THR MeowWoofMomma's Recovery Thread

[MeowWoofMomma]

Thank you for your kind words. I'm really grateful for the support and information that I've been getting from this forum. It is truly priceless.

Not only do we all recover at different rates, but it's a roller-coaster ride.

That's me for sure

 

[Eman85]

My PA says the pain is normal, and will come and go for the first year. He says at this point most people are at 80-90%. Hmm, I feel more like maybe 70%?

He must have some exceptional patients. next time ask him how his THR recovery was. 2 mos in you're doing fine. 3 mos is usually the next point where you feel marked improvement and most still aren't 80-90%. I'll never be 100% ever again, the calendar keeps clicking off days.

 

[MeowWoofMomma]

Thanks for the support Eman85. It's good to hear the real deal from folks who have been through it.

I think I've been over doing it with walking the hills around my home. Even though they don't seem all that steep when I look at them, my thigh and hip seem to think otherwise! I'm going to back off for the next few days and resume icing, to see that if that helps.

 

[benne68]

Even though they don't seem all that steep when I look at them, my thigh and hip seem to think otherwise! I'm going to back off for the next few days

Perfect! Listen to your body. (Even though it sometimes tells us things we don't want to hear! )

 

[Eman85]

Hills are not what your leg wants now! There is very little flat ground around me so I had to drive to walk on flat ground. The Super Walmart was my walking place especially in bad weather, I had my hips done in winter. On nice days there is a flat walking track at our park in town. It's small so it's boring but in the early days it worked great and it has benches for when I needed to rest.

 

[Layla]

Hope that ice is working wonders and you’re feeling better on this two month anniversary.
Happy Two Month Anniversary!
Best wishes as you continue the journey.
@MeowWoofMomma

 

[MeowWoofMomma]

Finally received a copy of my medical records, and read through the surgical notes. Pretty interesting... An awful lot of cutting and pounding, and rotating of the leg. They even inserted and removed a "trial head and neck" to confirm sizing, before inserting the actual hardware. No wonder my thigh muscles are traumatized! I am much more sympathetic to their pain now

 

[benne68]

No wonder my thigh muscles are traumatized!

Yep! It's amazing the amount of carpentry work our surgeons do in there. The good news is that, our bodies do a really good job of healing if we just let them.

Take care!

 

[diane71]

I just want to thank you for documenting all this. It's such a strange little journey, isn't it? One day I think wow - I'm doing great and the next day I feel like I can't do anything like as much as I did a week ago! I'm 8 weeks out and I know I'm getting better but some part of me thought that at eight weeks I'd be dancing! Ha! But I'm increasing my steps little by little and trying to NOT use the cane, although it very much helps me to avoid the limp I've developed over the 5 years of bad hip! I'm grateful to read about your journey as it makes me feel I'm not on my own, and I'm just writing now to say that YOU'RE not on your own and we're all rooting for you! You're doing great!

 

[Gloucestergal65]

@diane71 @MeowWoofMomma
Still using a walking stick at 6+ months bet feeling stronger all the time and my app show my limping is reducing. My physio said she knew someone who took a year and a half to get rid of the limp, but in the end she did. Onwards and upwards. At least it’s weakness rather than pain.

 

[MeowWoofMomma]

One day I think wow - I'm doing great and the next day I feel like I can't do anything like as much as I did a week ago

So true! It's definitely a roller coaster ride.

I'm just writing now to say that YOU'RE not on your own and we're all rooting for you!

Oh, thank you! Sometimes it does get lonely on this journey, and it's so good to know that there are others who are on the same path, walking beside you

 

[MeowWoofMomma]

Still using a walking stick at 6+ months bet feeling stronger all the time and my app show my limping is reducing.

Good for you

It's so encouraging to know that not everyone is out hiking 6 miles a day and doing pickleball at 3 months post-op! (although I'm happy for them too)

It reassures me that I'm not doing anything wrong, and my body is doing what it should, gradually healing all those traumatized muscles, ligaments, and bones. We'll all get there eventually

 

[nasruddin]

Hills are not what your leg wants now!

(For the OP at 8 weeks)

This calendar is something I really want to understand. When is it reasonable to expect you can walk hills safely and with minimal pain?
Maybe a better but more useful metric is, when can you expect to go up or down a flight of stairs normally, without aids, rest, or handrail assistance?
I think the range of when this happens is what is useful to know.
It's useful to know if you're way behind, and it's useful to know if you seem really far ahead of schedule.

 

[Eman85]

Hills are not what your leg wants now!

(For the OP at 8 weeks)

This calendar is something I really want to understand. When is it reasonable to expect you can walk hills safely and with minimal pain?
Maybe a better but more useful metric is, when can you expect to go up or down a flight of stairs normally, without aids, rest, or handrail assistance?
I think the range of when this happens is what is useful to know.
It's useful to know if you're way behind, and it's useful to know if you seem really far ahead of schedule.

There is no precise timeline for any of it, only generalizations. Despite what the 5 color brochures and all of the testimonies tell you this is a pretty complex operation much like being hit by a truck inside an operating room. In life you hear about people dislocating fingers and shoulders but you don't hear about someone dislocating their hip. it takes a lot to take us apart and the whole healing recovery process is the healing of the damage done due to dislocation of the joint more so than what they do to our bones. Every one of us and each of our hips are different and recoveries vary. For me the recovery of my left was different in ways then the recovery of my right.

 

[myglasshalffull]

Nasruddin,
The timeline for any of these activities is as individual as each person is.
And can change on a dime if you overdo it one day because you start feeling better.
You are having surgery in July???

 

[Layla]

Happy Three Month Anniversary!

my body is doing what it should, gradually healing all those traumatized muscles, ligaments, and bones. We'll all get there eventually

That’s right! Great attitude!

 

[MeowWoofMomma]

Hi Layla, thanks for the support!

I'm at 3.5 months now, and my leg is feeling so much better. I'm walking my fur kids twice a day, about 2.5 miles total. I can navigate the hills around here now, and I've lost the penguin walk

I still have nearly constant pain in my thigh at a 2-4 level, but it's focused only in the very upper thigh around the incision. The muscles are still a little swollen and tender there. I figure this is where they put the C-clamps to make room for the demolition and reconstruction. It's just going to take a little longer for that trauma to heal.

I also have some hard lumpy scar tissue around the incision, especially at the top end of the incision. The hard tissue extends into the groin area, and causes pain every time I bend over or try to lift my leg. It eases up if I lay flat and gently massage the area. I wonder if others have this type of lumpy scar tissue?

I find myself sleeping at night flat on my back with my knees bent at a 45 degree angle. It seems to help ease the pain in my upper thigh and groin area, and I wake up with very little or no pain (until I start walking again).

 

[Layla]

Hi MeowWoofMomma,
Thanks for the update!. It's good to read your leg is feeling better. At only three months post op there is still a lot of time for healing and room for improvement. Ice the areas that are causing pain and discomfort. It's certainly not too late for that. It should slowly ease.
Best Wishes...stay in touch!
@MeowWoofMomma

 

[Mr.fun]

@MeowWoofMomma Are you able to put your shoe and sock on the hip replacement side?? Are you able to pick things up off the floor yet?

 

[MeowWoofMomma]

@Mr.fun, I've been able to put my socks on, though it's a struggle and causes pain in the groin. I use slip-on sneakers for shoes (with elastic shoe laces). I was able to pick things up off the floor from day 1, bending from the waist with my legs straight. I can still do that, but now it causes pain in the groin, especially if I bend my knees.

It's been 5 months now. The pain in my lower thigh is gone, and the numbness on the right side of the thigh is only about 20% of what it was. I still get minor tingling in the area, so the nerves are still healing, but it seems all is well with that part of my leg.

The pain in the upper thigh has improved slightly in the last 4-6 weeks. It's still a little swollen and sore mostly to the right of the incision, and I still have hard, lumpy scar tissue, particularly around the top of the incision. It burns and aches at a 3-4 level, mostly when I'm out walking.

However, the pain in the groin area seems worse than it was. I feel like the scar tissue is pressing against the femoral nerve and the hip flexors, causing pain. Also, I used to be able to lift my leg easily, but now it's difficult and painful to lift my leg. I feel like I'm going backwards in this respect. When I lift my leg, I can feel the muscle tighten under the scar tissue at the top of my incision, resulting in pain. It's eased if I lay flat and gently massage the area.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. If I go back to my OS, I'm quite sure that I'll be scheduled with the PA, who so far has been decidedly less than helpful. I suppose I could try to see a different surgeon, but I'm wondering if that is premature. After all, what can they really do about scar tissue? I'm tempted to just wait a few more months and see if this resolves on its own.

On a separate note, I've been thinking about going to the local community center pool and trying some gentle water exercising. I'm hoping that might help loosen things up a little without applying too much pressure.