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In pain, confusion and uncertainty after 4 months

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Jamie!!, I just noticed you are in KANSAS! It looks like were are really going to have to keep our eyes and ears open and hunker down (as hard as hunkerin' is for me right now) during this tornado season. As slow as I am now I'm going to need a kiddie slide to get down through the trap door in the floor and under the house, (we have a huge hole below the peer and beam foundation). I suppose if one comes my way the aching hip will recede to the back of my mind. I'm a lot more nervous about tornado "watches" than I was about earthquakes growing up in California (-no time to watch for, and get anxious about an earthquake).
Well, God willin', and if the creek don't rise-there should be a clause in that about tornados-we'll make it through the season.
Thanks again for your support, Hunkerin' Jim:pray:
 
I'm not exactly what a "nerve conduction test" is. Is it a myleogram? If so, they can be a bit painful. But you wouldn't want any pain medication to interfere with the test, so I would ask before taking any pain medication. However, if you can....I would. No sense hurting any more than necessary.
 
Yes, I'm on the eastern side of the state so even though we are in "Tornado Alley," these days we don't really see all that many. The weather guys get all hyped up every year, but the bad storms miss south Kansas City where we are.

But we are prepared to hunker if need be. You're in west Texas, aren't you???
 
Yes, Jamie, we're up here on the caprock (3600 ft.) in the Texas panhandle-the last real stop before NM (or Oklahoma, for that matter). -glad to hear that you're generally clear of tornados. Yeah, the weather guys go berserk here too. They stop just short of saying, "Take shelter and wait for the end of the world!":shk:
Of course, when I'm hurting and can't move much I can get into that kind of thinking too (fortunately, they wont let me get on TV when I get like that).
I'm really joint-hurting this morning-don't know why-but I'm thinking of popping a hydrocodone before I go to work. (haven't taken a pain pill in almost a month) The nerve tests sure make sense to me. Of course, I'm like the guy in the hospital who had the sense to put the pad of Kentucky (KY) jelly on his toast.
Thank God there are people more...more sensical? than I am.:pzld:
Jim
 
You're so funny.....sorry you're hurting this morning. I think a pain pill sounds like a great idea. Hope it does the trick.
 
I am glad to hear that you get in the pool some. How often do you go? Can you walk pain-free in the water (even if you have to weigh next to nothing by standing up to your chest or more)?

I obviously can't give any medical advise but I can tell you what worked for me. I had heard of incredible recoveries by people that worked out 4 hours (or more) in the pool a day...even some that were told they would never walk again. It made sense to me because in the water I become virtually weightless and all my bones, ligaments and joints are floating without the stress that gravity normally brings. I could do all the exercises in the water pain free that caused me enormous discomfort even in bed (one of my legs probably weighs 35 pounds and even sliding it adds even more from friction... and so on). When injured gravity is not my friend! But in the water movement ranges from effortless to as much resistance as you want to create (by just moving faster and faster in the water).

I just started walking forward, backward and sideways at the beginning in the depth of water I found that removed all the pain (above my belly-button). Soon I was running in all directions, doing jumping jacks, cross-country skiing, treading water at the same depth... then after a few days I could do it in progressively less and less water depth (so I was able to put more and more weight on it pain free).

Today only 4 months after my surgery I am playing tennis almost every day (some light doubles but mostly just rallying back and forth right to each other....which is what I really love doing anyway :) I am 60 years old and put the surgery off for 6 years (not being able to play at all and with a horrible limp).

Before I started using the pool I could not stand on just my new hip for even 1 second without intense pain and feeling like it would collapse. Now, after 2 months in the pool (5 times a week for 1 or sometimes 2 hours) I can stand on just my new leg all by itself while I do lifts and swing the other leg around without any pain!

Someone told me that exercising in water not only builds my muscles and connective tissues from the resistance but that the increased circulation that comes from the aerobic movement does perhaps even more good by delivering "rush order" all the building blocks needed to heal or grow strong.

When I was 13 I learned how important circulation is. I had an allergic reaction to a medication and had to be rushed to the ER I was itching so bad I wanted to tear my skin off. There they gave me a shot of something and within 15 seconds or so I felt normal again. I exclaimed WOW what was that?? They told me adrenalin... and that all it did was just make my heart pump faster so my organs could clean my blood. Yes, circulation makes that much difference! Remember...kids don't try this at home without consulting your doctor... yada yada .... Glad to hear you're getting 2nd opinions!

