THR Recovery time

[Angie]

Hi everyone I had my lthr Nearly 12 weeks ago I still get quite a bit of pain in my hip a lot of back pain too but reading some of other peoples stories I notice that a lot are walking most of the time unaided I'm on 1 crutch in the house and 2 when out recovery time seems to be going on forever I thought stupidly that recovery only took 3 month and feel so downhearted and useless to the extent where I regret so much having this op can someone please tell me if they know what the recovery time normally is I just want to be able to go and have a coffee and a walk out in town without having my husband having to take me I'm Rory for being so miserable but I am now so fed up and can't see any light at the end of it

 

[Jamie]

Hi, Angie....welcome to BoneSmart. I'm glad you joined us.

It sounds like you have been reading some here on the forum. If so, you'll know that there really isn't such a thing as a "normal" time for recovery. Each of us is different and our bodies recover at their own pace.

Can you tell me a bit more about your recovery during this past 3 months? Are you in pain now? What is your activity level on a typical day? What pain medications are you taking and how frequently?

It will help to know a little about what you've been through so far to be able to properly advise you now.

 

[Jyoti]

Hi Angie,
I do appreciate what you are saying. I'm nearly 14 months and am still having issues. Still using a crutch and have knee and foot pain. Still not strong enough in the muscles. I also went through the emotions that you have highlighted and it does get you down. But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Also we need to remember we all came form different places so some will heal quicker and others will be longer. For the average person it can take up to a year to fully recover.

We are here to support you along the way so keep smiling :biggrin:
Jyoti

 

[tashia]

Welcome to the site. I also thought that after a certain date, I will be back to normal. Whats Normal? i came to the conculsion it is what is for you. Everyone had a healing time. also I found that by pushing to hard I set back my recover time. Please read the information here and we have a saying here and that is if you are exercises and you start hurting stop. Ice, Rest, and maybe you aren't ready for that exercise yet. Patience is the key. Also do check with your doctor to make sure all is ok. You could just have a pulled muscle that get unhappy when use, when in reality it just need rest. We have some really great people here with a lot of knowledge so they will be coming soon. also tells us what the pain is, what are you doning when it hurts. Please keep us posted because we do care. Take care. :doggieshmooze:Tashia

 

[Thedogtales]

Hi Angie,

How active were you able to be before the surgery? I think that makes a big difference in the amount of time it takes to heal. I had had problems with my hip for a very long time and became more and more inactive. I had been limping for years before the surgery. Now, it's just over 6 weeks since my surgery, and I'm asking my muscles work. It can get very painful and discouraging. I can understand how you feel at 3 months.

But I keep in mind that it can take a year to get back to "normal". So I do what I can and try to enjoy each day as it comes. There are many, many very nice people on this forum and I'm sure they will be able to help you feel better : )

Take care,
Sally

 

[Poppet]

Hi Angie, welcome to the BoneSmart family.

I am sad for you that you feel some regret about having the surgery. It is a tough one discussing what is a normal recovery.. I don't believe there is one. There are guidelines, but when I think about it, we are all different, that's what makes us individuals. There are many variable going into this surgery, general health, fitness, mobility and even I dare say age.

I decided that I had a plan for my recovery time and for me it was 12 months to be 90% and 18 months for 100%. I have Soooo many friends who have gone through this procedure who all suggested I fix that timeframe in my head right before my surgery. That way if it was quicker, that was a bonus. But then there are other variables to recovery, post surgical events and once again all individual to the person.

My recommendation honey, would be to be gentle and patient with yourself. This is a 'for life' surgical replacement

Do come back and update us, we are good at advising, supporting, encouraging, wiping away tears and having a few laughs along the way together because we have all gone through it and know and understand xx

 

[Anniepops]

Hiya Angie, welcome to the forum.

I am nearly 13 weeks post op and I totally understand how frustrating it is wanting to be normal again. Like Sandy, I have a recovery time frame in my head and for me it is 12 months and if it comes sooner then that's a bonus. It doesn't help that most surgeons tell us the recovery time is about 3 months....that is a poor assumption if you read most of the threads on here, a lot of us are still having issues many months after surgery.

