THR I am worried, very worried

Sometimes a combo of tylenol and Ibuprofen will help with the pain and ice.
Sorry you are feeling so lousy.
Let us know how it goes at the doctors
 
Hey, Dduck. Just a note from myself. Similar to you... I'm 59 and a lifetime sports guy. I'm at 10 or so weeks now and things are going well... some notes for you.

*I had groin pain before and after. The groin is what I now consider my 'telltale'... it has alleviated somewhat but it proves to be the giveaway if I'm doing too much. So don't worry... it will pass.

*Pain goes too. I stayed on morphine meds/opiates at night for a few weeks, gradually weaning off them. Now I get stiffness in the hip at night and back pain and take paracetamol and an occasional tramadol.

*Back pain... mine is lower back and into my glutes on the side of my THR... surgeon warned me this would take longer to fix and it's proving to be the case. It's fine during the day but any prolonged inactivity gives it problems. I've decided to get my hip fixed and then work on my back. One thing at a time.

*I'm now back swimming (front crawl only) and static bike in the gym. Surgeon warned me to go slow in my rehab as I was getting too ambitious. Since I've eased back on the walking and activity I feel progress is more complete and I will have a better base to work from when I get back on my road bike and begin longer sea swims.

So... in a nutshell... chill. Let your joint recover and your musculature and soft tissue rebuild. There will be up weeks and down weeks. It's part of the process. Don't pressure yourself to get strength back too quickly, let the strength return by normal means (prescribed exercises, rest etc). Pain will gradually ease. It's a massive operation and recoveries are made in good time... but this time for you right now is a real vulnerable time; if things can go wrong, they probably stand more chance of going wrong now than any time. So heal up, catch up on some movies you've missed, do the exercises, keep on prescription meds at night (it's not a competition) until you feel you don't need them and you'll be astonished at the progress in another four weeks or so.

All best

HB
 
I will take it easier. I am not sure if I really have been pushing much. I have had pt a total of 4 times at hone. They have been very simple and basic. I just have to accept this is going to be a time thing and be patient. My main concern was if it was normal to feel pain after 10 days.
Pain free after 10 days? Not likely that happens for anyone. I'm 4 years + out on my first and I still get muscle pains and stiffness. With my first at 12 weeks I rang the over did bell and was in great pain for quite a while afterwards. My interesting observation and it might not apply to anyone else. With my first I was going to be an A student and one of the things was I was going to recover better, faster, stronger. I did a lot of over dids and paid the price with pain. With my 2nd my recovery consisted of sitting and some walking. I walked often and slowly and didn't care about distance just form. Any guess which hip seemed to turn out better in the long run? I never had any formal PT with either, my OS advised against it.
 
11 (now 13) days is early. I had similar fears through the first two weeks, although fortunately I had the experience of TKR recovery four years prior to HR surgery. Anterior approach HR surgery causes significant damage to those muscles and tendons which are stretched, pulled and contorted, and it takes weeks for that damage to heal.

My HR recovery was a bit of a roller coaster the first seven weeks, then the recovery curve seemed to flatten out. On Saturday, post-op day #74, I hiked 4.6 miles with 1850' verts. I had done the same hike 100 days after my TKR surgery in 2018.

Hang in there!
 
Well went to surgeon today he told me to be patient. He said groin pain is normal. I got refills on pain medicine. It's weird because the only.pain I really feel is in the groin area and back a little.
 
Dr google is not your friend! Post here instead. I’m at week 5 still get groin and pain in the butt. It’s normal. It will get better. Mine is not constant but still there. Put your legs up and ice. Best pain relief
 
That is awesome. I hope I get there as well. I saw surgeon got some refills on pain meds. He said all pain should be normal. The groin pain just worries me. It is almost the same pain I had as before. I hate not being able to do basically anything. But oh well I guess I come on as a whiner lol. Week 2 officially today.
 
:wave:Not a whiner...
Now, MY recovery thread posts early days... Whiner and nervous Nelly.:heehee:
I had many "Is this normal?" posts and being in a community of Been There, Felt That folks was certainly a reassurance.
We want this surgery to have worked... to alleviate our pain...and ongoing pain causes us distress.
We not only have to recover from surgery "damage", we also have to recover from the years of bad gait/posture and stress the bad hips caused.

Time is definitely the best healer and you WILL get there.
Hope some of the great reassurance you've received from other hippies ease your mind a bit.
It was helpful for me to relax and mark progress Weekly vs Daily as this recovery has its ebbs and flows.

Hope today is a good day.
 