Btw, at home I tried to be flexing my leg, "squeezing my buns together" and pumping my ankles all day long even while just sitting watching tv. ....adds more circulation too!
 
Well, I've actually tapered off. It seems that just about anything I do in the way of exercise, including pool work, aggrevates the hip, much to my frustration. I really want to find out what the kink is.
-sure glad its working for you. Jim
 
Hi Jimbo,

This is my first time on this forum and I wanted to reply to a few things I've seen in this thread. My THR was on 2/5/10 and I'm coming up on 12 weeks. I had the new anterior replacement, so my early recovery was quick ... my PT does have a pool with a treadmill and it really helps in normalizing your gait, but not many PTs have them - I was lucky! I was very active weeks 8-10, then had an overuse injury. I went back to my OS for Xrays, as I was in a lot of pain with the prosthesis, but they were normal. I was told it was muscular and could take 2-3 weeks to heal, so I'm back to only walking 3-4 blocks unassisted, and have nagging muscle spasms around the surgery site. THR can be a bumpy path for some of us, I guess.

I did have a number of tests, including an EMG when they were trying to diagnose what my severe back/thigh pain was before they diagnosed that I had severe hip arthritis. It's not a fun test (but much easier than a THR), and you don't want to take pain medication because they need to see your responses to the various nerve stimulation studies. You want to demonstrate your actual pain to get accurate results. It's not the worst thing we've all been through who have had THRs!

Perhaps you want to ask your Dr. about medications that will dull neuropathy and radiculopathy (nerve pain). I take Gabapentin because I have residual nerve damage from back surgery, and also have damage to the femoral nerve from the THR. It really helps.

It looks like from your posts that you are working. I can't imagine working right now, as I can't sit or stand for long periods, nor is my endurance that great yet. Are you working, and if so, what kind of activities are you doing? You may be re-injuring yourself. I've read it takes 3-6 months for good recovery. I know some people can't be on disability like I am, but you can ask for Reasonable Accommodations so you aren't doing anything that causes harm to you. Frequent rest breaks, special chairs, or even telework if your job can be done from home are things you can ask for.

I see a few people here who are walking miles and/or playing tennis after a few months (BTW, I was told tennis is off the list of things I can do as it involves running and quick movements), but everyone heals at different rates. I do hope they find out what's causing your pain and weakness as chronic pain can really get you down. Having had Sciatic nerve pain, your symptoms sound a lot like it and if you had the posterior or anterior/lateral (side) approach, nerve damage is a possibility. Again I can't stress enough what help medication gives me for this type of pain. I resisted my Dr. for years, but was very glad when I finally listened to him. The burning and pins and needles sensations really calmed down.

I wish the best of luck to you, Jimbo.

Leslie
 
Hi, Leslie....welcome to BoneSmart. Excellent post on this thread. I hope we hear more from you!
 
Leslie,
Welcome to the site! Thanks for your input about medication. I'm going to call the neurologist's office this week and ask about the effects of pain meds on testing. You're right, the pain can't be any worse than what I have already been through. Once I get a verdict on the nerve stuff, I'll press them towards a treatment.

I talked to surgeon #1 last week on the phone. He rambled on about 10 minutes, supporting me in the second opinion, and he indicated that if the nerve or nerves were damaged that the screws or a screw could be taken out of the prothesis as it has "grown into the leg". That the first I have heard that. In fact, I heard more from him in those 10 minutes than I have heard from him in the last 6 months. :skp:

I may have the best of all work situations, I get to sit and visit/confer/work in a comfortable chair with about 20-30 souls a week in my private office (I'm an old school psychotherapist). I get to set the stage any way I want it. It's getting out and about that is a challenge, but I'm doing pretty well at that. -just have to alter my expectations a bit.

Whereas I would normally be preparing for a 100 bike ride in NM (later this month) about now, I am relegated to trying to clean up the yard a bit-and that is slow going. I am taking a pain pill infrequently, only when I am very aggrevated. I am experiencing more emoitonal pain now-frustration, occasional despair and uncertainty than acute pain.

