THR New hip at 37! How it went, how it's going!

[KittensMom]

I was so looking forward to finally being able to start a recovery thread!

I had my surgery at 11am today, it was planned for a RTHR, "fuse to bone" metal + ceramic prosthesis, and I had the posterior approach. I will hear more from the doc on how it went tomorrow morning. I had it in Sophiahemnet Private Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. The weeks coming up to the surgery had a lot of twists and turns (thread), but I am on the other side now, and so far happy with my decision.

I was at the hospital at 9am. I took the metro with my crutches in one hand and hospital bag in the other. I kept thinking that when I was a child and my mom would take me to the dentist, every time I would wait until she wasn't looking, and turn around and try to escape. Well, today, I walked myself in. If that is not measure of being fully grown, I don't know what is!

I had to do a Descutan hair and body wash (and not use any lotion) the day before and the day of the surgery. For someone with dry skin, that was tough, I had a bit of a hard time falling asleep last night because of the dryness. I would be curious to know if this is standard for better infection prevention everywhere else? I was suspicious that it may just be a very well medical rep lobbied product

Once I was checked into my room I had a long chat with one of the nurses, got some pills, antibiotic drip and fluids, a comfy gown and long socks (not compression socks). We went down to the surgery 1 hour later and I had another nurse chat, a longer one with my OS, and then a chat first with anaesthesia nurse, then anaesthesiologist. Got my epidural (not fun at all!), was put in a comfy positions with some shoulder and arm pillows, got stabilised by my OS in a sort of a brace, and off to the operating room we went. Things went really fast from there. I got one more medicine that I don't remember now, then the mild anaesthesia, and the next thing I knew I woke up being lifted from operating bed to my own hospital bed.

Here is where I made all the nurses laugh: I was completely awake and didn't feel affected by the anaesthesia anymore, but I felt one familiar stiffness sensation in my hip, which made me paranoid that they opened me up but couldn't for some reason go through with the prosthesis. So I asked the first nurse, did they put in the hip? She I think thought I was out of it because, she said yes, look you have your dressing on, we did have the operations. I was not reassured. I saw another nurse, called down on her and said I am really sorry, I know I sound crazy, but can you tell me if they were able to put the hip in? It doesn't feel much different. She, bless her, went to get my chart and showed me the stickers with the makes and serial numbers of my new "gear". I could breathe again

I had no nausea or grogginess, in fact I felt more energy waking up than in the morning before the surgery. I did however have a fainting spell going to the bathroom for the first time. I was assisted by 2 nurses, and I did have the most "pump my ride" looking walker with me that I ever saw, but once I got up from the toilet, everything went dark. Super scary. They called for more nurses, rolled my bed to the bathroom door and assisted me to it. Happy to report though that the second trip to the bathroom 2 hours later was uneventful.

Pain wise I feel like I am at around a 3, and once it goes higher, I ask for meds. So far this was only at around 3pm and after the second trip to the bathroom - by then putting weight on the operated leg definitely felt more painful and the pain lingered for 10 minutes after being back in bed. No log leg so far though, I almost feel compelled to move and crunch my muscles, it helps with the pain.

I am now knitting away in my room, grateful for how attending all the staff has been and to myself for having the guts to go through with it! I hope you are all having an awesome day / night

 

[DK63]

Well done to you and lots of luck with your hopefully uneventful recovery.

 

[benne68]

Welcome to the recovery side, @ChickensMom! Thanks for the very detailed report. I'm sure it will be helpful for members who are still pre-op to read.

I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind we are all different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

HIP RECOVERY GUIDELINES

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary.

If you want to use something to assist with healing and scar management, BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogel through BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.

2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for THRs

The recovery articles
Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery
Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

 

[KittensMom]

Thank you for the information

Last night around 9pm the pain went to a 4, got a tablet of oxy and waited but after an hour it went up to a 6. They gave me an oxy/paracetamol combo, ice and within 30 min I was down to a 2 which was oof… a relief!

