THR Kelly's Right Hip Recovery

Glad the step worked, Kelly. I misunderstood and thought maybe you’d been using one of those adhesive grab bars attached to your shower wall.

We have a walk in shower, so I took my walker right in with me for the first few showers. It did offer the security I felt I needed. Only problem was hubs had to wipe up the floor as the water drained from it each time I exited the shower and after about three times, he put the kibosh on my new ritual. :heehee:
Just a FYI if you ever take it out of the bathtub after a shower, put it on a bath towel to soak up the water that leaks out of it.
 
I am keeping this as a diary of recovery. Today is day 10 of my recovery. I can walk without aids but I mostly use one crutch as it is easier to move with the assistance. It is no pain with assistance and a small pain without. I just walked to the end of the street and back and it was easy! I used on crutch. 12 houses down and 12 back.

Most of my pain is with my incision when I sit down. There is a lump of swelling where the bandage is. I groan when I sit in a chair and it is uncomfortable for me to sit for too long. I am trying to ice the incision more.

But the dizziness and fatigue are gone. I can easily walk up the 13 steps to my bedroom, much easier and less painful than sitting down! I am moving up to my own room today, I really feel out of place in the guest room. I am going to have my dog walker make two or three trips up with my clothing.
I have been carrying things up with several trips since my studio is upstairs.
 
@Layla !

That was funny!! Luckily for me I don’t need the walker for anything else than a secure handle in the shower. I do have the grab thing as well and the step is a godsend, thank you so much for that! I often shower downstairs, it would cost too much to redo the bathroom. But with the step and the walker it is a slick step in shower for me!!

I did not want the walker, the pt at the hospital did not want me to go home the same day! My daughters ( who are much nicer than me) negotiated that I would leave and take the walker! Now I am glad I have it because it solved a bathroom problem!
 
You’re welcome, Kelly. I was only sharing a tip suggested by a member a few years back.
I did not want the walker, the pt at the hospital did not want me to go home the same day! My daughters ( who are much nicer than me) negotiated that I would leave and take the walker!
You know the old saying…”everything happens for a reason” neither you, nor your daughters knew that walker would come in handy. It is awesome you found a use for it that will keep you safe.
 
@Layla I have a procedural question. When I click onto my recovery page I am always at page 1 and have to click each page to get to the end so that I can add something. Is there a faster way to do that?

Today is day 11 and I slept until 8 am! I do feel so much better after a long sleep! My only pain is in the incision, it hurts when I stretch it to sit down. I am starting to wonder if the bandage is too tight! Has anyone taken off the bandage prior to that two week appt? My only pain is alongside my outer thigh?
 
Hi Kelly,
What I do is click onto the last page of the members thread, using the page numbers that are displayed right above their avatar over their initial post. I click on the last page right away then just quickly swipe to the bottom, or last post to read it before responding. Hope this helps, if not let me know and I’ll try to explain it better. :wink:
 
Today is day 11 and I slept until 8 am! I do feel so much better after a long sleep
Proof that our body does its best healing as we sleep. Take advantage of naps if you feel sleepy during the day in these early weeks following the “assault” your body recently endured.
My only pain is alongside my outer thigh?
Have you tried icing several times per day, at least four or more if you can tolerate it? Always icing for at least 40 minutes. Icing can be annoying and boring, but if you’re not doing it on a regular basis, try committing for the weekend and see if you notice a difference in the pain you mentioned above.
 
Of course you have me sized up well!! I have a pile of pillows on my bed, I lie down leg elevated tuck in the ice pack and what? After about twenty minutes I think of the joy is strolling around or remember that I have to water my flowers with the hose or that I need to run upstairs and get my book!!! I can hang on for thirty min most of the time. But then the need to move takes over!!!

I have become so aware of the discomfort of sitting! I paint standing up and I zoom around most of the day, I rarely sit much until the evening!! I have put my knitting next to the bed, I knit hats and scarves for homeless people while I watch tv! Of course I have to “work” in order to enjoy tv! Perhaps I can extend my bed time with ice fot this eeekend!

I always feel better with a goal in mind!! You can see why I live alone!!
 
