THR Frustrated

[anny]

thank you Josephine....just when I think I've got it I find out more that changes the picture

 

[Storygirl]

@Josephine thank you for that picture. That fits me to a T. And @anny, sorry to say that having my hip replaced did not take care of the IT band problem. I would love to know of any stretches I can do.

 

[anny]

@Storygirl .....I've just spent the morning researching ITB syndrome, and there seems to be a body of opinion that says that stretches and foam rolling don't do anything other than maybe relieve it for a bit, as the tissue is very thick and strong. When I first had ITBS some years ago, my PT told me to ice and rest it as much as possible, and that it would be a long recovery. It has come and gone over the years....I tried the stretches but never felt they were doing anything, and the foam roller was something created in hell.....far too vicious for this wimp! Does your ITB hurt when you're moving, or when at rest? In its latest reincarnation mine is really painful when I'm sitting and goes when I'm walking, which seems back to front......but I have the classic 'skewer in the outside of the knee'.......suppose it could be a combination of several things, but we are driven to find explanations aren't we! Hope you find relief for yours....it's surprising how painful they can be

 

[MammaT]

I agree with you @anny-they are bothersome! Icing mine now.

 

[Storygirl]

@anny, I have that same skewer in the knee! Right now it is very painful when I’m walking. But sometimes it goes the other way. I can start swimming next week-yay!! That always helps. I am determined this will be helped. I am icing, icing, icing. Hoping yours gets better too!

 

[anny]

the person who discovers a no-fail cure for ITB (and bursas.....or is it bursae) will make a fortune

 

[anny]

Had my 12 week checkup with my surgeon......if I hadn't gone in with questions it would have been 'hello, how are you?' ' Everything's fine thank you,' 'I'll see you in a year, goodbye'.....he's not very talkative, as it was, I was only in for about 6minutes! I said I was considering going ahead with my other hip, what was his opinion, he threw it back at me and said it depended how it felt, it was my decision. Wanting some sort of encouragement I asked him if the xrays were the only source of info on which to base the decision, was it bad enough to warrant surgery. Hooray..... he said it looks pretty bad and there's no doubt that surgery is on the cards. Trouble with being so pc and leaving it all up to the patient is that it then allows us to self-doubt and procrastinate.....there surely must be a middle way whereby they can make recommendations that can be discussed with the patient.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I am booked in for the next extended holiday on September 11. Half relieved, half horrified.....if anyone had told me a year ago I'd be having 2 new hips I wouldn't have believed them, the only problems I had were the occasional ITB or Achilles (which I put down to long walks on our very cambered pavements).

If anyone else is looking at September I'll be very glad to have some company as a September Sapphire

 

[Mojo333]

Getting this scheduled Before am gets so bad, hopefully will make recovery easier as you won't be so worth down with pain and sleeplessness...of course things can go south rather suddenly as we have seen on the forum many times...BeBe comes to mind.
Double Hippy Anny!

 

[BeBe]

Good you have it scheduled! Hopefully your hip stays tolerably quiet til then.
These are the days that help us hone our tolerance abilities...
@anny
I just erased most of this post because it was kind of a surgeon bashing declaration.
Pain is making me crabby today.
But I share your frustration about needing guidance with this big decision.
I have consulted with 5 OS about my issues and one told me THR was still considered elective surgery,
so my pain levels would dictate when the time was right. Even though X-rays said it was go time.
So it seems insurance coverage dictates reccommendations?

Basically we "hire" the OS for their skill as a surgeon and not the communication abilities or lack thereof.
Then we pray for the best.

