THR RTHR At home and doing well

[Raftin21]

My surgery went great yesterday! They got me up and walking and I was released same day! I even got some sleep last night, so thankful!!!

Definitely sore and slow moving, so glad you all have talked about the ice packs... what a life saver they are!

I’ll keep ya all posted on how it’s going!

 

[djklaugh]

@Raftin21 Congratulation on your new hip!! It's wonderful to hear that you are home and doing well!

 

[Pumpkln]

Happy to hear you are doing well, using ice packs, Well Done!

Here is your copy of the Hip Recovery Guidelines, the articles are short and will not take long to read.

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

​

rest​

elevate​

ice​

take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

​

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​

b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

​

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

​

Activity progression for THRs​

6. Access these pages on the website

​

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Care In Hospital​

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in the majority of BoneSmart’s forums, we ask that each member have only One Recovery Thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review the member’s history before providing advice, so please post any updates or questions you have right here in this thread.

 

[FCBayern]

Welcome to the other side @Raftin21, remember you job now is to rest and

 

[ForumUser]

Yay, Raftin! Welcome aboard!!

Elevate and ice!
Walkabout.
Elevate and ice!
Tylenol.
Elevate and ice!
Nap.
Elevate and ice!
And, my personal favorite ... IMO no PT! But, light stretching ok. And supine, slow leg movements.
Did I mention Elevate and Ice?

You will be amazed how great you feel in a few days!

 

[Mojo333]

Glad to see you all done and dusted...
Take your meds on schedule as the anaesthetic effects wearing off a few days later caught me a bit off guard.
The old saying ..stay ahead of the pain...resonated with me then.
All temporary, and well worth it.

Healing mojo coming your way.

 

[Raftin21]

Thank you all so much! One thing that surprised me is how bad my right glute hurts. I had the anterior procedure. It makes sense how sore the muscles are, but is it normal for your glute to be so sore?

 

[FCBayern]

Normal and not surprising. They have to get pretty physical dislocating your hip to even begin the operation. Nothing to worry about, ice it along with anything else that hurts for at least 45-60 minutes at a time, making sure you have something between the ice and your skin to protect from freeze burns. Hope you have a good day.

 

[Raftin21]

Yay, Raftin! Welcome aboard!!

Elevate and ice!
Walkabout.
Elevate and ice!
Tylenol.
Elevate and ice!
Nap.
Elevate and ice!
And, my personal favorite ... IMO no PT! But, light stretching ok. And supine, slow leg movements.
Did I mention Elevate and Ice?

You will be amazed how great you feel in a few days!

Great advice! I am definitely following! I’ll start PT 12 days out. Hopefully that will be good enough time to recover first.

 

[Raftin21]

Normal and not surprising. They have to get pretty physical dislocating your hip to even begin the operation. Nothing to worry about, ice it along with anything else that hurts for at least 45-60 minutes at a time, making sure you have something between the ice and your skin to protect from freeze burns. Hope you have a good day.

Great thank you for letting me know, I figured it was normal but just wanted to check! I have been icing it and it seems to help.

 

[ForumUser]

Not to spend too much time on PT ... but ...

Many do no PT - just walk and stretch - as your body returns to normal, you will be able to do more aggressive things to it.

 

[Raftin21]

Question about TED hose, my Dr said to wear them 20 hours per day, but they are so uncomfortable especially at night and definitely not helping the limited sleep I am getting. Do most people wear them over night?

 

[Mojo333]

@Raftin21
The dreaded TEDS.
I know that my doctor also required them most of the time until he had me come to first post op which was 10 days out.
I was on a twice per day aspirin regimen also walked around short periods fairly often ....mainly to bathroom, and wasn't hard to remember ankle pumps as my legs were restless when sitting.

Do most people wear them over night?

Most people might not be me after first week.

Your OS, like mine, will certainly err on the side of caution to ward off any post op complications
If you don't have higher risk for vascular issues, Maybe you can call them Monday after you have this first week under your belt to ask if you can Pretty Please drop the stockings.

 

[Raftin21]

Thanks for the info and your thoughts that’s helpful. I am on aspirin 2 times a day. I’ll talk to them, I am fine wearing them during the day when I am getting up more frequently, but the night is just not working

 

[Raftin21]

Hi, so maybe needing some re-assurances over here... I am going to be at a week tomorrow. I feel like every day is better then the one before, with lots of ups and downs, but progressing in the right direction. I am still using the walker, can get up for shorter jonts around the house several times a day and these get more and a bit longer every day. I think I push my self a little more each day, with a big focus on not over doing it!!! I have some pain still, but mostly discomfort in my surgery leg. I am doing lots of icing and resting. I guess for me I am wanting to make sure I am doing enough everyday so I am making good progress, but I don’t want to push too hard and regress. Might be getting a little impatient over here.
Any words of wisdom? Thanks!

 

[FCBayern]

One week in if you are getting up for trips to the bathroom, snacks and generally taking care of your basic needs you are doing plenty for the first week. Take another look at the Activity Progression for THR Pumkln left you early in your thread @Raftin21, I think it sounds like you are right on track.

 

[Raftin21]

Thanks will do! One other question... how do you know when to get off the walker and start using something else (cane, walking sticks)?

 

[FCBayern]

It's all based on your own comfort and how stable you feel. There's no hurry everybody has their own timetable based on listening to your body. #1 rule, don't fall! You can try moving to a cane and see if you're comfortable. When I first transitioned to a cane I still used the walker at night, between less vision and being groggy it just felt safer. You should use some sort of assistive device until you can walk without a limp. I used My cane in public long after I stopped using it at home. People just seem to give you a little more room and I wasn't ready to be jostled in a crowd.

 

[Raftin21]

It's all based on your own comfort and how stable you feel. There's no hurry everybody has their own timetable based on listening to your body. #1 rule, don't fall! You can try moving to a cane and see if you're comfortable. When I first transitioned to a cane I still used the walker at night, between less vision and being groggy it just felt safer. You should use some sort of assistive device until you can walk without a limp. I used My cane in public long after I stopped using it at home. People just seem to give you a little more room and I wasn't ready to be jostled in a crowd.

Thank you that’s very helpful!

 

[Layla]

Hello
Let us know when you begin transitioning, or once you’ve transitioned and what worked for you. Those following behind may benefit. I wish you the best as you attempt the change. One word of caution, don’t over do it initially as I did in my excitement to ditch the walker (made me feel OLD) I paid the next day, but with rest and ice, I quickly bounced back.
Best Wishes and Happy Wednesday!
@Raftin21