THR Here We Go Again!

doopy

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Hi all! Hope I'm posting in the right place (I've forgotten what to do!), but am now heading for a 2nd THR (right), following a successful LTHR and a very dodgy RTKR.
My right knee got an infection 5 weeks post-op, and I had 2 weeks in hospital as an emergency with a full debridement, & then I had a wound below the knee that wouldn't heal. I did document some this on here (thank you, lovely people, for sending love and support!), but lost the will to continue as depression set in. I was hooked up to a Wound-Vac 24/7 for nearly 2.5 months, got blisters under the sticky patch holding it on, and had a very hard time, plus I believe i was "Floxed", ie suffered ill-effects from 90 days' worth of the vile Ciprofloxacin antibiotic. Eventually, the awful hole in my leg just closed and healed (much, I think, to the tissue team's surprise!), and although my leg feels odd all the time, with the skin is sore & also numb and is very clunky, the overall pain is far less than pre-op.
And now I face a new hip, and after that, another new knee. My other knee keeps sort of "going out" when I go to sit, and the x-ray has shown the patella is sitting at a funny angle, with bone-on-bone below. It hurts, looks twisted, but isn't too awful, except I can't straighten my leg.
The hip, however, is mind-blowingly awful - far worse than the first hip, or anything else I've been through (& boy, have i been through the lot!).
My big problem is at night - I can't lie down in any position without awful pain. As a result, I'm often only getting 2-3 hours' sleep a night. Last night (?!) I gave up at 6am and crawled downstairs to a recliner, where I managed 3 hours broken snoozing. I have a date for the hip op - now about 6 weeks away.
But where I could really do with help is mentally. I have given up on life - my poor beloved husband of over 40 years has to come home from a 10 hour day to find me dissolved in tears at the slightest thing. I've become completely over-sensitised to pain (I do possibly have - as yet unconfirmed - fibromyalgia), and its almost as if I have mild PTSD from the whole knee experience. The hospital I was in as an emergency did work wonders, but my god, it was grim! No sleep, as I was on a ward of 8, most of whom were ladies with dementia who screamed all night, and one horrid nurse who ridiculed me (she shouted to everyone "Look at the little cry-baby in Bed 5!") in front of the whole ward the one time I did have a quiet little cry. I'm just terrified of history repeating itself, although I'd give anything to be free of the excruciating acute pain when the hip "clicks out" and then gets stuck. I've had counselling, was on anti-depressants (came off, as after a few years I think their effect had lessened), and have a lovely husband who will help, but I'm reduced to a pathetic wreck, especially when sleep-deprived. Anyone else been there, or can help make me braver? (I should add that all this comes on top of a big heart op, breast cancer, & a full hysterectomy, all in the past 3 years). My surgeon is absolutely brilliant, and I trust him totally, and the hospital I will be going in to is lovely. But I'm so very defeated by it. There doesn't seem to be an end to it all - it's one thing after another. (I'm so sorry for being so weak.)

Please, any suggestions? Anyone else been there??
Sending hugs to anyone else on here who needs one! x
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome back, @doopy! :flwrysmile: You've posted in the right place for your upcoming hip surgery. Please share the date for your right THR so we can add it to your signature.
I'm so very defeated by it. There doesn't seem to be an end to it all - it's one thing after another.
Given what you've been through over the past few years, it's understandable that you would have anxiety about facing yet another procedure. You are NOT weak; you have been overwhelmed by health issues and need help to deal with that.

I say that from experience. I was in a similar situation some years ago after being diagnosed with two different kinds of cancer a couple of years apart, preceded by two other surgeries for unrelated issues. I was in a very dark place and couldn't see light at the end of the tunnel. I spent my days curled up in a ball on the couch. One of my surgeons encouraged me to seek counseling. I resisted, at first, but finally did and discovered I was suffering from a mix of anxiety and depression. With the help of medication and some talk therapy, I improved significantly in just a few months and was able to face my next round of cancer treatment with optimism.

My advice is: don't try to push through this by yourself. Get some help. Speaking with your primary care physician is a good place to start.

I'm sure other members will chime in soon to share their experiences.

In the meantime, know that we are here to support you. Glad you came back to BoneSmart!
 
Even though you've been through a THR before, since it was a few years ago, I will share BoneSmart's helpful guide.

The following information can help you be better prepared for what is to come:
Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing hip recoveries

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.
 
@doopy - What you have been through already sounds horrendous. You sound like a fighter to me, not weak at all.
I haven’t had all those awful experiences to contend with so I can’t say I know how you feel but from my point of view it feels like there is a lot of support on this forum.
Good luck with your operation and take care of yourself.
Sending a virtual hug because who doesn’t need a hug now and again.
 