 

[anny]

a surgeon bashing declaration.

haha....know what you mean BeBe! Don't want to go back to the 'old' days when doctors treated patients without even explaining what they were doing, let alone asking what they wanted doing, but there surely is a middle ground......trouble is, I think most people still are slightly in awe of doctors and it takes a lot of psyching up to challenge them (after all, they are going to work on the most precious thing you own, AND they have the knowledge that we haven't....quite confronting to challenge that!) Not that I think most doctors want to bamboozle us with technical stuff.....they're constrained by time just like everyone else, and maybe haven't actually seen the view from the patient's side. As you say, we want them for their manual skills not their social chitchat....but a bit of a push in one direction or another would be helpful

 

[Josephine]

sorry to say that having my hip replaced did not take care of the IT band problem

Well it won't because it's a totally different problem than anything to do with the hip joint!

I would love to know of any stretches I can do.

Look in here ITB (ilio-tibial band) issues and treatments

there seems to be a body of opinion that says that stretches and foam rolling don't do anything other than maybe relieve it for a bit

I would disagree profoundly with that!

the person who discovers a no-fail cure for ITB (and bursas.....or is it bursae) will make a fortune

I found such a cure - it's called a Greg!

He was my chiropractor for about 18 years but a few months ago, packed up and moved back home to Oz!
Curse him!

I have a new one but somehow he just doesn't have the je ne sais quoi that Greg did. But he definitely cured both my IT band pain, hamstring pain and various other issues! He also taught me this Acupressure massage which I am sadly unable to do because my weak shoulders mean I can't apply sufficient pressure to be effective..

 

[MammaT]

Glad you have #2 scheduled @anny. My surgeons office explained to me they couldn’t tell me when to do surgery, only their opinion as to whether it was advisable. Hope your left hip behaves some for you until September. My right started talking to me louder while I was waiting, so by the time the date arrived, I knew it was time. But I am so thankful I didn’t let it get as bad as the left.

 

[Storygirl]

I looked at my scars today. I guess I expected them to be in exactly the same spots on either side but they are not. Also, one is way more puffy than the other. I guess that’s normal? My right side, which I’m having trouble with is very painful around the scar. Nothing on my right side, I can even sleep on that side now! I have an appointment with my OS in 10 days. I’ll ask him then I guess. Just wondered, if people have both, if scars were uneven. Thanks!

 

[Storygirl]

Oh, and HAPPY FATHERS DAY to all you dads

 

[anny]

I guess each side is evaluated separately by the surgeon when he does the incision, and each side will do its own thing when it comes to recovery. Don't forget to keep icing both sides, particularly if it's inflamed.....that should also help with the pain

 

[sequin98]

@anny Are you still sleeping on your back?
I think I may have converted to a back sleeper. I heard a rumor that it is better for your skin too..

 

[anny]

Yup....forgot to ask surgeon on Friday if I could stop, but I'm assuming I can. Now I've given myself permission to side sleep I'm strangely reluctant to do it partly cos after 12 weeks of not doing things my mind can't come to grips with 'it's ok to do them', but also the thought that in 11 weeks I'll have to adjust to back sleeping again makes me think I might as well keep the status quo. Now I've worked out the pillow scenario I find I sleep quite well.....and I have also heard that back sleepers don't get as many wrinkles that boat may already have sailed.....but I can be VERY optimistic

 

[AJinNH]

Good to hear that you’re getting good sleep on your back @anny sounds like a logical plan to me to continue on your back until your other hip is done. I do spend some time on my back every night, but a lot less now that I can sleep on either side. Back sleeping is also better because it helps keep that psoas muscle stretched, as I’m finding.
I hope that things settle down a bit for you while you wait for your second surgery and you can enjoy some of the summer.

 

[sequin98]

and I have also heard that back sleepers don't get as many wrinkles

True story! No more of your face getting smooshed!

 

[anny]

thank you AJ....we've just started our winter so we won't be getting any warm sunny days (unless kind people in the northern hemisphere would like to donate a few ) but the cold weather isn't too bad....I quite enjoy cuddling up in a toasty bed with my electric blanket and furry throws (that's not my dogs.....they're not allowed on my bed ).....think I'll hibernate for the next 10 weeks or so!