THR Hitch & Get Along<

Wow! Is it really almost August? This summer has FLOWN by. We have been escaping to our Mountain Cabin as much as possible since we weren't able to get there last year with all of my 'troubles'. I was released from Hipster after my June visit and x-ray as I continue to move forward in the progress department (though I will definitely agree with you other hippies, recovery is an ebb and flow). My right hip is almost 9 months old and is doing everything it's supposed to be doing. My left hip continues to be a thorn in my side. I struggle getting out of any vehicle I drive, still need to push the seat all the way back, swing my legs out together, etc. The soft tissue on both hips is really sensitive and side sleeping for more than a few minutes is a rarity. I have attempted some light outdoor "jogging" to see how it feels. It doesn't hurt while I'm moving but the hours that follow bring me quite a bit of soreness (probably soft tissue/muscles not used to the activity). I do ice sporadically although that always alarms my husband because he's afraid I've regressed.

Question for everyone, do you find yourself going back in time mentally to "a year ago at this time, I learned that . . . ." about your hips? I don't know if I'm just now processing what happened last year or if it's just a normal part of the recovery? I find that I am still verrrrrrry cautious about sudden movements, placing my feet very carefully, etc because I am fearful of a fall/dislocation/break. Is that normal or have I turned into a hypersensitive nervous Nellie?

I've been swimming several times and that feels wonderful. My shoulders are the biggest problem when I swim - they HURT when I use my arms. They also both ache during the night and I find myself shifting positions constantly. What is up with that????? Perhaps overuse from the crutches, cane, walker? Gah.

All for now - warm wishes to everyone from this Colorado Gal, Hitch & Get-Along
 
PS
Does anyone have a source (like Bonesmart forum) for skin allergic reactions? My husband has been dealing with a SEVERE allergic reaction since beginning of May and we feel like a dog chasing it's tail trying to find answers for him. 8 doctor visits, 10 different prescriptions, 36 metal 'tests' and we still have no answers!! Thank you in advance! I know it's way off topic but thought maybe someone on here knew of a resource we aren't tapping into!
 
Because of poison it was suggested that I take a liver cleanse. I was allergic to so many things before that I was not after the cleanse.
 
Hi @NanaKP . Swimming is so good! I had shoulder ache and paid for a one off swimming lesson the instructor really improved my technique and I appreciated it. I get less shoulder ache now as stretching my arms out differently. Using a modified frog kick that feels a bit weird so might have another lesson next month to get it corrected.
Happy Hippie Anniversary
 
Hi Kim,
It's nice to hear from you. I've wondered about you once in awhile. I'm sorry your Left THR is still feeling like a nuisance some days. I hope time eases that. Getting away to a mountain cabin sounds so relaxing. I'll bet you love it.

I don't think back in the sense you mentioned, but I do think back on how the pain began, my first symptoms or clues something was amiss and often still hope I can have this prosthetic for life without complication or revision. I do feel I think about it less and less, but it still crosses my mind many times per day even at just over two years post op. Sometimes I think - I can't believe I have that fake thing inside my body. Wish it wasn't so, but I don't lose sleep over it. I'm happy that I no longer have the pain!

Have you had your shoulders X-rayed? Wondering if you have a touch of arthritis. Hopefully not, but sadly some of us can't seem to escape it.

We read here often that complete recovery can take up to a year. I've also heard several times it can take even longer. So hold on to hope for brighter days ahead.
Thanks for updating. Enjoy the Summer! :SUNsmile:
@NanaKP
 
Hi @NanaKP :wave:
Good to see your update.
I am more cautious, and I think rightfully so about my new hips..especially the first year or so...
I did very well and had a great recovery overall...but don't want to do this again.
I want these to be my Forever Hips.

Ypu will get more confident and there will be days you wont think of your hips with an anxious oversight.
For me, it was well over a year.

Hope you have a great weekend !:loveshwr:
 
Good to hear from you @NanaKP! There are a few others I've met on here who either live in Colorado or have strong connections to it. I remember exchanging messages with you:) I'm from Loveland.

I'm so glad to hear you have been able to get out and enjoy your cabin, resume some gentle jogging, and start swimming again. In answer to your question, yes, I do find myself reliving where I was both prior to my surgery last August 3, as well as during my recovery. I had never had hip pain and then suddenly it came on after hiking with friends. After a couple months I went to the doctor and found that it was bone on bone, and would need surgery---which was shocking to me. I had commitments that made immediate surgery impossible so I went through several months of horrendous pain before my surgery. So those times before surgery are so vivid, as are the time around the surgery. Generally I don't think about my hip, unless I want to do something I haven't done since "before surgery", and luckily my hip is behaving more like your right hip, and not the ornery left one of yours. A Bone Smart friend recently had her second hip done, and it kind of sent me into a PSTD state---as she described what's she's going through, I had stronger memories of my surgery and early recovery than I have had since actually living it.:yikes:

I hope things keep improving for you so you are able to have even less pain as you get back to doing the things you love! Where is your cabin??
 
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Hi Debru4 - So great reading your reply. Our Cabin is approximately 1/2 way between Fort Collins and and Larimie, WY. We go through Fort Collins then up 287 to Tie Siding, WY where we drop back into CO state line. Our Association is Mill Creek. I think your sudden onset of hip pain sounds so much like mine. I had been in a foot cast/boot from surgery in fall of 2017 then fell several times so I figured I had strained something in my hip when I suddenly couldn't put my left shoe on or get in/out of my car. I think most of my "trauma" comes from the struggle I had with the first hip only to discover my femur was fractured. I do believe I was in such a state of shock (from both the physical activity PT was doing with me and my pushing myself) that I didn't KNOW something was wrong. My daughters STILL ask me "how could you be walking around on a broken femur and not know it?" I just didn't know any better and was trying to be positive and believe everything was OK. I do think it's that part of all of this that I keep reliving (pretty much EXACTLY one year ago these last few days as a matter of fact). We really had to defend our decision is sticking with the same OS and not pursuing legal action.

We went up to the Cabin Friday night for a quick get-away. Traffic was HORRIBLE!!! We actually got off of E-470 at Broomfield and went up highway 17 through Johnstown, etc. all the way to Prospect (with a detour). The traffic in this town/city/state has gotten to be RIDICULOUS!!!

Off to bed - it's only Monday night and we have a FULL week scheduled at the shop with more "tow-ins". Shouldn't complain, I know, it keeps the lights on (and the grandsons in legos)!!!
 
Hi @NanaKP! So great to hop on and see an update from you! I'm sorry to hear that left hip is still being naughty... As I read through the thread, I began to wonder if part of it is an "anniversary reaction." This is not uncommon when we have been through a trauma or loss. When we come up on the anniversary of the trauma, we can have an emotional and visceral reaction, almost as if it is happening again. Of course, that can be compounded in your case by your hip not being what you had hoped for at this point.

I too have had some of my own weird symptoms this last month. They started after my first major hike after two THR's. The hike, in hindsight, was too much. The odd part was the reaction didn't hit until about 10 days afterwards. I started to feel that old wobbly on my feet feeling, not trusting my legs under me, feeling weak in the muscles around my hips, getting strange twinges in the groin and trochanter, feeling tight. I began to fear the implants might be loosening or that I might dislocate something. It was very strange, given that I hadn't fallen or had anything specific go wrong with my new hips.

I'm wondering at this point if it is partly my having over done things and broken a promise I made to myself and my hips not to do that, and partly an anniversary reaction? This is also the 2 year anniversary of when my first hip went and I was diagnosed and facing my first THR. It's almost like I can't believe I'm healed and all that is behind me, like I fear that something could go wrong and I'll have to go back to that hell again. I think @Debru4 also has a good point. I've seen a few people through replacements lately and I think that does bring up our own memories, so could be part of it too.

I'm happy to hear you got to go to your cabin again! Also good you are enjoying the pool, except for your shoulders. Perhaps a little arthritis, or maybe muscles not used to that activity? I find that stretching before and after does help me with that and I was sore at first. Sending healing thoughts your way and hoping that time will improve that left hip.

BTW, just looked up the stats and only 5% of hip replacements dislocate, so the chances of this thing we fear is actually pretty small. It helps me to know that! Hope it helps you too. I bet in time we won't be such nervous Nellie's about these new hips of ours.
 
Hello @NanaKP
Stopping by to say Hi and wondering how you're doing?
I read elsewhere you're having trouble with your hips. I recall you were struggling a bit with the recovery of your Left, but thought your Right was feeling pretty strong. Please know we're here for you if you need us.
Wishing you a beautiful Autumn.
 
Hellow @Layla - Happy Autumn to you as well. We had our first dip in temperatures last week and 5-6" of snow but it's all gone now!

I have been struggling with my left hip (the one that was fractured), the right side is AMAZING and I forget I even had it done. It pops, sometimes makes noise and I am hardly able to lay on my left side still. I don't know if it's still soft tissue trauma or what but man, this is getting very old. I also get some pretty sharp pains if I pivot or turn the wrong way. It's gotten to the point that I'm nervous to walk that long on my treadmill - about 30 minutes, 2 days in a row and then I'm down for a couple of days. Is this normal? I feel like my range of motion is still very restricted and don't know if I should just accept it as normal or call Hipster and go back in. I even stopped swimming at the local rec center (actually one reason being because the chlorine level is ATROCIOUS and my sinus cavity is on fire for a good 24 hours after being there) because I ache so bad afterwards (in my shoulders too but that's for another day).

I've become quite the weather forecaster (as many are in this group). My goodness, the day before a storm arrives, I'm HURTING. I'm going back to FL in a couple of weeks to see my Mom so will swim while there in the saltwater pool. I'm anxious to see how that feels after being out of the water for a few months. Maybe I'm just being a bit overanxious and NEED to push myself harder? Maybe it's the OA rearing its ugly head in the rest of my body (shoulders, knees).

Any advice you and the other hippies can throw my way would be appreciated!
 
Hi @NanaKP :wave:
Great to see you on the forum...I am sorry that your left hip is complaining...
My thought is if you are doing something that aggravates it, pushing yourself doesnt seem helpful.
I'm sure it IS old by now.
Hopefully someone will be more helpful than I, but I do hope it is just still recovery struggles.
I know you have come through alot of trials...
Hugsxxx
 
Hi!
It's good to hear from you, but I'm sorry to read you're struggling. I'd definitely call Hipster re: Lefty because he may have some good advice or be able to offer you some reassurance easing your mind.

Burning sinus cavity from an over chlorinated pool.
I Yi Yi, that sounds miserable. I'd complain about that one. Especially if it's driving you away from there.

Experiencing increased pain and stiffness with weather changes is apparently real and does affect some after surgery. I've read it normally disappears over one to two years and happens as the bone adapts and grows around the metal prosthesis. I hope for you that your shoulders and knees aren't experiencing arthritic changes but I guess you won't know unless it continues and you receive a diagnosis. Hopefully your discomfort eases. Swimming at your moms after being away from it for awhile may aggravate your shoulders if you overdo it. With any luck it won't bother you and you'll be able to find another pool close by, once back home.

Safe travels to Florida, I hope you enjoy!
Stay in touch and let us know how you're doing. :wave:
@NanaKP
 
Hi there my fellow Colorado hippy:) I am so sorry to hear that that left hip has not settled down---and so glad that the right one is doing so well at the same time. You have had such a challenge dealing with the two hips and all of the complications over the past 1 1/2 years. I admire your positive attitude and willingness to looking for ways to stay active.

My first winter I really felt uncomfortable/in pain early in the season when the barometric pressure changed, as well as during the severe cold spells. As the winter progressed, I didn't feel it every time, which was such a relief. However, last week when we had that 83 to 12 degree change in 24 hours, and the snow, I was uncomfortable again. I know my hip has healed well, so suspect for some reason this may be something I continue to deal with at times. Do you feel it in both hips?

You had mentioned your cabin north of Fort Collins---were you able to spend time up there this summer or did your disagreeable hip limit that? You are so lucky to have a cabin in such a beautiful, untouched part of the state! In July I hiked up near Steamboat Springs on a moderate trail for my first hike on steep, uneven terrain in the mountains after my replacement. The trail had a pretty good elevation gain, and I felt so great that I charged up and down the trail----and proceeded to hurt my knee as a result of overdoing. The hip held up fantastically, but according to my doctor, after compensating for over a year with a bad hip, and then surgery recovery, my knees were not aligning properly. It didn't show up as a problem until the hike, which likely tipped the balance on my knee. My doctor said this is a very common issue in women, AND in those who have had hip replacements, and that it often doesn't show up for quite awhile, as in my case. Apparently things get out of alignment due to muscle weakness/changes, etc. I have completed a few weeks of PT that helped a lot. I still have a bit of knee pain deep in the back of my knee, which we will do an MRI or cortisone shot for if it continues after a few more weeks. So I am wondering if some of your knee pain may be something like this? He did xrays on both knees----I was a nervous wreck worrying that they would show severe arthritis, but both had good joint spaces. The kneecap just wasn't aligning. You might want to check in with your doctor and see about xrays to see if there is something treatable you could do.

Your shoulder comment sounds ominous---I too have had some issues with mine in the past, but it seems to have settled simply by modifying my use of the arm/shoulder. (I have a small bicep tear and a couple of bone spurs.) My doctor was ready to do surgery, and I am glad my inner voice (and busy schedule) slowed me down on that one. Now, when it came to my hip, that was one I was more than ready for. Like you, I want to stay active, and hate feeling like things are falling apart. It's hard to know what is natural aging, or something I need to adapt to, and which things need attention or need to be fixed.

Sorry for this crazy long post---I was just so glad to see you were on the forum again, and wanted to catch up with you. I hope you have a wonderful trip to Florida. Perhaps just doing some simple floating and movements in the water where it is nice and warm will relax/loosen things up for you. Does your mom live there year round? Leaving this beautiful weather probably doesn't feel like as much of a respite as it will if you go when things get nastier outside! Take care, and keep us posted. Debbie :loveshwr:
 
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Hello @Layla and @Debru4 - Thank you for the words of advice. I was really feeling like a whiny wimp yesterday and even iced old lefty when I got home. I don't seem to have near the aches on the right side when the weather is changing but I have noticed along with the aches, or rather my husband noticed, that I am quite 'chilly' most of the time when I used to be HOT constantly (open windows in the winter, ceiling fan on). I'm wondering if that feeling will gradually subside as I heal? I woke up several times last night with my entire left side aching like a toothache. It's about as annoying as the tandem snoring going on from husband and the dog.

Yes, that chlorine is a very real thing. Several of my neighbors were also complaining about it and one of our customers teaches classes there at the Rec Center and he said it was a constant challenge because of the # of kids who come in the afternoons/evenings to swim. There's a lazy river which is pretty great to walk against (challenging). I'm not sure that they can curtail those levels but it's pretty bad. I don't even normally mind the smell of chlorine but this makes my skin feel like it's shedding off before I even get 2 miles home (I shower immediately upon arriving at home).

@Debru4 - interesting about the knee and boy howdy are you right about that wicked temperature drop that we just had. Wasn't that something?? I have wondered if the lower back pain that I get from time to time is about being out of balance and over-compensating for my hips all of that time? I did get to our Cabin several times over the summer. We always stop on the north side of Fort Collins (Jax Farm Store) so I can stretch and walk a bit (potty break) before the last 1 1/2 hours up. It's pretty rugged the last few miles so I'm pretty sore by the time we get parked but I feel like I recover a little quicker each time. My husband's thoughts are that something isn't "quite right" with old lefty and my right hip is proof of that. I go back and forth thinking it's the soft tissue from being opened up so much to maybe something really isn't right.

On a last note I have to share with you about a childhood friend of mine. She had her hip replaced 4 years ago and FINALLY after going back numerous times to her OS, another surgeon agreed to open her back up. Original surgeon just kept sending her to pain management and basically kept thinking it was in her head. The cup was not only the wrong size, it was placed at the wrong angle and there was a tendon that had been placed in FRONT of the implant instead of behind it. It wasn't in her head at all and she had gone 4 long years in constant pain and inability to walk!!! I wanted to cry for her!

Okay, enough of my whining for the day. I've got a doozy of a week ahead of me next week. Hubs is off for his big Elk hunt and our employee wants to work so we'll be open and I'll be holding down the fort (front office). Pray for me that I can hold my tongue with some of these NEEDY people because a mechanic, I'm NOT!!:banghead:
 
Oh and hey @Mojo333 - I keep wondering if it's something I'm doing that is aggravating it as well. I am back at work a solid 8 hours a day now and though I don't wear a step tracker, I know there are those days when I'm up/down out of my chair hundreds(?) of times and walking quickly to the back of the shop with parts, etc. At home, I'm up and down our stairs a LOT (we have 4 levels). Also, depending on how many alignments we have, I am getting in and out of my car multiple times (we send those out so I'm either picking my husband up from that shop or dropping him off). The woes of being self-employed. I'm just thankful I don't have to get UNDER any vehicles (we'd all be in trouble then).

Hipster mentioned a shot last Spring but I declined. I don't know what scares me so much about the thought of it, but it does - terribly. I'm not after pain meds either, just wish it would shape up and get with the program (the hip). LOL

We have a customer who tore his ACL last week. He dropped his car off the day before he went in for surgery. As we were chatting, he mentioned the surgeon's name . . . it's Hipster. Small world.
 
Hi.
Wish I had a crystal ball...as you say, can it just be taking a bit longer especially since cbbc you have such a busy life?!
I go back and forth thinking it's the soft tissue from being opened up so much to maybe something really isn't right.
I'm sorry this is distressing you.
I'm sure I would be wondering the same.
The cup was not only the wrong size, it was placed at the wrong angle and there was a tendon that had been placed in FRONT of the implant instead of behind it.
:flabber: oh my stars...:xmark:
 
After reading about your busy life, I'm not totally surprised that your body is complaining. Even now, 14 months after my surgery, and following a very easy, smooth recovery, I get sore if I am doing a lot of up and down, in and out, carrying, bending, etc. I do have some remaining back issues that were not addressed in my back surgery 10 years ago, but typically that is pretty manageable, so I really think the leg pain I get when I am super active is leftover hip surgery soft tissues still healing.

In terms of your cranky left hip---I assume you have had follow up xrays that look fine? Have you had an MRI to look for possible soft tissue injuries? That would probably be something I would follow up on if I were still having the unrelenting pain you seem to be having. I wouldn't give up and call it normal/permanent until I had done the additional testing. (You may have done all of this and I missed it.)

On the plus side, you are so active that your general health is probably excellent! Now if only you can get that hip figured out. And don't ever feel like you are whining.....that's what the forum is for. I think it promotes both our mental and physical health to be able to share our fears, frustrations and worries as well as our successes. :loveshwr:
 
Very interesting and useful to read people’s progress just over a year out. I am still in awe re lack of pain walking in my case and being able to walk upright with a straight back. . The op has taken years off me and I am finally losing weight too. I still get some trouble if I overdo it and am aware that there is still soft tissue healing going on but all good. Will be back to my faithful Leki and shoe chains the minute there is any sign of ice and snow.... Dreading falling over . Best of luck with your continued recoveries!
 
Hi @NanaKP, great to see you back on the forum, but sad about the reason why... I agree with @Debru4, it might be time for an MRI to check for soft tissue issues if the x-rays are looking good. After my cable removal, my soft tissues were immediately much happier. If that isn't happening, then there may be something else going on, since it has been awhile since your removal.

I have also found if I overdo it, I pay for it. When you describe your normal daily activities, it sounds like more than I was able to do for about a year post-surgery. The up and down, especially stairs, and being on my feet were especially hard. It's only been in the last few months that my stamina for those activities has returned.

I hope that within the next few months you will see a shift in your healing. Sending good energy and thoughts your way on that count!

Are there any recreation centers in your area that use salt water in their pools? That's what they use at my pool and it hasn't bothered my skin, hair or eyes. I also love to take hot epsom salt baths at home after a long day.

Take good care of you!:)
 

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