THR Rosalita's Recovery Thread

[FCBayern]

@Rosalita Eman has it right. What your doctor doesn't know won't hurt him but will help you! Don't let the behind the times medical advise hurt you! Take a week off and see what happens, would being a week behind if your surgeon was right be that big a deal with a year to a year and and half for full recovery be a big difference? You have to be your own advocate. Is there anyplace else in your life that you would let someone else cause you ongoing pain? I doubt it. Stand up for yourself. I don't mean to be harsh but your OS is violating his basic oath, "do no harm".

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @Rosalita
I know recovery can be difficult to navigate but these are early days and the pain after you stop and try to rest is most certainly from the exercises.
Even Too Much walking at this juncture can cause unnecessary discomfort.
Interesting how many muscles are used in walking -

the “quads” ie, rectus femoris, vastus medialis and vastus lateralis,

sartorius, which runs from the hip to the inside of the knee,

gracilis, inside the leg,

hamstrings ie, the muscles at the back of the leg comprising biceps femoris, semimembranosus and semitendinosus,

iliopsoas in the hips,

shin muscles ie, tibialis, peroneus longus, and calves ie, gastrocnemius, and soleus

pectineus,

gluteus medius and maximus.

The glutes propel your leg forward. As you step forward, your tibialis and flexor digitorum longus flex your foot upwards. The back leg engages your gastrocnemius and soleus in the lower leg, and the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles in the upper leg.

The iliopsoas, rectus femoris and sartorius muscles are responsible for flexing the leg.
The gluteus maximus, semimembranous, semitendinosus and biceps femoris are responsible for extending the leg.
The gluteus medius, gluteus minimus and the deep gluteals are responsible for abducting (moving towards the centre) the leg.
The adductors longus, brevis and magnus, pectineus and gracillis are responsible for adducting (moving away from the centre) the leg.
The biceps femoris, gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, semitendinosus and semimembranosus and the deep gluteals are responsible for rotating the leg.

Wow!

 

[Rosalita]

Wow. Last night was the worst pain yet. I got very little sleep and finally just started crying. It is day 10 post surgery and I am really getting scared now. The only thing left to do is to call PT to cancel at least for a couple days or so and at least I may know if that is the problem.

 

[Rosalita]

@Rosalita Eman has it right. What your doctor doesn't know won't hurt him but will help you! Don't let the behind the times medical advise hurt you! Take a week off and see what happens, would being a week behind if your surgeon was right be that big a deal with a year to a year and and half for full recovery be a big difference? You have to be your own advocate. Is there anyplace else in your life that you would let someone else cause you ongoing pain? I doubt it. Stand up for yourself. I don't mean to be harsh but your OS is violating his basic oath, "do no harm".

Since the pain at night has reached an absolutely unbearable level, I think I have no choice but to discontinue PT for awhile to see if maybe that is the problem. I feel so depressed now because of the lack of rest. So today I will call my PT and leave a message for her that I am going to hold off for awhile.
If you all had not shared your experience with me, I would just be doubling down on the exercises today. Thank you.

 

[Rosalita]

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

I am going to call PT to postpone for a few days. Last night was the worst night I have had. Lack of sleep and depression from the pain are starting to crash in on me. Nights are the worst.

 

[Rosalita]

@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.

Thanks for your ecouragement Eman. Last night I became seriously depressed lying there in the worst pain yet and thinking it might never end. Will call PT today to postpone. I ordered nice big ice packs from Amazon like you suggested. They came so fast and are very helpful.

 

[Layla]

Good Morning Rosalita,
I’ll say it again, it’s doubtful that canceling only a couple of appointments with PT will bring you complete relief. You should stop for several weeks. Consider returning when you’re six, even eight weeks into recovery. At that point you may realize you don’t even need Physical Therapy. Let’s say you skip two scheduled sessions and you start feeling a bit better, don’t you think that once you return, it will all start up again? I certainly do and I’m sure many others will agree.

What you need to do now is rest / relax at home with ice. Ice all areas of pain or discomfort for 45-60 minutes, no less, each time you ice. Do this at least 4x daily. I iced every time I was sitting or laying down this early into recovery...which was often.

Read through the Recovery Guidelines again if you haven’t already. The articles contain useful info that can help you break out of this cycle. I think you should also consider re-visiting pain management with your OS, or a member of his team. It sounds like you’re sleep deprived due to poorly managed pain control.

If you stick with this plan for more than a few days, I’ll bet you begin to notice some changes. Give it a try, lose the pain and hopefully begin getting some restorative rest also.