I did get out to the ball park this weekend and see a 17 year old grandson hit a 3-run homer in an extra inning in a ball game. I took a tumble on my crutches going down on the last step of some stairs there, but 100 or more people rushed in to pick me up. -got to take some pleasure (and some assitance) in what there is to see and to do at this point in my life.:thmb:

Best wishes and regards to you, Leslie. Jim
 
Oh Jim - are you all right? Hope you didn't hurt yourself.

Glad you got to see grandson do his thing! That must have cheered you up.

I must admit, I have no idea what your surgeon means by taking a screw out of the prosthesis. The only screws I know of in a THR are those holding the shell in place and to remove them would mean redoing the entire cup assembly. "does not compute" :sct:
 
Hey Jim,
Well your poem was just beautiful but I know you're feeling down and hurting. I am so sorry for that cause we all get so disgusted with the pain and discomfort after a few weeks and here your are going into months and months.

I have a had a nerve test two years ago. I heard so many stories and I am a huge baby so I was practically crying when I went in. He said I should never listen to all the stories I hear and then started zapping my legs! It wasn't hurting as much as it was just shocking on some nerves. I am sure you will do fine and maybe they can tell you something.

When do you have that test, it is soon isn't it? I am sure you're right, the weather doesn't help you out. I feel my bones aching here too when the storms come and they seem to hit everyday lately. Not like you guys get out there with the tornadoes. We had one here two years ago and it came with the hurricane and it pulled my bedroom window and everything with it right out the window. Did about 4 floors like that, I am on the top so now I get nervous every time we get wind. You better make some kind of a slide for yourself to go into the cellar with!:D So you can get down there!!!

By the way I am sure your grandson made you proud!:D:D:D That is a nice memory to have but the fall wasn't so good.:cnsl: Hope you're ok and didn't do any more damage to yourself. Sounds like you could use a nice hot tub also!!! I think they are wonderful for pain, but then we have to get in them somehow!:pzld:

You take care of yourself and don't be so discouraged although we sure can understand how you're sick and tired of hurting. At least you have your:dogkiss::dogkiss: to love you!!! Hang in there Jim, your turn is coming....
Sandy
 
Hi Jimbo,

Taking a tumble is something I really dread! I hope you didn't hurt anything.

I have to admit I agree with Josephine that there should be no screws in your prosthetic, except perhaps in the cup, and that's unusual. They pound everything in place and usually don't even use cement anymore, unless you're much older than 60 and inactive. Sure doesn't sound like you! I watched a video of my type of hip replacement and wondered why I didn't wake up with a pain pump, with all the sawing and hammering. My pain management was lousy the first 2 weeks because anterior replacements are supposed to be so easy ...

Even if a "said" screw was causing nerve pain, the damage would be done. More likely is that the surgeon damaged nerve and/or muscle during the surgery or misaligned the prosthesis. I don't think I'd let him operate again if you need revision surgery, and we'll pray that you don't. He won't admit he made a mistake - I don't know a surgeon who ever does.

Working as a therapist shouldn't be too hard on you; I thought you may be doing more physical work. There is the strain of driving and moving around more than if you were off work though.

Good you're getting a second opinion and the neurologist is the best one to advise on pain management for the EMG and in general. I just wanted to let you know there are medication options if nerve damage is irreversible. Most of my left leg is numb from the back and hip surgery and it does get me down. I can't wear jeans or stiffer fabrics comfortably yet. Good thing I can wear skirts :thmb:

We all have our down days. I was supposed to go to Palm Springs and warm weather this week, but the injury almost 2 weeks ago made me cancel my trip. I'm left with the cold and rain, but had to be honest that flying and traveling was too much. I go crazy being patient with healing, but run into some wonderful people at the gym, and hopefully here that remind me this path will get easier; it just takes work and time.

Thanks for the warm welcome to this forum from everyone; THR is a hard journey, but easier to do it with people going through the same thing.

