THR My recovery journey<

[Arlene56]

@Krista That is so nice that your sister lives next door and that she is a nurse as well!! My sister is a nurse but she lives in Indianapolis.

Did you say a few posts past that your husband and daughter are/went hiking? Do you have any other children?

What is a 'THA'? Total hip adjustment? What do they do for that? Who was your surgeon for that? I went to Dr Paprosky. He was wonderful. I have a friend who had him replace her hip last year. She spoke very highly of him. Then in the fall, I was at a shoe store where I started up a conversation with this lady. She mentioned she just had hip surgery and her surgeon was Paprosky. Then a friends Dad had surgery from him as well. So I knew I was in good hands. I was going to have a Dr out by us perform the surgery but decided against it. He misdiagnosed me this past fall with an ankle sprain instead of a broken ankle. So decided he wouldn't be a good match for me.

Well sorry this was so long. Better get to bed.
Have a nice day tomorrow! Talk to you soon

 

[Cynthia777]

Great update! You're doing so well and regaining your pain free life is awesome!

As far as your surgeon having developed a new instrument that works every time...cha-ching!

 

[topaz]

How are you feeling now the staples have been removed @Arlene56? Sounds like you're doing really well, hoping your "leg of lamb" isn't bothering you as much now.

 

[Arlene56]

@Cynthia777 Cha-Ching is right!! I mentioned to my hubby if the other 39 patients and I would be referenced in any of his articles. You would think the new patients would get a discount or something...am I right ?? If only.

 

[Arlene56]

@topaz Yes, Leg of Lamb is slowly going away. The staples are out. Still tender but doing ok.
How are you doing? I hope you enjoy your day!

 

[Arlene56]

@Cynthia777 Hello. I have a question. Had staples taken out on Monday. Wednesday I could take bandage off and let incision air out and dry. Nurse said I could wear bandage during the day if I wanted to protect it. My question is what type of underwear shouldn't I wear? I just want anything to happen to incision. Would like to protect it somehow.
Thanks

 

[Cynthia777]

OH gee, @Arlene56, I'm def not the one to give advice on underwear, as I go commando! I did wear a pair at my last OS appointment (6 weeks) and they are the high leg cut. My guess would be cotton panties because cotton breathes and definitely not a pair that cuts into your incision until it's fully healed.

 

[Arlene56]

@Cynthia777 Thanks. I do have cotton but the boy cut. I bought this style as it was recommended for surgery

 

[Arlene56]

Day 16. Recovery is going well. My leg is still swollen but is decreasing in size

Incision is looking good as well. Still a bit swollen but not red or infected. I got staples removed on Monday and it was a piece of cake. My concern is now there isn't a bandage over incision to protect it. I am afraid I will bump into something and hit my hip and cause the incision to bust open. Or if I wear my yoga pants that are a bit form fitting, it will irritate the incision. Geez. So confused at times.

I have been walking more in the house. It's been either too cold, rainy or snowy to walk outside. Looking forward to walking around the block.

Pt is going well. I had a new therapist this week as my regular is on vacation. She had me do a few exercises I don't want to do. One is squats. She also had me standing on op leg and do heel lifts. After 10 heel lifts, my incision started to hurt, so I stopped.

I really am torn about what I should do concerning PT. I understand it is important to help build and strengthen muscles. But when do you know a particular exercise is not helping? When your incision hurts or has a pulling sensation?

My knee is stiff as well. So I can't bend it like my good leg knee. I don't know if I should push through the stiffness as it doesn't hurt.

I guess my concern is how I can strengthen my knee and hip if I don't have therapy? I read a lot of recovery posts about where people are already walking 20 or 30 min at a time by now. I guess I don't want to overdo it or not do enough. My husband thinks I should work through the pain and plough right through. I don't agree with that.

So I am confused on what to do.
Thanks for listening

 

[PS46]

Hi Arlene

I am pretty new to all of this myself, having had my first THR a couple of weeks ago and I went at it like a bull in a china shop initially! I realise now that I was totally wrong and I should listen to what my body (and this excellent forum) tells me what to do! So that is what I am trying to put into practice

The first thing I would say is don't worry. What other people can do and what you think you should be doing may be helpful indications, but everybody is different. Don't put yourself under pressure

I have had my dressing off for a few days and like you, felt a bit vulnerable I must say, but they would not do it if they felt there was a huge risk

As regards exercise, the advice from the forum is consistent, ie if it hurts, be careful and think about whether you should be doing it, because the best healer is time. Similarly, if you are not sure why your physio is suggesting certain things, ask them why and what the benefits will be. Hope I am not going to be the cause of a huge "domestic"!

At the moment, I am still wearing looser fitting tracksuit trousers - not sure what you call them. I would wear shorts, but it's still too cold over here!

Anyway, try to focus on how far you have come. That's what my wife keeps telling me, when frustration sets in!

