THR New hip in town

[jaymo]

Should have clarified it's a recumbent stair stepper. You sit in it like a recumbent bike, the gym calls it a Nu Step. Apparently they use it for all of their hip replacement patients as standard part of rehab.

Muscle pain is a bit better today. I've walked about 800 steps so far doing laps around house and some chores. I plan to walk a bit more this afternoon.


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[Tweetybrd]

@jaymo Don't you love those cuddles? Sounds like you are doing better and better every day. Keep it up!

 

[DizzyBlond]

Sounds like you're doing so well, @jaymo!! When you stop to consider that you're not even at the 2 week post op mark, you're doing a lot! I also use a Nu-Step at PT, but I didn't begin my 6 week program until I was 4 weeks post op. I'm surprised they have you doing so much at this point! I went to PT ready to stop any activity or exercise that brought pain immediately or caused it in the days to follow; all the therapists have been great, and so far I've only encountered one machine that I immediately got off of after several reps. (If I'm going to have a flare up of recovery pain, it's usually in my rear end (the gluteus maximus, and that particular machine was a killer in that regard). I've found that walking seems to be the very best "stretcher outer" for the tightness, and in the process I can tell all the glutes (actually, ALL the muscles in my operated leg) are getting stronger, the pain less frequent.
How's the swelling going? I'm now 2 months post op; though my fresh post op swelling only went down to the top of my knee, icing, elevating and time alleviated it... now I'm just noticeably swollen right in the area surrounding the incision. It can last for a while, so everyone says, but I know eventually that, too, will recede.
I just keep reminding myself to be patient and kind with my still-healing body - 3-6 months for short term recovery! Just think - you're not even a month into it, and you're doing great!!!!

 

[jaymo]

@Tweety- those cuddles are the best medicine! Just a short visit with him brightens my day. I gave him a bottle and sang him some songs and he calmed down and it just brought me so much peace to hold and snuggle that sweet little boy.

@Dizzy - yes it's amazing to consider what they have me doing so soon, luckily it's just a few minutes each time. Swelling is almost all gone- I can see the "real" top of my foot again and it's so much more comfortable. I logged about 1500 steps today with my laps around the house. It feels so good to walk! Amazing since up just 2 weeks ago every step was excruciating. My pain moves around a lot, mostly in the gluteus but also on the outside of my knee today. I think that would be ilio-tibial band pain. I expect that As I walk more and more various muscles will speak up. Since these muscles are so weak and I've altered my gait for years I'm not surprised at all. Ice pack to the bum feels heavenly.

All in all I'm very pleased with the progress I've made and how far I've come in just 11 days. I keep reminding myself that the improvements will be gradual, and I have to prepare mentally for some setbacks so that I'm not defeated when they occur. I'm so thankful for all the blessings I've enjoyed thus far.

Tomorrow I'm gonna shave the legs- that will make me feel a little more normal.


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[jaymo]

Had a bit of a not so good day. Woke with moderate pain in thigh down the front. Perhaps I overdid it in PT yesterday. Muscles are very tight and sore. I took it easy today and did short easy walks, lots of icing and resting. Hopefully pain will be less tomorrow.

Sleep schedule is completely off now, can't fall asleep until 3:00 am or so although I'm keeping my routine and getting in bed by 11:30 every night. It's frustrating knowing that you need sleep to repair and recover yet it seems so elusive. I am catching up with afternoon naps.

One day at a time I remind myself. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks!


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[jaymo]

It's almost 2 am and I can't sleep. My sleeping cycle is completely off.

I had my 2 week postop check yesterday- lots of X-rays but OS says everything looks perfect! They removed my staples too- yay! Then they put more glue and steristrips over the top of my incision. My OS again reviewed all of the dislocation precautions with me again. They take these very seriously and I'm expected to follow them for the full 12 weeks. That's gonna be a challenge going out to restaurants but I will deal with it. It's definitely going to be a challenge when I return to work- I'm going to have to get a special toilet seat for the ladies room since all the toilets there are low. For now I'm still tired and healing so it doesn't bother me but in another couple of weeks I'm going to want to get out a little bit.

