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THR Grannyhippy's Recovery Thread

Thank you @Krista, I am so glad you posted here as I have often been wondering how your recovery is going and when I go into your profile page I can only find posts you make on other people's threads and I have not seen you make a comment about your recovery for quite some time. How is it all going with you? Are you back to feeling normal yet?

I also had a 15mm LLD and my surgeon said up to 10mm was considered acceptable. He also replaced the ball and trunnion when he replaced the stem. I could see the difference on the new x-rays with the new stem being both longer and wider tapering down in size as it went down the shaft of the femur. It was also straight and not in Varus position as was the first stem. The new head and trunnion appeared to be bigger as well and the trunnion was set at a different angle to the previous one. My OS pointed out the faults with previous alignments of the hip which he corrected. It still feels a little strange to walk on but I don't seem to have a limp "hooray"! It also feels a little stiff when walking but I am sure that will pass very quickly.

Anyway, I would love to hear how your recovery is progressing. Please let me know.
 
@Grannyhippy, I replied about my progress on my thread, and tagged you!

So many changes were made with your hardware, and I am sure it is hard to get used to. It's exciting to have it all in there correctly, and I hope that stiffness will be gone soon!
 
@Krista, would you believe it? My hip is on the mend but I now have an infected toe on the other foot. I have obtained some antibiotics from my GP today and bought some numbing ointment as it is very painful. A few weeks ago the skin next to my big toenail was sore and a bit red. I had to go to my GP to renew some prescriptions so showed it to him and he gave me antibiotics to take.

A week or so later the toe was still sensitive to the touch and I needed to have my toenails clipped so I went to the local podiatrist. She did not think the nail was ingrown but did trim some hard skin next to both big toenails and made them bleed. She dabbed them with Betadine and put band-aids on each toe.

The left toe, in particular, seemed to get worse and looked infected again so I went back to my GP to show him. I will stay out of the public pool for a while until it has healed sufficiently.

I booked my physiotherapy sessions at the rehab. hospital starting next Monday if my toe has healed enough by that time. Otherwise, I can start a bit later in the week.

I tried using my rollator walker a few times today as well as using my crutches and walking unaided. It feels good to use. I think I still have a fair way to go before I can walk any distance unaided.

A friend of my husband who had a revision hip replacement 6 months ago because he broke his femur when he had a fall dropped in to see him today. He also had a gluteus minimus tear repaired at the time. He still has a very noticeable limp and is uncomfortable when he walks. He is seeing his surgeon for his 6-month post surgery check-up.
 
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So sorry about that toe, @Grannyhippy, it's too bad the podiatrist shaved so far down that it drew blood. May it heal quickly. We must be very careful with our feet and toes, and deal immediately with any problems there, since we bear weight on them, and they are very important to our mobility. I see a podiatrist regularly, too, since I have 3 painful callouses/corns between toes, but only on my left foot (the good side). I have over-used my left leg during these last 2 ½ years and my left foot has carried lots of extra weight. I am making a conscious effort to stop that habit and put equal, or even more weight, on my surgical leg, so as to relieve that poor foot somewhat. I have the podiatrist cut my toenails, too, since that is still difficult for me. He also clips/shaves a bunion-type area, but no blood from that yet, or ever, I hope.

Glad you are having some success with walking. I'm sure you will become unaided fairly soon! Sorry to hear about your husband's friend. I feel the same, and some is due to my hip, but most is due to the back issues. I'll respond to your reply about that on my thread soon!
 
@Krista, My GP wanted me to go back to see him today and I pointed out the fact that I noticed a flap of skin where the podiatrist had cut the toe and he said it was a growth that had occurred where she cut it. He said come back on Monday and he may numb it and take that flap of skin off. It will eventually heal by itself anyway and I am taking the antibiotics and doing everything I should be.

I changed the starting date for my outpatient's program at the hospital until Monday week. Hopefully the toe will be healed enough by then.

I have noticed that since being allowed to graduate from the crutches gradually that there is soreness like a pulled muscle in the back of my right calf. There is also some pain in the general hip and thigh area but I am pretty certain that is because I am also walking differently now and my muscles will eventually adjust. After all, it has only been a couple of days.
 
I saw my GP last Tuesday and the toe is no longer infected so we decided to leave it alone because if he cut the fleshy bit that was growing I would not be able to go in the pool for a couple of weeks. The wound is healing anyway.

So, last Wednesday I had my first outpatient session at the hospital where I spent two weeks as an inpatient after transferring from the hospital where I had my surgery. I will be attending these sessions on Monday's and Wednesday's for four weeks and if needed the physiotherapists apply to my health fund for an extended period of rehabilitation after that.

