Revision THR Krista's Gluteus Medius Repair 1 Year post THR

[Krista]

@Grannyhippy asked how I was doing on her thread, so I will reply here on my own! Thanks for asking.

It's now almost 9 months since my gluteal tendon repair surgery. In the last 3 months I have upped my activity quite a lot - averaging 6 - 7,000 walking steps per day. I regularly go several places in one day, do more housecleaning, and take walks in my neighborhood. I am sort of able to take the stairs with alternate legs, although there is still some weakness in my surgical leg. I still can't walk outside without the cane, as I still have a bit of a limp and some hip pain, so not 100%, but I can accept it. Everyday I do something to prepare for our vacation/backpacking trip in a month. My husband will carry the packs!

However, all of this extra activity has negatively impacted my osteoporotic spine and back, with pain, stiffness, cracking and weakness. I have to move very slowly when bending and can only lift light items, and I really can't stand up straight. I'm always afraid of hurting it further, and I am terrified that I will have another vertebral compression fracture like I had last summer, with the worst pain and disability I've ever had. I've been on a medication for osteoporosis since December 1, and I hope my bone density is improving. So my back is what is slowing me down.

I went to my orthopedist-spine-specialist today, and he ordered x-rays. Didn't see anything in them that looked terribly wrong, except that I have more curvature of my spine than last year. He recommended that I have lumbar and thoracic MRIs, which I am scheduled for on Friday. Will get results and see the doctor again next week.

He also recommended that I get fitted for a thoracolumbar corset back brace, which will have straps over my shoulders and will help me to hold myself up straighter, putting less pressure on my vertebrae.

So...I still have problems, but I am dealing with them and/or accepting them, trying to get on with life. :cool:

 

[Medfordart]

You are awesome. Hope you continue to heal and feel better.

 

[Mscant]

@Krista, when it rains, it pours. I'm happy to hear that you are getting around better than last year at this time. I hope your MRI's are positive as well, and I know the back brace will help too.

I am getting ready to replace my right hip after doing my left hip a year ago May. My back and knee crack when I bend over too. I have a back brace that I wear an hour at a time twice a day, every day, and I still see a chiropractor once a month. Hoping things will improve for me a little more after the new hip is installed.

We've got what we've got, but we'll just keep doing all that we can to make it better if we can. We sure aren't going to give in to the discomfort if there is a chance we can improve upon the situation! Raising a glass to both of us!


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum

 

[Pumpkin]

Krista,
Glad to hear you are doing well over all, have a great time on your camping trip.
Hoping your x rays, MRI's etc all come out OK.

 

[Horseshoe]

Krista, great to read your positive update! You have certainly dealt with your post op muscle issues with tenacity and grace. Fingers crossed that your bone density has improved. Hope you have a wonderful trip, you deserve it!

 

[Constanze]

Hi @Krista ,
I enjoyed reading your update. You're making good progress. I'm sure your bone density will improve. The extra activity will contribute to this as well as your medication. My orthopedist in my area as well as my surgeon said exercise helps and that's why it's important that I exercise/stay active.
Enjoy your summer! When is your backpack holiday with your husband? Have fun.
Best wishes from Constanze

 

[Jaycey]

As a person who suffers daily from lower back issues - my condolences! That brace may take some of the stress off areas. Fingers crossed on your MRI scan!

 

[gertie]

@Krista Sounds like the hip recovery is going well--I'm so glad! I hope you have a relaxing camping adventure.

My hip is holding up well, which is good news since I'm now in the midst of knee replacement fun and games and the left hip has to anchor the "good" leg.

 

[Irish Joe]

Hello Krista.
I wish you kind lady nothing but the very best.
Sometimes we need to realise the better can be a movable feast.
I'm so happy that you are getting into the countryside travelling again.
The other issues Well you gotta roll with it eh.
Keep on Keeping on krista.
Joe......

 

[chatterz]

Krista, thanks for the update! I'm glad you're still improving and even planning on a backpacking vacation! That's marvelous! I hope the MRI turns out okay and that the back brace helps you. You are such a trooper through all this.