1656409655347.png

Here is my favorite recovery chart.:heehee:
 
Hi there @Dduck1968 I feel your pain! We are the same age and sounds like you are just as impatient as I am! I will be 5 months post op from a skiing accident on July 11th and I was just icing lol. Not a total hip replacement but pinning. Whatever-they cut you open and they put you back together again. Stuff gets shifted around and it hurts! It will get better-just not over night. I just know you will be back to doing what you were doing in a few months-not days. Take your time to do this recovery right and give your body time to heal.
 
Try not to look for daily progress because it will disappoint you. Easier said than done, but try to relax and only allow yourself to reflect back over the past week every Tuesday (your surgery day) and you’ll see the progress you’re making. You have to realize that you’re on the up swing now, it will only get better as opposed to only getting worse as it was pre-op. Chin up, brighter days are on the way! :SUNsmile:
@Dduck1968
 
Thanks Layla. I am going to try that. It seems like no improvement the last few days. So I will think of as a weekly thing.
 
I am accepting that this will be a long while. I am just a little depressed. Not being able to do much is getting to me and I am just in the beginning stages.
I felt the exact same way but this forum really helped me to properly adjust my expectations as did my OS. He told me at 6 weeks I was still early in my recovery then again I think he's really, really conservative.
 
I went to a therapy center instead of home. It was nice to get out of the house. Therapist made me work a little and I had a feel good pain. She also told me what everyone here has been telling me about giving it time.
 
It does feel good to get the muscles going but don't be surprised if you feel tired or sore tomorrow. The soft tissue is still in the healing process so definitely ice if you feel pain or soreness. And take the meds if you need to!
 
I did wake up this morning with alot of pain. But pain gradually went to normal pain after moving around. I am really having a hard time with all of this. I really hope I heal and there isn't any other issue.
 
I did wake up this morning with alot of pain. But pain gradually went to normal pain
This seems normal. You‘re going to have pain and stiffness this early on especially after being idle (sleeping) and also if you’re overdoing it.
I really hope I heal and there isn't any other issue.
went to surgeon today he told me to be patient. He said groin pain is normal.
Please trust your surgeon. He’s the expert and the one that sees patients and performs surgery day in and out. He reassured you that your pain is normal. Hold that thought, especially when you start going to the bad place in your mind.

Your body suffered an assault through the “controlled” trauma of joint replacement and is healing from that. Give yourself the TLC you deserve through taking your meds on schedule, icing / elevating, staying hydrated, eating a healthy diet, getting adequate sleep and rest and remaining calm. I would suggest you back away from PT, which you most likely don’t need and see if you notice a difference. You can always return at a later date. Not sure if you read the BIG TIP from the Recovery Guidelines -

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.

Try to keep your mind occupied and take it a day at a time. The discomfort and pain you‘re experiencing will ease with time. You’re extremely early into the healing process and even a week or two at this point can make a difference in how you’re feeling.

Hopefully you can make some plans for the weekend. Nothing big, just a comfortable visit with family or friends, maybe a bbq on the 4th? Anything you can easily engage in for a short period of time may help with the mental / emotional side of the healing process. Get out and breathe in the fresh air and smell the roses.

Wishing you lots of comfort and peace of mind. Healing is happening and will continue to happen. Give it time…
 
I'm sorry you're having a hard time. From what I'm reading, you have post surgical pain, and mental stress from being laid up.
Both are normal at just over two weeks out from surgery.
You mentioned that your physical therapist made you work and you had some feel good pain. Don't do that! I'd bet that's why you are more painful today.
My pt is in the same system as the OS, so they really understand joint replacement. For 4-5 weeks after surgery pt didn't involve any work or pain good *or* bad at all...it was all about gait, balance, and a tiny bit of ROM. Injured muscles do not need work, they need to rest and heal first.
Don't add insult to injury by overdoing it.
The mental aspect is really really tough. It's hard on us women, but at least we generally allow ourselves the option to melt down and cry. Guys, not so much. It's got to be difficult for you. Can you stay busy with watching youtube videos for a while, or maybe perching on a shop stool and reorganizing parts drawers in the garage? How about slow strolls down the driveway? If you belong to any clubs, maybe there are sit-down jobs you can do to help out? I know it sounds weak and feeble, but that's what working the patience muscle is all about. But if you slow down and back off and stop pushing now, you'll heal up faster and be back to normal sooner. You can't will that hip to heal. It's the boss of you right now.
Wishing you whatever kind of peace you can scrape up in this difficult time.
You know on Seinfeld, what George Costanza's father used to yell...Serenity now!!!
 

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