Best,

Leslie
 
Oh Jim!
You seem like such a good sport but I can imagine the frustration you feel, like you said, that emotional despair is tough to deal with and you can't just take a pill. I sure don't have any suggestions but I just wanted to tell you again that I'm praying for you, and that they can figure out some way to make things right. I'll bet your grandson was thrilled that you were there to see him hit that home run!! I'll be going to a lot of little league games in the next few weeks - bringing my cane, most comfy lawn chair and a big cushion on top of that to watch my 11 year old. I hope you didn't hurt yourself in that fall- yikes!
 
Yes, Jo, I'm okay. For some reason it wasn't a hard fall. The general public has been very helpful and considerate with me as I bump and slip around.
The screw thing doesn't compute for me either. There are some big scriews holding the cup in, and it seems to me that everything would have to come out if they pulled them. And like I implied, I couldn't get a question in edge wise with this guy. I'll take the story the surgeon #2 when I see him and see what he says.

The nurse at the neurologist's office told me on the phone I could take my meds, any pain meds or even a tropical umbrella drink-NOT!-before the nerve tests (05/12). But I'm taking the day off, and they probably wont do a breathalizer test...

Thanks for keeping track of me. Jim
 
Paradox

Sitting, breating, trying to relax
Through the pain in my hip,
My body holds on in spite of my intent.

The darkness only frames me in,
Closer to my rising desperation.
I have where to go except the where of a torrid mind.

Only then do my muscles let go
Unable, unwilling to keep the same grip
That the head-hold has on my person. 04-28-2010

Leslie,
Yeah it is tough at times, but I'm not having the really acute pain-the kind where you don't want to be touched- I had some months ago. -just can't stand on the joint and not getting the mobility I want.
You are reminding me again of the constant need for flexibility in the course of our recovery. Certainly the storms speak for letting go of the expectation of invincibility.

Yeah, I wish I could wear a skirt, kilt, sorong or something easy once in awhile. I've never really been comfortable in jeans, and I get tired of targeting the pant legs laying on the floor (it's still difficult to raise and aim the leg under the new hip).
I really need some kind of big hoist where I could lift my body up and place it in pants as well as lift and swing myself around the yard to water and clean the few beds I have.

Glad you're with us. Jim
 
Good, Karen! Take the cushion! I had to sit on some steps on the bleachers as the stands were fillled when I got to the game (still trying to estimate time for slower transport of my self). I did take a cushion though, and it made the sitting tolerable. The home run made it even more comfortable. I could have taken a lawn chair and set it somewhere. It's a good example of my trying to get beyond where I'm at and assuming that now, at 6 months, I don't need all the parphanalia anymore.
I know you will enjoy seeing your little leaguer. In fact don't we enjoy :bow:so much more now that we can get out more? It's just getting there (parking at the stadium was difficult) that's the challenge. :skp:
Thanks, Karen, for your concern, Jim:thmb:
 
Leslie57 said:
I have to admit I agree with Josephine that there should be no screws in your prosthetic, except perhaps in the cup, and that's unusual. They pound everything in place and usually don't even use cement anymore, unless you're much older than 60 and inactive.
Click to expand...

Juts to put the record straight, there are about 4 types of prostheses that require the shell to be secured with 2 or 3 screws before the liner is clicked into place. They are uncemented types. But less than 40% of THRs are done using those. The other 60% are cemented in and generally age/activity has little or nothing to do with the choice.
 
Jo,
Oh, yeah! There are some BIG, long screws in there-at least three, and the kind you get to attach a 2X4 to the wall. But I don't know if they are cemented (would the surgeon say they could be pulled out if they were?).
Jim
 
Jimbo,

Sorry to hear about your situation. I was recently revised after 18 months of determination to push through my pain. Weight bearing was difficult at times and I hurt throughout my glutes/thigh/knee region. I had a ct scan,bone scan,and x-rays and all looked FINE! My last push to my surgeon to express my discomfort was when he FINALLY thought I may be subluxing. Turns out I was chipping metal off of my liner into my hip joint causing major muscle weakness. But this was only determined through a hip aspiration. All this to say, don't give up on finding out the reason behind your pain. I never thought it could happen to me since everyone around me has had great success with their replacement. I'm only 38! But I knew deep down something wasn't right. It has been tough but I can tell a MAJOR difference in the way my hip feels now verses the last one. Much better!

Good luck and keep moving forward!
 
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