THR out of sync?

[boots]

Had my left total hip replacement yesterday. It’s good to have it over with. Now on to recovery. The pain I was having above my knee on both sides is going away! I asked for an ice bag for it while at the surgery center. I had a great experience at the surgery center. The staff was exceptional, I feel I had more personal care than I would have at the hospital. I slept in our bed, it was so hard getting out of it that when I got up for the second time at 6 am I told my husband I was not getting back in bed. Today he was able to fix our lift chair and I may spend the night in it. Watching some Netflix shows and getting up every hour . I took some norco and find it makes it hard to control my bladder, so I’m doing Celebrex, Extra strength Tylenol. And ice, ice, ice. Taking lots of naps. And we have friends bringing in meals. I am blessed.

 

[ForumUser]

Congrats, boots!

Perhaps blessed, but perhaps the recipient of the collaboration of hundreds of thousands of medical professionals over the last 50 years of research and hard work to make joint replacements a common and successful occurrence

My recent (May 19) experience was excellent - as I am sure yours will be!

I stayed one night (required by Medicare for anyone over 65), was at home that next day by noon. Iced and elevated religiously. Did not require any narcotics once I was at home - 1000mg of Tylenol four times a day kept the pain under control completely, added Celebrex, and two 81 mg aspirin for blood thinning.

What I did good
1. Iced and elevated
2. Walk, walk, walk

What I did bad
1. Overdid it early which cost me a week or so in my recovery - common "bad" for men apparently

Outcome - outstanding! Driving short trips at 2 weeks, longer vacation driving at 8 weeks, flying and driving fishing trip at 12 weeks, extended vacation out of the country at 16 weeks.

If I can do this, anyone can!!!

 

[CricketHip]

Hi @boots Look at you, with your new hip!
Glad to hear that the lift chair is now fixed, they really do help for the first couple of weeks.
You sound like you are off to a good start. I’m so happy for you!
I can’t leave you happy emoji’s. They aren’t working through my phone.

 

[Elf1]

@boots to Bone Smart, this is definitely the place to get the support we all need during our recovery. One of the advisors or moderators will be by in a while to leave you some great reading material to help with your recovery. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, there is always someone here and it's a pretty sure bet that whatever you're experiencing, there's someone here that's had the same.

Please stay ahead of the pain, so much harder to get it under control once it starts rearing it's ugly head. Take your meds as prescribed, if they aren't working or causing you problems reach out to your surgeon's office and let them know so they can change them. Some people can cut their prescription meds very early, others need them longer. If you need them, take them.

This is more of a marathon so slow and easy wins this race. Listen to your body, if you have restrictions please follow them and definitely ice and elevate as much as you can. I've is seriously your best friend for pain, bruising and swelling. Ice for at least 40-60 minutes a good 4-5 times a day if not more. I know I and others pretty much iced anytime we weren't up walking. You've got this!

 

[VSlowLife]

Congratulations, you are doing so well!

 

[CricketHip]

Hi again @boots ! I am sincerely so happy for you, now don[t worry about the livestock, you found someone to help and this is your only job for the next 8 weeks, and longer. I am leaving you your reading material. You may have skimmed though them a few times on other recovery threads, but they will be even more important to you now.
Any questions or concerns, we will be here to help and support.

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​

elevate​

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 these

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this Activity progression for THRs

6. Access these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Care In Hospital​

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.

 

[leejaa]

Congratulations on your new hip. Wonderful that you are home and now have the recliner ready to use. I loved the recliner for recovery and getting up especially with the bathroom runs in the middle of the night.

 

[boots]

My dr told me from the beginning that walking was going to be the best ‘therapy’ I did come home with a page of exercises. And did not have to schedule any physical therapy.
thanks for your comments.

 

[Layla]

Hello and Welcome! Thanks for joining us.
It's good to hear you were satisfied with you're experience at the surgery center, getting you off to a good start.

A couple tips you could try for getting in and out of bed. One is a plastic garbage bag to sit on which can be used to help you slide and swivel into position, then be removed. The other is a leg lifter, to lift your leg if it's feels heavy and foreign which I'm guessing it does. I can leave you a link to the Recovery Articles if you're unfamiliar, otherwise a bathrobe tie works just as well. Tap the link in blue and the article will expand.

Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home

This is the list for the rest of the thread. post #2 Toilets and toilet aids post #3 Pre-prep for the house and for you Post #4 dog walking Post #5 Make Them a Meal scheduler Post #6 tick list for prepping Post #7 Books, CDs, and DVDs on Surgery Post #8 stationary exercise bikes and...

bonesmart.org

Stop back often so we can follow your progress. The support and encouragement found here is next to none so please don't be a stranger.

Wishing you comfort and a great first weekend home!
@boots

 

[HipLucy]

Glad to see you in recovery @boots and looking forward to journeying back to mobility together.

 

[RinTinTin]

So happy for you @boots.
Just take it easy and everything is going to be okay.

 

[Mojo333]

Yay @boots
And that knee is already feeling better too!
Take it easy and keep it slow.
You're going to love your new hip!!!!

 

[boots]

I feel bad for hubby as we have a love seat not a couch next to the lift chair. He thinks he needs to sleep in the same room as me. We put new flooring down 6 months ago and I liked the love seat as it sits so much higher than the couch, so when it was time to put furniture back in the love seat came in and the couch is in the basement. I don’t think he would sleep well in our bed alone so we will deal with this till it becomes easy for me to get out of bed. I have been walking every hour. My leg feels longer from months of walking wrong, so I’m concentrating on properly stepping
Thanks, for your comments and support

 

[CricketHip]

That is a good husband! You two are a good team. You would do that for him, too, right?
It sounds like you're are managing those first days very well. Is't it a great feeling to have that surgery over with?

You are wise to concentrate on your walking/stepping. Many of the thigh muscles are numb/in shock also, it gets easier in that regards after the first week or so.
I hope your weekend is restful with well controlled pain.

 

[Layla]

Hello Happy Saturday @boots
I wonder if you could coax hubs back into bed telling him that you aren't comfortable knowing he's scrunched up on the loveseat all night, and want to make sure he's well rested so he can best care for you. As loving and devoted as our partners are, caregiving can get old real quick for even the best of us. If you assure hubby that you'll be fine, won't attempt anything unreasonable and are assured he's within earshot maybe he'll oblige and get some quality rest in your bed.

It's not uncommon to feel there is a difference in leg lengths after THR.
Your leg can feel shorter pre-op due to a loss in cartilage. During surgery, the surgeon makes every effort to make the legs as equal as possible.

It is advised to wait at least three months post op before making a final judgement on Leg Length. Often the discrepancy is not a true difference, but can be attributed to tight muscles, a pelvic tilt, at times even arthritis in the spine. Most cases resolve with stretches, exercise and time. In the rare situation of a true difference a shoe lift may be prescribed, but in most cases no treatment is necessary.

Patience is definitely key to getting through recovery. You're off to a great start, keep it up.
Have a lovely weekend!

 

[Jaycey]

My leg feels longer from months of walking wrong, so I’m concentrating on properly stepping

Most new hippies feel a leg length difference. In most cases this feeling just fade away with time. Muscles tend to atrophy pre-op as you limp around. Just give it time and this will most likely balance gain.

 

[Debru4]

I agree with Layla that it would be great if your husband could get good rest in bed, since you will continue to need help from him for awhile and don't want him worn out. My nephew rigged a doorbell for my mom to ring to alert us if she needed help, another friend just used a regular bell to ring which let her caregiver know she needed something. Even an inexpensive baby monitor would work so he'd know you could communicate with him

 

[boots]

How long should I use ice? I’ve had it on almost all the time. I seem to have very little swelling now.

 

[CricketHip]

Good morning @boots.
That is good news about the diminished swelling, but the ice is helpful for other things, too. It's a natural anti inflammatory for the soft tissues that just went through a pretty rigorous ordeal.
Plus you may find as you increase your activities, that it might create a bit of swelling, too.
If it were me, I wouldn't be saying good bye to the ice packs just yet.

Maybe play around with it in the next couple of days and see how it feels with and without it?
You are less than a week out, how are things going for you after your first weekend with the new hip?

 

[mainegirl1]

Pretty early to say bye bye to the ice. It also reduces pain and I used it a lot for the first two weeks.
I never had any swelling that was noticeable but did have pain