THR Hipmom is healing

[Juliep]

Yes it is

 

[djklaugh]

Donna - it sounds like you are making great progress! Even though I haven't had surgery yet I know the frustrations of not being able to bend. I've found that a strong but light bag of some kind - or even a pillow case - works well for relocating misplace items - as long as said items are not too messy/wet/spillable. I can fill the bag with papers, books, clothing, etc and still hold it with one hand while also grasping crutches. Yeah I already have a very close relationship with my grabbers

 

[hipmom]

Talk to your surgeon again.....gait training should not create a situation where dislocation is possible and it really could help you get trough this phase.

Please resist the temptation to put lifts in your shoes until you feel "comfortable" and walk without a limp. You have spent a long time with your hip problems before surgery and that resulted in your pelvis tilting to accommodate your joints. It is going to take time for a readjustment to take place....months probably. If you use lifts over the 3/8", you risk a continuation of that compensation and your hip will not move to a normal position.

Since you are only a month and a half out from surgery and you say you cannot walk without a limp right now, I suggest that you go back to using a cane or crutch as you practice walking. It's not forever, but right now you need assistance so you can retrain your body to walk without that limp. Practice taking a good, long stride where you place your heels down first and then roll onto the ball of your foot and push off with your toes for the next step. You'll have to think about it at first....maybe even say "heel/toe....heel/toe....heel/toe...." for a while. Don't worry that you are taking what feels like exaggerated steps....it's all part of retraining both your body and your brain.

I just talked with my surgeon's nurse and the doc approved pt for gait training but i think we are still going to hold off until january for strength training. Who knows what i was thinking, but when everyone was advising me that i needed to wait several months for things to settle with my new hip and not to worry about the leg length difference, i thought the "settle" meant the implant had to settle down into the bone or something. The nurse explained to me that the implant and bone are set - it's the ligaments and the tendons that need to settle :DOH::DOH: She said that the ligaments and tendons in the operated (longer) leg need time to shrink and the ones in my shorter leg need time to stretch. :rolleyespink::rolleyespink: She said if i put a heel lift in my short leg shoe that is higher than the 3/8" that my doctor recommended for me at this time, than i could CAUSE back problems instead of alleviate them.

Am i the only one who was confused by all this leg length discrepancy stuff? I think i have it now - but someone please correct me if i am still messing this up Anyway, i am feeling better about things all the time!

 

[Renate]

Well Donna, I'm almost 5 months post op, and I swear my op leg is longer. I have been measured twice, and it's still the same, even with pilates and going for walks (which is still a problem). I can only walk properly if my legs are approx. 1 1/2 feet apart, closer than that and my pelvis/lower back lift.

 

[Jamie]

Donna.....you have it right. The settling or adjusting your body will do does not involve the implant itself, but all the surrounding soft tissue and the angle of your pelvis. I'm glad you received the okay for gait training. It can really help get this squared away.

 

[Josephine]

i thought the "settle" meant the implant had to settle down into the bone or something.

Ye-ees :skeptical: Haven't we said .......... ?

The nurse explained to me that the implant and bone are set - it's the ligaments and the tendons that need to settle

See comment above!

 

[hipmom]

Last night i took a shower standing up for the first time since 8/23! i realize that probably sounds ridiculous, but i really wasn't steady on my feet since i have only been weight bearing for a week and a half. I still have the shower bench in there (it has an armrest i can hold onto if needed), but i have ditched the handheld shower head and am thrilled to just have the regular shower head raining down a continuous stream of hot water! I forgot how glorious it is to be covered in hot water instead of little sections at a time. Ah yes, it's the little things that make all the difference. I don't want to be greedy, but i have been getting achy in my back and even my ribcage from the "settling" and would kill for a good long soak in the tub. But, alas, my doc is not crazy about that idea. He says a lot of dislocations happen in the tub. He said people sit in the tub with their legs together and straight out in front of them and then reach forward to adjust the spigot . . . . I'm thinking of joining a health club just so i can get into the hot tub!

 

[Jaycey]

Another milestone Donna - love those showers!

Is your OS telling you that you can never take a bath or just for now? Surely this is short term until you are released from restrictions? :skeptical:

 

[Josephine]

How about changing your bath to calm the doctors anxiety? :th_heehee:

 

[hipmom]

Sign me up! That tub looks irresistable! I would love to soak right now :yes 4:

 

[Juliep]

It sure does feel good to have a normal shower doesn't it? I took my first bath when we were on vacation because it was the large tub and had hand rail. I was leary of getting all the way down and then back up, but I did it VERY carefully. Boy did it feel great.

 

[hipmom]

I remember reading that you were getting in the tub on vacation, Julie - I am envious!

I was thinking about my recovery today and measuring it by medical devices I have already gotten rid of: leg lifter, walker, crutches, shower bench, and 4 prong cane.

Still to go: regular cane, grab bars, reacher, riser cushion, sock donner, long handled shoe horn.

I'm hoping to be rid of most of these after Week 12 when my restrictions will be over. It is nice to see the list of things I don't need anymore. It helps me realize how far I have come.

I FINALLY get to see the physical therapist on Wednesday morning. My surgeon approved me for a little gait training (but not full-fledged PT yet). I will take what I can get. At this point, I just want to make sure that I am not walking in a way that will cause permanent problems or a gait that will be too hard to fix later.

