THR itsahippy recovery thread

itsahippy

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Well the waiting & worrying is over - The Op is done!

First on list so not too much time to panic

Can remember speaking to the Anaesthetist & that’s it!

I found standing up on zimmer or crutches quite tolerable from the off. Sliding on off bed however was excruciating. Finding methods to make it more bearable now though still the most painful part of the process for me. I’m ok with stairs

3 nights / 4 days in hospital ( I was running a high temperature for a bit ) now back home & trying to find my way around

Hoping each day will b better
 
Welcome to Recovery! :welome:
It sounds like you had a bit of a rough start but things are going well for you now.
Following you'll find the Recovery Guidelines which contain many informative articles to guide you as you begin to heal. Stop back often, we'd love to follow your journey and cheer you on along the way.
A great week to you!

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. Here is a week-by-week guide to

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each, member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice. @itsahippy
 
Glad that you are home and ready to get on with your recovery!

Getting in and out of the bed can be challenging.....and painful as you mentioned. I found a very sturdy, relatively inexpensive bed rail type of thing on Amazon that I bought to use right after I got home to help me getting in and out of the bed, since I live alone and there was no one to give me a hand. It was easy to set up/use. I only ended up using it a couple days, but have loaned it to others to use following their recovery from various surgeries, and they found it really helpful. If you think you may have pain getting in and out of bed for awhile, it might be worth checking out:)
 
Debru4's suggestion may be worth looking into. The bed rail sounds like a great idea.
My family has been passing recovery articles around for a few years now
between several of us experiencing THR's and another family member will have a knee replaced soon.
In addition, we're all aging and sadly some of those items may come in handy sooner than we had hoped.
I just don't want to look at them gathering dust in my home, someone else TAKE EM! :heehee:
Hope you're resting comfortably.
@itsahippy
 
@Layla---had to laugh--the last person to use my purple flowered cane, bedrail set up with handy bag to hold phone, etc. and my shower chair was my son-in-law. :heehee:

A couple weeks after his surgery he went to a job site to see how things were going and the people there got a charge out of the flowered cane! He's 6'4'' and pulled it off with finesse! He loved the bedrail with bag so much he didn't want to give it up, even after he recovered---said it was handy--haha! His wife (my daughter) said it was time for it to go!

I too anticipate lots of recycling of the assorted assistive devices! I can share the Amazon link if anyone is interested in the bedrail:)
 
:hi: Glad to hear you are home.
I was able to get more comfortable (somewhat) when I returned home but it took some days to get into a recovery routine. These were what I called my "what did I do" days.
Thankfully, before long I was able to relax and reused All Temporary.

Healing hugs coming yours way!:friends:
 
Thanks @Debru4 Although I was in a world of pain when i got it wrong earlier... I think i have figured a good way to get into bed now

Reverse on and about 1/3 way across i rest my op leg on top of my other leg & bring both round carefully!
 
Thanks @Mojo333

I spoke to hospital today & sounds as though i have not been resting enough! Fear of dvt has kept me from staying still to long, but I should be having more bed rest as my leg is very swollen - doh
 
@itsahippy - it's vey strange the first few days but it gets better all the time - each day you will find you can do more and more. Make sure you keep a log of progress so you can see how you progress. I am 3.5 months in and can now walk decent distances again. The only problem is I don't get away with having a bad hip as an excuse for not doing chores anymore.
 
I have a purple flowered cane!
Are you icing? The best thing for pain and swelling is ice. Seems to be a well kept secret among some medical professionals but it's common knowledge around here.
 
@Eman85---I am impressed that you have a purple flowered cane! Clearly a man who knows exactly what it takes to recover and get around in style:)

Agree completely about the ice.....I have been guilty in the past of avoiding icing. I don't like being cold, and ice always felt uncomfortable. I wish I had been more diligent when I had back pain and other pains over the years. I iced diligently with my hip pain before and after surgery, and it was incredibly helpful.
 
Thanks @Debru4 Although I was in a world of pain when i got it wrong earlier... I think i have figured a good way to get into bed now

Reverse on and about 1/3 way across i rest my op leg on top of my other leg & bring both round carefully!

* Update: Told the ‘putting leg on leg’ thing is a bad idea as breaks hip precautions so they suggest using a pair of tights or something to hook your foot...
 
Yes, allocate time to rest, ice and elevate. At least twice a day in these early days and icing for 45-60 minutes.
 
CLUNKY...

Not sure if i’ve been getting ahead of myself & not taking quite enough care - nothing extreme but I am starting to notice a clunking feeling/noise as i move my leg - possibly more when turning

Super paranoid if i’m not careful it will pop out now! Being much more careful & relaxed with my movements
 
Clunking, popping - all part of recovery. When muscles and soft tissues firm up around the joint again this will all just fade way.
Stitches out tomorrow!
Major milestone! :happydance:
 

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