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THR I had no idea how impacted I was

My groin pain was practically debilitating before THR. I had a Physical Therapist tell me that it was the bodies way of trying to protect the bad joint. He said in those circumstances the brain tends to turn muscles either all the way on or all the way off. I did have some groin pain that came and went in the early days of recovery but at almost 4 weeks it seems to be gone completely. :happydance:
 
Hi Chris1962, Gosh girl, I am so sorry. You are experiencing some real ups and downs and wish I know something great to say to you. The spasticity sounds pretty rugged, at best.
As for groin pain after the THR, I think it's from the hip socket, the acetabulum, that is prepared to receive the new cup during the replacement. Not everybody experiences it post op but I sure did and it would act up whenever I overdid things. Sometimes it was just from doing extra when prepping for my shower and forgetting things that made me walk back and forth to my closet. Simple things like that. I found that if I rested and iced more it would ease up in a day or two but the groin pain for me? Lasted the first 6-8 weeks.
Your daughters sound like good fun, and I think you getting emotional seems cute to them.. but I am sorry you sat for far too long on uncomfortable chairs. It doesn't take much to get so exhausted and sore.

Your spasms sound pretty awful and it does seem likely that the post surgical pain might be aggravating your MS symptoms.
And hey, of course you will vent here! That's what we are here for, to listen and help troubleshoot things together. As for the leg not straightening, Many of us couldn't like flat on our bed, it was too uncomfortable for the new hip, I loved my lift recliner for several weeks, kept my legs softly flexed and elevated and helped my sleep patterns. Ok, who am I kidding, it helped me sleep but can't really claim to have had sleep patterns! I was grabbing an odd hour or two day and night. :heehee:

Hang in there and hopefully you were able to reach out to one (or more)of your doctors and are getting the required testing done.


take care and update when you can. :flwrysmile:
 
:hi: You just passed a special day...
Happy One Month Anniversary! I hope you had a nice Christmas.
Happy healing as you continue the journey!:walking:
@Chris1962
 
Thank You, Layla, I particularly like your little one foot in front of the other emoji. (you all are like my own help me keep moving forward team and I really seem to need it so again Thank-You)

I really do appreciate the sharing of personal experiences. It does make me ease my worry. To know others had this silly groin pain, leg straightening business, heck all of it. Crickethip, Elf and FCBayurn I breath easier hearing your counsel and personal stories. Elf, I will ice more, even my groin burrrrrr, xo

My lovely daughters have returned to their city. I do love them so. However, I found it easier to sleep last night. I oddly have found I am an auditory sufferer. Thank gawd I live alone. I was able to moan loudly but it also relieves the stress/discomfort and muscle spasms. To get in front of them if you will. If I catch them soon enough I can demand they stop it and relax. My muscles apparently respond to my voice! I can breathe through them, slow them and prevent the vice grip part. This I can manage.

One month Layla. :kitty:
 
Auditory sufferer, I like this! My mom did this, too. I could tell that it helped her to breathe out better. She had pulmonary fibrosis so anything that helped!
Glad to hear that you slept well last night, may that continue! :chuckmarch:
 
:happy-new-year-smiley-emoticon-4::banana-santa::kitty:A very healing and happy New year to all!

I drove today!

Blessings for us all in 2020

My days are getting much better. I am still using a walker for longer endeavors but have managed to use a cane while picking up things at a store!!!!

I will get on top of my hip spasms at night and have been heartened to see some others have experienced these and tho they sometimes took some time to subside, they did.

Happy, happy New Year and thank you all. Till 2020 xo
 
I read enough here to answer my own questions, sort of.

So I am able to move about with one cane but it is very uncomfortable. Not so much as uncomfortable with pain but my gait, my balance. My stride is precarious feeling and if I were to observe myself I would be afraid that that person "me" seems unsafe.

I guess this means I am not ready to venture out with only a cane but need a walker.

I read about people going for walks and I want to do that too. I see that the recommended recovery is to walk but it appears to evade me. I guess I must use my walker until I can manage a cane with-out so much fear.

Spending so much time reclining, sitting up and generally doing very little makes me wonder if I am doing too little. Should I be taking my four-wheeled walker out and trying harder to exercise or will my walking get better with time as I do my regular activities - house, cooking, laundry (with a walker) and my additional lurching jaunts to the store?

I am icing often but I find elevating my leg gets uncomfortable. I feel like I want to stretch it all out, straighten my leg with no groin pulling and flop my legs open, apart but I am pretty sure this movement is a no-no at this time. I am tired of not being able to clean my bottom easily. When does this change?

Oh dear, I think I am in a progress funk again. :scratch::kickedout:
 
I started by doing exercise walks outside with my walker, spending time making sure I was walking in proper heel toe steps trying to completely eliminate any limp to my walk. That took going pretty slow in the beginning but I've had knee issues for so many years it was like learning to walk again. My muscle memory wanted to put me right back to limping again. I found it useful to do this so I could really concentrate on my gait, which I tended not to pay as much attention to when moving around the house. I did have to replace my tennis more often though. :heehee:
 
I used my walker for quite some time and it didn't really stop me from taking walks, even if it was only in grocery stores and such. My husband would often remind me to slow down. :running:

If elevating your leg is bothering you, try resting it out flat or put a rolled towel or something small under your ankle. Continue to ice wherever you need it, not just the area of the incision. When you say you want to flop your legs open I'm assuming you mean just lay with them a little ways apart? They don't have to stay tight together. Actually in the beginning it was suggested that I sleep with a regular pillow between my legs when laying on my back. Now, if there is maybe some kind of restriction then you need to check with your OS. If

I'm guessing you're a bit stiff making it hard to clean easily? Eventually you will loosen up. There is an actual product on Amazon that has been mentioned that helps with that after surgery, it's a stick/wand of sorts.
 
