Become an Insider

THR On the road to full recovery...

Status
Not open for further replies.
@Sfina48 Hope you are enjoying the holidays (and hope your pain also took a holiday!) Just wanted to update you since I returned to work on Monday... So far so good, even though it's pretty slow... It's actually been good to be out and moving around more... Since like you, I have a desk job I'm making a point of getting up and walking around the floor every hour and I haven't even been using my cane!... The only time I use it is when I go outside... I even went down to my bank branch in the lobby on Monday without it... The best was leaving work on Tuesday, waiting for the elevator and realizing I had left my cane at my desk LOL

PT has definitely picked up intensity and stupid me, not thinking, had made an appointment after work on my first day back... She really kicked my butt that night too... Had me on some leg press machine pushing 50 lbs!!! I was sooooo sore the next day from that workout but it actually felt good that I had worked my body that much... FYI, when I say sore as opposed to pain it is not my hip, just the rest of my body using muscles that I haven't been able to use for so long because of my hip... I feel really lucky to have not experienced hip pain with the exception of that one time about 1 1/2 weeks post-op... Still a slight limp and lack of flexibility but I know that will take time... Also the swelling in my lower legs and feet at the end of the day is annoying (not to mention unattractive) but that will go on for another month according to the doctor and I find the more active I am during the day the less swelling... Maybe I should just walk home tonight after work and maybe there will be no swelling at all HaHa... Just kidding, not quite ready for a 3 mile walk even though I miss the window shopping... Thinking I might try to walk part of the way and can always jump on the bus the rest of the way.
 
Hey there. Just 9 days post op, but had to comment in this thread. I too was told by first OS to hold off ten years. He said hip would progressively go down and that is prob need arthro in a year or two, that was April of 2012, just had my total bone on bone lthr! He scared me away from surgery. Talked more about revisions too young etc! I then went to a arthro hip spec in Atlanta and had a second opinion. Thankfully first OS was on sabbatical! He did a dye injected MRI with cortisone too help reduce pain after. He then had me in his office that same day and referred me to to OS for total hip replacement Scariest and best day of my life! His words to me were hard news to hear but told me positively this will change your life completely in about two months post surgery! I too have a stressful job, two kids and tend to be an over doer! This time is for me. In order to be the best at what I do I needed to make sure I was in the best health. It's hard not having a clean house but heck I've been living with mediocre clean due to hip inactivity for about two plus years. I can work from home and will do it until I'm able to go back. Hope this helps in some way. You are in the decision stage but until now I was not realizing how my life was in a stalled phase not really living to my potential due to nagging hip. Every activity every day, I had to consider impact on hip. Driving walking vacationing, working, you will know when it takes over your life. I'm happy I had a second and third opinion and that I have this behind me now so I can start next recovery chapter!!! Best!!
 
Hey dba212! Nice to hear from you! I was thinking about you and how you made out in your transition back to work. I am glad you wrote, (I didn't want to be annoying with my questions lol).
I hope you are having a nice Holiday as well and it seems like you are coming along nicely. Unfortunately my pain is hanging out for a while! Trying still to convince myself that I do not need surgery ha ha..I will see my 2nd opinion Dr. on Jan 7th (Or 3rd really, I saw Dr. Metzel 1st at HSS and he sent me to Dr. M.). I will be making my appointment for surgery soon after that. YIKES!
I was wondering if you are back to work full time or shorter days, this is probably a short week for you anyway.
Wow, PT is really kicking your butt! I am trying to keep up with the Eliptical machine so to keep the muscles tone in order to be ready for PT, not sure that will help though. You are gaining strength since you were able to loose the cane a bit. That is awesome! Thank you for touching base, I hope that you will stick around these boards so that we can compare notes! I know that no 2 recoveries are exactly the same but I take comfort in knowing that you used the same doctor I will use...Thank you! Sara :)
 
