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pain after revision

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oldbones

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Missouri United States
I am brand new to this site and I'd like to give a little history of myself. I'm 51 years old and in May 2007 I had a Birmingham hip and did great for about a year then started having some groin pain and walking with a limp. I saw my OS who took x-rays and determined that my hip had loosened and suggested that I have a hip revision. In January of this year I had a THR. I was doing fairly well and went back to work quickly. I'm now beginning to get (with no injur)discouraged because I've started walking with a very noticeable limp and lots of pain. I'm an oncology nurse and on my feet a lot. I guess I need help in does anyone think that I need mor PT, am I trying to do too much too quickly. How long should I expect this recovery to take and be able to get back to doing normal activities? Thanks, Oldbones
 
Hello, oldbones and welcome to BoneSmart. I moved your post into a thread of its own so your enquiry will get pertinent responses and so it doesn't derail Melissa's thread.

First question - how many weeks were you off sick before you returned to work? And when, exactly, did you have your revision? Without that info, it's a bit difficult to say for sure what was 'too early' or 'enough' - see what I mean?

It's quite possible you are doing too much as the treatment for pain is rarely more PT. But I can be more specific when you give me the details.
 
Hi, Bones! You've come to the right place to get help and support. Sorry to hear you are having pain, but our forum nurse, Josephine, will no doubt have some ideas for you once you supply her with a little more information.
 
I was off work for 17 days and went back to work using a cane and was doing great. I followed the hip precautions pretty much to the letter and was very careful. I want to clarify that I'm an office nurse and have the luxury of sitting down when I need to. My surgery was January 12, 2009. We moved our daughter this weekend into an upstairs apartment and I carried two pillows up one flight of stairs and I was limping for the rest of the week-end. I would just like someone to give me a timeline. For example, at one month you should be doing this and two months this is what you can expect, etc. Any and all suggestions welcomed. Thanks, Oldbones.
 
Welcome & Good luck Bones!!! (I always wanted to say that!!! ). Hope you feel better
Wanted to say that!! )
 
Jo will write back also, I'm sure. It's late in Great Britain right now so it may be tomorrow. But from what you describe I would say you are pushing it! Unfortunately there isn't a set timeline to give you because everyone heals differently. There are many factors that can come into play like fitness level before surgery, amount of damage done prior to the replacement, age, your tendency toward swelling....and more. You have to take the time to listen to your body. And when it tells you it hurts, it means you're going too fast. Slow down and I bet things will improve for you. Also, don't hesitate to take some type of pain medication (prescription or over the counter) when you need it. That can help with any inflammation.
 
Bones! Our mantra here is:
"RICE!!! "
Rest
Ice
Compress
Elevete
It really works!!!! :)
 
Bones
I am also 51 and had my hip replacement last June. No way would I have been able to go back to work in 17 days. Did I read that correctly?? I did not leave my house or yard for the first 14, and then only to go to an apt with my surgeon. I was napping, sleeping, doing my exercises and that is it. Now at 3 months I was pretty much back to normal (for me), but at 3 months not weeks!!!!
Yikes, I'd better re read to be sure
judy
 
Hi Oldbones,

I'm totally amazed and impressed that you went back to work after 17 days. Wow. But - maybe a bit ambitious. I found that for the first month if I overdid things, I paid for it in pain later on. At 6 weeks post op I can walk these lovely Swiss hills for an hour or so, but not much more. As for a 'time-line', I'd also like one as a general guide, but as Jamie says, the best guide of all is to listen to our own bodies.

Your body is your best friend, and you're going to spend your lives together, so give it lots of love and lots of treats, just as you would for any good friend in recovery.

Enjoy it all,

Nick
 
oldbones said:
I was off work for 17 days and went back to work using a cane and was doing great. I followed the hip precautions pretty much to the letter and was very careful. I want to clarify that I'm an office nurse and have the luxury of sitting down when I need to. My surgery was January 12, 2009. We moved our daughter this weekend into an upstairs apartment and I carried two pillows up one flight of stairs and I was limping for the rest of the week-end. I would just like someone to give me a timeline. For example, at one month you should be doing this and two months this is what you can expect, etc. Any and all suggestions welcomed. Thanks, Oldbones.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are defintely overdoing it, my friend. Only 17 days off sick? My goodness - that would be appropriate for a hernia repair or something similar! You seem to have made no allowance for recovering from the anaesthetic which can knock the stuffing out of you all on it's own. And you had a revision which is going to be even more demanding on your reserves of stamina. But never mind - it's done now and no going back.

