THR Recovery from Oct 12 surgery

[Krista]

You are only 2 months out from surgery, @Scared! You should still be getting loads of support and help yourself, not having to care for someone else who is just out of surgery. I'd call on family members and friends to come help you and your husband as much as possible. If they have any extra time to do the Christmas preparations, then fine, but I wouldn't do anything, if I were you. You don't want for either your or your husband's recoveries to be delayed or troubled. Please be kind to your healing bone and soft tissues! Christmas can be celebrated with the bells and whistles next year. This year, you can enjoy the Christmas spirit!

 

[Cas]

I'm with sunny girl on this one. Have a low key xmas and only do what you really need to. Don't be down on yourself you are doing great and you are dealing with your husbands op as well. Next xmas you will be up and both dancing round the tree LOL ! Can you get shopping delivered from your store? That would be so helpful and take some of the worry away also do you have friends and family that can help? I would be going to someone else for xmas or inviting them to your house and tell them that they can do the cooking this year. Don't feel bad about being in a downer - I get like that too and am sure others do too. Vent as much as you want - we are all here for you and have got your back. Good luck.

 

[Scared]

Thank you everyone for all the support. We made it through the holidays with the help of our kids and my sister-in-law - who is a saint.

About mid-January I felt like something was off. I was still doing PT but my knee was hurting and starting to swell, it would also lock up some when walking. Therapist and surgeon both decide to do some knee rehab. About this time the hip started to feel uncomfortable.

I saw the surgeon on 2/14 for a routine check-up. He did x-rays. Here are the doctor's test results -

X-RAY FINDINGS: Multiple views of the right hip. This shows right total hip arthroplasty. Prosthetic components appeared to be well fixed to the underlying bone. No evidence of loosening or malposition is seen.
ASSESSMENT: Status post right total hip arthroplasty with good alignment. There is some fragmentation of the greater trochanter which is not displaced.

The doctor pulled me off PT and wanted me to take it easy and start using a cane again. We talked about all of the results of the result except I didn't know about the "fragmentation of the greater trochanter." What does that mean? Is it something I should be concerned about?

About two days after quitting PT the bottom of about 7 of my toes started swelling and got very red. It felt like I had little pebbles in my shoes. After a week of them not getting any better and saw our family doctor. She was concerned the were embolistic blasts and gave me a blood thinner and wanted to get me in to see a vascular surgeon the next day. She called the next morning and told me she couldn't get me in to see a specialist but had talked to the doctor on call at the emergency room at one of our local hospitals.

At the ER I first saw an intern that is studying to be podiatrist. He told me it could be small blood clots bursting in the toes and to just keep an eye on it. I asked him if I should be concerned about a blood clot going to my heart or brain. He told me not to worry, they are small blood clots.

The ER doctor wanted to take some routine blood tests. They couldn't tell me what blood tests they were doing. I was told they came back fine.

They did an ultra-sound and listen to the blood flow in my legs and that came back good. They also did some kind of a cuff test on my legs. This was basically 4 blood pressure cuffs on each leg and on each big toe. This came back good. A cardiologist came in during these test and said everything looked good. He felt my feet problem could be bad shoes. I've been working from home the last month and haven't worn shoes.

Lastly, I had an EKG which came back fine. They sent me home from the ER and told me I wasn't in any immediate danger.

My ER visit was last Friday, by Sunday the pain and swelling had gone down and they were starting to feel normal. Sunday afternoon my family doctor called in an antibiotic cream for my toes which I've been putting on but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. But the toes were feeling better.

Tuesday night after I got out of the shower I but the cream on my toes and some lotion on the rest of my feet because the were very dry. That was a mistake, the bottom of my feet burned and throbbed the entire night. By morning they were better. Last night we went to Bible Study at church and got home around 8:00. I saw for about an hour in my recliner and the bottom of my toes and feet started swelling again. I woke up this morning an a few of the toes are back to feeling like I have pebbles in my shoes.

I'm sorry this is so long but the reason for explaining all of this is could this be related to the hip? It's been almost 5 months since the surgery and it still hurts and I have a limp. I do have to add that I am working from home and working long hours. It's been anywhere from 10 - 12 hours. I try to get up about every hour to walk for a few minutes.

I see the surgeon on 3/14 and will be bringing up all of my concerns then. Has anyone experienced this?

I had my hip done because I wanted to be active again and I feel like just the opposite has happened. It's very depressing.

 

[Pewaukee]

Hello, you know I was in pain for so long, and doctors told me I had arthritis in my lower back and degenerative disk disease. 2 years later a doctor did X-rays of my hip and they finally figured out I had arthritis in both hips and the pain was so bad I had THR on the right side. It has been 5 months for me as well. I use a cane when the pain gets bad.

As far as your toes go, I have learned to be aggressive with doctors and not accept "this is nothing". How can antibiotic help swelling, how would your skin even absorb it if you did not have an open spot or sore. This is swelling. I would ask to see a vascular specialist. I feel like they don't know half of what we experience.

I had horrible lower back pain, went to the Er and he said I strained a muscle. Tried to give me pain meds, no thank you!!! Went to my chiropractor and a back dr. They said when they position you in surgery they are not overly concerned about your back and they position you whatever way works best for them not always what's best for your back. I have a herniated disc.

It's been one strange thing after another. I've gotten to the point I don't trust my body and am afraid to go out! It's been a very long recovery. I hope all goes well for you, but don't accept it's nothing for an answer! Seems like we have to fight to regain our bodies!


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[Scared]

Pewaukee - it sounds like you've been through a lot as well. I see my surgeon next week and I think I will push seeing a vascular specialist. I am very concerned that my body is rejecting my new hip. I know this is very uncommon but when you don't get answers I tend to think the worse. By the way - it looks like we're neighbors! I'm from northern Illinois.

 

[Jaycey]

@Scared I'm going to tag @Josephine to get her input on the x-ray report. So sorry you are going through all this!

 

[Scared]

Thank you Jaycey!

 

[Josephine]

There is some fragmentation of the greater trochanter which is not displaced.

Fragmentation usually implies a kind of shattering of bone into small fragments - for what reason I have no idea. But a sight of your xrays would be very helpful

Also I can promise you that your toe problem has absolutely nothing to do with your hip! However, a photo of them would also be very helpful.

 

[Scared]

Thank you Josephine. I'm not sure I can get a copy of my xrays but I can send a photo of my toes. I'll send that over a little later.

It is a relief knowing that my toes aren't related to my hip!

 

[Josephine]

Tag me when you have

 

[Pewaukee]

Awe it never seems to end. The unknown is scary. My newest problem is my leg is retaining fluid because of scar tissue and causing pain. Would have never thought if that. Thats why these guys went to school fir a long time, but after a long recovery and many goofy things happening it is hard to trust and get scared. Let me know how things are turning out for you!


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