Hi @dkirk05, Thank you for replying...I am in the decision stage and will be making the move toward surgery soon. Although I am terrified I know I need move forward and get this over with, I am in a lot of pain lately. I cant get over the first OS told you to hold off for 10 years.
I have another Dr. appointment on Jan 7th for another opinion.
I see that you have had the Anterior approach and I see that recovery is quicker with that approach.
I just cant imagine sitting for weeks not being able to be in control of everything! UGH, lol. But as the pain gets worse I find myself sitting more and letting things go because I just cant do it. I am not the type to sit around, I know the surgery will change my life, I just have to get over the fear of surgery! lol Thank you! Sara
 
@Sfina48 Don't ever hesitate to ask me questions! I've been there and know what it's like and didn't really have anyone directly to ask so had to figure it out all on my own especially since you are considering the same Dr... Oh there were tons of people who hadn't had it done or "knew someone" who had it done telling me what I should do and in the end I really started to get nasty with them because they had no clue what I was going through either physically or emotionally... Pain can really make you mean and there were days I used that to its fullest extent LOL

As far as work, I am back full time though this week and next there will be some short days since it's so slow... But come January 6th it will probably feel like double days... These crazy people in finance make you pay one way or another if you take any time off... Good that you are able to do exercises before... I know they sometimes have people do that... Though not in the best of shape, I have always been pretty strong and flexible and had been using a Pilates reformer on a daily basis prior to surgery to keep my hip loose without any weight on it and my PT said that probably helped a lot.

Good luck with the 2nd opinion, though I still think Dr M is a miracle worker!!! :)
 
Many thanks! I really appreciate it, I know a lot of people have advice that can be upsetting even some of the stories here on the forum can be unsettling. But I have full confidence in Dr. M. especially now that I have heard of your great experience with him and the hospital.

I know how it is in finance! Lol! I am on vacation until Jan 2nd and boy the end of Dec was tough! It will pick up again when I get back. Do you think you will okay when work picks up Jan 6th? You seemed to have done so well so far. Do you find you have to elevate you leg at night especially if you have swelling?

I bet the Pilates helped for sure! I would love to do yoga once my hip is fixed, I cant get into any of the positions now Ha Ha! Great for you to be able to walk to work and like you said you can take the bus part of the way. I love walking I do not drive so I walk everywhere, however lately if I over do it I will be in pain.

Thanks again! Sara
 
Oh can so relate to not sitting! Wish there was a magic wand to shut off my brain. I planned year end since this is my best time on shut it down! I told the doc I'm a workaholic and have issues. He will release me to work from home as I'm able but suggests its after I'm off meds! I'm having more of an issue right now with drama at home! No wonder I work!
 
@Sfina48 I totally agree with you about some of the things I have read here (especially the amount of meds people are taking)... I wanted off the heavy stuff as soon as possible so I could be more lucid and was lucky that after 2 days I was okay with just OTC Tylenol... I do have an Rx for Oxycodone if needed but so far only had to take 4 since returning home... They really knock me out in about 30 minutes and don't get me started on the constipation UGH!!!

All the bad tales also confirm why I think it is so important to find a surgeon you feel comfortable with and ask lots of questions... True, many things can go wrong because we are all different but I needed to feel confident that had there been any complications I was in good hands with both the Dr and the hospital... Have you read their patient guide online yet? It really tells you in detail everything from preparing for surgery to recovery and it was pretty much right on target... I also received a very comprehensive survey from the hospital a few weeks ago asking me to rate my stay there... I can honestly say that my entire time there, including the day of surgery I felt completely at ease and cared for which given some of the tales I have read here is not always the case... The areas you are in are specific to your type of surgery so the people caring for you really know what they are doing and have seen it all... A guy I work with, his wife is a nurse there in the hand surgery recovery area on another floor and I've noticed when I go for PT that there are different rehab departments too... The one I go to is specific to hip and knee rehab but I've noticed other areas on the same floor.

As far as work getting crazier (predicting people will start dwindling in next week)... I am positive I will be fine since there will be more running around to do which is better than sitting... Sitting for me now and not being active tends to make me swell more since the post-surgery fluids build up and by the end of the day you look like you have pregnant woman ankles and feet LOL... So yes, getting off them and elevating is the only way to make it go away... Needless to say, I'm watching a lot more TV than before at night before bed!
 