My OS also followed up on pain control and meds. I asked if I could take Aleve for pain during the day since my pain level has gone down a lot- he said no. I can't take it until I'm off of the aspirin since they are both blood thinners. So my choices are Tylenol which does nothing or Percocet which works but leaves me fuzzy headed for another 4 weeks. A bit frustrating but I will deal with it.

No chance of driving for at least 4 more weeks- he won't even discuss it. Apparently my muscles and nerves don't have the necessary response time. So I guess I will continue to be driven around to every single appointment and PT for the next month. That part is hard for me, always asking friend and family for rides constantly. I've always been independent so this is new for me.

After my appointment with OS I went directly to PT. my pain meds had started to wear off by then so PT was a bit harder than usual. I told them I would stop any exercise that hurt and took it a bit easier than usual and made it through. My walking is much improved and I'm on a cane now which is great but muscles are very stiff sore and tight. I keep telling myself to be patient and they will get better over time. I'm walking a lot around the house throughout the day, partly because It's the best thing for my hip but partly because I'm so darned bored.

I'm in the long stretch of recovery where I'm wanting to be further along than I am. I keep telling myself this is only temporary and in a few months I will be back to living life again.


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[Miss Muffet]

@jaymo - sleep deprivation can be such a drag can't it. The more you fight it the harder it gets I think. I found myself feeling jet-lagged a lot of the time, but if I ever felt sleepy during the day I simply gave in to it and took myself upstairs, elevated, iced and even if it was only a doze I felt the benefit. When I went to bed - always tired, but rarely able to get straight to sleep - I had my arsenal of books/mags/TV remote/iPod etc with me and was always reassured that even in the middle of the night some of my US BS cousins would be around so there was the chance to 'chat' on the iPad and shared thoughts. My hospital doctor said taking a herbal sleeping table now and then was okay, so maybe you might want to check that one out? When I went that route and got a decent night (for 'decent night' read 5 hours in a stretch, rather than maybe 2 or 3) I felt I could conquer the world the next day! Just a tip, when you go out (eg to restaurants) take a small cushion to boost you up. It may make you feel more comfortable. Understand about the frustration of not being able to drive. It will come - and when you are permitted you'll feel totally illegal at first, then liberated! You're right not to overdo the PT - you simply must not hurt but keep walking and don't overdo that. I kept things really simple (exactly as BS recommends) and I'm sure my recovery was much smoother as a result. I've given the TV record facility and download a real bashing in preparation for my next Op. We all feel like vegetables for a few weeks, but you will savour the benefits in a short while. Best wishes.

 

[jaymo]

@Miss Muffett- thank you for the encouraging words- I so needed them! I'm just down about the restrictions and their impact on getting back to some sense of normalcy. Most of my favorite outing places have seating that is too low. Even my favorite walking trails- the benches (if I need them) are way too low for me to sit on. Frustrating for sure. The cushion is a great idea. Before my surgery I purchased a hip cushion specifically for recovery from THR. However it's quite large and very thick . So thick that when I sit on it many times my feet don't touch the ground! I'm only 5'4". And it's very stiff and hurts the tush. I think I will need to look for an alternative. Any recommendations?

The sleep issue is tough. I've had a long history of insomnia and have tried every herbal remedy out there. My Primary doc has had me on Ambien for over 4 years. Without it I simply don't sleep. I've been up for weeks at a time in the past. The real issue was that I didn't know the OS was going to take me off of it after surgery. I totally understand that it's not safe to take Ambien with Percocet or Oxy , it was simply surprised since we didn't discuss it before hand. Good news is that once I no longer need to take Percocet or Oxy (which I haven't taken in over a week) then I can take the Ambien again. It may be several more weeks before I get there.

For now I'm just going to take it easy and focus on being patient! Taking many short walks to break up the day, taking naps when I finally get sleepy, and trying to keep occupied in between with TV books etc are my keys to battle the cabin fever.


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[OUCH!]