The program started at 1:00 pm with a physiologist giving individual attention to each person. This was followed by a session in the hydrotherapy pool for about one hour after which we had a quick shower and afternoon tea break followed by another session with a couple of physiotherapists.

Three hours of fairly intensive individual exercises but allowing one to go at their own pace and rest if needed.
I had my first walk on a very slow walking machine for 5 minutes but most of the other exercises were exactly what I had been doing as an inpatient. One of the physiotherapists timed me while I walked back and forward over a 10-metre distance for a period of 5 minutes using my rollator walker. I also had to see how many times I could stand and sit for a period of one minute.

While doing that last assessment the physiotherapist noted that I seem to have more trouble when actually having to put my full weight on the operated leg. I thought that would have been pretty obvious since I just spent 9 1/2 weeks on crutches with only 40% weight bearing and had only been off the crutches for one week.

I think I have a lot of muscle to rebuild and that is why I am going to physiotherapy in the first place.
I am glad I decided to take my walker because then I could put my back pack on the seat and have some support walking from the car park to the lifts, then to the ground floor to register, then back to the mezzanine level for the physio. Quite a few people had their walkers with them.

I went to my local pool for 3/4 hour yesterday and I wanted to exercise again today but the trouble with a lot of the local pools is there are too many swimming lessons going on (especially on a Saturday) and the warm indoor pools are closed to public swimming during that period.
 
Wow, @Grannyhippy, that is quite the PT regimen! Sounds like you are being quite sensible about knowing your limits, and I think it is a very good idea that you took your walker. After all of that time with 40% weight bearing and the long time of trouble before the surgery, it will be awhile before you are firing on all cylinders, for sure. Looking forward to hearing further reports of your progress.

Glad the toe is healing and doesn't prevent you from going in the pool. I'll be thinking about you in 3 weeks when I am spending lots of time neck-deep in Lake Michigan, taking the weight off of my poor, old bones!
 
I agree @Krista that it is a fairly intensive program but I trust the physiotherapists to know their job.

I do hope you and your husband have a really enjoyable holiday break and I too will be looking forward to posts about both your holiday and recovery progress in the next few weeks. I guess you may not have a phone charger with you and will be conservative with your phone usage to save the battery so we may not hear from you for a while.
 
Thanks, @Grannyhippy! I will have some cell phone coverage on the island, and will be bringing mobile chargers, and a mobile solar charger! I will try to post a report mid-trip, and definitely afterwards. I am cheering you on as you get stronger!
 
Actually, @Grannyhippy, I just tried to get an app for BoneSmart on my iPhone, and it says that there is NOT one available for the U.S. :gaah: I won't be bringing my computer with me on my trip, so I guess updates will have to wait for my return. I'll check in on my page before I leave, though.
 
I had my second visit to the rehab. hospital this afternoon and this time one of the in house doctors was available for the assessment I was supposed to have had on my first visit.

She could immediately see the weaknesses I have in my hips and thinks I have a Trendelenburg Gait in both hips not just my operated leg. The doctor also said I will need more physio sessions than the one month these sessions run for. They will apply to the health fund for an extension. I have been walking around the house without my walker or crutches but get very sore.

One of the physiotherapists thinks I would be better to use crutches still both at home and when I go out. If I use the walker I can tend to lean on it too much. She said when the doctor said I could go off the crutches he probably meant that I can now put my full body weight on the leg and not that I should do without them. She does not think I am quite ready yet and would be better off using one or both of them so that I don't develop bad habits.

My OS, GP and the doctor I saw today all think my wound has healed well.
 
You certainly have been through alot but are handling it all with grace. I am still working on my gait and the aches from bad posture for so long with bad hips.
Glad you are getting better. Hope you have a great week!
 
Today exactly 12 weeks after my surgery we had someone come out from aged care to do some domestic cleaning. Because of his health problems and breathlessness my husband has also been assessed by the aged care people and is entitled to help once a fortnight and so am I, so, between the two of us someone will come out once a week. We had two ladies come out today as one of them was a trainee so therefore they were able to achieve a lot more in the time allotted. One of the ladies is 67 years old, slim and very active. She does not want to retire as she said so many people retire, sit around and do nothing and grow old very quickly. She reminded me of how active I was before my surgeries and I wish I could still easily do the things I did. She was very upright and did not seem to have any obvious signs of arthritis or mobility problems. We pay a minimal fee per hour for the service.

There are a lot of rules which apply to this service. We have to supply the brooms, mops and cleaning cloths etc. and also the cleaning products which have to be environmentally "green" ones. The cleaning lady is not meant to clean under beds, move heavy furniture or use power boards or extension cords. This is of course for their own protection. Luckily for us, she did dust mop under the beds and when vacuuming she had her own safety switch plug. She said normally the floors will be done one week and the bathrooms the next. I would rather tackle the two toilets and vanities myself and have her do the floors each week as that is what I find most difficult to do. I have been cleaning the toilets and vanities anyway as I don't have to bend too much. My husband found that a long handled window cleaner sponge and squeegee makes cleaning the shower floor and lower part of the shower screen easy.
 
Glad you are getting some help and glad you seem to like them. Hard to let someone invade your space and I imagine it is hard to wrap your mind around needing aged care. You sound like you have been an active independent woman but whole you are still healing especially, you deserve some help.
Hope you and your husband have a nice weekend
 
The ninety-year-old neighbour across the road from me who had a spinal fusion in May had a fall on Wednesday and my husband phoned for an ambulance. She had been on the floor from 3:00 am till around 11:00 am when the "Meals on Wheels" lady came to deliver her food. She will be in the hospital for the rest of the week. She had finally started wearing her "safety alert alarm" but failed to set it off when she fell.
 
Oh my stars...so terrible. Poor lady. She must've been frightened to death.
Don't get anxiety because you are at a vulnerable place right now with all that's going on.
Buy the way, just realized where you are from. So jealous. Always wanted to visit Australia. My step sister lives in New Zealand. Always wanted to visit there also. Beautiful countries.
 
My elderly neighbour who had the fall stayed in the hospital for a couple of weeks and last week was transferred to another rehabilitation hospital where she will stay for about three weeks. She likes the physiotherapy treatment she is receiving but not the hospital. She said the physiotherapists there are good. She was using a walking frame rather than a four wheel rollator walker and seems to have better control with that when she walks.

I have about four physiotherapy sessions left over the next couple of weeks and then I will be assessed by a doctor at the hospital to decide if I need further therapy. I feel I have come a long way since I started my therapy post Complex Revision Total Hip Replacement but I am still on one crutch because I feel more secure than using a cane. I am a little wobbly using the cane and tend to lean on it too much. I can walk without any aid but it stresses my muscles and the physiotherapists think I still need to use some aid at the moment. I do often walk about the house unaided.

The young doctor who assesses the patients doing physiotherapy said that I have had massive, massive surgery and it will take time to heal.

A couple of times I had managed to walk for 30 minutes at a very slow speed on the walking machine, adding a low gradient to it in the last 10 to 15 minutes but this week I was sore and crampy so did not walk for long. My back also bothers me so one of the physiologists said not to bother with the gradient as it can make my back worse.

I had also been trying to attend a council pool once or twice a week for about an hour to supplement the exercises I had been given and I think the extra exposure to the chlorine in the pools set off an allergic reaction because when I arrived home after yesterday's hydrotherapy session I started to itch and had a prickly rash even though I had showered after my session.

The swimmer's itch bothered me so much I got out of bed at 2:00 am and showered with some left over hospital antibacterial, anti fungal soap. Then I applied a paste of bicarbonate of soda all over my body, let it sit for a minute and rinsed it off. That eased the itch. I then applied some Dermaid cream which has cortisone in it.

I read on the Internet that soaking in a bath of bicarbonate of soda also helps ease the itch so this morning I thought I would try it out. I filled the tub and managed to carefully lower myself into it slowly putting my bad leg out in front. My husband was on standby to help me out when I was ready. I also had a clamp on handlebar to put on the side of the tub to assist exit. The handlebar only fitted near the tap end of the tub because of moulded armrests at the other end. My neighbour did not want it and gave it to me. She was given it by the aged care people but only showers now and has grab bars in her shower.

When it was time to get out of the tub I called out to my husband to help. It must have taken me at least 5 minutes to get up even with a non-slip mat in the tub. I had sat up the opposite end away from the taps and away from the clamp and could not turn around to get a decent grip on the handle. I really needed two non-slip mats to cover the whole bottom of the tub. My arms were slippery so I dried them off, then my husband was able to get a better grip and I also used the handle bar and eventually stood up. It was really hard as my hip is still very stiff but it was the lack of traction in the tub which made it worse. I then rinsed off with the shower hose and my husband helped me out of the tub. I won't be having a bath again anytime soon. That is for sure. I had visions of having to get my husband to bring me a robe or clothing and call someone else to help him get me out. That would have been very embarrassing. I can't remember the last time I had a bath because even before my hip replacements it was difficult to get out of the tub. My sister said she does not have baths anymore for the same reason. Showers only from now on.

An occupational therapist will be visiting us on Monday week to look at the possibility of getting railings on the stairs outside and grab railing in the showers and tub.
 
I haven't posted for a while so here is an update. I have continued on with the physiotherapy and the hospital physiotherapists and doctor applied to my health fund for four more sessions of which I did one yesterday. I will be up for review again but will most likely finish the week after next.

I am progressing well and feel that I have really come a long way since starting the program as an outpatient.
I still have a way to go and am a little tight in my back and hip but if I keep active that should stop me from seizing up hopefully.

It really is a full-on program starting with a session with a physiologist, then hydrotherapy and back to physiotherapy. The team at the hospital work on building up my muscle strength, balance and gait. I have also had a very sore left shoulder (both my shoulders get sore) and the physiologist gave me a few exercises and stretches to help but both the doctor and the physiologist think I might have a pinched nerve in my shoulder and should ask my GP for tests.

A few weeks ago an occupational therapist came out to assess home safety and we have since had railings put in the ensuite, main shower and main toilet. I asked about getting a railing on the wall to get out of the bathtub but she said not to bath as she heard of someone with bad shoulders like mine who dislocated her shoulder getting out of the bathtub. So we did not get one there. We have also had railings put on the wall at both the front and back stairs. I find the railings on the stairs are really good to use. I don't necessarily need the shower railings now but they are there for when we need them in the future. We pay for them to be installed but get a partial government rebate through aged care. I stand when I shower but have kept the shower chair in the recess as I got used to grabbing the handles on that when needed and it is handy when doing one's feet.

I am still getting the skin irritation after the pool sessions but not as bad. The lady at the chemist shop suggested I take an antihistamine tablet. I have also read that a spray made up of ascorbic acid or bicarbonate of soda mixed with water and sprayed or rubbed on the skin neutralizes the chlorine. You wet yourself, apply the spray, leave for 30 seconds and shower normally. It does help. Plus plenty of moisturizer applied afterward.

Everyone has noticed the immense improvement in the way I am walking since having the revision surgery and doing all the physiotherapy over the last few months. Kudos to the surgeon who did my revision surgery and to the wonderful team working with me now at the hospital.
 
I finished my physiotherapy sessions yesterday and feeling quite exhausted today. Thanks to the wonderful team at the rehabilitation hospital I had been attending as an outpatient I feel I have come a long way with my recovery after my complex revision hip replacement. I still have some stiffness and discomfort when I walk and try to reach my right foot but I am sure things will continue to improve. It is almost 5 months since the second surgery on my hip.

On Monday I have an appointment to see the Pedorthist to have another gait analysis and have my orthotics altered.
 
It has been almost six and a half months since my complex revision hip replacement and I visited my orthopaedic surgeon last Tuesday for a checkup. I was supposed to see him in December but his secretary phoned and brought the appointment forward.

He is very pleased with my progress so far and I don't have to see him again for another five years.

He remembers my surgery very well as he had such a hard time removing the old stem. He was using a special instrument for the job but the stem would not budge. He was about to give up and give me an osteotomy but decided to give it one last try and out it came. Thank goodness, as he said that if he had done so I would have had to be on crutches for eight weeks without being able to bear any weight on that leg. It was bad enough being on crutches for nine and a half weeks with only 40% weight bearing because of stress lines around my femur. He also had to repair a tear in the iliotibial band and a hernia. The band is cut during the surgery. He said the tear and hernia are just something that can happen.

He looked at the scar and moved my leg around while I was on the table to test its range of motion. All is well.
I do still have some discomfort and stiffness but think that a lot of that is from my back and possibly due to the scar tissue as well. The hip itself feels very stable. I do have an indent where the scars from both my hip surgeries are but that is to be expected and does not bother me. The doctor did say that I would always have a bit of a deficit there and after all, I have had two surgeries on that hip. He said my leg lengths are almost the same now.

I do notice that the foot on my operated leg tends to turn slightly outward and I forgot to mention it to my surgeon but I think that it is probably just a weakness in my muscles still and when I mentioned it to one of my physiotherapists during rehabilitation she thought so too.

I had the pedorthist alter my orthotics because I no longer need to have the right one built up but I had become used to just having a normal innersole in my shoes and now find it a little strange walking in them. I have arthritis on top of my left foot and big toe so he puts a rocker sole on my shoes to compensate for the stiffness in that toe. I also pronate when I walk.

Anyway, I couldn't be happier with the results and am glad I changed surgeons and had the revision done and was lucky enough to find a skilled surgeon to do it.

All my friends and neighbours have been commenting on how well I am walking now.
 
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