Yes, you are not weak. It is totally understandable and not at all unusual under your circumstances. I am so glad you have such an understanding husband. Mine is, too, God bless him and I know that I wasn't the easiest to live with when I was waiting for my THR and for a while afterwards. It is hard not to lump everything together but just as you took each challenge one at a time and dealt with it, so you will have to do the same for the upcoming surgeries. Just deal with one at a time and you'll get there.

I agree with @benne68 Please don't try and do this all on your own. At this point and after all you've had to contend with, a professional might be just the thing to help take some of the pressure off of you and give you some tools you can use now and in the future. You will benefit and I am sure your husband will be relieved. You can bet he struggles with seeing you suffer and feeling mostly inadequate in how he can help you. Sending you positive vibes and blessings for healing and comfort. We'll be here for you.
@doopy
 
Well, big thanks to everyone for the positive vibes, hugs and encouragement - it's so good to know there are lovely people out there!
I just returned from 2 weeks in France, which was a nightmare. I was unable to do anything (loads of gardening needed doing), and the sleeping is still stuck at 1-4 hours a night, if lucky.
The hip is really agonising now: it feels as if if it is semi-dislocating every time I move from sitting to standing & vice versa. It feels as if it is "stuck out" - no other way of explaining it. I can't weight-bear at all when it does this, and have to try to click it "back in". No painkillers have any effect - I'm taking ibuprofen, paracetamol and prescription Codeine (a small dose). My op has - thank heavens! - been brought forward a bit, as the hospital has chosen to be open and working on Coronation Bank Holiday Monday, so 8th May it is! I've emailed my surgeon to ask if there are any heavier-duty painkillers to take in the next 3 weeks (I can't even get a phone consultation with a GP for weeks!).
Does anyone have any experience of really severe pain prior to op? My last hip (& knee) were certainly painful pre-op, but nothing like this. I've just bought an electric adjustable (ie hospital-type) bed on eBay, which I'm hoping will help a bit. I'm still feeling pretty hopeless, but at least counting down the days helps now!
 
Sorry to hear you are struggling with so much pain.

In 7 months I went from 'maybe this is manageable' to not being able to walk without a cane.

My hip was bone on bone. I could not get more than a few hrs of sleep at a time. Any time it was bearing weight was agony.

No pain relievers helped. Heat only helped a little.

I tried to lean into the pain. Look at each day as one day closer to freedom day. I also kept reminding myself that if there were any alternative I would have found it.

And I focused on the absolutely elite skill of my surgeon and his team. Knowing that I had the best possible care.

I am now 6 months out from the surgery. The new hip has been solid from day 1. The pain during healing was nothing like the OA pain. The devil that can't be bargained with.
 
@doopy So sorry you are suffering. Pre-op pain is really horrid. Have you tried a TENs machine? My left hip collapsed pre-op and I could hardly move. A TENs took the edge off. You can buy them here in the UK on line or at any high street chemist.
 
@Jaycey Hi there, no, I haven't tried a TENS because I have suffered from Atrial Fibrillation and my heart often feels like a time bomb waiting to go off! I've read that TENS machines are contraindicated for AF sufferers, and at the moment I'm keen to just try to keep everything on an even keel pre-op. But thanks for the idea!
 
@HollyNY
Thanks for the encouragement - you are of course right, and I'm trying really hard to focus on what is to come. I have zero memory of how it felt after my first hip was done 7 years ago, but the pain was nothing compared to this: i keep trying to remember / understand that i am able to move my "new" hip in all sorts of directions with no pain, and am not even conscious of it, so I guess this is what will happen with this one! And I had such a terrible experience 2 years ago when my knee replacement got infected 4 weeks post-op that my expectations are a bit subdued.

I absolutely love .....
The devil that can't be bargained with.
..... boy - that it is right!!! Thank you for being there and understanding - it helps to know I'm not alone and imagining it all. :loll:
 
I can relate to the painful second hip, but I didn't have something like your knee infection. That would have added to the anxiety of the second hip. My second went downhill fast after my first, maybe from my increased activity from the new hip and being retired. My second got so bad it would lock when sitting, to get up I had to force it and it made a very loud POP that everyone could hear. Sleeping got rough and it took a lot of pillows to prop me in a comfortable position for a little while. As bad as it was I didn't want to go for the THR, talked about leaving when checking in at the hospital. I sat back down and my hip locked so I took it as a sign and went ahead with it.
What can I say?, it all worked out.
 
Best Wishes on Monday! We'll be watching for your first update on the healing side and cheering you on.
Please join us there once you're resting comfortably at home.
Lots of comfort to you over the weekend!
@doopy
 
All the best Monday, @doopy
:friends:
 

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