Intro and some questions

WestyII

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Hi everyone, I'm Westy and I'm having a full left hip replacement on 6/27. I'm 65 and a very active long retired guy. I've been a cardio fanatic forever and played a ton of sports in my youth. My main sport was hockey, which I played at a very high level. Never made pro, but did get several try outs.

Cut to the chase. The last several years I've been experiencing groin pain on and off. I had a CT scan first. They diagnosed me with a deep muscle tear and prescribed 10 weeks of P/T and an injection. That did nothing to help, in fact, it made it worse. After many months of living in pain I called the Primary Care Doc and said, we have to get to the bottom of this. He sent me for an X-Ray and it was UGLY. Bottom line, in under a month I went from X-Ray to having surgery for left hip scheduled for June 27th.

Here's my most important question for you all that have had this surgery? Can you make it through the recovery process without narcotic pain killers? Why would anyone want to do that? Simple, I'm highly allergic to all forms of Opioids. They make me feel like a zombie and I get all kinds of anxious and other strange feelings when i take them. My body seems to reject them in any form. Because of that, I'm looking for some real answers. Is it possible to tough it out through recovery right after the surgery, or is this impossible? I do have a very high tolerance for pain, but I've heard that this surgery leaves you in a world of hurt once the surgical anesthesia stops working

Any advice on what to do? I can't avoid this surgery, that's for sure. Even if it means dealing with level 10 pain for days. I can't live like this any longer than i absolutely have to. I'm in pain all the time and it's no fun.


Thanks for the forum and members, i appreciate being able to inquire here.

Westy
 
I had very little pain after the surgery. I did take a few pain pills, but my pain level was so low, that I went to Tylenol almost immediately. my highest level was about a pain level of two. Never did have level 10.
 
Hi @Westy -

My surgery is scheduled 8/5/19, but I was quite concerned about pain management when I first found BoneSmart. On the other forum (Recovery), I found many individual descriptions of both (1) post-op and recovery pain and (2) names and dosages of the medications that were prescribed, and there is quite a variety. There are several posters who, like you, have an adverse reaction to opiates, and each found their own way to manage. I learned that ICE and ELEVATION are the BoneSmart go-to remedies for supplemental pain control and to help post-op swelling.

I know the mods and others will chime in with lots of valuable information to support you very soon. And I hope you’ll have a great consultation with both your surgeon and your anesthesiologist about this, so they can come up with a plan you feel confident about.
 
A lot depends on your body and your tolerance for pain. For both of my surgeries on the day of surgery and into the next day, I don't think I would have wanted to go without something fairly strong on the painkiller front. Share your concerns with your physician so that you can work out a plan ahead of time. It's a major surgery, and you definitely don't need the added stress of finding out you might need something with more oomph than Tylenol. There are quite a few flavors of opioid (and other pain killers), and there may be one that might work for you without giving you too many side effects.
 
:welome: to BoneSmart and great you are going to get a new hip so you can get back to a full happy life. I love my new hips!:loveshwr:
I don't tolerate opiates well, and most especially any codeine based ones. But I am sure I needed something stronger than Tylenol especially right after surgery...
There are alternative cocktails...and I was given pain meds that did not have codeine.
Still didn't necessarily like the way it made me feel...but necessary in the short term, for sure!
All temporary!:yes:
 
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Hi,
Welcome to BoneSmart. Thank you for joining us.
I agree with dlp above that it's individual and will depend upon how you tolerate pain.

For me, and I'm assuming many others, my surgeon injected a local anethestic into my surgical incision just before the end of the procedure. It was designed to release pain medication over time and controlled pain for up to 72 hrs. I took 4 Oxy and then no more. Toradol (anti-inflammatory) for 5 days. Then onto Extra Strength Tylenol for about two weeks. I do have a high pain threshold but I also iced like crazy! If I was sitting or laying down, I was icing. I fell asleep with an ice pack and refreshed it during a bathroom run halfway through the night. I truly believe it helped tremendously with pain and swelling.

Below you'll find a list of Recovery Aids and an interesting article on how long your new joint will last.
http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/...visions-how-long-will-my-new-joint-last.4491/
http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/recovery-aids-a-comprehensive-list-for-hospital-and-home.12499/

Stop by often, we'll be here and try to help in any way we're able. We have Recovery Guidelines we can leave after your surgery and would love to support and encourage you as you're healing.
Have a great day!
@Westy
 
@Westy You will find many of us on this site who have the same issues with the heavy duty pain killers. I never used them post either THR and was fairly comfortable. There are many alternatives. Discuss your concerns with your surgeon and anaesthetist. Then work with staff while you are still in the hospital to get your own pain management cocktail just right.
 