@dba212, I agree about the Meds, I hate taking any kind of pills! You were lucky to only need Tylenol OTC. I am amazed you only needed 4 Oxycodone! A lot of people on here are afraid to take the meds for fear of becoming addicted.
I hope I can do that too (Only need Tylenol OTC). I read though the posts here that it is important to take the meds like clockwork, every 4 hours. Did the doc say it was okay for you to Not take the heavy stuff as long as you didn't need them? I hate feeling groogy from medicine! Lord knows I do not need to add to my constipation issues!
I am really worried about the large doses of Aspirin. My stomach gets upset from aspirin. Did you have this issue?
I think they give you something to buffer the aspirin ( I sure hope so!)
I am already on a medicine I have to take for the rest of my life for a bladder disease I have called painful bladder syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis (IC) The medicine I take coats the bladder lining. Its like I have an ulcer in my bladder lining, think of an ulcer in your stomach. This medicine enables me to function in life. The pain is like none I have ever felt in my life...I nearly past out from the pain. I thank God for this medicine(This is a mild blood thinner as well). They don't know how I got it, It is an autoimmune disease there are over 9 Mil people in the US with it. I will discuss this with the hospital when the time comes.
I haven't seen the patient guide yet. I will check it out..
My mother-in-law sent me a consumer report of best and worst hospitals for hip replacement surgery and HSS was not a good hospital for surgery! I asked Dr. M. about this report and he said that was based on misinformation and they are suing the consumer report people.
There are many wonderful testimonials from patients when you google search Dr. Mayman. That he is amazing etc..Many people say exactly what you are saying that he is amazing in giving people there life back.
So that is the hospital I definitely want to have the surgery at, It is a bit of a distance from where I live, but from what I understand many people come from NJ to have surgery there!
Oh I know about swollen legs from standing too much after giving birth to my son. I was on my feet too much and my legs were like tree trunks! It was definitely the fluids I could literally feel the fluids swishing around in my legs! All because I wouldn't rest and stay off my feet! Lol. Sitting bothers my hip now, there are times when I am sitting at my desk for hours and when it comes time to get up, boy do I feel it!

I bet it feels good to finally put your feet up at night! Soon you will be running marathons! :)
 
@Sfina48 They give you tons of info regarding pain management (also online) as well as explain it all to you in the pre-op class... Basically what they did with me was start me off in recovery intravenously and switched to the oral version the following day but only as needed... They never gave it to me regularly but they do check with you regularly to monitor any pain you might have and will address it as needed... I actually have printed records of any and all pain meds I received in my discharge package... My surgery was on a Friday and the last pain med I received was 7am on Sunday... After that, the Tylenol did the trick for me... They did send me home with an Rx for pain meds if I needed them but again to date I've only needed to take 4.

The aspirin as a blood thinner they gave me was a coated version I think and yes, they did also gave me something to protect my stomach from it... On your pre-op day you will be required to bring in all medications, vitamins and supplements you take in their original bottles both Rx and OTC... The Dr who will be clearing you for surgery will tell you which if any to discontinue prior to surgery... Any anti-inflammatory meds like Advil are stopped 1 week prior (that about killed me LOL) and my multi-vitamin, fish oil and glucosamine also stopped 1 week before... I also take meds for thyroid and BP and they were stopped a day or 2 before as well... After surgery in the hospital, they will start you back on any meds and everything will also be spelled out in your discharge paperwork... Also, once you confirm your surgery date you will probably start on a high dose of iron and a folic acid/B12 supplement to boost your blood.

I so hate those reports since the numbers and success stories speak for themselves... I would rather have someone who does hundreds of procedures a year in a hospital that performs thousands a year perform my surgery because they are more than well equipped to deal with any situation that might arise... And I personally know 2 people that have gone there to have things corrected that had not been successful elsewhere... I also remember hearing people in the waiting room that were there from other parts of the country which definitely said a lot.

