THR Pink Peony Recovery Thread

@Pink Peony wow you are moving right along! If I'd tried sitting that long at 4 weeks I would have been a hot weepy mess after an hour! Especially knowing there was no break in sight.

I laughed at your "gruesome"! All that infinitely adhesive glue keeps all the nasty dead stuff embalmed under it for far too long lol. Then it finally starts peeling off, and if you're me after a recent surgery, you might have helped it jusssst a tiny bit, you see that you really have a pretty decent looking scar, whew!
 
Everything is going so well, that I am almost holding my breath
Okay, no breath holding allowed! :heehee: Deep breathing is needed to keep that Lymph Flow going.
But seriously, you are doing so well. I am truly happy for you.
 
Day 30

I laughed at your "gruesome"! All that infinitely adhesive glue keeps all the nasty dead stuff embalmed under it for far too long lol. Then it finally starts peeling off, and if you're me after a recent surgery, you might have helped it jusssst a tiny bit, you see that you really have a pretty decent looking scar, whew!

zauberflote - stuff is totally embalmed....:badspidy:. I am just leaving alone, hoping a beautiful tiny scar is healing under there.

Thanks Hip4life for your incision story, I can't wait for the scab to be gone.

cstinchcom, Layla, leejaa, CricketHip and other wonderful community members - you all make this isolating experience so much more enjoyable! The swelling is getting slightly better even with the heat, however I am noticing that my diligence with icing is waning (mostly a function of work obligations).

Thank you everyone for your support. Yesterday was another milestone, I mowed my lawn. I noted that Greg (my same day surgery person) mowed his one day before, which was helpful to read. Thankfully, I have a small lawn, and an electric mower. I was paying attention the whole time to make sure I was paying attention. I am getting to the point where I get up and start walking and have forgotten I had a bad hip. I didn't realize how the pain and limitations become such a part of everyday activities. I have now used the bathroom in my home that doesn't have a riser, and that is still not flawless. The toilet riser is still useful.

Two more weeks until I see my doctor and get those next set of x-rays. That will be the first time I have seen him since a brief moment in post-op.

I have continued to recommend this forum to other people on the fence about hip replacement and someone who is getting a knee replacement.
 
I was paying attention the whole time to make sure I was paying attention.

:heehee: Funny, love this!

I have continued to recommend this forum to other people on the fence about hip replacement and someone who is getting a knee replacement.

Thank you kindly! We certainly appreciate it.

I hope you have a lovely day and weekend. :SUNsmile:
 
@Pink Peony mow lawn wow! Totally OT, but just how small is your lawn, and how much do you like your mower? I want to get an electric mower so asthmatic me can mow our "small-half-acre/large-1/3-acre" yard.

I seem to be finding something interesting in current hippies here. Most Everybody is more comfortable and functional sooner than we were even just 3 years ago, and definitely 7 years ago. Except for Mojo333 who is an outlier anywhere she goes :snork: What is it? Improved surgical techniques? Stronger patients? Something in the water?
 
Sounds like you are doing wonderfully. Good job mowing and paying attention. Must have felt so good to do another normal routine chore.

Do you have ice packs you can put next to your hip when working and sitting. I would use an ice pack all the time and sometimes had to just set it next to me and use something to keep it in place like a towel rolled up between it and the side of the chair.
 
Day 40

This was a great week, with a couple of firsts:

* First walk without trekking poles (about 3/4 mile).
* The glue is almost all gone from my incision (I did help it a little bit, which later my physical therapist said ideally you just leave it alone). The therapist has also noticed the swelling and incision bumpiness has improved.
* Had a very good PT session, my strength and ROM is returning quickly. She said I may "graduate early" from those sessions.
* More moments where I completely forget I have had surgery. This has been the most incredible in the sense, that I feel my "old self" returning. I had lost hope and forced into a new norm (e.g. no running, limited lifestyle), and the foreboding of this is what happens when you age. I am now more hopeful that I will be able to pursue some of my life passions again - e.g. horseback riding, skiing, etc.
 
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Wonderful report and an early graduation in the offing. Lots of things to celebrate. Have a great day.
 
6 week doctor's visit (yesterday)

This was the first time I have seen my surgeon since my surgery. I FINALLY got to ask him about his comment in the recovery room where he said something about my "man" bone spurs. He clarified, that myself and one other woman had very large bone spurs, and that I was well overdue for a hip replacement. Fascinating, as I was still debating about getting it done, until I found this forum (January 2020) and read voraciously. While my pain was bearable, it was ever present, and the biggest issue was my world just was getting smaller and smaller (e.g. shorter walks, stopped doing certain exercises (e.g. leg lunges)). While the bone spurs showed up on the x-rays, I got the sense when he got in there, he was surprised.