It's now about 3 months since your surgery but remember that many would only now be returning to work. Thus my first suggestion is, can you take a couple of weeks leave to catch up on your rest?

Second is, you really need to listen to your body. If you're doing something that is a bit too far, then you need to cut back and treat yourself kindly!

And you say you are in 'lots' of pain. So are you taking pain meds? People sometimes have this idea that they 'should' be off all pain meds at two or four weeks which is tommy rot! If you are still taking them, are you taking enough?! You need to be proactive about pain management and take them on time even though you mightn't yet be experiencing pain. I think this is the most difficult one for people to grasp. Somehow they put in a lot of 'shoulds' and 'oughts' and other constraints upon themselves and think they should be IN pain before they take meds. It's not the most efficient way as I am sure you know, being an oncology nurse. I did some time in a hospice many years ago and was struck by the wonderful atmosphere and the low doses of pain meds that were being issued. The sister (nun) told me it was because they never allowed their patients to be in pain before they had their pills and it really does work!

I have this graphic which explains it better.


[Bonesmart.org] pain after revision


Please, do be kind to yourself and listen to your body.
 
Welcome to the board OldBones! Please listen to Jo -can you take off of work to rest at this point? Don't push yourself. You have the rest of your life to reach your milestones.
 
Bones, I to had a revision on Feb 6 due to cup failure. I am 8 weeks out and not back to work yet. I am told that the revision takes longer to heal and with me that is the case. I am still walking with a cane and have many aches & pains. My OS says I can go back to work in a month or two. I am sure all doc's are different but I think you might be pushing it. Good luck.
 
Good morning my new found friends and thanks so much for the words of wisdom as well as the words of encouragement. I went to the OS yesterday who did x-rays and the hardware as he said "looks great" but he determined that I have bursitis after he was feeling along the lateral side of my hip with pressure and I nearly came up off the table. I received a steroid injection into the bursa. I tell people that you haven't lived until you've had a steroid injection into a joint. Today, I'm beginning to feel much less pain but I'm still taking it easy. My OS doesn't have much of a sense of humor or bedside manner and I've found that most of them are like that. His PA did the injection and is always a wealth of knowledge for me. So, thanks again. Oldbones
 
Well, he's confirmed one thing - most bursitis occur because of over use! Though doctors always seem to neglect to offer that caution for some reason. But I'm glad to see you are being cautious anyway and taking it easy despite having less pain.

But the injection wouldn't have been into the joint but into the bursa unless the area of inflammation wasn't on the trochanter - the most common place for bursitis to occur.
[Bonesmart.org] pain after revision


Having a hypodermic put into such an inflamed area is bound to be a 'peel me off the ceiling' experience! Poor you!
 
Hello, friends. Today I'm feeling much less pain and was able to take it very easy. I work with a very helpful group of nurses who are willing to do my "in office running" for me while I sit with my leg elevated. Thanks, Jo for the info on the bursa vs joint injection. I'm, however, curious where does the injection go prior to hip replacement because I've also had 2 of those. It's an anterior groin approach done under flouroscopy. Thanks. P.S. is it against the rules to know what state or country everyone is from? Thanks, Oldbones
 
Oldbones....not at all against the rules to know the country people are from....you'll find it at the top right of each person's post along with when they joined and the number of posts they have so far. Some people change their profile to reflect the state also.
 
YoungM said:
Ah, didn't know we can add our state -I will add mine! Thanks for that info Jamie.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can go into your profile under User Control Panel and type in the state after United States....like I did today. I just never thought about doing that before, but it's a great idea.
 
In the groin and under xray control - that is in the hip joint. It's the only way the surgeon can be sure he's in there as there is so little space.
 
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