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THR My hip hip hooray journey<

@Harryn1 , no derailment at all. The issue of consent is indeed a thorny one. Mercifully, I work for myself and am old enough to also be a pensioner in the US. Thus, I have no boat in this race.

I tried to meet the PT midway....and now, the good news is that my doctor has agreed that walking is probably the best exercise for general recovery. He did suggest that an OP PT could help me address a toeing out problem that developed as I sought to combat my pre replacement pain. It is all about that pesky IT band. So I will combine walking with some targeted PR, and follow th rule that if it hurts, stop! That means I would be compliant.

Talk with the PT about any concerns ..he or she may be a good listener and respond appropriately. Non compliance probably is more likely described as not showing up for PT or refusing to do it!

Hope that helps...
 
Today, I walked with a cane formth first time. So comfortable, particularly when compared to hobbling around with a cumbersome metal frame! And, when I needed to grab something for the kitchen, I forgot about everything and actually walked there unaided. (Note that I have absolutely no issue with stability and doctor said I could do this for time to time, building up over time.) for those who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s in th US, my response to having done so was to sing a brief aria from Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors when he is cured of his inability to walk! (Look it up on Wikipedia if you need to,). I felt like a child achieving a small feat—so very proud of myself. Now I ice and elevate!
 
Laugh for the day. Totally screwed up my LEFT hand....totally swollen pinkie and index fingers, primarily at the base. Culprit? The RIGHT-handed cane I got from my mom! (Yes, there is such a thing, a molded plastic cane head.) Who knew?
Meanwhile back to the walking frame until my jazzy new collapsible tiny cane arrives tomorrow (bless Amazon Prime). I needed to order an extra short one! I am 5’ tall, and need a 28-29 inch cane. Standard starts at 32 inches. Even the frame is too tall for me! PT said I should have had an adolescent size walker!
Feet up...feet down... felt so good today (day 15) that I sat down at the table to get back to my beadwork (what I do for a living) and got lost in designing. Two hours later, I got up to go to the bathroom -a very good thing- and discovered my right leg, knee to ankle, had swollen. My usually tiny ankle was larger by about 1/4. Dumb me! The beading felt good, but my goodness, the swelling was not s happy-making thing! Sheesh.
Just purchased a new lap desk to solve the problem!!
First pretty day we have had in a week. No rain for a hange. Took a nice walk outside, and looking forward to doing it with just a cane tomorrow. Feeling increasingly steady with no support. Waddled a bit more around the house with no support.
Need to ask: (1) what to use on scar to help it look better over time? (2) when can one go back to using a normal height toilet. At 5’ tall, the 3-in-1 seemed to be a bit much, but I’ve been using it. Would love to get it out of the house ASAP!
THR isn’t for sissies, for sure, but it also hasn’t been as difficult as some had led me to believe! Thanks to this site that lets us cheer each other on!
 
Cane arrived. Works great at 29 inches! Short woman needs short cane! Took a nice walk with it, and am visiting a neighbor in the building today. Getting “out” is a god thing. Will have carry in dinner so I don’t exhaust myself, but plan to cook tomorrow. Hubby will get the goods at the store for me. Also will take a ride to visit 96 year old mother. She needs and deserves the visit. It has been longer than usual, since we normally visit weekly.

So, falling onto a routine. In-home PT comes Monday for last time; outpatient PT begins on Wednesday. Starting to cook more. A lap desk will allow me to work with my legs up. How long does it take before the swelling stops?? I really want to be able to work in my studio! Sitting in an easy chair to bead isn’t easy!!

Thank you to the moderators and all who have cheered me on thus far in my still short journey. The advice about taking it slow, about “exercise”and about other (ahem) issues, has been invaluable! Back to lunch now, and will be checking in regularly.
 
You sound very well..glad you are able to get about so soon.
And already impatient:heehee:
Want these hips to heal up and last a lifetime and it sounds like longevity is in your genes!:tada:
Hard to say how long swelling lasts but at 2 and one half weeks out...all sounds normal!
Hope you have a Good Weekend:) :-) (:
 
Hi @editted Thanks for the update.
Getting out while in recovery is important.
Your home becomes your sick bed and you need time away.
It's like a re-charge. It's good you're breaking away.

You're doing great! Continue to take it slow, you'll avoid wasting time in the ODIC.
Best of luck with PT next week. Remember you're the boss there. If anything hurts, STOP and ice preventatively when you get back home. Let us know how it goes.
A great weekend to you!
 
Weird question that I have t seen answered:
I am using a cane now. No problem EXCEPT, my cane hand is sore. Is it how I am holding the cane? A death grip issue? Putting too much pressure on cane? Just weird.

Otherwise, other than a dull ache along the incision area, the walking is fine. Just a weird pain I the cane hand! lOL,
Btw, too a ride to visit mom (about an hour each way). Hubby drove. I sat back, did ankle work and tried to get my right leg up. Spent about 3 hours with her (legs up no ice) and went home. Exhausted! Went to bed with ice and slept like a baby! No meds!

I will now slow down a little as I approach 3 weeks out. Tho planning a dinner out with friends next week. Hoping for the ok on driving to PT myself.
 
Hi @editted
Sorry that cane is causing you some pain.

Found the tips below on a quick internet search. Hope it helps...

Ensure your cane is an appropriate height. With the cane by your side the handle should be at wrist level.

Make sure you're using it on opposite side of your injured leg.

Increasing the size of the grip or choosing a grip that molds to the shape of your hand can help to disperse pressure.

Assess your needs. If you are placing a large amount of weight through your cane, maybe a crutch would be more suitable.

Keep your wrists as straight as possible, rather than collapsing and putting more weight on your hand.

Strengthening exercises to improve the stability of your wrist and build endurance in the muscles.

A splint can help support the wrist in a better position and rest it allowing it to recover.

Nerve gliding exercises to relieve nerve related pain.

A great week to you!
 
Thanks @Layla !
Apparently, I wasn’t using the cane correctly (per my PT).as I never used one, I simply didn’t know how. I was using it as a crutch...duh! And it isn’t! Now that I am walking as if I didn’t have a cane In hand, it is a lot better. It had everything to do with the wrist as your note suggested!! Yay!
Next step (pun intended) is to find out when I can drive! Gonna check with the doctor about that today.

Some things, I realize, this site can help answer, the car. Well. I will leave that I. The best guess of my doc!

Hooray for this site and for our wonderful camaraderie and knowledge base!
 
Just FYI, @editted , I was using a cane prior to my surgery and come to find out, I was using it in the wrong hand! Duh! Live and learn. It is really more of a support rather than a crutch I found. I was told it was fine to use once I could walk with no limp. After surgery with the OA pain gone, I was lucky I didn’t have much of any limp so that was nice. It sounds like you are doing great! I found recovery goes faster than you think. Just look back a week or two and you can see how far you have come. Pretty amazing!
 
I AM MOBILE,got the go-ahead from my doc to drive short distances. I will drive myself to my next PT session tomorrow. It’s a huge 2 miles away.....small steps!! So excited! Another milestone. Next comes getting into the pool, perhaps another week or two! Huzzah!
 
@GrannyC , Totally agree that the first weeks are gone so quickly, and the progress has been remarkably good and, even, speedy!
 
So proud for you! :dancy:
When we think back a few short months preop...how the pain had affected our lives, our spirits...
It is just the best feeling to know we are going to get back to who we want to be, don't you think?
 
@Mojo333 , so totally agree!
While I am more tired than usual, that, too, is abating. The ache in the new hip is waning and the gait is improving.
It feels so much better than before the surgery, when I worried if I would have a good pay day or a bad pain day.
Hooray for a good surgeon with a lot of experience and a really great team to help me along! (And that includes the folks here, for sure!)
 
Ok, so this is two days shy of 4 weeks out from a right hipTHR with a lateral incision (mid-way between anterior and posterior, right down the side of my hip.) Yesterday and today have been bad days...increasing pain around my right knee and side of my glute which, according to the PT, is where my IT band attaches. The pain is from working to get my duck-walking right foot to start pointing forward again, after a few years of rotating toes outward to reduce hip pain. Should I stop trying and let me toes point out?
I have done my PT classes and I between I have walked heel-toe, and done minimal if any of the PT exercises. I have been icing madly daily. BUT the IT-related pain seems to be heightening...at least yesterday and today.

Thoughts, suggestions....input from anyone who has has the same experience?? Au secours!
 
@editted I have no advice but want to follow this post and what others say. I too had same approach, side and have duck foot. I'd love to know if there is a way to correct it without doing outside PT!
 
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