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THR I made it to the post op side (Barby Doll)

Layla said:
Most often you’re ready to set the cane aside once you discover yourself walking away from it frequently. If it makes you more comfortable to use it while your inner thigh is still bothering you, continue using it for now. See what your surgeon says on Monday at your follow up appointment.
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So today I decided my walking is going well so I am doing some of my walking around the house with no cane. I find I use it more for balance than for support of the hip. Part of that is because I have peripheral neuropathy (numbness) in my feet (unrelated to the hip surgery), so I am being extra careful to make sure I don't lose my balance. But so far so good. I also slept through the night last night for the first time! That felt really good. The night before I was up several times during the night. It's crazy how you can feel tired but not be able to get to sleep.
 
Awesome! It sounds like you’re doing very well without the cane, but if it makes you more comfortable to use it at times, there‘s certainly no shame in using it. Congrats on sleeping through the night! I’ll bet that was a wonderful feeling of victory this morning. Sadly, many struggle with sleep initially, but thankfully it’s only temporary. Things are looking up and you’re on your way, BarbyDoll! :thumb:
@BarbyDoll
 
Hello @BarbyDoll Happy One Month Anniversary!
A flower for you with wishes for a wonderful weekend :flwrysmile:
 
Layla said:
Hello @BarbyDoll Happy One Month Anniversary!
A flower for you with wishes for a wonderful weekend :flwrysmile:
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Thanks for the one month anniversary wishes. The first couple of weeks dragged on, but as I started to get better, the time is going by more quickly. I am walking around the house without the cane and it is going well. I still use the cane when I get up at night to use the bathroom. I went shopping for a couple of hours yesterday and it went well with the cane. I was tired by the time I got back to the house, but no pain. I am trying to stay focused on walking and on doing some simple exercises that PT had me doing.

When I'm walking outside on a cemented sidewalk, I feel like my operated leg is not as stable as when I am walking around inside. I use hiking poles when I walk outside. I don't really need them for support, but they help with balance. I still have some numbness in my foot which I think contributes to the feeling on instability. I think I might be impatient with the healing process- wanting my walking to feel normal but realizing it has only been a month since the surgery. Does that make sense?

I see my surgeon tomorrow and have written down several questions to ask him.
 
You are at the point I call the "one month slump". There are dramatic changes in the first weeks of recovery. Then at about one month out it feels like everything stops. In truth there is still quite a bit of healing going on.

Keep up the walking - it will get to feeling normal soon.
 
Hello @BarbyDoll
I hope you have a nice visit with the surgeon and leave feeling reassured about your progress. Let us know how the appointment went when you have time.
Happy Monday!
 
I met with my surgeon on Monday (about 5 weeks after surgery and he basically released me from his care since I will be flying next week to see our daughter and her husband for a few days, then on to Minnesota for the summer. He was pleased with my progress and answered all of my questions. He is on the conservative side and tells his patient's to follow hip precautions for 4-6 months. But he also demonstrated that I have about a 120 degree bend instead of the 90 degrees, so although I am still being careful I don't need to be too paranoid about going a bit beyond the 90 degrees. I am mostly walking without the cane, have figured out how to take a shower without stressing, have taken the raised toilet seat off of my sister's toilet (her new toilet seat sits a bit higher than most), and am getting pretty good at the golfer's stretch to pick up an occasional item near the floor.

Yesterday I was feeling particularly energetic, and was walking up an incline in the driveway for a few feet, then back down during my walk outside the house. But I must have tweaked my glute muscle again, because after dinner it was hurting like an overused muscle. Today it is fine, but once again a reminder to take things slow and steady. I still have occasional pain in the groin muscle, but it comes and goes and is about a 1-2 on the pain scale. We have company coming for the long weekend, so we'll see how that goes. Happy Memorial Day!
 