Wishing for your comfort. I hope you have a peaceful Saturday.
@Rosalita

 

[leejaa]

@Rosalita. I am so sorry for your pain and lack of rest. Try to nap during the day when you can and really ice and rest and elevate. I never discussed my PT with my OS and even with PT when they came to the house. They would show me the exercises but mine were very good in saying if it hurt do not do it. However, when asked if I did and how many I would just say I did some - which was not the absolute truth always - sometimes I would do 1 or 2 just to see if it hurt and sometimes when feeling off I would do none. The only thing I did religiously was elevate and ice pretty much non stop. I gave my body time to heal so I could do more slowly as time went on. It does work. I have been there 4 times.

Wishing you some good naps today and a peaceful day.

 

[Rosalita]

Leeja, thanks. I am planning to rest and ice this afternoon. I don't seem to be able to sleep.

 

[Eman85]

@Rosalita Glad to hear you're going to take it easy. After one has over done it with PT on injured muscles it might take some time for the pain to end. The ice packs will bring a lot of relief as will resting. I'd listen to what @Layla suggested and relax for weeks instead of just days. Find a comfortable spot and enjoy this great weather we're having. The pain will pass and you'll have plenty of time for exercise later when your muscles have healed. Sleep is elusive post op. In my case it was more from having to back sleep then pain. It was more like 2 hour naps all night long for the first weeks.

 

[Mojo333]

I hope things ease off very soon, @Rosalita
The ice is definitely going to be helpful.

Sleep is elusive post op. In my case it was more from having to back sleep then pain. It was more like 2 hour naps all night long for the first weeks

Definitely the same for me also.

All temporary....hang in there!

 

[Rosalita]

Good Morning Rosalita,
I’ll say it again, it’s doubtful that canceling only a couple of appointments with PT will bring you complete relief. You should stop for several weeks. Consider returning when you’re six, even eight weeks into recovery. At that point you may realize you don’t even need Physical Therapy. Let’s say you skip two scheduled sessions and you start feeling a bit better, don’t you think that once you return, it will all start up again? I certainly do and I’m sure many others will agree.

What you need to do now is rest / relax at home with ice. Ice all areas of pain or discomfort for 45-60 minutes, no less, each time you ice. Do this at least 4x daily. I iced every time I was sitting or laying down this early into recovery...which was often.

Read through the Recovery Guidelines again if you haven’t already. The articles contain useful info that can help you break out of this cycle. I think you should also consider re-visiting pain management with your OS, or a member of his team. It sounds like you’re sleep deprived due to poorly managed pain control.

If you stick with this plan for more than a few days, I’ll bet you begin to notice some changes. Give it a try, lose the pain and hopefully begin getting some restorative rest also.

Wishing for your comfort. I hope you have a peaceful Saturday.
@Rosalita

I hope things ease off very soon, @Rosalita
The ice is definitely going to be helpful.

Sleep is elusive post op. In my case it was more from having to back sleep then pain. It was more like 2 hour naps all night long for the first weeks

Definitely the same for me also.

All temporary....hang in there!

You have all been so great. Last night was SOOOOO much better..Pain much less...still there but not to the point of making me cry. I feel so much more hopeful now thanks to all of your advice. It is Sunday Am and no PT exercises since Friday afternoon. That has to be it!!!! PT is coming today but I will just wing it with her and do the equivalent of wiggling my

 

[CricketHip]

Hi Rosalita.. I am sorry you've been in such pain and what is the saddest is that it could have been (mostly) avoided.
I so wish you would cancel your PT.. I'm curious about them still working, actually. You must live in an area not as heavily impacted by Covid 19? All PT practices in my area are shut down.

Please believe us when we say that missing a good 4 weeks of PT will not set you back in the least and very well could prevent you from a chronic tendinitis situation.
Good luck with the decision and yay! You snagged some good sleep!!

 

[Layla]

Great news! So happy to read it this morning.

Rosalita, Please don’t be afraid to tell PT you want to take a break and that YOU will call when you want to re-schedule. If you’re uncomfortable doing so, what about telling her you‘d prefer to practice social distancing now as we’ve all been encouraged to do?
How could she challenge you on that? It will buy you time to further heal, without setting yourself back with each PT session. Your pain will continue to ease and your nights will most likely bring the restorative rest / sleep your body needs. PT will still be there a month or more from now...

Also, wondering if you’d share the exercises you’ve been instructed to do. Depending upon what they are, we may be able to break down why particular movements are not helpful, but only hurting you and hindering the healing process. Through those who’ve walked before you, there is a lot of wisdom to be gained here.

