Bilateral THR Replacement accomplished!

[Kim22]

Hi Gershom,

I must say your progress is truely remarkable especially as you had both hips done.its wonderful that you can sleep om your side already it must be bliss. I don't know how on earth I am going to sleep om my back for 6 whole weeks as I always sleep on my side. I'm sure I will have sleep deprivation I have just had my Preop Education Session today and the OT suggested we start back sleeping from now on together used to it

The physio stresses how important the Preop exercises were to a good outcome and to do 10 reps 4 times a day. They are more or less the same ones you attached to your thread Also well done with the weight loss so all that nasty swelling must be subsiding.On that subject of weight loss do you or anyone else know if the hip implants weigh the same or more than natural hips ? Well done to you again and it won't be too long before you totally regain the pain free mobility and quality of life that we all wish for. Regards Kim

 

[Matsan]

Wow Gershom, I thought I was doing good! I am 4 weeks tomorrow. No formal physio yet, going to start that tomorrow just to get some new ideas for exercises and get out! hopfully be able to use an exercise bike. My OS said I only needed physio if there were concerns....sadly I do have to have them check out my leg length difference, I can feel it in my gait. Hitting the pool next week, can't wait!!

You have motivated me to cautiously try sleeping on my side....good description of how you use your body pillow will try the same way. Been aching to get off my back well sleeping.

Question for you or anyone else....what about "tummy time" are there any restrictions with that??

Anyways Congrats on your journey Gershom! Truly remarkable!! Gail

Kim22 Personally I don't think I would "try to get use to" back sleeping before I have too!!
Sometimes things work out on their own....I was like you dreading back sleeping and in the end...has not been Sooooo bad! Good luck to you!!

 

[gershom]

Matsan -Regarding "tummy time," everything I've read recommended against it. I'll have to ask my PT. I never sleep that way, so I haven't asked about it.

At the advice of my PT, I am still icing the incision areas. I do so after each of the three exercise sets per day, and for an hour or so at bed time. I get into the side position after icing. I'm surest that helps to mitigate any discomfort.

 

[puddle fish]

gershom well done on your recovery, it's going well. Matsan and Kim22 sleeping on your side depends on the surgical approach you had side approaches would mean laying on the incisions and that may be uncomfortable. I can sleep on my side now no pillows and my legs reguarly cross the mid line with no problems.

 

[gershom]

Today at 10AM EST there is an NPR radio show on hip replacement. Tune in to your local NPR station or visit www.npr.org for the web broadcast of the show. Always good discussion, plus call-ins and email questions addressed real-time.

 

[gershom]

Re:Weight of hip implants. I don't know specifically the weight of an implant, but I was able, prior to surgery, to hold my complete configuration in hand. Gut reaction is that each side is about a pound. Considering that this entire config displaces just the femur head (generally), it is certainly heavier than the bone removed. Can anyone substantiate?

 

[cnydutch]

i'm thinking mine weigh in around 8 lbs each

(well, maybe wishful thinking at this point)

 

[badgerfan]

In 2010 Josephine said in someones blog that a cup and stem weigh between 9 & 10 1/2 ounces....

 

[bottomshollow]

Here is the link to the library article regarding the weight of implants:
Weight of hip and knee prostheses

I think you'll find they weight a lot less than what you'd like for them to. You didn't gain weight because of them.

 

[cnydutch]

 

[puddle fish]

google and this came up so a femoral head is a bit more than 50g see the link. I seem to remember the OS saying it wont make a difference as your weigh fluctuates in a day more that the weight of the implants.
https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/tissueservices/products/bone/femoralhead/

 

[gershom]

16 days since bilateral THRs: I've ventured out for walks up and down the street, 2-3 times a day (provided it's dry and clear). As prescribed, I am carrying one crutch as a precaution, but not really using it. So far no issues, and it feels great to get more exercise than the PT routine and journeys through the house. Jan and I seem to have settled into the old routine where I prepare and serve the meals. She still does those things that would require me to bend. But I have, at my PT's suggestion and guidance, been bending at the knees and dipping down straight to reach certain things. Jan is transitioning back to working in the office. I miss the extra attention, but am grateful for the mobility and for feeling so terrific! It's sometimes hard to comprehend that I have no more pain, that I can stand straight up as I walk, and I am not limping.

