THR Hip hip hooray - Jane's new hip story!

[Josephine]

amen - good for you! Actually they would have been breaking a strict rule for discharge if they had. Physios not ward nurses are supposed to okay a patient for discharge and among their protocols are that the patient can get to the loo, wash and dress themselves, get in and out of bed largely unaided and go up and downstairs safely.

 

[Poppet]

Hi Jane

Just checking to see if you are home now and how you are doing ?

 

[JaneyGS]

One week on...
Properly settled in at home now and all going well. I feel great - much better than I was expecting. I have no real pain at all, just some discomfort when I move from up to down or vice versa. I'm taking paracetamol and diclofenec which is the same " cocktail" that I was taking pre op so it works for me. The back sleeping is not as bad as I feared - I am propping myself up with lots of pillows so that I don't forget and roll over in the middle of the night. My only issue is I get really hot - is this something to do with the operation or just one of those things?

I'm getting about nicely with my crutches, even went outside to the end of the drive yesterday to inspect the flooding! Not pushing my luck and doing too much at the moment as I have plenty of time to get better and would rather feel like this than over do it too early.

I go back on Monday to get the clips out and then Friday for the first proper physio session so planning to take it easy until then.

Hope everyone else is doing good.

Jane

 

[Anniepops]

Hi Jane. It's great to hear how well you are doing. You're so right about not overdoing things, that's the perfect way to go about this hip recovery stuff

Slow and steady is the way to go

Hope your area didn't suffer from too much flooding.

Take care

Ann

 

[Anniepops]

Oh, and I got really hot during the night too, might have had something to do with all those pillows stretching right down to the middle of my back to get a good slope going on. Fortunately, the nights are getting colder so that should help keep you a bit cooler.

 

[ped]

Hi Jane.

Oh yes. I am definitely with you on the heat front. Have taken to turning a fan on so now I'm either freezing or roasting.

More thought required here I think...

 

[Poppet]

Sounds like you are progressing very well Jane.. I was so pleased to get rid of all the extra pillows, they do tend to cause overheating?.

I did hear about the flooding in the UK, are you ok?

 

[JaneyGS]

I live in Cheshire which suffered quite badly from the flooding earlier in the week - a canal bank collapsed and parts of Northwich flooded as well. We just had flooded allotments which are over the road from our house. It has gone down now and the good news is that my friend's pumpkin has survived! We were worried that it might have floated away!

A quick question - do you think I can move to only one crutch now (9 days out)? I feel like I could manage or should I wait until physio on Friday?

Jane

 

[rider1960]

Hi Janey, What I have done with progressing through the assistive devices, is to progress to less "assistive" only if I ccould walk normally with the change--absolutely no limp. And, since you have a therapist involved to help, you can have them watch you walk with only one crutch and they will tell you if your gait looks normal. That's the important thing--you never want to allow your body to limp. That's worse than sticking with more support for a while longer until you build the strength. I also gave myself permission to walk as slowly as necessary when I made a switch. That way I could concentrate on making myself walk straight and correct. You are still very early yet and please don't feel a rush to kick the crutches to the curb

Dorothy

 

[bigozzie9er]

Morning Janey, so glad to hear about your progression.. I know that I'm 20 day after surgery and I been trying to go from walker to crutches.. seems like the strength in my legs are starting to build up and I go to the docs on the 4th.. Then he will tell me how much weight I can put on my leg.. I've been testing and it's still hard for me to go full weight bearing.. With you being just 9 days out and doing so well, I'm a little jealous but also inspired.. keep us updated..Have yourself a nice Sunday and take care.. Ron

 

[sharonslp]

Janey, I agree completely with Dorothy. Don't cut any corners with your crutches if there is any limp present. I found with my second hip that I went from the walker to a cane in record quick time, and I could skip the cane indoors quite quickly. But I kept it with me on walks for a good month longer, because as soon as I tired the least little bit, I needed it. I absolutely treasure the way I can walk now, with a good loose stride and no limp whatsoever. So take baby steps in ditching the crutch now in order to take giant steps later on.

Sharon

 

[Poppet]

Definitely agree with the girls.. Wait, better to prevent a poor gait or acquire a limp this early in recovery that may set you up for other issues down the track..

Slow and steady wins the race of coming off assisted walking devices.

 

[JaneyGS]

I'm only doing the one crutch thing inside the house - means I can carry a drink or whatever which makes me feel much less useless! I'll be on two crutches for a while for "proper" walking I think.

I went back to the hospital yesterday to get the staples taken out which was much less painful than I thought it would be (a common theme for this whole experience at the moment). Was nice to be out of the house, even though it wasn't a very glamorous destination!

First day at home with no visitors during the day so I have to amuse myself until hubby gets back from work but I don't think it will be a problem - my sister in law sent me an Amazon voucher so new Kindle books for me! Lots of visitors planned for the rest of the week and then it will be the weekend before I know it. These 12 weeks may well fly by!

Jane

 

[sharonslp]

I'm 12 weeks today, Janey, so I can testify to the fly-by part!! What are you downloading to your Kindle?

 

[Poppet]

Jane in the social room, we have a reading thread.. Members post about various books they have read.. Thought you might be interested

 

[JaneyGS]

Two and a half weeks now...
Progress seems to be a bit slower now. I am doing one crutch around the house but two whenever I go outside. The physio gave me a few extra exercises to do - pretty much the same as I was told in the hospital but now I am doing them standing on my operated leg as well which is more difficult.

I am not doing a lot of walking, just around the house and the odd walk to the end of the road. Should I start to increase the distance now?

The incision is healing nicely but it is quite sore to touch and seems a bit swollen and very firm to touch. Is that normal for two and a half weeks?

Not getting bored yet - I think I could get used to this life of leisure!

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Jane

 

[bottomshollow]

Your description of the incision is perfectly normal. The sensitivity to touch and the firmness will last quite a while. Some swelling is to be expected this early post op; it will resolve itself over time. You might begin to slowly increase walking time and distance, as walking is the best exercise for hips, but take it slowly and always remember that you are making a round trip---so always account for the return portion of your walk.

 

[sharonslp]

And probably better to increase your walking with several shorter trips rather than one longer one. My guideline for increasing my distance was when I took a short walk, got back home, and really wanted to do a little more. Don't forget plenty of icing to help with the incision tenderness and swelling. It's totally normal, but easy to start slacking off on the icing too soon.

Are you keeping a journal at all, in addition to this thread? Either way, by 4-6 weeks you'll see an enormous gain in mobility and stamina. So much that you'll be very tempted to overdo.

Sharon

 

[JaneyGS]

Now at three and a half weeks...

I think I'm doing reasonably well - the exercises that the physio gave me are now pretty easy and I can walk pretty far now (even made it to the pub on Saturday!) with my crutches but I am being a bit naughty and comparing myself with other people (I know it is a bad idea, but I can't help myself) and I'm wondering if I should be pushing myself to do more? I've read people losing the crutches by now and walking for 90 minutes. Also going upstairs properly and even dancing!

I go to see the physio again on Friday and I will ask what else I should be doing then but is there anything else I should be trying to do now? I've done a bit of cooking and baked some cakes. I've managed to push the vacuum cleaner around but not really been able to sort out the washing yet as it needs too much bending to get it out on the line. Been out to visit the zoo, beer festival and event at the Chester literature festival. Nothing that I've done so far has hurt - don't think I want to get to that stage.

I'm a bit worried that progress is slowing down a bit and that I'm not doing enough to help myself recover but also I am very aware that I shouldn't overdo it either. Any advice?

Jane

 

[sharonslp]

Jane, I have a feeling Jo is going to come by and scold you for vacuuming!!! I think that would come under the category of overdoing, for sure. I'm glad it didn't hurt, but that's a of lot of a torque kind of motion, and it's asking for trouble. If you're still on crutches, it's for a reason...it means you aren't ready to walk unassisted. And it means you are giving yourself assistance because there is a WHOLE LOT of healing that has to go on. Your job is to let that healing happen. Soon as we start to feel better, we go off and start doing a lot more. It doesn't hurt right away, so we think it's okay. But it's cumulative, and a week later you will be here with a post saying you feel so much worse all of a sudden, and something must be wrong.

Getting out places where you can stroll around at your leisure, and sit down to rest frequently is perfect for testing your wings. You can't go wrong at a beer festival....unless there is a polka band you can't resist.

Taking walks at home, gradually increasing your distance as you stay very attuned to stopping before you go beyond too much, or taking more frequent short walks...also excellent ways to gradually increase your mobility. Your physical therapy will help you with correct walking technique, and getting rid of any limp...but that also comes with the simple mathematics of time. Dancing after 3 and 1/2 weeks??? Took me two full months to start easing back into dancing....and everyone here thought that was way early.

Progress is not slowing down at all. It's just not as obvious. But it will go on for many months...up to two years. You're doing fine, and staying attuned to not overdoing is the smartest thing you can do. There's no magic formula....use common sense and listen to your body. Not doing too much IS the way to help recovery.

Sharon