Oh Jaymo, I am right there with you on so many points! I had my surgery 2 days after yours and I'm at the "I'm kinda starting to feel better and yet life isn't back to normal" frustrating stage. I was actually awake reading your post at 3:30 am last night. I am having hormonal night sweats at the moment which stinks because I can't get up and change the sheets etc. So, I just soldier on with books, Facebook, games on my iPad, tv etc.

I have been so tired the last couple of days that I did almost nothing. today I woke up so sore and stiff and out of sorts, I realized I had to walk more, so I forced myself outside for a walk. That helped.

I am right there with you realizing how limited my life is right now because of the movement restrictions and the problems with low seating. I am likely going to miss my son's entire soccer season because of this. The field is at the bottom of a grassy hill and I can't figure out anything to sit on that is high enough. :(

Interesting your doc took you off ambien. I am still taking mine, but am careful to space it out with the pain killers. I'm mostly not using the oxycodone anymore, so that helps. I even took it in the hospital with the nurses blessing. I didn't take it the first night because I was afraid of it interacting with the pain killers. I hardly slept at all. I discussed it with the nurse and she agreed I should take it the next night. We just spaced it out and I may not have taken a full dose of the oxy, I don't remember.

I have had my period the last couple of days and desperately wanted to pop an advil for the cramps, but can't because of the blood thinner. Took the oxy when I didn't strictly need it for my hip in the hopes that it would help with the cramps and backache.

I have permission to drive starting next week, so I'm hoping to get completely off the oxy this weekend. If it were my right hip, I wouldn't be driving either though.

Hang in there. I think in some ways we are at the hard part, but I trust it will all be worth it in the end.

 

[jaymo]

@OUCH!- thank you for responding. It helps to know am not alone although I wish you weren't going through it either. I know it's hard to miss your sons soccer games- that would be hard for me too. When my daughter was young I went to every single one of her events.

Interesting that you have been able to keep taking your Ambien. I meant to ask my doc about it at my appointment last week but it slipped my mind. I have wondered about spacing it out from my nighttime dose of Percocet. How long do you wait between doses of pain med and Ambien?

I'm right there with you on the hot flashes- I've had to quit my HRT cold turkey since surgery. I knew it would be tough but I've only had a few bad nights of hot flashes. I feel for you with sweating and period at the same time- hopefully the night sweats will ease up soon.


You mentioned going for a walk - how far are you currently walking outside? I ask because it's hard to know how much I should be walking at this point. Today I went for my very first walk outside ( other than to go to the mailbox) ! It was sunny and warm mad wonderful to be outside. I only walked maybe 400 feet and back with my cane. It's hilly in my neighborhood so I thought it might be best to start small and see how I did. It was great- no pain at all with my bad leg powering me forward where I've limped miserably for years. Almost brought tears to my eyes after so long. About half an hour later I had an ache in the gluteus so I rested and iced. Going to try again tomorrow. Gotta start somewhere but I'm still unsure how far to push myself without overdoing it.

We will get through this phase but it sure does help to have BS buddies who are with us through it all- thanks!




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[OUCH!]

You are right, it helps a lot to have BS buddies who know what we are going through. My pain is better mostly except for low back pain. I think from sleeping on my back. The latex pad thing we have on the top of my recovery "bed" is getting compressed which isn't helping. I had really hoped the back pain stemmed from the hip and would get better.

Haven't waked yet today. I'm so tired and lazy and the weather is not particularly encouraging. I'm not sure how far I walk. We also live in a hilly neighborhood. Luckily, we have a flat dead end street across the street from out house. I just walk it. I go as far as I feel up to doing remembering that I have to be able to get back. At first I only walked with someone. My PT, my husband, my oldest son just in case. The street is about a block long. At first I only made it about 1/3 of the way. Yesterday I did two laps of it and stopped to talk to neighbors. It was surprising how long I could stand with little pain. Sure an improvement over this past summer where everywhere I went I was looking for the nearest seat.

I would call your doc and ask about the ambien - either the surgeon, your gp or whoever prescribed it. You do have to be very careful. I have a friend who is a nurse and hates that I take ambien who regularly lectures me to be careful. Honestly I want to get off the ambien, but over the summer while I was in so much pain was not the time.

I'm no longer taking the pain meds on a schedule. I just don't remember it. Now when I'm ready to sleep, I think about whether it will be pain keeping me awake or my regular insomnia. That guides what I take and how much.

I'm rambling and probably not helping much.

 

[jaymo]

@OUCH! - thanks for your reply. Very helpful info. I'm sill tired too but want to do everything I can to regain my strength . And it helps that the weather here was absolutely beautiful today. So, instead of doing my 10 minute walks inside I took them outside today with my cane. It was incredible to me to walk down the street with no joint pain. I just kept thinking I can't believe this is happening after all these years. I had not walked down my street since January because the pain was so bad but 18 days after surgery that strong new hip was taking me down the road. It was an emotional experience for me. I only walked 1O mins each time, and measured 720 steps with my pedometer. My street is on a hill so I took it slow and careful going up the hill. Some aching in the quads and butt but otherwise good. I got a bit out of breath I am so out of shape from being so immobile. It will take time to get my endurance back. I'm just gonna repeat this time and distance for a week or so then increase a little bit and see how my body reacts.

Very little sleep again last night. I finally drifted off at 5:30 and woke up wide awake at 8:30. Took a 2 hour nap right after lunch. The lack of sleep is bearable now but I've got to get back on track before I get back to work. I'm gonna call my GP and talk to her about the Ambien and when/how I may be able to take it. My GP is a huge supporter of sleep and understands the importance of sleep in daily functioning. She's prescribed it to me for years so I'm sure she can advise.

I'm having some LBP too but Doc says this is normal as the hip muscles learn to work again and we are learning to walk correctly . I'm told this will go away with time. My tush still is tender from my posterior approach. I still need to sit carefully with lots of cushions.

Hang in there. It will get better for both of us. Sending healing vibes your way!


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[OUCH!]

That walk sounds amazing! Good for you! If I feel up to it after PT, I may try walking a little on our hill. From my house to the main road there is only a slight incline, so I figure that's a good place to start. I:33 am and I still haven't fallen asleep even with the ambien! Maybe I need to stop reading on the tablet at night. Sigh....

You sound so much better today @jaymo hopefully we will be well on our way soon. Ouch your poor tush! My surgeon called it posterior, but it was really more lateral, so luckily sitting doesn't hurt.

 

[Miss Muffet]

Ah @jaymo I missed your reply (you re-christened me with an extra T at the end of my name so I didn't pick up on it). I'm a shortie too (5'2") so sitting is something it needed to be cautious about. I think your resting and walking approach to recovery is the right one, and recommended by BS, so being a patient patient has to be the answer! But, really you mustn't overlook the huge amount of work that your body had endure, and only a short while ago, so be kind to it and it will reward you with a much brighter outlook long term

 

[jaymo]

@OUCH!- I sure hope you had a better day today and were able to get out and walk- just getting out for a few minutes in the fresh air does wonders. And I also hope you were able to sleep too. This insomnia still amazes me after all these years. I was able to sleep from 4:0O am to 8:30 am. I wasn't able to take a nap today with PT visit and visitors today so maybe I will get lucky tonight.

My scar is on the side of my thigh as well from posterior approach. I'm thinking the surgeon just had to move a lot of tissue around in the back or that my gluteus is extremely weak. Either way it's really sore and hurts to sit on it unless I'm sitting on ice packs. Hopefully this soreness will go away soon. My incision is very tender( not hot or inflamed) just sensitive skin ever since they removed the staples. I guess that new skin is just sensitive and will toughen up later- it's a strange sensation.

I had PT for over an hour today. They had me try so many different exercises but they didn't push me and let me take it at my pace. By far the mini lunges are the worst as far as pain goes. Then the PT aide did some passive stretching and light massage which felt wonderful... I did my 10 min morning walk outside but after PT this afternoon have just been resting and icing. That was a lot of activity for one day for me!

@MissMuffet- my apologies for rebranding you ! I should have paid better attention. I completely agree with you that our bodies have endured an awful lot with this surgery. In my haste to get back to normal I often overlook that, especially when friends see me walking and exclaim " look at you, you're getting around great and you're almost healed". I have to bite my tongue to prevent myself from lecturing them on my 12 week short term recovery. As I've seen mentioned here before, there is the notion that folks are just running around normally mere weeks after THR. many folks discount the necessary time needed to retrain muscles fully, do gait training, and most are not aware of the precautions involved, especially the added precautions from a posterior approach. As well as just healing in general from the trauma of the procedure. Thank you for reminding me of this- it puts it all in perspective, especially when we have tough days.

I'm so thankful for this community of support - having counsel from those who have been there, done that is priceless.


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[OUCH!]

@jaymo I think people also forget just how tiring healing from major surgery can be. Yes they may see you out and about, but they don't see the hours you need to spend icing and resting in order to do that.

Oh and thank you for the good wishes. I didn'5 walk, but I had outpatient pt today and that felt good.

 

[jaymo]

3 weeks post op today! I felt great when I woke up today, pain was about a one. I did some light chores in the kitchen and then decided to go for short walk outdoors. My usual walk at this point is 10-12 mins at this point but I was feeling so good I decided to try 3 additional minutes today. This additional 3 mins was all uphill but I was feeling good so thought why not? Well my hip didn't like it at all. During these extra 3 mins I felt a new pain right in the center of my thigh right where I imagine my femoral prosthesis would be. It hurt enough that I began to limp, even with the cane and me going very slow. So I stopped, turned around and headed home.

Once home, I rested, and iced. Waited 2.5 hours pain still there so took one Percocet. Pain is decreased but still there. Later in the evening I also developed some milk groin pain and gluteus pain. I'm a little worried but hoping I just overdid it with that walk. Maybe my hip is not ready for it yet. A little disappointing but I've come so far in 3 weeks. If it's still like this tomorrow I will phone the nurse tomorrow. I also have PT tomorrow and will ask my PT about it then as well.

Anyone else experience pain like this when you attempted to increase walking time or physical activity?


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[Jaycey]

I'm a little worried but hoping I just overdid it with that walk.

Sounds like you did indeed overdo it. Uphill for a new hip is sometimes challenging. You have to engage all those muscles that are weak and still recovering from all the trauma. I do question why you are doing PT and all that walking. But hopefully you will take things a bit easier.

 

[jaymo]

@Jaycey- thanks for weighing in. It helps to have you ur input as I didn't know what to think of the pain.

As far as why I'm doing PT and walking, the PT was ordered by my OS. His standard schedule is 3x per week but I have only been going 2x week since the beginning. Thy encourage me to walk in addition to PT plus I've been walking because I know it's better for my hip, even better than the PT. Plus Getting outside for a few minutes is saving my sanity. I'm not walking on the days I have PT. Yesterday the only thing I did was the 15 minute walk outside. Ideally I would prefer walking on flat ground but my neighborhood is hilly. There is not a close stretch of road that is flat. I have no pain walking inside my house but after 3 weeks was really hoping I could start walking outside rather than doing laps inside the house. I guess, based on my experience yesterday, I will need to hold off on the walking in my neighborhood for a bit longer.


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[DizzyBlond]

Hi, @jaymo! Sounds like things are progressing well for you! Your question did catch my attention, though, because I had the very same experience.

Anyone else experience pain like this when you attempted to increase walking time or physical activity?

Absolutely!!! I also live in a hilly neighborhood, but thought I would be able to manage a short walk of about 10 minutes early on in my recovery. I didn't get very far before my muscles let me know it was NOT a good idea! When I told my PT about walking down the hilly street, she said, "No, don't do it yet! Hills demand double duty from those weakened muscles - first the action required in moving you up, then bringing your body back down." Since I have a flat backyard, I resorted to doing my walking there. Even now, at 11 weeks post-op, I have to be careful not to overdo. It's difficult when you're feeling great and doing well to remember that "slow and steady" is our mantra!! (Short term healing is 3-6 months, I have to keep reminding myself!!!) Adding time or increasing physical activity has to be done in small increments; at least that's what my PT team continued to tell me, and what I'm learning from experience! And with that, I'm off to get ice, since I foolishly decided to double my time on the treadmill AND upright bike 2 days ago!

It may take longer than we'd choose, but we'll get there!!!