@skigirl I’m glad no one decided to take your walker from the curb before your daughter retrieved it! I haven’t yet pictured in my mind how you converted it to an assist for access to the bathtub, but your saying it works better for you than the Grab Bar Handle suggested by @Layla, with which I was quite impressed, convinced me that it really works for you. Well done!
 
My only pain is in the incision, it hurts when I stretch it to sit down. I am starting to wonder if the bandage is too tight! Has anyone taken off the bandage prior to that two week appt? My only pain is alongside my outer thigh?
I also have a lump at the top of my bandage where the incision is. Chris said that will dissolve and go away. The PT who did the pre-op physical therapy class told us that a recliner or lift chair reclined is important to use during recovery so that the incision will be stretched and not become tight. I have used my lift chair reclined all the time I sit, which is what I do most of the time, and I have not had any discomfort from the incision. Occasionally I have a sharp twinge in the side of my thigh, which I ascribe to the nerves activating, although I don’t know if that is what is happening. But that is no problem.

I am not a medical person, but I do not think it would be a good idea to remove the bandage before the two-week appointment for it to be removed. After my last bandage was removed at two weeks, which was just three months ago, the incision was covered with sutures, which I was cautioned to not remove. The nurse said the sutures would begin falling off on their own within a week to ten days. I think it took a bit over two weeks for all of the sutures to fall off. Your incision has not fully healed, and I think removing the bandage prematurely could result in problems.

I don’t have a problem being still as you seem to have. You have been physically active for many years, so that may be why you have the need to keep moving. I was unable to comfortably walk unassisted for over two years before my right TKR on July 19, 2021, so I have been accustomed to a less physical life style for quite some time. And there is a lot of sitting in the work I have done for many years. I had always enjoyed walking and hiking for pleasure and exercise before my knee slowed me down, I don’t think sitting still will be a challenge for me even after I am physically able to be more active.
 
Last edited:
@Layla I have a question. I am pretty sure I remember the doc telling me that weight bearing helps the hip heal. Obviously there is a limit which I see in your message of limited walks, then longer ones.

I have been using one crutch in my left hand and now my scrawny arm is sore! I can walk with no limping of my right leg and I do inside. Some people sat their docs want them to use assistive devices for a proscribed time, three weeks even six weeks.

I remember with my left hip that I walked into the office for my check up with no crutch and my doctor was happy! So, is there some rule of thumb on using a crutch or cane? I don’t have a cane myself, they look useless to me, a crutch is easier to carry than A cane which would put pressure on my arthritic hand. A walker is out of the question, it is too bulky to be useful. Unless you live in Tara, it does not fit in bathrooms, hallways or many doorways! I would never use one on a sidewalk, they are so tippy!

What is the time period for assistive stuff ?does it help the hip to weight bear?
 
Yes, weight bearing is necessary, but obviously not to excess initially. I don’t recall if I was given a time line for assistive devices, if anything, I feel like it was more of an “estimated” time you’ll need / use this or that item. It truly varies though from patient to patient.

You remind me a lot of my mom. She came home from the hospital after her second THR with a cane after one night spent there at age 80-81. We told her we weren’t comfortable with that and preferred she’d use her walker for awhile for support and balance. She unhappily obliged for several days, then tossed both to the curb within about a week and a half because she maintained the assistive devices “get in her way”. There is no arguing with her when she makes up her mind and she demonstrated she was steady on her feet and cautious, so what could we do…nothing!

I‘m the opposite of you that I found a crutch awkward and I was more comfortable with a cane. I began using a cane on about day 11-12 and by my first post op appointment at three weeks I was walking unassisted. However, I did carry my cane to my appointment I recall, because I was uncertain on how they’d feel about me not using it.
Also, I hadn’t been out of the house much since surgery because it was very hot and humid (despise) so I decided to carry the cane for the security it offered, or in case I felt fatigued.

The time varies. The assistive devices help us maintain balance while walking, standing and sitting down. They reduce the stress on our leg and reduce the chance of us slipping and falling while walking and getting up from a seated position. Safely practice around your home where you can scale kitchen counters and backs of your furniture and if you haven’t already, one day you’ll realize you’ve walked away without your assistive device. Once you’re feeling comfortably steady on your feet, I believe it’s safe to wean yourself from your assistive device. Good luck, go slow, be careful!
@skigirl
 
@wander03 , Believe me think your approach to life is easier than my pell Nell rush! I am obviously the ADHD kid who could never sit still and annoyed everybody else!