Just before going to sleep I tried walking to the bathroom with a nurse again, this time I only made it to the door before I started feeling faint. Back to the bed I went, feeling glad that I was able to catch this spell early and not let it get so bad. Once there I really felt like throwing up, but it passed really quickly.

I asked for a midnight snack since I didn’t really eat much all day, and they brought in a toastie with cheese and an unnecessarily vegetable-tasting juice ;) They also rolled in a mobile toilet next to my bed and that went fine.

Why was up till midnight? I made great friends with my hospital room buddy, we were commiserating and laughing away until her sleeping pills kicked in :D

I got five hours of sleep. At the very beginning I kept waking because I felt like my BP may have been dropping and I was feeling a bit woozy, but woke up this morning from a solid sleep and feeling ready to take on the day!

 

[Jaycey]

@ChickensMom Glad to see you on the other side! Easy does it. Get that BP stable and please do ask for help if you are feeling a bit dizzy. You are on your way!

 

[KittensMom]

I got a prescription now for a nausea drug. The physio visit went well, I walked the length of the room maybe 5 times and feel a lot better on the crutches than I did with the walker. OS came to visit with the X-ray, they were able to go with the no cement way which is good news. She is also happy with the length match, since for me it’s hard to gauge yet, I have to trust her

No more dizziness after whatever they put in my IV. I dressed myself and packed my bag, going to the bathroom on my own now as well.

It’s a beautiful sunny day in Stockholm and I am letting myself feel the joy ))

 

[Jaycey]

Sounds like you are doing very well. Will you go home today?

 

[myglasshalffull]

Congrats, sounds like you are coming along, hope you get to go home soon and hope you have some help???
As mentioned already you lose a lot of blood during the surgery so BP is usually low after for a few days. My nurse told me to put more salt on my food to bring BP up, it did level off after a couple of days.

 

[Caison113]

Congrats @ChickensMom! So happy to hear it went well and you are on the mend. It will be up and down for a week or so but then you will really start to see progress and you will have little joys pop up as that familiar hip pain is no longer there when you do different motions. Best of luck!

 

[KittensMom]

I am home now, got picked up by 3 friends and spent some time having tea and cake, and some laughter. I did feel after 40 minutes like I needed to excuse myself and send my friends home. Being up and moving for 1,5 hours tired me out.

I am doing ice packs and elevation now. My face is red from the steroid they gave me yesterday and this morning. But the pain level is alright, a 2 I would say.

I’m waiting for the cat to come back from the forest and then I will try to take a nap.

BP has been alright since this morning, I hope no more dips. So appreciate all of your messages

 

[myglasshalffull]

Happy to hear you are home and your friends accompanied you. Yes, rest, nothing wrong with putting a time limit on company.
I did same in early days, friends wanted to come over and I told them I'm fine with dinner and visiting but come at 4 and by 7 I need to be in bed! They complied.
Keep us posted.

 

[Ocean]

Glad that you are home, congratulations on your new hip.

 

[KittensMom]

I’m a bit bored already (not working feels a bit weird for now) so I am back with another update ;)

I had a low grade fever yesterday at around 5pm, it got up to 37.5 C, but stayed around 37.1 C. I also took fewer meds yesterday, so I think it could have been expected. I only took my long acting oxy, 1000mg paracetamol + anti-inflammatory in the morning, 1000mg paracetamol at 12pm. Once I took my evening oxy + paracetamol, the fever went down.

I felt like I was ready to sleep at 9pm, and made a mistake for not setting the alarm to take my 1000mg paracetamol at midnight. I woke up at 3am shaking. Temperature was low, only 35.9 C, but the pain was coming. It hit a 7 fast, I was taken a back a bit, desperately searching for the paracetamol. I needed to top it with the “take as needed” 5mg oxy because after 15 min I was still having shivers and moaning with pain. I am not making this mistake again! Take your meds as prescribed kids!

I fell back into sleep and woke up with the alarm at 6. I definitely made up for the 5h only sleep I had at the hospital the night before. I know sleep is a precious commodity with the meds they give you after THR so I am very grateful for my 9 hours of regeneration, and I know this may not always be a given.