 

[Grannyhippy]

Oh, Krista, If it is not one thing it is another. I am glad your hip is slowly improving as time goes by but the problems with your back are a worry. I hope this won't be too much of a problem when you go on your hiking trip and you will be able to enjoy it. The back brace sounds like a good idea and especially so when you do all that hiking.

May I ask which osteoporosis medication you are on? You may have mentioned it before but if you had I don't remember. I was on Fosamax Plus for many years and decided to stop taking it. When I mentioned this to my first OS he said that if it is taken for too long it can actually make your bones too brittle so that if knocked they have no give in them as normal bone should and they can break more easily. So I guess you can't win either way.

My 90-year-old neighbour who is very bent over with osteoporosis and had a 3 vertebra spinal fusion on May 26th this year gets a Prolia injection for her bones every six months. She showed me the letter from the local medical centre today saying she is due for an injection now. My sister also gets injections for osteoarthritis every six months. Can't remember if she has Prolia or something else.

It sounds like you are under the care of a very good OS for your spine. Keep us posted with the results of your MRIs.

I was looking at my pre-surgery x-ray report yesterday and I too have some mild vertebral wedging in both my mid and thoracic spine and a mild thoracic scoliosis in the opposite direction to my lumbar scoliosis. Incidentally, my back has been feeling a lot better since my revision surgery and I think that is because my surgeon corrected my LLD.

 

[Grannyhippy]

Just another thought. Last year I asked my treating PT her opinion of back braces and she said she was not a fan of them but my PT sister-in-law said her father uses one when gardening or on long drives and it helps him tremendously. The general consensus is not to rely on a back brace constantly as your own muscles will become lazy and lose condition. But, I guess your OS would be the best person to ask.

 

[Krista]

Thanks for all of the encouraging words, folks!

@Mscant, isn't that cracking in our joints unsettling? Sure do hope that your new hip surgery eases things for you in the back and knee departments. I am raising a glass for both of us, too!

@Pumpkln, I had the two MRIs yesterday. It was uncomfortable and difficult to stay lying down on my back, without moving, for about an hour and a half, but I got through it. I had a cardiac nuclear stress test the day before that, and that was uncomfortable, too. Glad to have them behind me. Now I just wait for results.

@Constanze, if all goes well, I'll be on the island on August 16! Other than the gorgeous beaches, which we will mostly have to ourselves, the best part is that I will be able to sit, rest, walk, float in the water, EXACTLY to meet my needs and desires. Nothing that I am required to do. I cannot wait!

@gertie, so you just had your knee replaced a month ago? I hope that is going well for you. I can't imagine another major surgery and all that comes with that. Sending you all of my best wishes for an excellent recovery!

@Grannyhippy, I am taking raloxiphene (Evista is the brand name) for osteoporosis. I will not take a bisphosphonate, like Fosamax. I believe that all osteoporosis meds are only meant to be taken for limited amounts of time (no more than 5 years). I will have another Dexascan in December to see if there is any improvement.

I will be trying on those back braces next week, and I will see how they feel. Physically I am very top heavy, and the extra weight there contributes to my hunching over. Due to the extra curvature of my spine, I simply cannot stand up straight. I had a lot of trouble doing the lying down for the MRI's and the imaging during the stress test. No amount of muscle work that my torso does is able to hold me up straight. I will be grateful for some help from a brace in holding myself up, although I will definitely listen to the experts about how much to wear it. I don't want to lose strength in my back or chest muscles, that's for sure, so thanks for that tip, @Grannyhippy! :smile2:

 

[Pumpkin]

Krista,
Glad the MRI's are behind you, hope the reports answer your questions.

No amount of muscle work that my torso does is able to hold me up straight.

Can be the muscles in front are pulling you down, they are hard to over come by trying to stand up straight.

 

[Miss Muffet]

@Krista - what a wonderful update and I couldn't be happier to hear that you've got such a lovely trip coming up, which will be all the sweeter after all you've been through. All of which you've faced and dealt with with enormous fortitude, while at the same time giving so much of your time and encouragement to other Smarties. Have a great time and relish every moment.

