THR GypsySue recovery thread THR

GypsySue

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Three days post up and feeling pretty good. I had one night in hospital - only 4 ortho patients. Not much pain but I can fall asleep at any time. I'm on oxycodone and hate it - my brain feels foggy. Can't lift my leg into bed but otherwise....
 
:welome:Welcome to Recovery! Congrats on your new hip. Sleep is beneficial right now as your body does it’s best healing while you’re asleep, so take comfort in that. I’m sure you’ll be off the Oxy soon enough. You can purchase a Leg Lifter for the common sensation of Log Leg. Log Leg - is your brain is telling your leg to move but the muscles and soft tissue have been so traumatized that there's no reaction. It’s normally short lived and will gradually ease. You can purchase a Leg Lifter, but a bathrobe belt will do just as well.

Please read through the Recovery Guidelines below. You’ll find a lot of useful info. Stop back often, we’d love to follow your progress as you journey through the healing process offering support and encouragement along the way.

Wishing you comfort!

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website
Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask the at each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Welcome to Recovery, @GypsySue .

It's very common to not be able to lift your leg into bed at first. Your leg will lift when it is ready to.
After each of my knee replacements, it took about a week before I could lift my leg independently.

By the way, which hip have you had replaced? I'll add that to your signature if you tell us.
 
Welcome to the recovery side. Glad that you are able to sleep and fall asleep often. Rest is good as our bodies work hard to recovery from surgery. The leg will come around. I had a leg lifter provided by the hospital to help lift and move it around but a belt or dog leash can work also.
 
O had my right hip replaced. This morning I woke up early feeling a lot of tension in my leg. I got up and walked around a bit which helped. It feels fine now. Just muscles reacting to different use?
 
Good Morning @GypsySue
Your leg is healing. It’s just been through the controlled trauma of joint replacement.

Depending upon the approach used your leg may have been aggressively maneuvered in an effort to dislocate your hip. Muscles and tendons were stretched and separated, bone sawed and reamed out to accommodate the prosthetic that was implanted. Your body is in process of healing / repairing. A bit graphic, but it explains why your leg is feeling odd.

You will experience many unfamiliar sensations throughout this process. Consider it normal unless it continues to increase in frequency or intensity lasting for a prolonged period. You can always phone your surgeons office for re-assurance and don’t hesitate to do so if something is really troubling you.

If by “tension” you mean the feeling of being stretched tight, it’s swelling that causes that sensation. You can obtain relief from that through regular icing and elevation. Ice for 45-60 minutes, no less, each time you ice. Make sure you have a layer of fabric between your skin and the ice source. You can do this several times per day.

Also check out the Activity Progression for THR in the Recovery Guidelines above. It can be used as a guide for movement that should keep you flexible enough within the safe zone, not overdoing it. It is a rough gauge. Some excel, some lag behind, but all catch up in the end.

I encourage you to read through all of the articles of the Recovery Guidelines above, if you haven’t already. There is a lot of useful information I believe you’ll find beneficial as you begin healing. Stay in touch and let us know how you’re doing.
We’re here for you! :)
 
Welcome to the healing side. Isn’t it great to have that behind you? I was amazed at how many ways a leg could feel post-op, most of them new, some unusual, or just plain weird. Lol. It’s almost like it doesn’t belong to you at times except you feel it! It’s just a matter of things healing and getting back to the normal way of doing things after, I love this phrase, controlled trauma. Blessings of healing comfort. Looking forward to following your journey. ❤️
 
Ice and elevation are your friends along with small strolls periodically. I iced pretty much non stop unless taking a stroll around the house. It really helps with any swelling and also with any pain. I even took a cooler to the bedroom with me with extra ice packs so I could change them at night if I woke up. Just remember not to use ice packs directly on your skin. Luckily my hospital provided ice pack gels and sleeves for the ice packs and that was great.
 
Five days postop and things are feeling good. I have very little pain and am sleeping well, too. I am trying to use as little of the oxy as I can, partly because of the constipation issue. I can usually get away with one at night and one in the morning.Lots of ice. Hospital 'gifte d' me with an ice machine which I recommend. It runs 4-5 hours before it needs more ice. It goes everywhere I go. Joined at the hip, literally! Pleasantly surprised at how things are going.
 
Hello and Happy Memorial weekend. :wave:
Thanks for updating. Its good to read things are looking up for you.
May it only get better! :SUNsmile:
@GypsySue
 
@GypsySue you sound pretty good for 5 days post-op. Wonderful about getting the ice machine, wish my hospital had given me something as useful. Right now your main job is to rest, nap if you need to, keep in icing, elevate if needed and take things slow and easy. If we don't watch we can quickly put ourselves into the overdid it club (ODIC) because we feel so good and push the limits.
 
You sound like you are doing really well for so early in recovery. Wonderful to get an ice machine. My hospital does provide gel ice packs and covers so that helps and since I have had so many joints done there I have quite a collection in the freezer. Also useful for picnics and coolers now that the hip does not need them.
 
8 days post-op. Very little pain and am mostly off pain killers. Still using Tylenol if I get a little achy and I ice a LOT. Am trying to walk more every day but it's hard when space is so limited. Weather is better so I'm doing laps on my deck every hour. Nice to be outside for a change!
 
@GypsySue sounds like you're doing good but please remember you're very early on. You might want to review the activity progression chart at #5 above in recovery guidelines. It's still a bit early to be doing any major walking. To the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, down the hall etc.
 
Some walking is good but listen to your body and try not to overdo. Slow and steady is the way to good recovery. Enjoy your deck and the fresh air.
 
5 weeks out and I think I may have joined the overdone it club. Things have been going really well and I took myself off to pick up a prescription. I thought I'd calculated how far I would have to walk but I underestimated and now have a big swelling on my hip. It doesn't hurt at all but it can't be good, right? I've been icing and it seems to help - temporarily. I guess I'm back to ice, rest & elevation.
In other news, my at-home PT is finished and she wants me to continue therapy in-house at the hospital. I feel a little edgy about this given the current situation and am seriously considering giving this a pass. I know you advocate letting nature take it's course and think that may be my choice.
 
Well, we all have those moments where we feel we can do more than the hip wants. Icing and elevation is always good at those times. I have not done any formal PT other than the early in home PT sessions for either of my hips. These days and depending where you live I would definitely think twice or thrice about it. Really walking and being able to do everyday activities really do work for hip recovery. Let us know what you decide about PT.
 
I guess I'm back to ice, rest & elevation.
Smart move and my guess is you will get back on track quicker this way.
I had some of these setbacks and it is difficult to find the line between enough and too much without overdoing it once in a while.
Problem is, it often doesn't hurt until we stop!:sigh:

I feel a little edgy about this given the current situation and am seriously considering giving this a pass. I know you advocate letting nature take it's course and think that may be my choice.
I agree with this also, and I echo Leeja that hips heal just fine when allowed to heal and walking ( obviously not to excess)
You will get there!
 
I underestimated and now have a big swelling on my hip. It doesn't hurt at all but it can't be good, right?

Well, let’s put a positive spin on this. It can be good in that I believe with lots of icing, elevation and rest, it will dissipate and hopefully teach you a valuable lesson which will stop you from overdoing it again and further stalling your recovery.

Given our current situation with Covid and the fact that you’ve landed in the ODIC (over did it club) I believe stepping back from PT is a wise choice. In a few weeks you may realize you don’t even need it.

Wishing you lots of comfort and speedy relief!
 
Eight weeks out now and I'm walking well - once I get going. When I take the first steps they're very short and tentative. Once I get going everything is fine. I can't decide if it is an issue of balance or strength. My thigh muscle seems really tight, too. I'm still icing - usually after I walk - but I'm not sure how beneficial it is at this point. Any suggestions?
 

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