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THR I Have a New Hip! Surgery on 7/27/15

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Good luck Steelergal with your recovery. My surgery date was 7/24 so we had them replaced at about the same time. I'm so thankful for this site! It's been interesting reading people's comments and experiences.

I know what you mean about the compression stockings. I dislike them too but something about a blood clot that scares me to death. So I just deal with the fashion statement that they are lol.

Swelling anywhere in your leg is going to be normal especially if you aren't elevating your leg or you aren't drinking enough water. Don't be surprised if you feel some pain in your knee too. That apparently is common; what my PT told me.

Good luck with the cane. Take it slow. You'll be putting more weight on your hip with a cane. My lesson learned. Monday, I was "approved" to walk with a cane and it was so nice to be free of the bulky walker that I overdid it. Yesterday, my body let me know that it was not happy with my zeal. My PT changed it for me to walk with the cane in the house and walk with the walker outside. That paced me better yesterday. So just be careful.
 
Well, the first attempt with the cane happened this morning and it went pretty well! Still a bit shaky though, so I'll be using both the cane and walker for the next few days. I definitely like the sense of freedom that comes with the cane! I have a free hand!

The incision site looks even better today. I'm very relieved about that. The visiting nurse suggested using Vitamin E oil on the incision site...has anyone else done that? I don't really care that much what the scar ends up looking like, it's not like it's in a very visible place. But if the Vitamin E oil helps prevent scarring, I might just give it a try.
 
Vitamin E oil is good. I've even heard of people using the vitaminE gel in the liquid capsules.
 
By the way (and I'm not sure the best way to share this with lots of people), but I found the BEST solution of shaving my legs during this whole process. It's been a while since i could reach below my right knee due to mobility issues with my hip, so I did some research and found a long-handled extender for my razor on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Giraffe-Bath-Body-Extension-Handle/dp/B00HXQP3VA?tag=ate362da-20). It's been such a life saver. I told the occupational therapist about it at the hospital and she hadn't seen it yet, but said she was ordering some for her patients. So if anyone is looking for an easy solution for shaving legs (that doesn't require assistance!), I highly recommend this one!
 
@Steelergal thanks so much for info on shaving! It's been a month since my surgery and it drives me nuts that I can't reach below knee to shave! I'll order one right now!
 
Hi there! Glad to see you on the post op side. I'm your age w/ good ol dysplasia too. I hope it's different for you, but I so badly wanted to be healed and driving at 3 weeks.... Well, it's my right leg too and I can't move the darn leg to the brake pedal at 7.5 wks. I drive with my left foot on the brake but only for short distances. I too had posterior approach. For side sleeping i use two, flat-ish, body pillows to support my leg. I ordered a big poofy one, but it was too poofy. So I had two old ones that were squishy and they work, but I couldn't sleep on my side for about 3-4 weeks for any length of time. I could never find a comfortable spot that didn't feel like the op leg on top was being pulled funny.now I always on the side but always with pillows. Hang in there girl. Sounds like your are doing awesome!


RTHR, posterior, 15JUN2015
 
@Tweefishy thanks for the info. I'm still trying to figure out the side sleeping thing. I just can't get comfortable, so maybe it's still too early. Plus, I'm still super nervous about my op leg falling into a bad position.

Here's another question for everyone. For the past two days I've had annoying muscle cramps/pain in my thigh (op leg). It feels like I have knots in my muscles and they're really sore and sometimes spasm a bit. It does feel better when I'm up and walking around, but first thing in the morning the pain is there. Is this normal? And what can I do to make it go away?

Other than that, recovery is going well. I'm 11 days post-op and have stopped taking narcotics. I'm managing the pain well with Celebrex and Tylenol. I hope that continues! My PT had me try out my cane yesterday and I'm still a bit shaky, so I'm practicing with it when there's someone around to catch me if I go off balance. It sure is nice to have an extra hand though, so I'm hoping I get the hang of it soon. :)
 
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I don't know about the sleep or muscle knot problem; I know you'll get a lot of good tips. Congratulations on getting off the pain killers, and getting off of them so early! I'm glad you were able to discontinue them this early.
 
That's awesome your off the stronger meds! I'm a little over 4 weeks and I 'm still taking tramadol but only 2 pills a day. I have sort of the same pain... Not spasms just deep aching high up where the thigh connects on both sides. I think all the pain your describing is totally normal and very common especially so early.
 
Today is my 2 week anniversary of surgery and I can't believe how quickly the past two weeks have gone! I've switched to the cane and am happy to be off of the walker. Still slow moving, but moving!

I'm still having issues with muscle pain and tightness in my thigh on my op leg. I see the doc for my first follow up appointment tomorrow, so hopefully he'll tell me that's normal.

I'm working from home this week to see how my energy levels can stand up to going back to work. I'm also starting with walks outside - 30 minutes each day. It's so great to be outside and getting lots of fresh air!