Have a read of some of the posts in the recovery thread and the Library which has great information from recovery information to PT advice.

I wasn't given any advice about home PT whatsoever when I left the hospital but have been given some fantastic advice and exercises by other lovely members which have helped in my recovery immensly.

Hang on in there Angie, it does get better and I'm sure you will get there in the end but as far as THR's go, patience is something we have to have a lot of.....and that's not easy sometimes.

Take care and let us know how you are getting on

Ann

 

[Angie]

Hi thanks for your replies I got diagnosed with perthes when I was 6 and for the last 5 year previous to my op had very restricted movement and quite a bit of pain but I always managed to pop out everyday not far but at the minute I'm only going out to physio once a week and my hubby takes me into centre for a couple of hours in a wheelchair I'm walking round the house but not sure if I should be doing more the physio said theirs no rule for what walking I should/shouldn't be doing I'm bit frightened of going for a walk myself and have no one during the day to come,pain meds I take are dihydrocodiene and paracetamol I can't take any anti imflamm tablets I wish someone had spoke to me prior even after regarding recovery I feel as if no one wanted to help once I'd got home it's a pity info about forums like this weren't given to patients before discharge mind I suppose imy op gives me somat to moan about. Has anyone else felt as useless as I do ? Does it go away?::

 

[dianemarie]

Oh, Angie,

Hang in there girl. It all takes so much time and patience. After 2 THR I have learned that I am a slow healer. If the doctor says it might take 3 weeks it might take me 3 months. You know you have heard on the forum we all heal at different rates...try to use this time to relax, read, nap, rest and heal. You will get there and once you do you have the rest of your life to enjoy your new hip and all the wonderful things that come with that. Keep posting, we are here for you.

 

[Jaycey]

Hi Angie, glad you joined us. I understand your concern and frustration. But your second post on this thread says alot. You had mobility issues pre-op. Unfortunately the longer we are immobile pre-op the longer the recovery.

Hands up - my recovery took OVER 12 months. I have major back issues and they complicated everything. I limped around for years pre-op and when my hip finally gave in I was on crutches for 6 months before surgery. That took its toll.

Please don't get discouraged. As we always say everyone heals at a different rate. Not everyone on this forum is walking unaided soon after surgery.

You'll get there Angie. And I promise you won't regret having your THR. Hang in there!

 

[Mad Rocker]

Hello Angie

Welcome to BS.

I agree with the previous posts.

But I can sincerely hear your thoughts that you regret having the surgery. I am in the same boat as you.

I am 14 Weeks POP and having a dickens of a time. It is so frustrating but I keep something on my wall and I look at it alot during the day. I got it from dianemarie a very wise lady....

No matter what I do, this is taking as long as it takes. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
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No matter what I do, PT, no PT, rest, nap, walk, elevate, ice, use walker, don't use walker, use cane, don’t use cane, be positive, be miserable, go with it, fight it...believe me I have tried it all...and it still does what IT wants to do in terms of my recovery. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
So, the more I can go with it the better. And some days are better than others.

Take care and hang in there-----we are in this together. :ATT637464:

 

[Thedogtales]

I'm only going out to physio once a week and my hubby takes me into centre for a couple of hours in a wheelchair I'm walking round the house but not sure if I should be doing more the physio said theirs no rule for what walking I should/shouldn't be doing I'm bit frightened of going for a walk myself and have no one during the day to come

I've found that it takes time to build up confidence, as well as strength. I had to push through the fear to try to do just a little more each day. And I still have to work on keeping busy during the day when I'm alone so depression doesn't take over. Its not easy!!

When your hubby is home, why don't you try a bit more walking outdoors or at the centre. Work up slowly. And realize ahead of time that the more you do, the more aches you may have later. You could even keep some sort of journal tracking how much you do each day. Then in a few weeks, you can look back and see that you actually have make progress - even if it is only a little, it is progress.

Take care,
Sally

 

[Jaycey]

Sally has a great idea regarding building up your confidence. Just be sure and do only half as much as you think you can do. I learned the hard way and went too far only to realise that I had to go back the same way I came. Over did it the first venture out. Silly me! :rolleyespink:

Take your crutches and work on maintain a good gait with no limp. Slow and steady and build from there.

 

[Brigitte]

Hi Jacey: I quite agree with you, I wish someone had given me more information and support after I was discharged from the hospital. Three days, I was home, had a PT come once a week, giving me some very basic exercises to do, so many times per day, which sometimes I could manage, barely, but not every day.I got the same story - three months after surgery, you should be back to normal, which at this stage, (going into week 6 - post op), I very much doublt. I too, was going downhill fast, as far as mobility goes, prior to my LHR, in a fair bit of pain. Of course everyone heals differently, and because my muslces were in pretty bad shop post op, I expected to have my challenges after the surgery with getting that strength back. Right now I am praying that I will be allowed to put more weight on my operated side once I see the surgeon in about another week and a half. Until then I am in a holding pattern which is really depressing. So all I can say is "hang in there" just as I am doing and be patient. Easier said then done I know, but what else can you do.Keep the faith, all will be well eventually, at least that is what I am picking up from all the posts I have read on this site. That moral support is worth believing in, they have been there and done that.
Take Care
Brigitte

 

[rider1960]

I didn't have any big problems with unusual pain other than the first post-op night, and my general healing has done pretty well ... but I was introduced to "the hip is running this show!" right after the spinal block wore off and I tried to move my leg to relieve some muscle spasms. The leg would hardly move even a fraction of an inch no matter how much I willed it to move. I laugh now, but I remember looking at it verbally telling it to "move leg, move!" Nope. I learned from that moment on that I wasn't going to be able to make it do anything it wasn't ready for.

Much to our dismay (and I got frustrated too, big time!!) recovery does not follow a steady, even path. I remember people here reporting to be walking with a cane or with nothing at all after just a couple of weeks. Not me--I was still using my walker because the leg was just too weak to support the weight and propel me forward.

But, the odd thing (to me, anyway) was that around week 4 I was (almost overnight!) able to switch to a cane. And, then in just another week I was walking around without anything! I was shocked to see that much progress over the course of just one week. So, things heal at their own pace and are sometimes full of surprises.

I would definitely get your surgeon's advice about whether there is anything structurally wrong with your replacement, and then try so hard to be patient and just keep doing what you need to do to keep taking small steps toward where you want to be. The hip really does run this show, no matter what our brain tells it to do.

Good luck,

Dorothy

 

[Angie]

Hi everyone thanks for all your replies it's good (if that's the right word) to hear people are in similar situations a neighbour apparently had a hip replacement (I heard from someone else) and 9 weeks later was walking without any cane etc I think I'd thought or hoped I would be the same I suppose sometimes we want too much if you lovely people out their have any tips for weight gain help I'd love to hear I've put 9lb on since my op and hate it I've started to use stairs as much as I can for bit of exercise but would love any tips thanks again

 

[Dingbat7]

I am in the same place as Rider, my 6 weeks are up today . When I saw the physio last week she told me to start walking short distances without a cane so I can stretch out , so for the past week been doing a John Cleese silly walk inside my house and when taking refuse out etc . Went out yesterday for the fist time without using a cane and walked into the pub and back without using it, but did take a folding one with but was left in the car. I have muscle pain in my back, bad when I wake up but that goes whan I walk and stretch

Re the weight before the op was 105kg when i got home was 98kg , maybe my old hip was heavier than the implant :th_heehee: I'm trying not to put it back , no tips just sensible eating and exercise believe me there is no magic formula other than a gastric band , have tried a few of the diets, they worked for a while then I put the pounds back on.

Are you having Physio, Hydro is great, if not sort some out

 

[Jaycey]

Angie please don't worry too much about the weight gain. Many hippies report weight loss once they get mobile. I lost a whole dress size once I was up and around unaided. Healthy eating and walking - and lots of water. Please keep us updated!

 

[Angie]

I'm hoping once I get a bit more mobile il lose the weight again I'm waiting for my app for hydro hopefully that won't be too much longer thanks everyone