THR Rosalita's Recovery Thread

[FCBayern]

@Rosalita some doctors still have an old mind set. Go back and reed the article https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/bonesmart-philosophy-for-post-op-therapy.37103/

I did no PT other than walking following the Bonesmart guidelines and I'm doing fantastic at almost 4 months. The first two weeks are by far the hardest, you'll see it become much easier after that.

 

[Layla]

Rosalita, Please trust us. You don’t need the exercises right now. All you need to be doing in these early days is taking a 5 minute walk every hour, or two, and that’s usually accomplished with a trip to the bathroom, or walk to the kitchen to get food or drink.

Tap / Click on the blue title in the article below and read it when you have time.

Activity progression for THRs

For THRs. Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are assessed in hospital as a means of assessing your fitness to be discharged home. Your domestic circumstances will be taken into account as in if you are living alone, etc. ADLs include: ~ Personal hygiene and grooming ~ Dressing and undressing ~...

bonesmart.org

 

[Layla]

This was not the ideal time to have this surgery with the corona virus!

Look at it this way...you’d be stuck in the house anyway, so maybe this isn’t the worst time to experience recovery from surgery.

 

[Mojo333]

Nothing will be lost if you chill right now.
Going to the bathroom, a few short walks, and wiggling your feet are good enough...
It didn't stymie my progress and I was times 2.

 

[Eman85]

@Rosalita I don't want to sound like we know more than your OS but.... I do know that we all have had at least 1 hip replacement and know what the early weeks are like. Aside from ankle pumps and some muscle clenches I did nothing but relax and walk to the bathroom and the bedroom. Just trips to the bathroom kept me walking enough in the early weeks. People still carry on to me about PT and they don't know what to say if I tell them I did no PT beyond walking.
Honestly as far as surgery now I really think they are so vigilant at the hospitals that it's probably a good time. I have a friend in the hospital right now and they are controlling it all so well it's probably the safest place to be.

 

[GrannyC]

Exercises?? I am no doctor but I can’t even imagine why you might need exercises unless to keep up the circulation. My OS said no PT needed after my surgery. They did say to move a little for circulation but most agreed that the trips to bathroom and kitchen were sufficient for circulation. If there is someone who would be available to get you a couple gel packs, that would be so very much easier than breaking up ice cubes. I’d probably just put a few cubes in a zip lock bag as it seems they’d last just as long if not longer than broken cubes.

As for the oxy, I feel that maybe you were concerned about becoming addicted rather than any adverse reaction to it. I was told that as long as you use it as directed, there will be no problem. I think many of us used it initially to keep ahead of the pain. Being in pain is an additional stress on your body and you don’t need that now. You need to be comfortable and get some rest so your body can heal.

You have much more to deal with than I did since I had my husband here to help. You’ll need to get creative to find ways to deal with everything. If you run up against a problem, just post on here as people on the forum are truly amazing and there is always someone with an answer.

I would like to make one suggestion about eating. Since you are alone and fixing your own meals, I might suggest having someone get you a few cans of high protein Ensure just to be certain you are getting enough nutrition. I got a few of those to have on hand for that very reason. My husband isn’t much for cooking so he often ordered dinner delivered. I wasn’t sure there was enough nutrition in that pizza so I’d also drink a can of Ensure that day. That is just a thought but I got the idea myself from someone here on the forum prior to my own surgery.

I think you’ll find that gradually things will improve. You may not notice much day to day but if you think back to this time a week ago, you’ll see the progress. You might rethink those exercises for a day or two and see how it goes. I have to think you are getting far more exercise that most of us did because you have to do everything for yourself. You could double check with your dr office on this but be sure to remind them that you are alone and doing everything for yourself.

Take care and hang in there. This will all improve shortly!!!

 

[CricketHip]

@Rosalita I didn't like taking the Oxy, either and the PA on staff refused to give anything else, but like you, I needed something stronger than tylenol.

She recommended taking 1/2 of the 5 mg pill and after I got the pain under control, that is what I did.
On the bad days I would return to 5 mg.. at least I felt like I had some control.
As for the exercise, if you are getting up and walking each hour, or at least every 90 minutes, then that is the best thing for you right now. It gets your circulation going in your body and that is key right now. My OS and his team wanted me walking, more than dong exercises. Just an FYI.
You have plenty of time for the other exercises when you begin feeling better and even then, keep it minimal.. if it hurts?? Stop!

 

[gavinmac]

Ice, ice, ice! I think I used it nonstop for 2 months (with breaks so as not to hurt the tissue). But it is your best friend. Also be sure the doctor knows exactly what pain meds you are on. My doctor ordered the oxy and Tylenol also. However he also ordered Tramadol and the hospital didn’t call it in. So he thought I was taking that but I wasn’t. Once I had that I started having less pain without using oxy. About leg length: my leg was getting short due to the hip deteriorating. Once he made it the same it did feel too long. Now that it’s been the same for a couple months it feels right. Hang in there.

 

[ForumUser]

What worked for me:
- NO exercises (except just sliding my foot up and down bed)
- elevate and ice
- walk between sessions of elevating and icing
- 1000 mg of Tylenol every six hours (this is max rate recommended)

 

[GrannyC]

After reading the previous post, I remembered that I also did foot pumps (which is pretty much just moving front of foot up and down and not lifting up leg at all) during those first few weeks to ensure there was enough circulation in my leg. They were certainly not strenuous and did not cause any pain.