Thanks again for everyone's help for the past two weeks. This site is such a life saver! :)
 
Hi Steelergal! You sound so great! :yes!:
 
Hi hippie friends! I hit 4 weeks from surgery on Monday and am feeling pretty good about the recovery so far. The hardest thing is that the milestones came quickly at first and now progress is much slower, which is frustrating. I've started back to work, 2-3 days a week in the office and the rest from home. I'm tired still, but it's not too bad. I'm glad to get out of the house a bit. PT is going well, I'm extremely pleased with the PT office I chose. They're supportive and try to answer the millions of questions I have.

I'm still using a cane and don't see much improvement there. I've been using the cane exclusively since week 2, and I don't think I'm gaining strength as quickly as I did at the beginning. Is it normal to still really need to use the cane at almost 4 weeks? I feel like I can't put all my weight on the op leg yet. And I'm still feeling soreness around the incision (not outside, but underneath). Is that normal? I'm so concerned about infection, but there's no redness or fever, so hopefully it's just taking a while to heal in there. I know I have to be patient, and I'm really trying, but it would be helpful to know if this is normal or if I need to be doing more. I've read that some people on this site are off of the cane in a month!

Thanks again for providing so much helpful advice!
 
@Steelergal I'm almost 8 weeks out and still using one crutch. I started physio at 6 weeks and he also massages the incision to desensitise the area. It does help and now I do it myself daily with some vitamin E cream.
I never had a bad limp pre THR and now I have a bad limp, only if I don't use the crutch. My physio assures me to use a walking aid until I build my muscles back up.
Hang in there and try and not to compare yourself with others.. It is very hard not to.. Remember not to rush your recovery, your only 4 weeks out..... Take care


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum
 
Thanks @supsurfer1974! Today I felt a bit better, less soreness. But still not much progress in the last week. I'm trying to remain positive and remember where I was 4 weeks ago! I have to repeat the positive things...I'm not taking narcotics, I can drive, make my own meals, get dressed, go grocery shopping, etc. And my hip WORKS! Now I just need to work on my patience... :nah:
 
Steelergal, at a mere four weeks out, you are back to work AND doing PT. That's an enormous energy drain. And you weaned yourself off of narcotic pain meds pretty early....that's probably why you feel the soreness and still need your cane. I'm not saying go back on the stronger pain meds....everyone makes their own decision on that. But there is a trade-off. What you are describing is completely normal for 4 weeks. After the early gains, the next big leap in progress often shows up around weeks 9-12. You'll see a decrease in pain, more stability and comfort in your gait, and greater stamina. That's actually a tricky time for us hippies....we start to feel so much better that we tend to seriously overestimate our capabilities....it's easy to overdo, strain some soft tissue, and have a setback of pain due to soft tissue inflammation. It requires continued patience to prevent tendonitis of something.

Do keep in mind that FULL healing of all the soft tissue takes a good year...possibly more. Giving yourself the chance to heal completely will pay off for many years to come, so yes...work on that patience. :)

Btw, if you're still have some leg cramping or spasms, many of us find that a magnesium supplement before bedtime helps with that.
Magnesium is a star

Sharon
 
@sharonslp - Thank you SO MUCH for your note. It's just great to hear that what I'm going through is normal progress. I'm such an organizer and planner, that I have a hard time being patient and waiting to see what happens. It's hard to be so out of control with this! :what:

In PT this morning, my therapist gave me the same assurances...he said this is normal progress for 4 weeks and that he thinks I'm going well. The soreness is contained to the spot where a lot of muscles come together, so it's natural that it's still feeling sore. I adjusted my Tylenol intake a bit and switched from 1 every 4 hours to 2 every 6 hours and that seems to be helping a lot with the sore spots. Using the cane is getting easier, so that's been encouraging. Right now I'm just looking for every little thing that's getting better/easier!
 
So, I had a great couple of days last week and then the last three days have been horrible. I know there are ups and downs, but this is so discouraging. I'm still experiencing some soft tissue pain, but now it's hurting when I sit, which is new. And the pinching sensations are happening a lot more, along with more muscle spasms. The location is still near the incision in the outside of my thigh. My physical therapist thinks there may be adhesions forming and did some massaging of the area at my appointment today instead of having me do any exercises. That helped a bit, but is there anything else I can do? Or is it more waiting and trying to be patient? I'm resting and icing as much as I can, but I'm sure it's not enough. I took a percocet tonight instead of just tylenol, so I'm hoping that takes the edge off.

Any suggestions for remedies would be appreciated. Or just some reassurances that this is normal. It's so hard to know what's normal. When do I just ice and rest, and when do I call the doctor to see if it's more serious? Is it just soft tissue pain and soreness or is it something more serious? It's so frustrating, not knowing what to expect! Ugh!
 
Hi @Steelergal Are you getting any relief yet? I feel the same and wonder if I overdid, if it's just normal, but darn, I hate the pain. I am through with PT but started with a massage therapist to help with the pain and lots of ice packs. I even have the dry packs to squeeze to coldness at work. Otherwise, I'm just vegetating and hoping.

Hope you are doing better since your last post.
 
I am five weeks out from hip surgery and I feel like something moves in that area even though I can walk fine with my cane. Both my legs seem to hurt and am wondering if I should be concerned over that movement. Stopped doing that abduction exercise as thought it made my hip hurt more. Any advice would be appreciated, I feel like I am getting paranoid.
 
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