THR On day 5 after THR, I found you. This is rough - thankful you're here.

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I’m glad to hear it! There is something about the softness of the pillows that’s comforting and surrounding yourself with them is kind of like swaddling to me, like they do with babies...it feels safe, snug and secure. :)
Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite! :wink:
@ncarlson
 
I was exactly like you. Surgery went well. Spent the night in the hospital then I went home. I thought I was prepared but heck no I wasn’t. It was hell for the first 3 weeks. Not from pain. Tylenol and ice did the trick but I couldn’t sleep in my bed. First 2 weeks on the recliner day and night. My independence was taken away. I cried got depressed and even wonder why I had this operation. If it wasn’t for BoneSmart and the advisors I would of never made it. I’m 4 months post op now but I will never forget those first 4 weeks and I will never forget the support I got from this site.

Nchiodo, I’m curious to know how it feels to be four months out. Do you have any pain at all? Can you walk without any assistance? Can you do pretty much whatever you want to do? I’m at just over 6 weeks, doing well but, still have to “help” my leg in and out of the car.
I also oddly, can’t get over the feeling that there are mechanical parts inside me. I know it sounds strange! Thanks
 
@Merrytaylor - it doesn't sound strange to me at all. In fact it's the same with me. I'm a very sensitive person and in tune with my body. I can literally feel my body trying to assess what happened, it's throwing everything it has into healing the wounds, and now trying to figure out what to do with the new alien metal/plastic/ceramic thing that was jammed into the dissected bones. I don't really know what to tell it at this point. Other than - yes, I did it -it was me! I made the decision and did it. And I had no idea I would ever struggle with weird things like this after this surgery. I literally can hardly look at the bruising and bandages - I'm very squeamish to start with. (the mom who put bandages on kids skinned knees with my eyes closed...) On my first bad night of sleep, I laid awake with all kinds of bizarre things racing through my mind, ugh - what the surgery must have involved, what they must have done. I cried, and eventually got some sleep. It literally felt like I was grieving. It's better now. I meditate spiritually, and fill my mind with peace as I'm drifting to sleep.

I guess my other option was: wait another 10 years until I was in my 70s and most likely had pain most of the time and had many, many things I couldn't do. And then try to go through it a little older, maybe without my mate still being in good health and able to help me. I made a choice.

I'm not a betting person, I don't gamble. But I do risk assessments, evaluations, and make judgements on data for a living. I did not find one person that had this done in previous months/years that did not say they were so glad they did it. Not one.

I'm not there yet. I'm scared I won't ever be, but why would I not? I am just going to trust each day that this will all get better. More than better. Better than before - that's the goal.

I was able to limp around without a crutch a little today. But I'm still afraid - will I limp always? Not according to everyone I've heard from on this subject. So - I'm going to trust. And occasionally rant to you wonderful listeners and advisors. And keep going! Monday I get my big, icky, bandage off. My surgery was on the side I most love to sleep on. Maybe I will get to lean a little that way when I go to bed Monday Night! :)
 
Hi Merrytaylor
Well at 6 weeks I was pretty much doing what your doing. I never was in much pain even in the beginning. I would and still do have pulling, achy ness, around my incision but I’m walking without any assistance, legs work real good but my balance is still off a bit especially on stairs. At 4 months out I still can’t lay on the surgery side in bed for long. I also have numbness on that side still. And it took me about 3 months not to think about that piece of ceramic in me. It’s weird but I had a very hard time bonding with it. Plus now at 4 months out you can now pretty much do what feels comfortable. I wouldn’t go water sking yet LOL. But I do cross my ankles. Hahaha. But to say it was a cake walk no way. That first month was very long for me. Kinda like when you had your first baby. Your overwhelmed and not prepared but in the end it all works out.
 
Kinda like when you had your first baby. Your overwhelmed and not prepared but in the end it all works out.
That's a great analogy. I relate.