Now back to pain LOL... I survived my first week back at work and 2 after work PT sessions!... All I can say is that I am very glad I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow and can soak in a nice warm bubble bath!!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Great info! Thanks!
Yea, the no Advil thing will kill me! I know from my Euro/Gyn I will have to stop my bladder meds 1 week before the surgery, But I can continue right after. I also take an anti inflammatory for my hip, no doubt I will have to stop that and that will also kill me, UGH. I do not take vitamins as they bother my stomach.

I have been told in past blood work that I have a high Iron count (I also used to donate blood at my job's blood drive's they loved my blood Ha Ha). So when I used to take supplements with iron it would make me extremely constipated. I think it is because of the over abundance of iron. Maybe in my age now it changed..

Yea, at first I was concerned about the report and my mother in law was very concerned as well, but now I give it no merit as you said there are many people who have had much success with HSS and they are number 1 in other reports.
I know of people who over the years have had surgeries there and I have not heard of one bad experience.
This is what they do, after all the treat professional sports people!

Yea, you deserve the bubble bath after what you have been through this week! Its great that next week is a short week as well..

What is your thought on Metal On Metal? I see these Lawyer commercials about Hip Recalls, and I am a bit nervous.
This was a question I forgot to ask the doctor. But a stupid question as I doubt he would be using the prosthesis that was recalled. That probably pertains to the previously used MOM joints, right? Thanks!! :)
 
@Sfina48 I actually forgot to ask exactly what was used in me (will try to remember next time just out of curiosity)... Again, he was the professional and I trusted him to know what was best to use for me... I've read all those things about recalls, etc but I really have no idea about why one would be better than the other... It does seem though that they more often than not they use the plastic cap since there have been more issues with the others... I know the wear and tear on the plastic can eventually loosen the joint over time but I plan on taking better care of myself with regards to all of my joints... Also since I am not nor ever will be a professional athlete (HAHAHA since I hate sports) I should be good for a while! :)
 
I agree, I didn't even think to ask what he used, he may have mentioned it to me as he spoke about his office, I just don't remember. I do remember him saying Metal On Metal, just don't remember which brand.
I think they mention it at his website. I will have to check again or I will ask as I am sure I will be seeing him soon enough..
I know! I cringe at the thought of having to have a revision or a new hip! I am with you, I am no where near being an athlete, The most running I do is to the train! Lol! :)
 
@Sfina48 I'll have to ask next time I see him (or I could email since he said not to hesitate if I had any questions or concerns) though not a huge deal to me since it's over and done with and so far everything is good... I've heard some people say it feels different inside but I don't feel anything... Obviously it is still a bit stiff and I feel less control right now because of lack of strength but that is all improving with PT... My sister kept joking that with the titanium part in my leg that I was probably a lightning rod... He laughed and said definitely not LOL

PS... I don't even run for buses or trains... There will always be another one :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
True, I am sure they would be happy to answer your question if you contacted them..But as a fellow hippie I will let you know!! Lol

I know, I have to stop running for trains! I have already fallen at least twice!
 
@sfina Falling scared me to death especially with the ice... I'm still afraid the way people don't look where they are going which is while I will probably hold on to the cane for a while as a security blanket.
 
Oh I have always been terrified of falling especially on the ice, I have even bought the things you put on your shoes for traction in the ice and snow! Lol, they actually work!
Yea, I would hold on to that cane for a while!
How much longer will you need PT? Are you close to being done with it?
 
If you are walking in snow (obviously not a good idea a few weeks after THR) yak trax for your shoes or boots are great, we use them when walking in MN. - but on glare ice, they become like ice skates, so be careful
 
@Sfina48 I asked my PT last week and there is no definite end... It's pretty much how we both feel about my progress... My priorities right now are to gain more strength and flexibility which she said should help fix my limp... So that is what we are going to focus on

@charmed-life We get a lot of "black ice" here in the city on sidewalks which for me is far scarier than snow... Fortunately I have a great pair of boots that as long as I go slow enough have really good traction... We also have laws about owners having to shovel and salt sidewalks within an hour or so in front of buildings or they get fined.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yes! Yak Trax! I have used those! Yes and you also have to be careful if the snow packs into the groves they can become like ice skates that way too.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel
Corganics CBD

Staff online

Members online

Total: 831 (members: 6, guests: 825)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom