THR PostOp from July 10th, 2019

[PetMama]

Hello Everyone. I found this wonderful site RIGHT after my surgery! Wish I'd found you a little sooner!
I had SuperPath done on my left hip on July 10th. My hospital stay was awful, but I thought that was the norm. I've had mediocre Home Health PT, nursing & lab care.
My husband had the identical surgery, identical doctor, identical hospital 3 weeks to the day after I had mine. Only difference? He was put on the Ortho Surgical floor & was treated like a King. I was accidentally put in Telemetry, & was basically left to fend for myself. My husband had 24 hours of Dilaudid for pain. I was told by my RN that there's no pain with SuperPath, so an Extra-strength Tylenol would suffice. I could only get a Norco, if I asked & said my pain level was at a 5 & above. I was sent home within 24 hours, he stayed the full 3 days.
And maybe this is just post op blues, but I'm really upset about all of it. I've managed to convince myself that this hip won't last. I was supposed to get ceramic, but go ahead. You can guess. I didn't. Doc said it didn't come in the size I needed. And yes, my husband got the ceramic implant. My PT has been a huge waste of money. My assessments take no more than 10 mins. Go ahead & guess. My husband's took over an hour, & that didn't include his after exercise massage. A MASSAGE!!!!
Anyway, thank you for listening to me rant. (Don't get me started about the "used" walker I was given at the hospital, compared to the brand spanking new, still in bubble wrap one my husband got.) I got my 52 staples out last week, but thanks to my husband rushing in so soon after me, I'm now pretty much having to do everything again.
The other night, I had what felt like a charleyhorse in my left thigh. I actually cried, & it still hurts. I hope this is normal & not something I've done wrong.
Thank you to EVERYONE for listening. This site is amazing.

 

[Layla]

Welcome to BoneSmart and Recovery. Thanks for joining us.
I'm sorry to read how you feel a bit shortchanged in comparison to the care your husband received. It's unfortunate your pain wasn't effectively controlled in those early days. Being discharged early is a plus in my book. Less risk of infection and you rest much easier at home with the constant interruptions of a hospital. As far as the implant goes, I'm sure what your surgeon chose is what's best for you. I would trust that and try to let it go. Please try not to project as hip implants are lasting longer than ever before. If you need a revision in the future, you'll deal with it. It may never be necessary.
http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/hips-that-have-lasted-32-40-41-and-45-years.13853/

Below are the Recovery Guidelines. Please read the article on Post Op Blues, which is common and temporary, so you are not alone. As far as the muscle spasms, consider Magnesium. I'll leave some info below the Recovery Guidelines.

Stop back often, you'll find lots of comfort, support and encouragement here.
Wishing you all the best as you continue on the journey!

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for THRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Closure​

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask the at each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

 

[Layla]

Magnesium supports the following:
Bone health
Healthy blood sugar
Cardiovascular health
Muscle relaxation and nerves
Promotes healthy sleep (falling asleep and staying asleep)

An article on Magnesium -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/magnesium-is-a-star.20301/

@PetMama

 

[PetMama]

Thank you so much, Layla. I will start taking Magnesium. Probably need iron, as well, as my labs continue to show I'm anemic.

I'm trying so hard to not project. At 1st, I tried laughing it off, but every single thing hasn't gone as it should have. Including, "He can't be discharged until he has a Doppler. It's mandatory." "Mandatory? Really? Then how did I get discharged?"
I guess what's become very clear to me is no one can judge how your recovery goes because even with the same doctor, procedure, hospital, and home health care, EVERYTHING can be completely different. Despite my doom and gloom, I feel fortunate that I've survived this virtually unscathed.

Thanks again Layla!

 

[Layla]

You're welcome! And as much as I'd probably feel as you do if I experienced the same, all of what feels like preferential treatment, or getting the shaft will not determine who has a better recovery, you or hubby. You were obviously doing well, or they wouldn't have discharged you. You're the second new SuperPath member I noticed today. Check out (CLS) thread who just experienced her surgery yesterday.
Keep on keeping on and don't be a stranger here.
@PetMama

 

[HipsterKat]

Hi @PetMama. So sorry you had such a crappy hospital stay — I feel for you, having been through something similar. But now that you’re home, put that behind you and let the healing begin!

 

[Elf1]

@PetMama sorry for your crappy experience with the hospital, unfortunately I can all too well relate as my stay was a nightmare! Good thing was I pleaded with Doc to let me go the next morning so I got out of the looney bin. Oh, and I was on the Ortho floor and was amazed at incompetence! Stick with us here and we'll all get through this together!

 

[Going4fun]

@PetMama, so sorry to hear of the hospital ordeal. You were put in telemetry? OMG, I had to look that up.

By the way, do you know what you did get in terms of implant materials? ... Ceramic (ball) on cross-linked polyethylene (liner) is very popular among surgeons these days ... and assuming you got that (not ceramic on ceramic) you still got absolutely first-class materials. My surgeon used to do ceramic on ceramic, but he's obsessed with research, and he says the record of ceramic ball on the cross-linked polyethylene liner is really good, and I don't think he's convinced that ceramic on ceramic is better.

Your husband stayed for three days? That's interesting ... my sense is these days surgeons want you out after a day ... I think my surgeon has a 27-hour target ... He thinks the risk of infection increases with every day in the hospital being around a bunch of sick people, and he's not a lone. A large number of surgeons want you out of the hospital and home away from random germs. They think that lowers infection rates. Your pain medication ... now that sounds like a horrible problem. So sorry, you had to go through that. It's amazing that some doctors and hospitals still are struggling with getting the pain meds right.

Do know that it's OK to call your surgeon's office to ask for help with the pain ... and to report the charley horse. You'll likely get a nurse of physician's assistant, but often those are the folks with the real people and nurturing skills, and they seem to have the ability to call in additional pain meds for you. I called my surgeon's office at least three times during recovery (talked to two different nurses). Both nurses were excellent.

Hang in there ... I hear you on the feelings of disaster ... but ... assuming the charleyhorse isn't anything serious ... the fact that your hubby had a more pleasant beginning probably won't matter. But your mood is important. I don't like to tell people what to do ... but if your mood is blue this soon ... I'd recommend you call the surgeon's office to talk about the issues and worries you're having. Comforting patients afterwards is part of the job ... and surgeons want great online reviews ... so many of them seem to have people with good nurturing skills on staff.

I just found it a lot easier to relax my mind and let go of my worries when I heard optimism from one of the nurses on the other end of the line--something about the voice of a real person. Looking back, I'd actually call sooner and perhaps more frequently than I did.

Good luck to you. Your husband seems to have gotten off to a better start, but it's true that the start may not mean so much.

 

[CricketHip]

Goodness! that is a huge difference between your experiences. Ugh, that would be hard to shake off and forget about.
But I agree with the thought that the outside experiences won't dictate the success of your implant. Im so sorry you are worrying about that.
I would be very relieved if my surgeon opted for a different implant if the first type didn't fit, aren't you glad he didn't force it in? but I do empathize in every way.. and am so sorry you had such a tough time.

Hopefully the magnesium will help, I don't think charley horses and spasms are unusual this early in recovery, but I bet you wish your husband would have a teensy one..

Other than all of that, how are you doing? When you walk are you using aides? I hope you stay around and tell us more about your recovery.

 

[PetMama]

@Going4fun Thank you for all of your helpful ideas. At a weak moment (after the mandatory Doppler, that I somehow missed), I did call my doctor & asked him how I fell through the cracks. He apologized & insisted he didn't know I was put on a different floor. Whether that's true or not, idk, because I never did see him again. He called for check-ups, but I never saw him. But interestingly enough, he said he knows the other floors are awful & would never want a patient of his anywhere but on the Ortho floor. So, maybe he'll be more alert in seeing where his other patients end up.
I see him next week for my 1st post op, so hopefully either I'll be feeling better by then or he'll be prepared to deal with a gloomy me!

 

[PetMama]

@CricketHip. Hi Carol!

I bet you wish your husband would have a teensy one..

Thank you, thank you for the laugh! I needed that! I know my ranting sounds awful, but I keep thinking, My gosh, how awful am I?? The universe is against me!! What in the world have I done?!? LoL

As for the implant size, yes, I am very glad he chose what fit properly, as opposed to sticking with what he wanted to use.

And, one thing I can say that did go well, is the incision. It's big, but he glued & stapled it, & the incision looks wonderful with not even the slightest of bruising, & my surgical bandage had 2 tiny drops of blood on it. That was it. I was impressed.

As for my walking aides, I spent the 1st 2 weeks on the walker, & last week I started on the cane. While using the cane, I walk well. Without it, I immediately start with that weird lop-sided limp/hop I had before the surgery. The therapist told me she thought it was because I was afraid of pain, but I think she's wrong. I just think my balance is terrible. And my muscles seem really right. So, I hope this clears up. I'd hate to think I'm still going to have this limp!

Thanks again for your reply! Vicky

 

[sharonslp]

Vicky, patience grasshopper. These are such early days in the healing process. You walk well with a cane...keep on walking with a cane. When your muscles are ready you'll realize one day that you took a few steps without the cane and your gait was perfect. So you'll try a few more. When that happens, keep the cane nearby for when you get tired, but your range will get further and further. And then you won't need it because you have that blissful normal gait again. Truly, it will happen. Next week, next month, two months....however much time it takes. Your body is in charge; not your brain.

But you can help your body by getting plenty of sleep (including naps if you feel like it), and pacing your activity. When you do PT, build your stamina gradually. When you go out for a walk (the very best PT of all), go just a smidgen further each day, and opt for shorter walks several times a day rather than one long marathon. I remember being so thrilled when I could walk unassisted without a limp....if I could do half a mile, why not a whole mile? Well, I could do a whole mile if I did it in two or three walks rather than one. A few weeks later (weeks, not days) I could do the whole mile in one walk. And another later in the day. And one lovely day...six months, nine months, a year later... you realize that you can pretty much do it all.