I have tried a lot of different kinds of 3/8" heel lifts (the surgeon told me to get that), but I am still walking with quite the limp. I am on my cane and heel-toeing it. My back doesn't hurt all the time anymore but I still feel achy in weird places like my rib cage. I am very excited to see the physical therapist. I hope my doc lets me get PT after my 12 weeks of restrictions are up instead of having me wait until January. I know . . . . patience. :DOH:

 

[Juliep]

It does feel good when you look back and see what stuff you no longer are using doesn't it? The others will happen as well. I sure hope the PT for gait training helps you and I hope he will have you go to PT before January as well. It is a huge help.

I still have gait issues with walking and I have to wonder if it's because of my knees, you would think so. People say they can notice by my walk that I either have an issue or am recovering for something. :rolleyespink:

Keep at it Donna and each week more will improve.

 

[uktanny]

Hiya Donna, thats a great post, its wonderful to see the equipment disappear from your house! Dont rush things though. better to keep them a little longer than letting them go a little early.

Good luck with your gait training and let us all know how that goes and what it involves will ya?

 

[hipmom]

Well, i went to see the physical therapist and i am not a happy camper. She is a highly recommended therapist who i have seen before and i respect her opinions. I have not been cleared for "heavy duty" therapy yet as i am still on restrictions and at increased risk of dislocation due to my anatomy issues. But i wanted to be looked at by a professional for gait training so that i don't spend my time until january (when i will be cleared for therapy) building bad habits that will be hard to break or causing damage elsewhere.

She also feels that my leg difference is @ 2". I will not be officially measured until january. I'm sorry, but to me 2" is pretty substantial. I asked her about the "settling" that i keep being told about, and she agrees that by january i can expect to have some settling. However, she doesn't see me settling 2" worth. She also doesn't see me getting by with just an insert in my shoe. She strongly suspects i will need to have my shoes built up. She has not told me anything that i haven't been thinking myself. I am a tad upset.

She showed some stretches and simple exercises that i can do that will not affect my hip as a dislocation risk now. She advised me to try holding my stomach muscles and my glutes tight while walking to add stability. She thinks i will need the cane until i get the "lift" situation taken care of after january. I will not go back until then as i don't want to waste my alotted sessions now when we aren't able to work on things. She agreed.

I cannot go back - i can only move forward. It is what it is and i will adapt - i have done that before after other surgeries. Am i happy? Not right now. Can i maintain a positive attitude? Yes, but i need to be ticked off first.

Can my legs "settle" 2" worth? I can only pray they will.

 

[Jaycey]

Aw Donna, things will continue to settle. 2" worth - we can't predict. But you are right don't dwell on it. Look at the options after your followup.

Hang in there!

 

[uktanny]

Hi Donna, I totally get your fears about a longer leg

All I can say is that I am a month ahead of you and my leg is still longer (by about a centimetre I would guess, although nobody "official" has concluded this)

However, at first it was about a good inch maybe longer, so it has gone down somewhat.

Try not to panic, although I understand its such a frustrating thing to get rid of one problem only to inherit another!

Maybe, just try to deal with the here and now, and dont look too far into the future, thats what I have had to do.

I really really hope things start to sette down soon.........dont give up faith just yet x

 

[Renate]

Hi Donna, I'm so sorry about your leg, and I don't understand how the surgeon can miss that. 2 inches is a whopper and should be adressed with a proper lift. I feel for you. That's nothing you want to hear at this point.

 

[Juliep]

Ditto !! 2 inches seems like a lot!!

 

[hipmom]

You guys are great! What I really appreciate is that you understand my need to whine right now and you let me do it while still being encouraging. You guys are awesome.

I'm feeling a bit better now (although I am sure I will still be hit by grumpiness until this is resolved.) I guess the thing that irks me is that I didn't really want to have this surgery now - but I accept the fact that I needed to have it. There really wasn't a choice. But my big reasons for not wanting to do it now were that I was petrified of the dislocation risk (which I surprisingly have relegated to the back burner of anxiety after the first week) and that I was worried I would end up worse (because that has happened to me before). Of course, in time you just adapt to your "new normal." I know, I'm really whining here :rolleyespink: I have much to be thankful for and I know that. I just need today and then I'll be good.

Renate, I don't think the surgeon missed a 2" difference at all. He just wasn't going to say anything to me about it. He never measured me (but he did the hands on the back of the pelvis thing) and told me that when I come back in January we will see where I am and measure me then. According to the BS moderators and the PT, that is reasonable and I don't think he is really withholding anything from me. He is probably just as curious as to how this will end up as I am :wink1: Hopefully he knows something I don't as to how much settling will occur. And maybe if I get to January and am off by an inch instead of 2, I'll be thrilled :th_heehee: stranger things have happened.

Looks like my buddy, the cane, is going to be at my side for awhile. I have to readjust my mindset as I was hoping that after the 3 months of restrictions, I would just be ready to resume my normal life. I celebrate the things I am able to do now . . . . but I am a little down that my recovery will take longer than I thought it would. And I think there are some hard parts ahead of me when I actually will start to work the muscles, etc. Not that I'm not up for the challenge

So many of you have faced challenges with such poise and a positive attitude and downright bravery. I am learning a lot from everyone and I thank you all for that. Where would we be without the support of each other?