 

[Krista]

I got mostly good news from my testing. The cardiac stress test results were normal. And the MRIs of my thoracic and lumbar spine did not show any new breaks or cracks. But the curvature in my spine is 59 degrees, when anything more than 40-45 degrees is considered abnormal. I got the thoracolumbar corset brace yesterday, and it does a wonderful job of helping to hold my shoulders back. It is kind of large and cumbersome. It is fine while up and about, but not very good for when sitting. So I take it off and on. If I want to wear it under my clothes, I still need a layer between it and my skin. And then I look much larger than I am with big, loose clothes over it. Wearing the brace over my clothes looks really strange. I have been out with it on already, to a restaurant, and other places, and I don't generally care much about my appearance, but this is extreme. I will be wearing it as much as I can, and will figure it all out.

The fact that I can walk pretty well without aids while wearing the brace is another indication that the problem now is mostly with my back, not with the hip. My hip/thigh is not 100%, maybe 85%. It may get stronger with more use, it may not. I can live with it either way.

 

[Krista]

Today is the one-year anniversary of my gluteus medius/minimus repair and hip exploratory surgery. It is 2 ¼ years since my THR. It is almost 3 years since I fell and hurt my knee, which put extra stress on my arthritic hip causing everything to accelerate. It’s been over a year since I had a fractured vertebra and a procedure to stabilize it, and my back is quite bent with kyphosis.

I will never be 100% in my hip and back, but I have a good life! I use a cane or trekking poles when I am out of my home due to weakness in my hip and back, but I have decent stamina and overall strength. In August I went on a 2 week wilderness island camping trip, where my husband carried in all of our supplies, and we spent our days day-hiking on the beaches and trails, all on uneven ground, and sleeping on the ground in a tent at night. I averaged 6.8 miles of walking per day (much less back here at home)! I was highly motivated to see the beautiful sights and visit my favorite beaches on the island.

At home I am now able to do just about everything that I was doing before I fell in 2015, which was somewhat limited due to osteoarthritis. My hip had been deteriorating for years at that point. My recovery from surgeries has taken a long time. I am finally doing fairly easily things like cutting my toenails, putting on socks, vacuuming, and doing stairs with alternating legs and not needing to hold onto railings for dear life. Mostly I still use the rails, but not with a death grip. Yesterday for the first time I was able to go up stairs without holding on.

I am glad that I had the THR, even though I had complications, because the bone-on-bone pain that I had intermittently was so horrendous and getting worse, and I know I would have ended up having to use a wheelchair. Now that the complications have mostly resolved, I can go on with my life, as best as I can, and without the constant threat of that pain and increasing disability in walking.

I am getting back (after 22 years) to doing research and organization of our family tree. My house is cheerily decorated for Halloween. I go on lots of walks and outings with family. My relationship with my husband is better than ever, after 3 years of him having to do way more than his share. I am hoping that I don’t have any more joint replacements in my future, but if I do, I know what to expect.

Thanks to all here who helped me on my journey to finding the correct diagnosis of my problems after THR and then recovery to relative wellness. I always recommend this forum to people I know who are facing hip or knee replacements. May all of you coming here for support have relief and adequate recovery.

Here are a couple of photos that I promised to @Irish Joe of me on my trip this summer!

 

[Pumpkin]

Thanks for the update, beautiful photos!

 

[Mscant]

@Krista, love the pictures and am so very happy that you are living your best, pain free, life. I did not have the horrible complications that you had, with the exception of my knee, and am cirrently recovering from my 3rd joint replacement in 4 years. Having to do all that back to back and still having some back issues can really take the wind out of your sails. This last surgery on my right hip has been the easiest one of them all, and in another month I feel I’ll be pain free too.

I look forward to following in your footsteps as I have 3 major vacations planned for 2018. Moving on!

 

[Krista]

@Pumpkln, your words have been such a comfort to me over the past 2 years. Thank-you!

Woo-hoo @Mscant, so glad you are on your way to full recovery! 3 joint surgeries in 4 years, plus back trouble - what a trooper you are. And three major vacations next year - that's great! My husband will retire soon, so we are waiting to plan our next trip, but I am looking forward to all sorts of fun adventures in the future. I will be in "patient" mode again in December, when I'll have cataract surgeries on both eyes. Will this ever end? I think so!!!