And as you build up your walking stamina, and your balance is better, be sure to go shoe shopping. There's a good likelihood that your old shoes show your abnormal gait wear. When you wear them as you resume your normal gait, they are working against you. I had a raging case of shin splints that new shoes magically eradicated.

You will probably start seeing tremendous progress around the 12 week point. Be careful not to suddenly overdo it when that happens. The healing inside you goes on for a full year at least, so give yourself this gift of time to heal fully. No contest with anyone else. Nobody else's time table. I promise you the results are worth it.

 

[CricketHip]

Good morning @PetMama I'm glad I could help you laugh.. its true, though. Who wants to have someone recovering right beside you with rainbows and butterflies??
You sound right on track with your walking, etc. Good for you! Layla just posted the best advice so hopefully you will read that and take it to heart.

The cane is where I am still at while trying to perfect my gait. I'm in that hop/hitch pattern too, but at 6 weeks its much improved. I like the feeling of the cane, it keeps me stable and walking deliberately with the heel/toe gait and hopefully this is strengthening the muscles that are weak from a year of limping prior to surgery.
As a word of caution.. try to avoid over doing it.. at this stage it seems to be a step forward then a step or two back while our bodies adjust and our minds adjust to what we can do.
I seem to be excelling in that this time around!
I'm so glad you joined the forum, it will be so helpful to both you and your husband.

 

[Layla]

As for my walking aides, I spent the 1st 2 weeks on the walker, & last week I started on the cane. While using the cane, I walk well. Without it, I immediately start with that weird lop-sided limp/hop I had before the surgery.

Wondering if your therapist mentioned heel-toe walking?
A tip -
Try heel-toe walking when / if you're limping. Let your heel hit the ground first followed by toes.
It takes a concentrated effort but I believe you'll notice a difference. Give it a try.
This really helped me!
Have a great Wednesday
@PetMama

 

[InkedMarie]

Your surgeon didn’t know what floor you were on? Did he not come and see you either that day or the next? Did t he have to write discharge instructions? I’m confused.

 

[Mojo333]

Happy one month hipversary @PetMama
Lots of improvement to come...hope your weekend is sweet

 

[Layla]

Happy Friday. Hope you're having a great week.

Hey, a reason to celebrate. A milestone tomorrow.
Happy One Month Anniversary!
Maybe a celebratory meal, fancy cocktail a little booty shaking? The sky is the limit!
Well...maybe not quite yet, but a girl can dream, right?
Enjoy the weekend!
@PetMama

 

[PetMama]

Good evening InkedMarie! As for your questions, I believe I wrote that the doctor "claimed". I don't know that I'm convinced that he didn't know. However, he didn't come back to see me after surgery (like they said he would). He called about midnight that night & spoke to my nurse. How did he call & find me without a room #? Good question. And then, the next AM, I was discharged by his associate, not him. I was out within 24 hours.

Idk. It's all baffling to me. I don't understand how 2 people could have such completely different experiences, but our home health care went the same way. I had 3 weeks of little to no help PT, even though they were there 15 times. Each time, barely 15 mins. My husband? His lasts at least 45-60 mins. He gets massages. Tonight they whipped out a TENS machine for his knee pain. I just shake my head at this point.

I've come to believe that in a previous life, I must have been really, really awful & I'm now paying the price. I can't even chuckle about it any longer.

 

[PetMama]

I saw my surgeon for my 1st post-op visit, one month after my surgery.

He insists I'll have to go to outpatient PT in order to get rid of the cane and limp. I also have some type of calcium deposit on my trochanter that showed up on the X-ray. He says he thinks it'll resolve on its own. Let's hope, eh?

I have another 6 weeks before my next visit with him. Hoping I'm substantially better by then!

 

[CricketHip]

Gosh, there's no words.. even your PT was sub par? I laughed out loud and scared my cat when I read your comment about being bad in a former life.. Oh @PetMama !!
A calcium deposit on your trochanter? I wonder if it's just an over zealous action on your body's part? Hopefully it resorbs and that will be the end of that! We can tag our forum nurse to weigh in on that if you'd like? her name is Josephine.
For what it's worth, I've had a significant limp and have persisted with my cane and walking very deliberately with a heel toe gait and now, at 7 weeks I am seeing improvement. Like a lot of improvement! it's almost like night and day. Walking correctly with the cane for support has been the perfect exercise for me.
Truthfully? The thought of a tens unit placed onto my sore thigh muscles doesn't sound like much of a perk.. maybe you have the wiser PT people who know not to push you yet?
It's a nice thought, anyhow..
I can't imagine having my spouse recovering at the same time as me.. I hope you are able to rest and not be overdoing things. Happy one month anniversary!