THR Had left anterior hip replacement 3 days ago & home same day

Elisehip

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I had the right done by a different surgeon back in July 2020 & this was a much better experience for so many reasons. Last time, I was supposed to have a hip resurfacing. It lasted for “20 minutes” before they converted it to a hip replacement which left me uneven. This time, I had a left hip replacement and was home within 12 hours. The dr fixed the length issues. I did very well after surgery but passed out briefly after acing the pt walking and stairs. They gave me lots of fluids and albumin and monitored my bp. I was able to get up a while after and was relieved to be able to go home. I have been dealing with pain that worsened the second day but the dr increased pain meds I am on. Has anybody else had pain when going home same day that got worse? Leg feels very heavy too. Just relieved to be home and to have had a better experience the second time around.
 
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@Elisehip Welcome to BoneSmart!
Has anybody else had pain when going home same day that got worse?
Nearly everyone has an increase in pain. Your spinal or general anaesthetic wears off and you must quickly replace that with alternate medication. Unfortunately this can be tough if you are not in the hospital setting. Be sure and communicate with your surgeon's office or any contact they gave you at the hospital. It is important to stay ahead of the pain.
Leg feels very heavy too.
I call this "log leg". Your brain says move and your leg doesn't. I sometimes takes awhile for this to ease. That leg has been through major trauma.

Are you icing your hip? Ice and elevate. That will also help ease your post op pain.

Here are some recovery guidelines for you. Let us know if you have any questions!
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 this BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for THRs
6. Access 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 that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Hi @Elisehip
Congratulations to your new hip!
I had LTHR on 1/12. I stayed overnight in the recovery suite and got home the next day.
Has anybody else had pain when going home same day that got worse?
From my experience, pain and swelling will go up and down for a while. One factor is on how we "work" the hip. I had my RTHR (anterior) done 6 months ago before I discovered bonesmart. My PT prescribed many activities in early days. Thinking back, they didn't help but increased my pain, discomfort and swelling. This time I followed BS's activity guidelines. So far I have less pain and swelling.
Leg feels very heavy too
My leg feels heavy today because of the swelling. Yesterday I woke up without much pain and swelling so I did more walks and PT - learned my lesson that I need to take it easy and let it heal. Ice and elevate hopefully will help bring it down.

Best luck to both of us on the recovery journey. Hope for less pain and swelling. Take care!
 
I didn't go home the same day but it seems they place some kind of numbing stuff in there when they work. When it wears off and you've been moving it hits you pretty hard. I had surgery first thing in the morning and they got me up walking after lunch. I felt great for the first lap around the hall so we went another. Boy when the pain hit it was rough. Ice, ice and more ice is the best thing.
 
Pain does sometimes increase - depends on many factors - most of all that we are all different and the procedures are all different.

I had it easy on my last hip - Tylenol only after returning home. The first hip was hard.

I get the sense many believe the anterior approach will be less painful - then are surprised when it hurts more than they expected.

Get it elevated and ice - 45 minutes at a time minimum - several times during the day and night - you will be astonished how great you feel in a few days!
 
Get it elevated and ice - 45 minutes at a time minimum - several times during the day and night - you will be astonished how great you feel in a few days!
I will second that. Ice and elevate is your best friend.

I have been icing and elevate almost "continuously" since I got home. "continuously" = I use gel pack with towel. I change to a new pack every 2 hours when I am awake.
This afternoon I dialed into a long meeting so forgot to change my ice pack, then start dinner, etc so it has been 4 hours since I ice it - now I can feel the difference: my incision is itching, feel swelling and hot, etc. ICE is our best friend! :ice:
 
How are you doing, @AbiHips? I’m home and on the mend. Happy to report that I’m slowly weaning off the strongest pain meds. Using a cane. surgical location feels sore and hard if that makes sense. Feeling much more optimistic than I did the first time around. are you home now?
 
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@Elisehip
I have tagged AbiHips for you, she will be able to respond to your inquiry about how she is doing.

We prefer members post in their own thread, the January Jackpot thread is where you can find other members who had surgery around the same time as you.
Here is a link to How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you .

Looks like you are doing well, and making good progress.
 
Day 10: I’m amazed at how different this experience has been than the last experience was. Last July, I was hoping insurance would cover a caregiver and using a walker. This time, I have weaned off of hydrocodone and taking Tylenol, tramadol. Using a cane at limited times but walking slowly with a bit of a limp the rest of the time without one. Still icing regularly. Feeling major tightness and some burning near the surgical area. Went out for the first time yesterday. At this point, I’m trying not to overdo it, trying not to nap when fatigue hits, and just so grateful. Can’t wait to be able to sleep normally again.
 
Excellent approach to recovery @Elisehip
The sleep part is annoying, for sure, but it will come around with time.
Glad to hear you are keeping up with our friend, Ice:ice:
Healing Hugs coming your way.
 
@Elisehip
I have tagged AbiHips for you, she will be able to respond to your inquiry about how she is doing.

We prefer members post in their own thread, the January Jackpot thread is where you can find other members who had surgery around the same time as you.
Here is a link to How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you .

Looks like you are doing well, and making good progress.
Thanks

@Pumpkln thanks so much! I’m so happy I found this community
 
Hi all! I’m getting my second THR (left this time, right THR done April 2014).
I’m getting a different model of hip this time and a bit worried about that, wanted a matching pair but the mini-hip not available where I currently live... Also I’m a single mum of 3 kids age 3-9 and I work full time, so there’s the organising of them to add to my panic Aaaaaargghh
Good luck to us all!
@AbiHips hi - I had two different surgeons and have two different hips now. My second surgeon told me that I shouldn’t notice any difference at all. In fact, he actually fixed a length issue I was having after the replacement on my first hip. I’m hopeful it’ll be fine having a miss-matched pair. I trust my 2nd surgeon. I’m sure we aren’t the only ones
 
@elsiehip
Abihips has not been on the forum since January 1, 2021.

You'll notice that I have merged your newest post with your original recovery thread. The team threads are to find members who have surgery around the same date as you. Your can communicate with members by posting in their threads, or tagging them in your thread.
For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?
 
Day 11: well, day 10 ended a bit more difficult than it started. I caved and took a hydrocodone because of the level of pain that returned. Was more of a shooting/throbbing pain in groin area. I guess I shouldn’t be disappointed. I went up and down the stairs a couple of times yesterday and went out for a little while. Maybe too much ‍♀️ This morning, a bit sore and elevating. Thinking I need to remember this is a marathon and not a sprint. I was just so happy over the weekend to be out and not needing the stronger pain medication. Will try to be mindful today and hope everyone has a good day
 
I went up and down the stairs a couple of times yesterday and went out for a little while.
I noticed stairs takes a big toll on the new hip comparing with walking around. It is also easy to overdo the standing (like cooking in the kitchen) too.
Rest it up and be comfortable soon!
 
I went up and down the stairs a couple of times yesterday and went out for a little while. Maybe too much

Sorry you’re hurting, but glad to hear you’re resting. In addition please ice any /all areas of pain or discomfort for 45-60 minutes, no less, several times per day until you’re feeling better. It should help with the pain and inflammation. It’s easy to overdo it when we’re feeling good and we often say here that “it doesn’t hurt until you stop“. So you really have to go slow, gradually increasing activity as you tolerate it.

At only eleven days post op, you seem to have joined the ODIC (Over Did It Club) Something I found useful was the Activity Progression For THR from the Recovery Guidelines above under Number 5. It will keep you sensibly active without overdoing it and stalling your recovery. Check it out if you haven’t already.
Happy Monday! :wave:
 
@Layla thanks so much for your response And suggestions. I read a lot of the material that but didn’t really take it in because I totally overdid it. I’m going to review again and I’m icing now :) thanks again for understanding too
 
I went up and down the stairs a couple of times yesterday and went out for a little while.
I noticed stairs takes a big toll on the new hip comparing with walking around. It is also easy to overdo the standing (like cooking in the kitchen) too.
Rest it up and be comfortable soon!
@chialiyu thank you. I’m realizing that too. Got a little over enthusiastic. How are you doing today?
 

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