Did some walking around my 48sq m apartment this morning and the exercise of standing on your toes next to a table/chair. I can stand freely without crutches next to a bed or kitchen bench, but I try not put full weight on the operated leg yet.

I never took the sock machine from the hospital so I am putting mine on with the grabber, which turned out to be alright, but takes some effort for sure.

The plan for today is to learn to relax, do some reading maybe, AND proper trip to the bathroom if you know what I mean ;)

Hope you are all having a good day!

 

[Gloucestergal65]

Good luck with your plans for the day. Keeping on top of the meds is so important and so is sleeping even if it’s not at the usual times. Have a good day.

 

[Jaycey]

I’m a bit bored already (not working feels a bit weird for now) so I am back with another update ;)

My best advice is find some interesting TV to watch. Concentration just post op is sometimes difficult. You are going to need to exercise your patience. Healing has only just begun.

 

[CricketHip]

That's a real bummer, waking up to shivers, and pain. I remember those nights! I made myself a journal to mark my medications in and like you have discovered, set those alarms. I am sorry you had to wake up that way, though.
Otherwise you sound like you are in a good place!
Recovery can be a little boring, for sure. I found some old sitcoms to watch, since they were reruns, I didn't need to concentrate too very hard. For me, it was a very enjoyable way to pass the healing time. Before you know it, you will be up more and enjoying your new hip!!

 

[Eman85]

My way of getting my socks on if the sock aid didn't do a good job or if I used my grabber was to get back in bed and do a heel slide. I could reach my foot/ankle like that and pull my sock up.

 

[KittensMom]

Rewatching a mindless show was a good recommendation. I think this is as much as my brain can handle at the moment.

I am managing pain alright, but the sluggish digestion is getting to me a bit. I have appetite, but every meal feels like a crime against my body at the moment. I think I may have had heartburn for the first time in my life last night. Got scared for a second that this was actual chest pain. But thankfully it passed on it's own. Well I think it was either heartburn, or my ribcage joints were irritated through walking / leaning on the crutch. I have been off arthritis meds for 2 weeks now, so that is a possibility.

Today I took a shower! I taped a plastic bag over my would dressing, and made sure to keep it short, but it boosted my mood a lot

I am getting some numbness on the right side of my knee (on the operated leg), especially when I have just stood up. I hope that this is normal and will pass - I am trying not to do internet deep dives with every new sensation that shows up, so I don't get stressed out.

I keep getting spells of sleepiness, and so I try to allow myself to nap when they come. I don't know if I should be trying to put full weight on the operated leg, for now I feel like sparing it a bit if it means not having to take the ad hoc oxycodone. Me and my stomach are not a fan ;)

 

[Layla]

Hello ChickensMom,
Early on, concentration can be an issue. At least it was for me. That included memory.
Thankfully it gradually passes.

First showers are the best! Usually quick, but nonetheless satisfying after lying around and feeling like a slug, lol.

Wondering if the heartburn is from your prescribed meds. You may want to check out the possible side effects, but if reading that will heighten any anxiety or you're subject to the power of suggestion, as many of us are, refrain from reading possible side effects (most are rare) or taking deep dives on the internet as you mentioned. You most often will find some consolation here, or reassurance through your surgeon's care team via phone conversation if you're troubled about something. I noticed with my concerns early on, they quickly passed, only to be placed by another, that also quickly passed!

The sensation you described may be a result of the anesthesia or a regional block which can produce numbness in the very early days.

You should be able to put full weight on your op leg unless they have you under weight bearing restrictions.

Sleep is good as our body does its best healing then so snooze away!
Wishing you comfort and a good day! Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
@ChickensMom

 

[Eman85]

The new sensation thing, we all have had it and it can be worrisome. Best thing is to just rest and see what happens, the zings zaps and sensations keep changing and just become the normal part of recovery. Doing the google for every sensation can be worse as you'll drive yourself crazy over nothing.
Post-op I was told to take an aspirin a day to prevent any clots and along with that a Famatodine to protect my stomach along with Miralax between all of that I was regular and no stomach problems.