Happy Two Month Anniversary!
I hope you enjoyed the time with your daughter and you’re feeling even stronger and steadier since last time you posted. Looks like you’re in Minnesota where it’s feeling more like a Fall day today, than a Summer one. With the drought we’ve been experiencing and the extreme heat. I’ll take it, I’ll take it. :happydance:
Have a wonderful week!
@BarbyDoll
 
Hard to believe it has been 2 months since my surgery. @Layla yes we enjoyed our time with our daughter. Our bedroom was upstairs, so I tried to plan ahead so I didn't need to go up and down too many times during the day. Now we are in Minnesota, and this weekend has been cold! Hoping the weather warms up soon. Recovery continues to go very well. I have been trying to walk every day and slowly increase my time walking. In the evenings I walk outside without my hiking poles. It takes a bit more effort, but I am noticing improvement. I have no pain and no swelling. I can tell my range of motion is improving. I'm not doing exercises much anymore- just concentrating on the walking. I also have steps where I am living here but can now walk up and down the steps normally although there is room for improvement. It seems going down the steps is more challenging than going up the stairs. I feel it in my knees. Not sure why that is. Overall I could not be happier with my progress at 2 months.
 
It's been 12 weeks since my left hip replacement. Overall recovery is going well. Steps are easier than they were a month ago. And I have been able to increase my walking outside to twice a day (mornings and evenings for about 30 minutes each). I have also started walking without my hiking poles during both walks and that is going well. My surgeon wants me to follow hip precautions for 4-6 months, but I can tell that my ability to go beyond the 90 degrees is improving as well. I do find when I rotate my left leg outward, I sometimes feel pain in the hip joint. I thought the rotation inward is supposed to be a bigger problem, but for me it seems the opposite. Any thoughts on that?

I did however have an unfortunate incident last week. I fell in the shower. We were staying with a friend and I was trying to shampoo my hair. I stepped too far to the side of the shower to avoid the water and my feet slipped out from under me. The shower door flew open and down I went on my back. Thankfully I didn't hit my head on anything and I landed flat on my back. The lip of the shower hit me in the back of my left thigh (operated side), not my hip. And thankfully I didn't dislocate my hip! Of course I ended up with a pretty large black and blue bruise on the back of my thigh from hitting the lip of the shower. But all in all I am doing okay. I did not have any other aches and pains from the incident, and it didn't affect my hip at all. So, be sure to stay safe when you're in the shower. It all happened so fast- first I'm standing up and then I'm laying on the floor.
 
Oh, please be careful! So glad you only got bruised up and that was it.
 
Oh my goodness! That fall…how frightening! Thankfully you didn’t dislocate your hip or something worse. You’re lucky. It sounds like you’re doing well otherwise. Thanks for sharing an update. I hope you’re enjoying the Summer!
@BarbyDoll
 
It's been 2 years since my left hip replacement (5 years since my right hip replacement) and things are going very well! I received a notice in my email today from a posting on this site, so thought I would check in and give a brief update to encourage those of you facing surgery or recovering from surgery. Now that I have recovered from my two hip replacements, life is pretty much back to normal. I am taking an aerobic walking class twice a week and playing master's tennis twice a week (started these a year after my surgery). I am really enjoying the tennis, because master's tennis uses a shorter and narrower lined tennis court with underinflated tennis balls. The result is not so much running around the court.
Also, I wanted to add that when I came out of my 2nd surgery 2 years ago, my left hip had a noticeable "click" when walking fast. This persisted for more than a year, gradually getting better (but oh so slowly!) Today, I have no click. I attribute it to the increased walking and movement strengthening the muscles around the hip joint. So if you come out of surgery with a click- it might get better with time. Don't give up on the walking! Wishing all of you a smooth recovery!
 
@BarbyDoll Thanks for the update! So glad you are getting back to living again with those shiny new hips!
BarbyDoll said:
So if you come out of surgery with a click- it might get better with time.
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This does indeed improve with time. Soft tissues, tendons and muscle need to firm up around the new joint. Time and patience is needed.

Well done @BarbyDoll !
 
Awesome update! Thanks for the encouragement! I had some clicking with my first THR that resolved within a couple months. No clicking with the latest (knock on wood!).
 
Hi @BarbyDoll
I noticed it was the anniversary of your Left THR just nine days ago.
Happy Two Year Anniversary! Thanks for stopping by to update. It will be an encouragement to many to read how you’re back to tennis twice a week and taking an aerobic waking class. You’re doing great!
Have a wonderful Spring!
 
Splendid inspiring update. :) :-) (:
Thank you for popping in to share.
Hope your spring is sweet:flwrysmile:
 
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