THR RT anterior Oct 8th 2012

[C Mac]

My gait was so bad prior to surgery and my foot was turning out to the side. It's very straight now and that's a wonderful thing!

Hi Dobeck,

In time you will see improvement in your walking (and your stamina as well). Whichever assistive device you decide to use will help provide you with the support to continue to heal and gain strength. I remember how straight my leg lined up after surgery and it will eventually have the ability to rotate inward and outward again in some months time as things strengthen and stretch & inflammation lessens.

Do remember to take some naps when you have those waves of fatigue after excursions like the grocery store. You and Roxy take it easy with this upcoming storm.

Take care,
Cardie

 

[Weezy]

My avatar is a picture of Tucker, my Norwegian Forest cat. She's about 5 weeks old in that picture. She's now almost three years old and her eyes are now kind of a golden green color. She talks and purrs loud--everything about her is rather big and noisy. How she manages to be such a good mouser/ratter amazes me because she's so noisy in the house.

Be prepared for ongoing energy issues. Hubby went back to work at about 6 weeks and still had problems getting through a full day. I know I had energy issues for a long time after each knee replacement. REMEMBER TO ALWAYS LOOK FOR A SCOOTER! I finally figured out that if you can save some energy in some area, it allows you have some reserves to use for something else. It'll be a few months before I can willy nilly do stuff without weighing the energy reserves/output, so as much as I hate using them, scooters are my friend. Building stamina is a very slow process and running down our reserves doesn't help build stamina any faster.

Hope you get through the storm OK! And don't push too hard in PT--that can set you back as much as it may help. Just keep listening very carefully to your body. I was shocked to hear my OS's PA and nurse both tell me to back off on doing things until I felt better overall. The position of the office is that pushing too early doesn't help the healing process and may hinder it.

Weezy

 

[Dobeck]

Thanks Cardie and Weezy,

It's very stormy here in Baltimore as the Hurricane gets closer to landfall. We have had about 3-4 inches of rain since early this morning and the wind is increasing by the minute. Knock on wood that I don't lose power. I will take your advice on resting during the healing process. I didn't do much over the weekend and tried to get some rest. I will likely return to work next week if my OS is okay with it. I will be working from home doing busy computer work. I discussed with my boss taking a break every half hour or so to stand up and walk around stretching. I'm using my cane in the house and mostly have an issue walking only when I first stand up from sitting. I believe stamina really affects me as I do get tired very quickly.

Weezy - Your cat is beautiful and sounds like a wonderful friend. I had a Himalayan cat for 18 years and he was very vocal always talking and getting your attention. Roxy is very quiet unless she wants something and lets you know it. She does little things to get your attention instead of talking.

Cardie - I hope you're out of harms way from the storm. I know Virginia is getting some flooding.

 

[Dobeck]

Hello,

This is my first time on since October 29th. I did okay during the Hurricane, but some of my friend didn't fair so well. Lots of lost power and wind damage. I've been doing good with my hip with the exception of the Meralgia Paresthetica coming back with a vengeance. It started last week and I lost sensitivity with hot and cold on my outer thigh where I had my hip replacement. The hypersensitivity is back feeling like I'm being electrocuted with sudden jolts at time. My pants touching my thigh causes pain. I'm going to see the OS on Thursday, but I don't think he will have any suggestions for me. I have decided to try some acupuncture to see if it can lessen the pain I'm having.

Seems crazy, but I think it's because of the swelling around the disruptive nerve from the hip replacement surgery. I had this problem from the Core Decompression and it seemed to be get better 6-8 months later, but never went away. It's the most insane feeling I've ever had. Good thing my hip is not hurting anymore. Just a little stiffness and aching around the surgical site. I wonder if anyone else has had MP from hip replacement or CD surgery.

 

[sharonslp]

Hmm. Dobeck, I have had numbness in my right lateral thigh area for many many years. Most of the time, I never really notice it. But for a period of time after both THRs, I would wake up in the night with electrifying jolts of.....something. Sometimes painful, but mostly just very startling sensations. It would last for a few minutes and then ebb off. After six weeks or so, it would stop completely. I will have to look up MP. I understand it after the first THR...the right side...but why would the left THR make it kick up again? It's a mystery to me. At any rate, I am now back to just the normal numbness....if numbness can ever be considered normal.

I hope you get yours resolved quickly. I'll be interested to hear how it goes for you, and what you find out.

Sharon

 

[sharonslp]

Wow! A quick read on the Mayo Clinic site and there is no doubt in my mind that MP is the likely label for this strange numbness, with occasional tingling, occasional burning pain, and occasional jolts of electricity. I had my family doctor check this out when it first occurred, and she never mentioned this diagnosis. She recommended an EMG at the time, but since it was only to rule out other possibilities which neither of us thought were possible, I opted out of investigating further. I have mentioned the numbness many times to other doctors, including my surgeon, when asked if I have any numbness anywhere. No one ever responds when I bring it up. No one has ever given it a label. Interesting.

The information says it could be caused by scar tissue from a surgery, among other things. That rings an immediate bell, since I've had a hysterectomy...back in the days before it was done laparoscopically. The timing seems right....I'm pretty sure the onset of numbness was at some point after that surgery.

So thanks Dobeck. This doesn't help you at all, but you have cleared up a mystery for me.

Sharon

 

[Jamie]

Dobeck.....glad you fared okay in the storm. My heart goes out to those who are still having problems....there are so many!!

I think your idea of trying acupuncture is a good one. It has offered relief for some folks. It may be that you just have to wait this out. I do think it will improve and possibly disappear with time....probably something similar to the 6-8 months you experienced before. Be sure to keep both your surgeon and your GP informed.

 

[C Mac]

Hi Dobeck,

I wonder if any of your docs have suggested medication like Lyrica for your nerve pain? My OS includes this medication as part of the post-op protocol while in the hospital to try to help keep nerves settled after the big surgery. While I have not experienced numbness in the same areas that you describe, I do have a tiny lump in my incision that is quite sensitive to pressure. It's theorized to be scar tissues, but obviously has a little nerve ending in there too.

How did your appointment with the OS go? I think that your theory about swelling having an impact on the nerves sounds completely plausible, plus the disruption of the THR in general!!

Take care,
Cardie