I was expecting him to take another x-ray, which he didn't. He said he "cheated" and took one at some point during my surgery, and then I had one at 1 week appointment. I was hoping to hear how my bone growth was progressing. He essentially said at this point bone growth was 70% complete, and my healing was 20% complete. He also said that if the stem hasn't shifted in the first 3 weeks, there is less than 1% it will shift. I guess at this point, since I am not having pain, he is presuming my stem hasn't shifted.

I was also curious what he used, and he typed it in my phone (where I was trying to take notes). I have a Styker Accolade stem, Trident 2 cup and Ceramic biolox head.

He looked at my incision, and the funny spot at the bottom, I am "spitting a stitch". He was going to do something, and I asked if it was going to hurt, and he just took a closer look, and said, just let it finish. I guess if that happens (spitting a stitch), it is either at the top or bottom of the incision. He said I could take a bath, but I forgot to ask if I can start to use scar reducing strips. I am going to wait until the last of the bottom of the stitch looks good, before I do that.

My next appointment? In five years!!!! Unless I have any problems.

He concurred with my PT, that I could "graduate early", but recommended a home workout program. I saw my PT today, and told her. I have another appointment on Friday (that will be essentially 4.5 weeks of out-patient PT). I did a few more challenging exercises today, and the key issue is just lack of strength in the leg (compared to my non-surgical leg). I kept saying "good" leg and "bad" leg, and she (my PT) corrected me and suggested "surgical" and "non-surgical" leg. Actually, I think that is a healthier "tape" in my mind, and am going to work on changing the way I think, and refer to my left side, as the surgical leg.
 
Awesome news Pink Peony, I can't wait to get to take a bath or swim myself. I had a question about your post. You mentioned the doctor talking about the stem shifting. Is this likely to happen? What would I have to do for this to happen? My doctor never mentioned this to me but I would really like to avoid that happening
 
I "spit a stitch" at the top of my incision. I thought I was getting an infection and was pretty freaked out but it turned out to be something pretty common.

I have also been freaking meout, and was finally relieved when they said, "oh that is just spitting a stitch". For us lay people, it is always a learning process. :snork:
 
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You mentioned the doctor talking about the stem shifting. Is this likely to happen? What would I have to do for this to happen? My doctor never mentioned this to me but I would really like to avoid that happening

I was questioning my doctor about the progress of bone growth into my implant. I expected x-rays at the 6 week appointment, to monitor that progress. No x-rays were taken (last ones taken were one week post op). That is when he explained about the 70% bone growth has taken place (by 6 weeks post-op), and thus helping to ensure the stem is staying in the right place. Reading on this forum, there have been stories about stem shifting (which per my doctor, only happens in about 1% of the cases), which can mean a revision, and can cause lots of pain. Thus my concern about not pushing myself to early to let my body heal and for everything to stay in the right place.

When I looked at my x-ray during my first post-op visit (with the PA), I asked about the stem placement while looking at my x-ray. He pointed out where it was located (close to the inside of my thigh), and that this was a great placement. [A bit difficult to describe without showing my x-ray and my non-medical explanation].

Bottom line - my take-away is it was/is important in the early part of recovery to not push ourselves with over activity (which is what many mods on here promote). Giving our bodies our chance to heal properly early in the recover process is the most important, so that we can be active later on. What I didn't realize until my appointment is that per my doctor those first three weeks are most critical for the stem to stay placed where he placed it.
 
Ok thank you for explaining that, I followed the guidelines laid out here so hopefully I don't have to worry about this. I haven't seen an x-ray of my leg since the surgery, I imagine they may do that on my appointment then their of next month
 
I haven't seen an x-ray of my leg since the surgery, I imagine they may do that on my appointment then their of next month

I have to admit, it was a bit of an out of body experience to see the implant on my x-ray, yet not feel it in my leg. Which of course is a good thing.
 
I have to admit, it was a bit of an out of body experience to see the implant on my x-ray, yet not feel it in my leg

YES!!
To be honest, I didn’t like looking at it inside of me (on x-ray) initially. Did you feel that way? Thankfully it doesn’t bother me now. Now I just want it to stay put, in there to stay...forever! :heehee:
 
YES!!
To be honest, I didn’t like looking at it inside of me (on x-ray) initially. Did you feel that way? Thankfully it doesn’t bother me now. Now I just want it to stay put, in there to stay...forever! :heehee:

YES! :yes!: I was hesitant to take a look, and then disbelief that what I was seeing was really inside of me. I will join you in hoping it just stays in place and does it job for the rest of my life.
 

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