THR One year anniversary THR

[Sohowarrior]

Pretty uneventful! Still a little loopy and sore, but no oxy since around 2PM yesterday, mostly Tylenol and an anti inflammatory whose name I forgot. Got a larger head and a constrained locking ring according to the operative notes. No change to femoral component. So not very invasive as far as these go. I’m already feeling better than earlier yesterday afternoon, pain has subsided a lot. Walking fine with walker, no limping or gait issues and I’m hoping to ditch the walker in a week or so. No log leg but muscles are pretty tight.
Question: I bought a lounge doctor to elevate at home, my nurse here thinks the angle is extreme and is worried that I’ll blow the 90 degree restriction. I have other less high options. Thoughts?
Hopefully get discharged today. At home PT to start Friday, outpatient two weeks later. I’m fully weight bearing. But I’m tired, I think my BP is much lower than usual. Slept well last night.

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @Sohowarrior

Good to see your post and glad you are feeling better.
Low BP and clearing out that fog from the brain makes this first bit tough.
I didn't use the lounge doctor - or similar wedge I was going to use - for elevation as it was uncomfortably high for me.
I think the nurse's concerns are valid and I opted to use my recliner to raise my feet up... wasn't necessarily toes above nose...

I hope you stay iced and maybe the swelling won't be too awful.
Healing hugs, friend.

 

[Sohowarrior]

They were not great with ice here yesterday but I worked with what they gave me. I rented a Nice1 machine which is waiting for me at home, heard great things and I like the idea of never having to change ice out

 

[Eman85]

You'll like an icing machine, I kept it on constantly in the first weeks even in bed. Mine used frozen water bottle so the change out wasn't often.

 

[CricketHip]

Glad to see you in the recovery side of things again.
This will be well worth it to fix that dislocation issue.

 

[Sohowarrior]

I hope this revision works. I know none of them are perfect. I take some comfort knowing that my two dislocations didn’t occur during any of my athletic endeavors. So far I’m feeling good and looking forward to an intimate relationship with my icing machine.

 

[Sohowarrior]

You'll like an icing machine, I kept it on constantly in the first weeks even in bed. Mine used frozen water bottle so the change out wasn't often.

I just got home a couple of hours ago and I love this thing!

 

[Valentine]

@Sohowarrior I recently had a dislocation and found your thread when researching that. I am sorry you had to have surgery, but trust that you are in good hands and will have a smooth recovery. I used Polar Care non-stop the first weeks and am certain it helped. I purchased the lounge doctor also, but i didn’t use it once. I, too, found it uncomfortable and also questioned if the angle was beneficial. Wishing you the best.

 

[Sohowarrior]

I’m not going to use it. I got on the bed and I found the angle too severe and put too much stress on the hip flexor. I have a wedge pillow with a lower angle and that will do the trick.

 

[Sohowarrior]

Greetings from home. Bathroom success, so that’s done. Am determined to stay off Oxy, so far pain manageable and better than yesterday. Trying just Tylenol and meloxicam. I’m on 40 minutes of ice now. HSS gives you 9 extremely simple exercises to do 3x day, 5 in bed, one seated, three standing. Will do round one after icing, whole series takes maybe 7 minutes. Plan to walk around apartment 5 to 10 minutes an hour. Using the walker but primarily for safety not necessity. Waterproof bandage which I can remove in 7 days, dissolving sutures.
Afternoon highlight is shower, shampoo and blowing out my hair. And more icing.
Does anyone know what a constrained locking ring is? I’m pretty happy that Dr chose not to replace or reposition most of my existing replacement but this is something I never heard of despite my hours of reading. But I think I’m reading operating notes correctly and he definitely left the existing cup intact as well as femoral component.

 

[Mojo333]

Does anyone know what a constrained locking ring is?

A constrained liner is a device consisting of a polyethylene liner - (I take it he kept your existing cup liner?) and a reinforcing ring. The metal locking ring fits into a groove on the outer surface of the liner to reinforce the capture of the femoral head within the liner.
These constrained components are designed to physically resist dislocation by avoiding re-expansion of the liner.

HSS gives you 9 extremely simple exercises to do 3x day, 5 in bed, one seated, three standing. Will do round one after icing, whole series takes maybe 7 minutes.