I also used my walker for a long time (it had the glides on the back) at the store, down the driveway, in the park. I didn’t care-I just wanted to be moving. Then it was the same with the cane. As long as I limped significantly or had to go long distances, I used the cane or at least had it with me. I’m talking about 10-12 weeks. Then, I just didn’t need it anymore. I didn’t worry about the time frame just my comfort. I had ongoing issues with tendinitis so I relate to the stiffness and decrease ROM. You have unique circumstances that play into this as well. Use what makes you feel the most safe and comfortable and allows you to move again. Going for walks was my best therapy for my body and my sanity. :heehee: I hope it is for you as well. Hang in there. It just takes the time it takes but most of us are not very good with the “p” word (patience.) Keep us posted.
 
When you use your walker do you take strides or do the wedding march? In the house I put tennis balls on the back legs of the walker so they would glide. A rolling walker would work well outside on good flat ground. My best early walking was done with a shopping cart at the super Walmart.
I don't know what your restrictions are. One of the stretches/exercises my OS recommends is lying on your back move one leg out to the side, like a windshield wiper, It makes my leg feel looser. The rolled towel under the ankle while lying down or sitting with your foot on a hassock will stretch out the back of your leg, 15 mins at a time.
The cleaning of the bottom! For me baby wipes are the real deal.
 
Thank-You all again. I will definitely try the rolled uplift under my ankle, this makes sense for that lift and stretch. 15 mins will give me the stretch and in a manageable time frame. I will be mindful to move my hip leg out to work that tightness a bit more than I have been doing. I do use a pillow between my legs, I have a weird sensation that my knee turns in a bit so I arrange my legs apart, prop the opposite side up, tuck my operated butt up and in (pillow tucked between) and my leg feels "right". I think by open I mean with my knees bent I want to flop them open, dreaming of sitting with my feet together and my knees out. Like sitting crosslegged. I wonder if this is a possibility in the years ahead?

So the walker it is as I relearn to walk. Eman85 I am able to walk well with the walker, my marriage march happens without the walker and flower girls straight up follow me when I walk unaided. The wedding march made me chuckle as I could not put a name to my weird gait and blame my independent streak for never have had first-hand wedding walk classes. Should that ever happen in the future I am now ready!

My dear hip friends, you are truly the best. I will stop the nonsense of not wanting to use my walker in public or just rush to healing in ways that are unwise. Yes, patience is hard, it feels like it has been so very long that I have been compromised. It is true that I may also need to factor in my MS leg weakness as a reality and figure out the best way to understand its impact on my new joint. I have done my requisite tests (blood, urine) required prior to seeing a movement person at my MS clinic. I may need a better understanding of how to work my particular hip (some sort of modified strengthening, stretching and spasticity management). This too will take patience and time. Thank-You so much for this indispensable reminder to take this slow and know I am not alone in this. I so appreciate that many of you share your own time frames and confidence that things will loosen up in time and with care.

baby butt wipes are gonna be git tomorrow straight aWay. Hugs, kisses, flowers and love and thanks.:puppysmooze:
 
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I told my wife that the neighbors probably thought I'd had a stoke when I first started using the walker outside in the neighborhood with my knee but I didn't really care, those that knew me were supportive and the rest can ......
 
My PT person said I could let my bent leg go out to the side- it was not breaking any restrictions. Of course I did not bend it up to 90 degrees even at first. The first place I did this in was the recliner since I could rest it against the side. In bed, I used some pillows to support it at first plus the wall - bed is against the wall. Your other leg of course non operated you can move every which way, just moving that leg out to the side and bending the knee made it feel better at first with my operated leg straight. This position does not really stress the hip in the direction that they used to pop it out of joint so makes sense that it is safe but I went very slowly as to how much I moved it to the side to make sure the rest of my muscles were OK and I did not stress any muscles or tendons.

You might want to double check with your OS if they object to you moving the leg in that direction just to be sure.
 
Can some one advise me? This is my first experience in a forum. Am I writing in the correct place to share my experiences with my THR? Thank you
 
I have officially flirted with the overdoing it club.
I braved the driving but only took my cane as reported. I received counsel to use my walker until I am a better walker. Did it again today with the addition of carrying heavy groceries.

It is easy to overdo it. Pride, vanity, eager to be well. I will reflect. Until then I am leg up, icing and avoiding the insane news out of the USA. I am gonna watch the Golden Globe awards. (while sending out healing vibes to Australia and the world in general).

If I did not have this wonderful forum to help me understand this journey I would be so confused and feeling alone in this. Big love to you all.

I also find myself lying to people in public and shaving off two weeks of recovery as though that helps anything. This is a very revealing and potentially growth inspiring journey.:angel:
 
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