Best wishes
Peter

 

[Krista]

@Arlene56, you might ask Josephine or another mod on this site to tell you again what they think about post-op exercise. I agree with them fully. My point of view is that so much tissue, including bone and muscle, inside of our hips and thighs are injured when we have a THR that the first priority is for them to heal. Whenever we are walking post-op, whether using an aid or not, we are using our "walking" muscles, and they get a little stronger every time we walk, and that is enough for now. There is no immediate need to get any other muscles stronger at this point. I think that squats are dangerous for people who are just out of surgery like you, as our poor thighs have been so put-upon by surgery. I shudder to think of doing them at 17 days out! Heel lifts cause more pressure on those tissues in your thigh that are trying so hard to heal. And I don't think any of us should be pushing through any abnormal situation with our legs post-op. As Josephine and other mods on this site say frequently, stiffness is a kind of pain, it indicates an abnormal condition, and should be treated carefully. The healing will happen, the muscles will regain their strength, and all will happen in good time. I hope you don't feel like you have to rush it!

 

[Arlene56]

@Krista Thanks for your input. How do I tag Josephine? When the PT comes today, I am not going to do those single heel lifts.

Today I am just blah. I'm not wanting to rush things but wish my muscles were stronger. Today when I took a shower this morning,'my legs were shaky. I used to have strong legs. It's just frustrating. It's not a race and know it will just take sometime.

Atleast the sun is shining today!

Enjoy your day Krista.

 

[Zelda]

@Cynthia777 Thanks. I do have cotton but the boy cut. I bought this style as it was recommended for surgery

I wear very soft high legs as I find anything else rubs on the incision. I'm mainly just in pyjamas still because the side seam in jeans and trousers seems to fall just on the incision too and make it itch like mad.

 

[Arlene56]

@PS46 Thanks Peter. Appreciate your advice. Just not going to do the PT exercises that hurt. Once the weather gets nicer, walking outside will help.
Hope you are doing well in your recovery.

 

[Zelda]

She had me do a few exercises I don't want to do. One is squats. She also had me standing on op leg and do heel lifts. After 10 heel lifts, my incision started to hurt, so I stopped.

I really am torn about what I should do concerning PT. I understand it is important to help build and strengthen muscles. But when do you know a particular exercise is not helping? When your incision hurts or has a pulling sensation?

@Arlene56 Don't do it if it hurts. I've consistently seen Josephine tell people not to do squats or heel lifts at all. I'll tag her @Josephine so she can come and give advice.

 

[Arlene56]

@Zelda thank you very much

 

[Krista]

@Arlene56, Zelda has tagged Josephine for you! Regarding you being shaky in the shower...I took my shower sitting down for 6 full weeks, and you are only 17 days, and standing up in the shower! "Shaky" comes with the territory of a major surgery in which your femur is severed, parts replaced and muscles/tendons are stretched and possibly even cut. Relaxing as much as possible will help you heal! I did a lot of binge-watching of TV series while recovering to distract and entertain myself. Take care, sweetie! Oh, and I hope you don't do those squats either!

 

[Cynthia777]

I seem to have regained all the strength in my op leg just by walking. No exercises or PT at all. But that's just what I've experienced.

 

[keepmovin]

Hi @Arlene56 - I just got up with your posts and wanted to inforce what @Cynthia777 and @Krista has said about PT. I know I will have a much longer recovery than most but right now I do not plan on outside PT. They never really helped me and I felt better doing my own exercises at home. I did a lot of walking and would simply build on that. Walking alone will build up the muscles that have been weakened by surgery. Light, gentle stretches should be helpful.

I feel PT doesn't see you as an individual. They have a list of exercises that they will use on the general public and adhere to that. You should never feel pain when you exercise. That will only set you back.

I know how you feel about wobbly legs. It's an awful feeling, especially when our legs used to be so strong! It will just take time and patience, something we all seem to run short on very quickly.

I know easier said than done but hang in there! Your strong legs are there, they just need a little time to come back!

Have a great weekend!

 

[Josephine]

She had me do a few exercises I don't want to do. One is squats. She also had me standing on op leg and do heel lifts. After 10 heel lifts, my incision started to hurt, so I stopped. I really am torn about what I should do concerning PT. I understand it is important to help build and strengthen muscles. But when do you know a particular exercise is not helping?

My knee is stiff as well. So I can't bend it like my good leg knee. I don't know if I should push through the stiffness as it doesn't hurt.

I guess my concern is how I can strengthen my knee and hip if I don't have therapy?

@Arlene56, I already went through this in great detail here. when I answered your questions in post #94. I suggest you go back and read my post again.

I read a lot of recovery posts about where people are already walking 20 or 30 min at a time by now.

Not at 2½weeks and not on here! I think you should also go back and read the recovery articles that Pumpkln left for you in post #2! With special attention to the article about activity progression.