I know I'm the neighborhood Cassandra...so bear with me...
I think nothing is to be lost by forgoing these ...at least for a week or so... so energy goes 100% to healing.
Really hope this is an easy recovery and I know you are ready to get back to life...

 

[Sohowarrior]

Thank you, that’s exactly what was done plus the head exchange. Kept the existing cup and poly liner. Back to icing. I hear you, Cassandra! But I’m still going to do my hair.

 

[Sohowarrior]

Just up for a quick bathroom trip and a stroll around apartment (took the walker to be safe), reporting on a very good day. Spent lots of time with my new obsession, the Nice1 machine. Will be interesting to see the next 7 to 10 days but so far swelling and bruising is minimal. I’m on aspirin for 6 weeks so that’s a work in progress. Pain has definitely abated, particularly in quad. The one mistake I made was two hours of tv without walking around and no ice, I stiffened up and had to reach for the Tylenol. Won’t sit that long again with no ice and no moving about.
HSS sets up in house PT visits, had my first one yesterday. They are free, I get four more. Truthfully, not physically threatening at all, and was a bit helpful yesterday, we walked around apartment with walker, cane and unassisted, did some heel and toe raises, side leg lifts at kitchen counter, practiced getting in and out of chair. And my husband got a break and went for a beer. And I’m sleeping on unoperatef side because back is just impossible for me. I’m not a restless sleeper and I’ve set myself up with two body pillows plus one between my legs. Practiced yesterday getting into position and it’s been fine, PT showed me how to keep hips aligned with slight bend in knees, then how to readjust to get out of bed. So that was actually pretty good. Back to sleep I go.

 

[Eman85]

I kept the icing machine on me when I went to bed the first weeks it felt so good. I showered every day it just felt so good and was one of the things I could easily do.

 

[Sohowarrior]

Day 5. Finally ventured outdoors with husband and cane (which I really didn’t need but will use for safety), did about 1/4 mile with ease but then came back to my new best friend, the ice machine. I’m going to hate returning it. I have almost no pain but the swelling and bruising is cropping up now. Still seems better than the initial THR, though. I have to say I had no idea what I would be in for after revision surgery and am feeling very lucky so far.
Happy Passover to those who celebrate!

 

[Sohowarrior]

Greetings on day 10. Ditched the walker a few days ago and using the cane outdoors but for safety only, don’t need it. Minimal to no pain, Tylenol takes care of it. We even went out to dinner tonight with friends. Walked home and tethered myself to the ice machine for 40 minutes pre sleep. Bruising starting to calm down as is the swelling. My.butt, however, looks like something out of a horror movie. My at home PT removed the dressing two days ago and the incision area was super tender. Much improved after 48 hours, looks better, too. Been doing some very simple exercises with him, ankle pumps, calf raises, sitting to standing, squats at the kitchen counter and we did 30 minute outside walk today, including some stairs for first time. I’m starting outpatient PT at end of next week per surgeon instructions, hoping to get a bit of massage and to address the only issue I have right now, which is some tightness in the quad. Been doing some stretching and letting hot water hit it in the shower for a few extra minutes, that’s helped. We have a theragun but I’m not going to use it without surgeonz’s ok, I’m taking aspirin till end of May and I want to avoid unnecessary bruising. All told, recovery so far has been much better than expected. We live near Central Park so that’s today’s plan, going to add on a little bit more distance.
How long does it take for dissolvable stitches to dissolve?

 

[myglasshalffull]

Sounds like you are coming right along. I had staples & they were removed at 2 week mark, not sure how long stitches will take to dissolve.
Weather looks nice for this weekend here in Northeast & a stroll through Central Park sounds amazing.
When I venture into Boston I love the common there as well as the public gardens.

 

[djklaugh]

@Sohowarrior It depends on what kind of suture material your surgeon used. Most dissolvable sutures last for a week or so but some can last up to a month or two.

 

[Sohowarrior]

I’ll call and ask but these don’t look like they are leaving my butt anytime soon!

 

[Sohowarrior]

Sounds like you are coming right along. I had staples & they were removed at 2 week mark, not sure how long stitches will take to dissolve.
Weather looks nice for this weekend here in Northeast & a stroll through Central Park sounds amazing.
When I venture into Boston I love the common there as well as the public gardens.

I lived in Back Bay, my husband commuted between Boston and NYC for many years. I miss it!