truly will get better. Hang in there and know we're here for you whenever you have a question, or just need to vent. Sending a warm hug your way and wishes for a brighter day.
@Sparkly

 

[Sparkly]

Thanks so much, I am icing pretty much round the clock. No real swelling. I take blood thinners so no anti inflammatory for me. I did add the Tylenol yesterday to the mix. Which I think did help. Lying out flat with ice under and over feels best. Sat up in the kitchen last night for about 30 mins and was in agony after, even though I was comfortable while sitting. I just want to slap the people who told me...I stopped using the walker after six days,... or switched to just Tylenol after a couple of days, ...went to lunch with girlfriends the second week, ...you won’t know yourself all the horrible arthritis pain will be gone. Have just been telling my husband about how nice it is to come on here and see I am not a big wuss. Also thanked him again for all he is doing for me, I know it’s not easy for our carers either.

 

[Fiona444]

Hey @Sparkly please dont lose heart. You are right in the most challenging part of recovery. I know I wanted to cry as it was so damn painful and nothing seemed to help. I could have strung up the doctors for not giving me decent pain meds and felt very hard done by. I stayed in bed more or less solidly for 10-12 days. I tried to get up and be normal prior to that but gave up as my bed with ice packs and leg up on pillows was the most comfy. Plus I had hubs bringing me my ice packs, meals and telling me all would be ok (although how he knew I dont know ) You WILL feel better pretty soon in the great scheme of things.

 

[julesglass]

It is a ice, pain meds and elevate the legs at this point. Those "super man" stories are unreal just like fish stories. This is the best place to be for comfort and the "real" story of recovery. The first couple weeks are the toughest, it is temporary. I must say sitting on a kitchen chair would have been too much for me let alone 30 minutes. Sitting in my recliner with feet up was it for first week and a half. I couldn't get into bed, slept in the recliner. You've got help with your husband and sounds like he is doing a great job. It will get better, measure progress in weeks not days. Someone here has said that and I was able to rest in just doing that. Take care girl, check in often. We're pulling for you we're all in this together.

 

[Sparkly]

One more question, the incision area feels hard this morning like I have a brick on my side I guess this is swelling?

 

[Fiona444]

I think it is swelling, trauma and scar tissue forming. Some liken it to sitting on a golf ball. I sit on pillows, cushions, ice packs but nothing that is remotely hard. I also dont touch my scar yet at all. I want to ensure that it is all properly healed before I get into the business of massaging it to break up any scar tissue.

 

[julesglass]

Oh yes the incision area is hard, mine is about the size of my hand. It will settle down with time, when the incision is good and sealed up you'll be able to gently massage that area to help the healing inside. It takes time, a turtle's pace, believe me.

 

[Fit4Family]

Hello @Sparkly

Welcome to the other side.

Sounds like you are dealing with a lot of pain and swelling. So sorry. It’s a rough first week to be sure. Real soft sell from most OS practices, guessing it’s because they have not gone through it themselves. I had similar feeling with leg discrepancy and with hard incision area. Have your PT take a look to be sure, but it’s pretty angry and swollen for a couple weeks. First week is hardest. It does get better. Sending healing wishes.

Look forward to getting to know you here. Take care. Ice is your best friend.

 

[Barbaraj]

Good grief, @Sparkly, anyone who told you it would be "easier" on the recovery side, at least for the first couple of weeks post-surgery, was not telling the truth. It IS hard and there IS pain and discomfort. It is different than osteoarthritic pain but it's very real and it hurts! But, as I hope you know, you can do things to make it better--resting, icing, appropriate medication and some judicious movement. But having said that, I don't think anyone escapes pain completely. I've been lucky with a fairly fast and steady recovery with hip #1, and I am hoping with hip #2 as well, but, boy, the first four days of this second recovery were awful and I had a major, weeping and wailing session on the evening of day four! You just have to hang in there and believe, and this is the true part, that it WILL get better for you and all recovering hipsters. There is just no getting around the fact that the first week or two, at a minimum, are difficult. Sending cyber hugs your way.

 

[LoneStrHip]

day three, boy am I sore today. Not moving well on or off bed stiff when walking and wound very sore. I guess all normal had pt here this morning saying everything looked great and warned me today and tomorrow are the hard days. On oxycodone for pain took two now since I’m going to settle down and hopefully get a few hours sleep would love any advise or hear how you all did at this point. Happy healing everyone.

You're one day ahead of me and I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone in day 3-4 being the worst, and the in & out of the bed being such a tough thing to navigate. I'm so swollen too, and stiff. My PICO bandage is pulling the skin and doing it's job but the swelling and tenderness make even the smallest movements difficult. I don't have PT again until Monday so I'm going to take advantage of the quiet days to just rest and be still. Good luck to you!!