 

[Rosalita]

Ice, ice, ice! I think I used it nonstop for 2 months (with breaks so as not to hurt the tissue). But it is your best friend. Also be sure the doctor knows exactly what pain meds you are on. My doctor ordered the oxy and Tylenol also. However he also ordered Tramadol and the hospital didn’t call it in. So he thought I was taking that but I wasn’t. Once I had that I started having less pain without using oxy. About leg length: my leg was getting short due to the hip deteriorating. Once he made it the same it did feel too long. Now that it’s been the same for a couple months it feels right. Hang in there.

i sure did not expect so much difficulty with pain management. I am on day 6 post op and last night was the worst yet. I am now taking one half an oxy and 500 mg tylenol every 4 hours. I hope it will kick in soon. I really do know that I should call my dr office again and insist on some help with this. I heard a couple people mention tramadol .It is a big deal for me to get someone to go pick up a perscription. Big distances between me, friends and pharmacy. I hate to ask anyone to make such an effort in this covid 19 time when I have no idea if it will work. So every day I convince myself that tomorrow will be better. As for exercise, the PT has me doing quite a list of exercises 3X per day plus walking around at least every hour. I don't mind that pain...it is the pain that wakes me up all night long that aggravates me. I admit it, people, I thought this was going to be a cake walk. Ha ha! I am humbled....good thing I didn't have bilateral as origonally scheduled!

 

[FCBayern]

The pain you are experiencing at night is a direct result of your PT activities. Many of us learned that even things that didn't cause pain but was doing too much too early caused pain at night or even the next day. If you are having ANY pain while doing PT you are bound to have a miserable night. I know some doctors prescribe PT but how many of them have been through this surgery? There are hundreds of people that have passed through this site and I would guess 95% of them find success by following the BoneSmart philosophy. Try rest and ice and I think you will appreciate the results.

 

[Eman85]

@Rosalita It is the activity (exercises) that cause pain later. You'll have to just trust us on this but there is nothing lost by doing nothing for a day or 2. Very good chance you'll have the pain go away without anything more than ice. Pain will not speed your recovery process whether it i while doing exercises or after exercises. Pain just makes you feel miserable and it doesn't have to be this hard.

 

[CricketHip]

 

[Mojo333]

Hope all is getting easier for you, my hippy friend....happy Thursday

 

[Rosalita]

Thanks for your encouragement. Sitting here on my porch on lovely spring day waiting for my PT person to arrive and wondering what to do. Nothing to lose by trying your recommendation of laying off the PT for a couple of days and seeing how that affects my pain. Last night, again, the pain was aweful. I sleep for an hour, maybe an ahour and a half and then the pain wakes me up...feels like an axe to my leg just above the knee. During the day I am OK.

 

[Layla]

Rosalita, If you don’t stop the PT for a time, I truly believe you will not only continue to suffer now, but you’re also setting yourself up for chronic pain issues. Please STOP and use walking as your only form of exercising for the time being. It’s all you need.

You’ve heard it from several of us now and we’re speaking from experience. We’ve had our hips replaced also and been there, done that. It makes no sense for you to continue as you are and suffer the pain you’ve described as awful and feeling as though you were struck by an axe. You are only eight days post op and all you need to be doing at this point is walking for 5-10 minutes every couple of hours and a trip to the bathroom or to the kitchen to get a drink or snack should cover that. Please...stop the exercises and PT visits for several weeks, not just days. Ice, elevate, rest and take the short walks I‘ve described and your pain should ease and eventually disappear.

PAIN IS YOUR BODY ASKING FOR CHANGE. Give it the change it needs to heal.
Wishing you comfort and the willpower to try what we’re suggesting.

Have a peaceful weekend!
@Rosalita

 

[Rosalita]

Layla, I appreciate your advice and experience. It is very scary to go against what the doctor is recommending, however. The doctor and PT claim that if I don't "wake up" these muscles NOW, that rehab from this will be much longer and maybe never complete.
I think I will not do any more exercises (PT) today, none tomorrow and see how it goes. PT not due to come here until Sun AM. I really need some decent sleep, too.

 

[Layla]

Sadly, I’m not sure a couple days will do it, Rosalita.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed though

Your body recently experienced an assault through major surgery. It was basically a "controlled" trauma. Your leg may have been manipulated aggressively in an effort to dislocate your hip, your flesh was sliced open muscles and ligaments separated, soft tissue disturbed. Then power tools were used to saw your bone and router it out so a prosthetic could be hammered in place. Your body is trying to heal and it is slowly healing.
Let me ask you this, if you sustained these same injuries through a car wreck, would you feel the need to work out, exercise, attend PT, wake up the muscles?

I understand the uncertainty you feel in not following your surgeons advice, but we’ve dealt with this time and time again. I can’t tell you how many were convinced they were doing the right thing by following their surgeons advice while suffering pain, until they stopped, their pain eased and they began to thrive comfortably. I hate to add this to the mix, but I am also wondering if you’re still under medicated for the level of pain you describe...

Wishing you comfort and some restorative rest this evening.
@Rosalita

 

[Eman85]

@Rosalita if you don't tell your Dr., we won't. I know we're all different but I honestly did no PT beyond walking. I have been outside yesterday and today until dark working and trust me my muscles are wide awake. I have chainsawed,shoveled,pushed wheelbarrows of gravel and piled brush. I've been on and off my tractors too many times. I've worked on my racecar, sharpened the blades on 2 ride on mowers and my 6' finish mower. I can hike in the woods and walk miles with no hip pain. On the other hand my back,neck,shoulders and wrists are killing me! My wife informed me we'll be back at it tomorrow since the weather is so nice.