Hey, @Westy, I'd never taken opioid medications before my first hip replacement surgery, and although I didn't love them (felt foggy headed and weird but they did help with pain) I found them useful that first week. I think that discussing your concerns with your OS would be helpful, and I would hope they could find alternative forms of medication other than opioids which would help without the nasty side effects. Within a week I was off them completely during the day (I took oxycodone at night for about 3 days, then switched to Tramadol for about a week and a half, but then after about two weeks total it was just extra strength Tylenol at bedtime and one in the morning). And, oh yes, icing really does work well. Elevating my leg was a big pain and I never did that, but some folks say it also helps.

I was like you in that I was an avid exerciser (although absolutely not at your level, just at the gym regularly) and the good news, from my perspective, is that I think the fact I was in relatively good shape beforehand (did exercises, very low level but something every day) meant I had good core/glute strength and that really helped me maneuver and manage more easily than I'd imagined. You're going to do great--best of luck to you!
 
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I've had the same experience in the past with opioids but not after THR. Whether it's the true need for pain relief or the difference in what they gave me they had no effect other than pain relief for me.
I really like the part about a Dr. diagnosing a deep muscle tear and giving you an injection and 10 weeks of PT! Think about that and then apply the conclusion to your THR recovery. That's like cutting yourself and the prescription is to tear the wound open every week for 10 weeks and see how it heals.
 
Thanks for all the comments. I see my surgeon for the Pre Op meeting tomorrow. We'll see what happens. I'll find out the method he uses, posterior or anterior. I've read about both methods. My cousin had a THR done via the posterior method. For whatever reason, he said when he gets the other side done, he's going to seek a a surgeon who does it via anterior??? At this point, I am pretty much getting mentally ready to deal with whatever pain comes and just deal with it.
Looking back over the years, I've managed to play through complete games (hockey) after getting teeth knocked out or having my nose broken. (Many times) I've had deep muscle injuries from participating in various sports that have lasted for a long time. At my gym, we used the "cocktail" (alternating between Tylenol and Advil.) Always had great results with that. I don't know how healthy it is, but it worked like a charm.
I'm going to concentrate on icing as well. I've always been good about that after long workouts or runs. My knees are in decent shape today only because I've always iced them after long sessions.
I can't wait to get this over with. At the same time, I don't like that my body needs this much repair. I guess you pay the price when you over use and abuse certain joints. I suppose genetics play a role as well. I never believed in Glucosamine in the past. Now I wonder if I should have?
I appreciate your comments and support. Thank you all very kindly.

Westy
 
I never believed in Glucosamine in the past. Now I wonder if I should have?
I tried to believe in it...but apparently my endstage OA ignored all attempts to placate my bad hips.
Gone at age 53:unsure:
Good news is, I now have brand new hips and can't even tell their not the ones I had when I was young!:egypdance:
 
@Mojo333 Well, sorry to hear it didn't help you and now i don't feel guilty for not taking it. :)
 
I take it for my other joints to stay off any problems for as long as possible.
 
Huh, I guess I never considered glucosamine beforehand as, of course, I was clueless that I had arthritis until it really smacked me in the face--I don't think you can regret not doing something if you had no clue you needed it! And, I'm betting that it probably wouldn't have prevented that arthritis. At this point, no use worrying about the "woulda, coulda". Onwards!
 
I took glucosamine chondroitin for years. I kept hoping it would help with the arthritis in my knees. Did not really help since I needed them both replaced. I knew about the knees since my mid 40s. However, when my hip popped up needing to be replaced I figured there was no help when OA strikes. Now the other hip and right along my thumb joints have been hurting. In fact the PA at my PC office suggested taking glucosamine for my thumbs and I just laughed and told her if it did not help after years of taking it - it is not going to help now and I spent enough money on it over the years. Normally I am a believer in supplements but this one proved to be not working for me.
 
Just wanted to say welcome to the late June THR crew. We're almost there! You've gotten comprehensive replies to your question about pain meds. I'll simply add that with my first THR I was glad for the relief of strong stuff in the first 24 hours and then was fine with acetaminophen and ice--not pain free but the pain I had was tolerable (unlike the pain I had with knee replacement).
 
Good Morning,
Wondering how your pre-op went yesterday...I hope you had all your questions answered.

I haven't heard many stellar reviews on Glucosamine, but what works for one, doesn't work for all.

We share the same surgery date, only I'm two years ahead of you. Believe it or not, time has blown by.
I wish you the same good result I had, I believe you're going to love it! Wishes for your comfort as you wait out these last few days.
@Westy
 
Happy Wednesday, Westy :wave:
Well...tomorrow is your big day. Stopping by to wish you all the best.
Please start a recovery thread once you're resting comfortably.
We'd love to follow your journey and support you along the way.
God bless!
@Westy
 
:wave:All the best for a nice long nap waking to a brand new hip.
Will look for you on the healing side!:ok:
 

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