The leg lifts while lying on my side are getting easier and easier, as are the quad and hamstring stretches. My left side is a little stiffer and tires just a bit faster than the right, which I attribute to muscle atrophe from 35 years of lower back issues. My left leg is visibly smaller than the right, but my PT says that he does not detect strength difference when doing the resistance exercises.

So recovery seems to be rapid and uneventful. Grateful...

 

[gershom]

Had my first outing last night, a dinner that my wife arranged for us
to attend with author and columnist EJ Dionne! Aside from my elevated
chair, no one was the wiser that I had had bilateral THRs two weeks
ago. We left home at 6 PM and arrived back at 11:30 PM. I could feel
the fatigue coming on before the evening was over. It was the longest
stretch of time without being horizontal for some period since surgery. I
noticed a little swelling in my feet, but otherwise no ill effects.
Here's a snap of my wife and I, flanking EJ Dionne. I include it
because it shows me standing straight after years of always being
pitched over.

 

[Jaycey]

Fantastic Gershom! You are really sailing through this recovery. Keep up the great work!

 

[BarbaraR]

Wow

 

[bottomshollow]

Very nice pic. You and your wife are a very attractive couple. And, yes, you are standing tall. Jamie will love the frog on the wall in the background.

 

[ByGosh]

Hi, I'm so glad you're doing well! I've been meaning to ask someone this -how long is the "90 degree rule" for? Is that the one where we can't lift our knee up toward our chest so that it's any less than a 90 degree angle? And how long is the "midline rule"? And is that the one where we can't bend forward towards our knees? Does it depend upon each patient, or is it for life? I'm just trying to figure out how I'll manage taking care of socks, etc.

My BTHR surgery is in 2 weeks, March 4th, and I'm getting worried about it. I just don't know what to expect. I know this must depend upon each person's individual recovery, but will I be able to walk at home and get to the bathroom, etc? Will I need someone home with me all the time?
Thank you. And keep up the good work and sharing all of the updates! Very informative and helpful. Take care.

 

[gershom]

My understanding is that the length of time to follow those rules depends not only on individual healing rate, but also the kind of incision that is made. A posterior approach carries greater risk of dislocation than the anterior approach, for example. My understanding is that about 70% of surgeons are trained in the posterior approach. My incisions are posterior, and at two weeks I maintain adherence to those bending and crossing rules.

In my case with bilateral THR, they had me up and walking a lap around my room within two hours of surgery. It was immediately clear that the prostheses can bear your full weight right away (which is what the literature says for anterior and posterior approaches). That said, I also understand that surgeons vary in regarding to how soon they prefer full weight bearing, and this is sometimes a function of the kind of device used and whether you are cemented or not. In the uncemented case, bone needs to grow into the porous exterior of the acetabula cup and femoral stem. That is my case, but my Dr allowed full weight bearing.

The criteria for hospital release included being able to get out of bed, go to the bathroom, walk 40 feet or so to the PT room, do the PT exercises (performed while lying in bed), get in and out of the shower/bath, and climb stairs. I was able to so these things on the first day after surgery. Average is 1-3 days, I'm told.

By all means, ask your surgery team. I am simply conveying my experience and what I have read.

 

[gershom]

20 days since surgery. *Sigh* My insurance has been so impressed with my recovery that they cut the PT home visits short. Unfortunate, as I was really getting to like my PT. That means it's back to the physical therapy clinic around the corner, where I've had a wonderful PT for my back and rotator cuff, and she is once again available. It's always a blessing to get someone who knows your body.

Otherwise, all is going GREAT.

 

[gershom]

Three weeks and wandering around the neighborhood. Feels great to walk without pain and not bent over.