Have a peaceful Sunday!
@Rosalita

 

[Eman85]

Great news! I would express my concern to the PT and make it very clear where you stand. It's a funny thing about this THR and the mixed signals and misconceptions. Many friends and family were very upset when I told them I wasn't going to PT. I'd say most felt that I'd never walk again forget about being as functional as I now am. My OS actually warned me about any outside PT yet at the hospital they gathered us in a group and basically forced people to do exercises to the point some were in tears. I refused to do the ones that I couldn't easily do and I don't think they wanted the argument from me so they backed off. With my first hip I had no problems at all doing what they required and was surprised at the way they bullied people into doing them. At the time I hadn't been on this forum and as I said for some reason I could do it all the day after my surgery. For my second it was a different story, I could not do many of the movements. After reading on this forum I understood log leg and a lot of the other things I was experiencing and knew not to push and it would be fine.

 

[Mettleinside]

@Rosalita - Because of the advice here on Bonesmart, the part where they say walking is the best way to rehab a hip, I believe my recoveries were very successful. If it hurts don't do it. Real easy. This is such a major operation that the tissues need to heal, not be further traumatized by hurtful movements. Your strength will come back, most of it at least, and you will be back to your normal life before you know it. I bet you will look back at this as just a small bump in the road to recovery. It takes a little bit but its worth the wait for pain free living. Don't overdo it or Bonesmart will put you in the ODIC (over did it club)! Not a good place to be!

 

[FCBayern]

Glad to hear ypu backed off the PT and it is helping @Rosalita. Keep to just a little walking and lots of rest and icing and you will feel better every day.

 

[Rosalita]

Great news! So happy to read it this morning.

Rosalita, Please don’t be afraid to tell PT you want to take a break and that YOU will call when you want to re-schedule. If you’re uncomfortable doing so, what about telling her you‘d prefer to practice social distancing now as we’ve all been encouraged to do?
How could she challenge you on that? It will buy you time to further heal, without setting yourself back with each PT session. Your pain will continue to ease and your nights will most likely bring the restorative rest / sleep your body needs. PT will still be there a month or more from now...

Also, wondering if you’d share the exercises you’ve been instructed to do. Depending upon what they are, we may be able to break down why particular movements are not helpful, but only hurting you and hindering the healing process. Through those who’ve walked before you, there is a lot of wisdom to be gained here.

Have a peaceful Sunday!
@Rosalita

Layla, Sorry I have not been in contact with you all....have had a rough time and seemed to slide into a depression which didn't help. I had post op visit last week and had to drive to Asheville ( over an hour away). Driving was wonderful. Getting in and out of the car is still tricky, but driving made me feel like part of the human race again! The post op xrays looked good to the dr., so that was a relief as I was beginning to think something was really wrong. The dr I saw (actually the physicians assistant) said to not do PT exercises that hurt! Wow. Would have been nice to be told that earlier on. PT is still coming two days a week (I guess I am on the remedial program..so humbling). I do the exercises a tiny bit when she is here and not enough to hurt. As for what exercises she had me doing, I wouldn't know how to tell you what they are without the pictures. One of the ones that I pretty much don't do is "hip abduction" also "standing marching" I give these a truly meager attempt.
Thanks for your support. This truly is a bigger deal than I had imagined. So glad that I decided to cancel the bilateral and do only the left hip. That would have been too much for me. Plus, I would have had to go to a rehab in Asheville and hang out with covid 19.

 

[Eman85]

Glad to hear it's getting better. I'm glad your OS office advised you to back off on PT. I don't know why they push the PT to start with and then when the patient hurts they back off. You're not on a "remedial program" at all. As many of us have posted the PT in the early months mostly just causes pain. Most OS don't communicate very well what the recovery timeline is either. I would go back and read the guidelines from this site, it gives realistic times for what it takes. Nothing speeds it up, it just takes time.

 

[Layla]

Hi Rosalita, Happy Tuesday!
It is nice to hear from you. Post Op Blues is very common in early recovery. Many of us can relate. So please don’t hesitate to stop by when you’re feeling down because we may be able to help lift your spirits a bit. http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/post-op-blues-is-a-reality-be-prepared-for-it.7591/

I’m happy to read the Physicians Assistant advised you to skip exercises that cause you pain or discomfort. Hopefully by giving you a nod to do so, you feel more confident in telling your physical therapist, NO.
I am concerned though that PT continues to visit during this time of social distancing and self isolating. If you’re practicing what’s been advised, it’s risky allowing PT into your home right now.
Take care, be safe and stay well!
@Rosalita