My right hip is 5.5 months now. Even it is still not 100%, I am glad I did it. I can walk without help from 10-12 weeks (can't remember) and I started to do low impact HIIT workout after 4 months. I had nerve damage so I lose control of my quad, which took several weeks to regain the control and now my right quad is still a little weaker. However I am not in pain anymore and I am mobile and can do most of the things I want as long as it is in moderation. The first several weeks of recovery is hard. When we are in the middle sometimes there seems no end in sight. But you won't remember much afterward and everything will be alright.

@Merrytaylor 6 weeks is still very early in recovery. For me, I see a lot of improvement from 8 - 12 weeks. Our body spends a lot of energy just to heal the wound in early weeks. After it is taken care of, it will start to get the muscle, tendon, etc back to its original shape and I think you will feel it in the next 6 weeks. Hang in there!
 
You're still very, very early in recovery so everything you're experiencing is part of a normal response to such a major surgery. I've had both knees and my shoulder replaced and each time my surgeons told me they don't want to see me for the first six weeks as they know I'd be cussing them out. That's about the time most people are able to start seeing some improvement and know that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a bullet train. :heehee:
 
These responses are wonderful. It really puts things into perspective for me. Thank-you one and all!
 
@ncarlson
It literally felt like I was grieving.

Yes I think that is what was going on :friends: The night before I had both of my hips replaced I did a sort of meditation and said good bye to my born with hips. I thanked each for their service and remembered some of the fun things in my life that relied on having good strong hips. I empathized with their pain and dysfunction and said good-bye. Yes it takes time to heal and fully recuperate, no, you will not always be limping, and I predict that by this time next year you will scarecly remember you have an arificial hip. It's been 9+ years for me and I rarely think of them until I log in here ;)
 
@ncarlson thank you for this wonderful post and all your questions. This has really helped me. I’m having the total right hip replaced on 2/2. I’ve been considering NOT doing it. I’m only 39 and feel like I’m asking for more trouble by having my hip replaced.
 
And I had no idea I would ever struggle with weird things like this after this surgery. I literally can hardly look at the bruising and bandages - I'm very squeamish to start with. (the mom who put bandages on kids skinned knees with my eyes closed...)

You’re not alone. I cried at the surgery center a few hours after my surgery in the bathroom, alone, after I caught the first glimpse of my bandaged wound. It was as though I was mourning the loss of my natural hip and realizing that IT (the surgery) really did happen. They put me to sleep, cut my flesh, dislocated my hip, sawed my bone etc You catch my drift. I hated that this happened to me and especially while I was asleep.

I’m also squeamish. I had to drive my kids to my moms so she could pull their loose teeth until they began doing it themselves! Lol. I did take care of their wounds, vomit and the rest, but the teeth really made me squirm for some reason. Like, Deb, above I had a quiet cry the night before my surgery also, thanking God for my natural hip and how well it served me until it began deteriorating and causing pain. It was my goodbye to a piece of me. What helped me get over it was the reality that in the not too distant past, we wouldn’t have had the option of THR and most likely ended up in a wheelchair. Sobering thought!

I'm not there yet. I'm scared I won't ever be, but why would I not?

It’s easy to think this way early on. My question to my mom and dad who each had both hips replaced was “Will this ever not be in the forefront of my mind, will I ever go hours not thinking about my prosthetic hip?” They each chuckled and said “YES!” They weren’t lying. I do go without thinking about it and you will too. It still crosses my mind everyday, several times a day per, but it’s normally after I do something I maybe shouldn’t have done...movement wise.

Here’s a tip -
Try heel-toe walking when you're limping.
This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe.
It takes a concentrated effort, but I believe you'll notice a difference. Give it a try.

We’ll cheer with you on Monday when the big icky bandage goes! :happydance:
Until then...a peaceful weekend to you!
 
So many wise and wonderful people here.