At age 78 I can plunk myself down for some time as long as I keep my hands busy knitting or sewing! I just finished watching all of Bridgeton, although with many breaks!

I have always been able to sleep at night. I hit the pillow at 10:30-11 and wake up with no alarm at 6. My last hip I slept regularly! With this hip I have been tossing and turning all night! ! I think part of it is that I Amin the guest room. Today I am moving up to my own bed. I have meant small boxes of stuff like underwear stacked on the stairs. I will just carry something up every trip. Last night was the worst. I don’t have a recliner chair just an arm chair with ottoman, a rocking chair and a couch which I never sit on. I mostly sit on the rocking chair. (No surprise there!). Sometimes I put the ottoman next to it.

I moved around all night, finally at 3 am I took two Tylenol and fell asleep in the arm chair. I am hoping my own bed helps tonight.
 
@Layla i am still laughing at your mom story! I am sure you could trade stories with my daughters! They are always telling me to be less blunt and that brutal honesty is not the best policy! I remember when Lyndon Johnson showed his gall bladder scar to the press. Alice Roosevelt Longworth ( who is one of my favorite people) remarked, “ Thank God it was not a vasectomy”

I think your mom and I could be friends!
 
Kelly,
Glad you are doing well, you'll be ready to hit the slopes this winter. My husband is looking into Whistler, senior passes, if you ask specifically for Whistler, are less than a day pass for an adult.

I just go to the right of the thread listing the date or time above the members name and click there, it takes you right to that post.
Chris
 
@Pumpkin look at whitefish Mountain Resort too. Last year a senior pass for over 70 was $135 for the season. Whistler and whitefish have similar snow, lots of powder but particularly in January problems with fog
 
@skigirl I just looked back at my journal to refresh my memory: I was instructed to remove my dressing at 1 week. I know every doc has his own protocol. The only problem was I still had to keep the incision covered and I started to get blisters from all the removal and retaping of dressings. I was so relieved with my follow up appointment when he said I could stop. So, I'm not convinced sooner is better. Lol. In regards to the assistive devices, I remember the rule of thumb as being as long as you are limping or feel discomfort/instability, you should use a device. I thought of it as a tool and I felt like I needed it (my cane) longer than most. My surgeon was okay with it. So if you and your surgeon are okay with your choice, then who's to argue, right?

Skiing was never on my radar but I sure know how excited I was to start planning my camping trips again. To be able to hike, cycle, and fish again, well, I felt like I had rejoined the world. Blessings for continued good healing and rejoining the world very soon.
 
@skigirl I used to rush around in most everything I did. There was so much to do and it seemed there were never enough hours to get everything done. Actually I suppose I slowed down only when I was required to do so, when my right knee started having problems.

My daughter used to encourage me to be less blunt, but she also used to be embarrassed when I rode on the carousel atop a horse. She is now probably as blunt as I, although usually in a less abrupt way, and she only comments on my most egregious comments, which occur much less often than they used to. As the years pass and I mellow a bit, I try to be less abrupt in my bluntness. However, we both still believe that honesty is the best policy, but perhaps it isn’t necessary to be brutal in the truth. Jennifer is now rarely embarrassed by anything I do. Her attitude seems to be, “That, folks, is my mom!” I think I do less outlandish things than I used to, but I would still ride atop a horse or other animal on a carousel given the opportunity. Unfortunately, most no longer allow adults to do so. :giggle: However, Jennifer has absolutely forbidden me to climb up on the back of the horse outside P.F. Chang’s.:no-fin:
 
Last edited:
LOL we have tread similar paths. I have often embaressed my daughter who dressed from Talbots's when she was a teenager---probably in response to her hippy mother. I have also mellowed with time---honesty is still there, but holding my tongue has helped my way in life. In Mall of America, adults are allowed to ride the carosel and I still lose the ostrich but he does not go up and down, for that I love the rabbit!!!
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,054
BoneSmarties
39,364
Latest member
All2Gd88
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom