THR On your side now!!

[bellaroma]

Welcome to the other side Lily, slow and steady.

 

[lily77]

I got home Thursday evening and have been doing good, with the exception of that night. I spiked a fever of 102.3 and my oxygen was in the low 80's. They sent me home on oxygen and antibiotics after discovering that it was most likely pneumonia. I was feeling so awful! But the fever has since broke and I am feeling pretty good. Ive been up quite a bit. My mobility is surprising to even me! I stay down most of the time with an ice pack and my leg up . The pain is manageable and I am trucking along pretty dang good!! My leg is super swollen and has some drainage, luckily no infection. My incision is big! I would guess 14 inches. I lost count at staple 50!!! Wowza!! I will post a pic soon. I can't figure out how to do it from my phone.
Cheers!!!

 

[Knitter4444]

So sorry you had that big bleep after surgery. Sounds like you have gotten past that and on the paved road to recovery. Stay ahead of your pain with your meds..Wow, large incision..They must have had all the cranes and bulldozers working overtime in your hip.

 

[Vilebyrd]

The mobility ans stability is so amazing i still can't get over it. Its really weird to not hurt when i get up and down now in the joint. Im not even at two weeks and i just walked around one really big mall with just my cane and a shopping cart and i wasnt hurting when done except in the muscles. We are so lucky to have been able to get this Operation. Merry Christmas

 

[lily77]

If I feel steady and stable, do I have to use a walking aid? The only restrictions I was given was not to bend over 70 deg, no leg crossing and no inward pivoting.
Other question on drainage, what is a normal amount? We are changing the dressing every few hrs due to the seeping liquid. It is clear, but tinged red from the blood.

Thank you!

 

[Poppet]

Hi lily77

I have merged your two threads together as we prefer that members only have one primary thread in the recovery side, this helps us to keep your recovery journey in context

I stayed on my walker for 10 weeks post, the main reason is that you don't want to develop a limp. The main aim with walking following a THR is to improve your gait and not limp, that is the reason to use an aide you may feel ok, but are your muscles strong enough?

Regarding your incision and changing your dressing. Are you still in hospital? It is reasonably normal to get some discharge often with a slight tinge of blood but I will tag Jo on this question Josephine

 

[dede62]

Kelsey, are you getting any home health care (i.e.visiting nurse and /or PT)? From what I read on your thread above you have quite a large incision and you're only on what, day 5? Is the drainage so much that it is soaked, or are you just checking it that often? I'm guessing you'll have some sort of drainage as long as the staples are in and possibly shortly after that. But at that point I'm guessing it shouldn't be excessive. I'd watch for a change in color or odor or if you start getting a fever. Check your hospital discharge instructions for dressing changes. If there's nothing there you can always check in with the doctor's office (OS or GP) if you have questions or concerns.

I probably wouldn't attempt solo walking without some sort of PT evaluation. Wouldn't want you to pick up any bad habits or inadvertantly breaking any restrictions. I'd be really surprised if you are that stable this quick. The unwritten number one rule is to not fall, especially this early.. And witht the 70 degree restriction, aids make it much easier to get up and down from a chair/toilet or on/off the bed.

Take it slow warrior!

 

[Josephine]

If I feel steady and stable, do I have to use a walking aid? The only restrictions I was given was not to bend over 70 deg, no leg crossing and no inward pivoting.

That's 90 degrees, not 70 Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule.
And you should continue with at least a cane as long as you are on restrictions.

Other question on drainage, what is a normal amount? We are changing the dressing every few hrs due to the seeping liquid. It is clear, but tinged red from the blood.

There is no 'normal' amount. Wounds should be dry from the start with only minimal oozing from the stitch/staple holes. If you wound is leaking that much you should contact your surgeon and let him know. Also, do be careful when changing dressings that you (or whoever is doing the dressing change) don't finger the wound at all or use unsterile tissues, cloths or gauzes to clean it. Also wash and dry your hands thoroughly before doing it.

 

[Damn!]

Kelsey, be sure to let us know what your home nurse or surgeon says about the drainage. Did your doctor put a drain in while you were in the hospital? If not, this might account for some of the draining you are seeing.

 

[lily77]

My dr actually specified 70 degrees. Not sure why the difference from the normal 90 degrees. No I never did have a drain so that would make since. We are being very careful when changing the dressings. Using the ones they sent me home with.

 

[bellaroma]

you seem in good spirits, take it slow, besides stability the walking aids help us walk with a good gait. You donot want to limp:merrychr:

 

[YoungGma]

Maybe your surgeon just misspoke on the 70 degrees? (Hey, they're human too!) Either way, I'd stick with 90 just to be safe! And as others said, some sort of an aide will definitely help you keep from limping as well as provide stability. Tiredness can hit you like a brick, out of nowhere.....it's good to have something to hang on to if you find yourself where you can't sit down right away.

I'd call the doc's office about the drainage, better safe than sorry! Plus, remember, no matter how great you are feeling, you need to rest! I finally figured out that I needed to rest about 2x more than I THOUGHT I did, and it made a world of difference. But believe me, I know you can easily get impatient to be moving around. It helps if you surround yourself with some enjoyable activities like books you've meant to read or movies you've wanted to see.

Enjoy the holidays and keep us posted!

 

[dede62]

When I had PT he mentioned that some patients do have a 70 degree limitation. Another example of difference in surgeon and restrictions. All depends on the extent of the work done, I guess.

 

[Damn!]

Whoa! 70 degrees would be tough. Did your doctor indicate how long he wanted you to observe the restrictions? Hope it is a short time for you.

Merry Christmas.
Tammy

 

[lily77]

I am wondering if it has something to do with my dysplasia. Maybe there just isn't much bone on the socket side so I need to be extra careful not to dislocate? I'm not 100% sure, but I see my os on Friday so I will find out for sure.

 

[Damn!]

Be sure to let us know. You are the first I have heard to have a 70 degree restriction.

Merry Christmas!
Tammy

 

[oldyellr]

As a (retired) Engineer, let me say a few words about "degrees". First of all, how do you measure this angle? Do you measure the arc that your thigh moves through from the straight position, or the angle of your thigh to your torso when it's bent? Of course, at 90 degrees, these angles are both the same. But an angle of 70 degrees could mean 2 different things, depending how you measure it; when lying down, if you raise your thigh just 70 degrees off the floor, it will be 110 degrees to your torso. But if you manage to raise it 110 degrees off the floor, it will be 70 degrees to your torso. When I had my pre-op orientation at the hospital, the PT actually mentioned 85 degrees, or something, but said keep it to 90 to be safe. I think she meant the angle between the thigh and the torso and I think that's how it was illustrated in the booklet handed out. Anyway, 90 is 90, no matter which way you look at it. When they say range of motion (ROM), I would assume it'd the angle the thigh moves through, not the angle it makes to your torso.

 

[lily77]

Had my first outing today, went great! My family went to my parents house and had dinner and exchanged gifts. I was able to rest while we were there and had a really nice time. I was worried about getting to the car and back since it has snowed about 4-5 inches, but with some help it wasn't a problem at all.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

 

[Poppet]

oldyellr

Hi John, Merry Christmas!

I love your explanation about the degrees.. you are so wise.. I really enjoy your posts.. just had to tell you that!

 

[Poppet]

Well done Kelsey, you are progressing very well..