It’s day 12 today. Since @Layla advised on making a nest of pillows, sleep has been good. :sleeep:

Today, my self just on its own decided to scoot around the kitchen and small areas of the house with NO assistance - other than holding lightly to a counter occasionally. And @Layla (again), you are right. Instead of hobbling, limping and swaying, if I stop and think, relax, and use my rear muscles and walk with my feet doing what they should do when you walk, I can make kind of normal small strides.

My body is doing a wonderful job healing. It was a good day. I feel hopeful:) :-) (:


Sending love ❤ and good wishes to all of you that are healing.
 
A year into my THR recovery and I hardly ever think about it or my knee @ncarlson. When I do it's generally something like "wow, I can do that again!" Keep your spirits up, brighter days are ahead. :flwrysmile:
 
Today is day 15 post surgery. @FCBayern - thanks so much for the encouragement. :SUNsmile:

Got "big, icky, bandage" off yesterday. Figured it would feel better, but it actually feels more delicate, fragile and sore. That's quite a big thing to get healed up I guess.

That was a trip - car ride, walking way too far in the parking ramp, then having them stop my hubby (my rock) at the main floor Covid checkin and turning him away - back to his car. Not even allowed in the lobby of the hospital or a waiting room. It had indicated I could have someone along if I needed assistance. They have volunteers to help you hobble to your appointment. Ugh. I'll say no more.

Funny how this recovery takes Up turns and Down turns. Some days I feel like "I've got this! What a good day!". Then come the other days - like today. I feel stiff, sore, and filled with regret for doing it. That's why encouragement from those of you that got past it is extra helpful - thank you all again.

One more topic - "night sweats" and "sweats". I believe this happens more than anyone realizes and nobody actually addresses it - I don't mean in this forum, I mean as a post surgery event in general. Everyone seems to want to pass it off on "oh it's from the opioids". I'm not and haven't been on any opioids for many days. Or anything other than ibuprofen. And this is happening to me regularly. I don't believe I have any infection since that would be pretty obvious to me and the OA I saw yesterday. And I don't have a fever. I'm also at a very basic weight. Just plain sweating and these odd "sweats" feel different. It's like when you see a young child sleeping and their hair and head is all damp with sweat. My hair is puffed out most days like I'm sitting in the tropics somewhere - I'm in the frigid arctic tundra. I wake up off and on and am beaded up with sweat from my upper chest to the top of my head. Very specific.

I believe it's actually a combination of the body filtering out all the anesthesia, toxins and pain killers from surgery - which I think can take many days. AND the body working really hard on healing. My former significant other before I was married, fell off a ladder and broke both heels. (ugh...) That was the first time I saw this happen - he had night sweats for several weeks. Again, no narcotics were involved. At that time, I believe his doc actually told him it was normal after surgery, and particularly during bone healing. I don't know if this is true. But when I Google this, others are asking too, with no real answers. I suppose there's no reason for anyone to spend any time or effort in the medical field trying to find out why people sweat after surgery. So it's all opinion at this point, but it is happening.

I have a question for those of you that have healed - will I ever be able to bend all the way to the floor and touch my fingers/palms on the floor? I could before - but someone told me - no, you can't do that anymore, you might dislocate your hip. ??? And also, I want to be able to sit cross legged on the floor during yoga with both legs - I had lost ability to do that with my bad leg, had to let it hang out front - again, someone ( the OA yesterday actually) said - I don't think you can do that - you might dislocate the hip - ??? What??? Ever???

I would be horrified to find out there are limitations for simple things like this going forward. Is this true?

Thanks again and blessings to you all.
 
I was able to limp around without a crutch a little today. But I'm still afraid - will I limp always? Not according to everyone I've heard from on this subject. So - I'm going to trust.
No, you won't always limp. You're still less than a month into this year-long recovery and where you are now is not where you're going to end up.

But if you limp when not using a crutch, you should still be using the crutch. Don' try to give it up too early. You still need it. Keep using it until you can walk without a crutch and don't limp.
 
@ncarlson Yes sweating is a fairly common problem after major surgery. Be sure you drink plenty of water.

YES you will eventually be able to bend to the floor, get down onto floor and back up, even sit cross legged. It may take a while for the muscles around your hip to get back into shape for those movements but it will come!!! Following my BTHR I did go to PT just because the muscles were (for me having limped for over 2 years) so very out of shape. But now I can do all the things you asked about .... and more :) The person who told you couldn't do those things is sadly out of touch. IF your surgeon gave you hip precautions those only stay in effect for about 6-8 weeks while every thing is healing up and new bone is growing around the implant. Everyone is different though so be sure to ask your surgeon about any permanent restrictions. My surgeon said the only permanent restriction for me was NO bungie cord jumping! LOL no problem, doctor, that's never been on my bucket list :heehee:
 
@ncarlson You won't limp always. I know it is hard to believe right now but eventually you will be able to do almost all the things you enjoy. My husband told me my walk was "perfect", I did low impact HIIT (when I feel great), and danced with my daughter eventually. Took several months though. Be patient. There is hope and you will see it.

will I ever be able to bend all the way to the floor and touch my fingers/palms on the floor?
Yes. With my last hip replacement, I eventually regained 90% of my flexibility. (I was only 5 months in) It will take a while though. Don't expect yourself to do it within a couple months.

About the activities or movements - Even though I am able to do it, I always have question "should I do it regularly". Since I am among the younger crowd, I hope to prolong the lifespan of my artificial hip before I need revision. Bending over 180 degrees or getting the joint to over 120 degrees while carrying weight (like climb steep stairs), are among the list I read somewhere that would increase the wear and tear of the artificial joints. So is running, jumping, etc. My surgeon and PT said it is fine to do it once in a while but don't make them a regular exercise routine. (Curious about other hippie friends' advices about how to prolong the lifespan of artificial hip.)
 
Yay! Thanks for putting things back into perspective for me. I will bend again!
@Celle - good info. I need to remember that. If am sore and limpy today.

I feel like I had a little setback today, really worn out, things hurt that didn't hurt before. I guess it was a big day yesterday. On top of this is how it is. Not linear every day. Sometimes I'll take a step back I guess.

I forgot to tell you what the OA (Orthopedic Assistant?) that was removing my bandaging asked me: Did you drive yourself here today? "um, did I what?" I just had an artificial metal hip attached to my right leg bones 14 days ago, how could I possibly be driving a car. Welllll. Apparently some do. Which was shocking to me. He said "if you are off opioids and feel you can control the pedals and press down hard enough on the brake if needed, you can drive whenever you want." Can't help thinking that really can't be a good idea.

It might have contributed to feeling like I was a little behind today. I feel like a toddler right now. :heehee:
(And toddlers really shouldn't drive.)
 
I feel like I had a little setback today, really worn out, things hurt that didn't hurt before. I guess it was a big day yesterday. On top of this is how it is. Not linear every day. Sometimes I'll take a step back I guess.
REcovery is full of steps backward as well as forward. Two steps forward and one step back often happens - but that's still one step forward.

Here's a representation of what recovery is really like:
Recovery chart drawn.jpg
 
@ncarlson Ummm I think that OA needs a refresher course. Most hip replacement surgeons I've ever heard of say no driving for about 6 weeks. When you do feel like maybe you're up to driving, practice first. Just sit in the car behind the wheel but don't start it. Move your feet and legs through the motions of driving and see how it feels. Do you think you can move fast enough to react appropriately to any emergency situation? If yes then try driving a short distance with some one in the car with you.

Nope you are not "behind" any schedule.
 
Weird dreams - Definitely a side effect! I usually never remember my dreams, and since the surgery they are so vivid! A little disconcerting at first, but now that I know that is a side effect, no worries.
 
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