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THR RTHR
- Thread starter rbtaylor14
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United States
waterman1
graduate
RB, you gotta use two pillows under the surgical leg. You gotta sleep on your back. Stuff pillows on both sides so you cannot roll over. Ice the incision by stuffing a pillow under you to get the ice pack on the incision while on your back mostly. Let the heel hang off the pillows. Your leg must be above your heart for proper elevation. You must do this for 3-4 weeks at least, maybe more if your leg and foot is swollen. Each day is the rest of your life as far as how your implant gets seated into your body. Stop taking chances, it's too risky, too much at stake, right? Take care my man, you can do it! Forget a good night's sleep and catch a good nap everyday 
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rbtaylor14
member
Do I need to ice even if I have no swelling or pain? I haven't had any swelling for a week now. Pain is under control, I do have some pain in my thigh but not much.
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
waterman1
graduate
Wow, great recovery if no swelling in the foot by now. Better make a call to the doc about the ice. Because of your youth, you may recover much quicker than I as far as the swelling goes. I'm four weeks post op, and still have some swelling in the foot if I walk and sit around too much during the day.
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rbtaylor14
member
@waterman1 even from day 1 I haven't had any swelling in the foot. I had swelling in my back and thigh but that's it. I had no bruising either.
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
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waterman1
graduate
Yes, I noticed the lack of bruising which probably says good things about the surgeon and you. My second surgery had no bruising, and very little swelling but I still have a little if I do too much in the day. My belief is you get to feeling just good enough to become your own enemy and end up hurting the bonding that must go together correctly with that implant. I'm sure you are mechanically inclined, so visualize that spike sitting in soft femur bone and think of falling or doing the wrong thing too soon to cause it to loosen or move about - yikes! Of course your other hip is still burning and hurting so you probably won't do too much. I am walking alot and its been years since I could do so - its pretty darn wonderful. But then I want to pickup a chain saw and see how it feels to do more than just walk. Can't be happy just walking and that is where we have to re-train ourselves.
waterman1
graduate
Yep, the swelling began in my butt and thigh and moved down the leg into my foot. My toes turned purple, too.Swelling in the foot? I have not had any of that, didn't realize that was even an expected thing.
Chessie
senior
Holy smokes! How long was that after your surgery?
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rbtaylor14
member
Okay today I am at day 16.
I am having pain in my operated leg at about 4 inches above the knee.
It feels like the bone and I feel it when I walk with my walker. When I'm sitting the pain is almost gone but is faintly still there, Any ideas on what this could be? I do have a appointment to see my OS tomorrow.
I am having pain in my operated leg at about 4 inches above the knee. It feels like the bone and I feel it when I walk with my walker. When I'm sitting the pain is almost gone but is faintly still there, Any ideas on what this could be? I do have a appointment to see my OS tomorrow.
waterman1
graduate
Began about day 6 thru day 24
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rbtaylor14
member
Doing the same as you. It is really starting to hurt along with my right shoulder. I plan on getting my left hip scheduled tomorrow so i can get it fixed. Both my shoulders are bad to start with. Years ago I tore both rotator cuffs and never fixed them because I didn't want to take time off work. Now looking back I wish i would have fixed them.
waterman1
graduate
RB, there is something that changes with the hips once you get that first THR. You gain a good, solid foundation again is my theory. So if the other hip is weak from OS or AVN or both, it really takes a beating or so it seemed for me. I cannot tell you how good it feels to have it all behind me now, but you must become mindful that there is a whole lot of healing and bonding that must go on in those new hips, sort of a real lifestyle change I guess. I don't have enough time with the new hips to know exactly what I can and cannot do, but I do know I won't be horseback riding or surfing anymore if you know what I mean. No chainsaws for a while either, LOL. You appear to be in pretty good shape. Have you given thought to cortisone in the shoulders to get by until the hips are better?
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rbtaylor14
member
@waterman1 you know I forgot about that. The cortisone shots have worked in the past so yes I think that I might just do that.
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
waterman1
graduate
I have had gobs of cortisone through my lifetime, mostly in my younger days of sports and recently shots in my hips and back and ankle. The word on cortisone is it is bad for your joints, you have heard of that right? Cortisone will get you through this time with your shoulders, but will probably make them worse in the long term from my experience.
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rbtaylor14
member
Yes I've heard that about cortisone. It also hurts other joints I'm told.
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
waterman1
graduate
OK, good just so you know about 90 days from now when the shoulders thaw out from those cortisone shots you will know why they hurt worse than today. You may ask the doc tomorrow if the cortisone is OK for the hip replacement you just had to be sure it does not interfere with healing or something.
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rbtaylor14
member
@waterman1 I will definitely ask him. I don't want to screw up my new hip already. I also hope that I haven't screwed it up with the stuff that I have done to it. I should have known better but I got to feeling better and thought that hey as long as I'm careful it should be alright.
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
AVN of both hips. Had RTHR on July 7th
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