THR Scarab's Recovery Thread

Scarab

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Hello everyone,
Right THR on January 22. Had three instructional sessions of PT in hospital. Came home the next day. Since then have been virtually pain-free. Absolutely fantastic. Following all precautions - very gentle exercises, up and around the house every hour or two. (Ankle pumps, clenching quads and glutes, heel slides, supported leg lifts). With the surgeon's approval I deferred any pt until two weeks post surgery.
All was so fantastic that I decided to accept my neighbors' invite to dinner last night. Used walker and cane to get to car and up several steps to their house. In the house parked myself on a couch and enjoyed socializing. Got up with walker a couple of times, but all-in-all I felt like a model patient. Two hours into the visit everything spasmed and I knew I had just overdone it. Wow - I didn't know it would be that easy to overdo it. Still having spasms today, but hoping with rest it will die down.
With my last hip surgery (arthroscopy in August 2018) I know I frequently overdid it and perhaps jeopardized my recovery, so I am bound and determined to take it so slow this time - the difficult part is getting a sense of what is too much. Challenging!
 
Hi,
Welcome to Recovery! Congrats on the new hip and thanks for the update.
All was well....until it wasn't.
Thanks for the cautionary tale as it will hopefully be beneficial to someone following behind you.
I hope with lots of rest, ice and pain management you rebound quickly....then proceed with caution.
Wishing you well on the journey. Please familiarize yourself with the Recovery Guidelines -

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
5. Here is a week-by-week guide to

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 a 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 history before providing advice.
 
@Scarab Welcome to the other side! Very early days to be socialising. Please take it easy. All you should be doing is resting, icing and elevating. Read those articles Layla left you especially the activity progression.
 
Having no pain is almost odd considering what has been done to your body. The arthroscopy was nothing compared to a THR. Unless you are the total exception you are in for a much more lengthy recovery from this procedure than the previous. Rest and ice are what will calm it down, but it will return again and again and again for some time if you overdo.
 
@Eman85 Actually my surgeon and pt say that the recovery from the arthroscopy is much worse for the reason that they cut into a great deal of soft tissue - the labrum was stitched, areas were debrided, a tendon was cut. Also, as I had anterior approach for the THR, I don't think any muscles were cut. Regardless - I need to learn to respect these things and not jump around just because I feel good one day. Patience...
 
I'm happy to see your post above. You look like a little spitfire on your avatar.
Figure we may need to watch you :skep: Mojo and I keep "a list" and you may be on it :wink:
Only kidding you....All in good humor :heehee:
Thinking you learned a lesson. At least I'm hoping you did.
Feel better soon!
@Scarab
 
Actually, @Layla, I should probably be on "the list." I am quite dense about knowing when to stop. Bound and determined to do it right this time - I am going to treat that activity progression checklist like the Bible.
 
Muscles are usually not cut for THR despite the many rumors. But they do have to disassemble you, cut off the end of your femur,drill it and pound in a stem. Then ream your pelvis and screw in a housing for the socket. Doesn't sound pretty but it's reality no matter where your scar is.
 
Just allow everything to settle - patience. Then you can build up to any activity. Pushing this recovery only results in disappointment and aches and pains.
 
I have to agree, I think you pushed too hard and sounds to me like you are in danger of doing it again. They have a club here for people like you (ODIC) :) :giggle:

I went to my daughter's wedding on my 5th day with my last surgery but that was not scheduled (I had a fall and fracture). I was in a wheelchair all but 10 minutes of the day and still felt like I'd been hit by a truck.
I would really listen to the Bonesmart way of thinking ~ you see testimonials here to it all the time and many others join that club.
I would drop any exercise other than ankle pumps until all the spasm is gone 24 hours and even then consider the approach of just a bit of walking in the house for a while yet. You will get back on that bike just as quick. :)
:biking: :biking: :biking:

Also take heed of icing 40-60 minutes at least every 2 hours - a natural painkiller, etc.
 
Thank you @Carriemay60. It is amazing the energy needed just to attend an event, (never mind one's daughter's wedding). It goes to show how much of my energy needs to go to resting. All of it, right now. I have been horizontal all day, icing, resting, minimal exercise. Feeling good. Thanks!
 
Scarab, I think you're amazing! I simply can't imagine even wanting to see a visitor, let alone accept a dinner invitation by last night - I'm a day behind you. I do think that, due to the fact that you have had so little pain, you are probably in more danger of overdoing it that mere mortals like myself. So please just try and think twice before taking on anything that could potentially set you back. Just because you CAN do it doesn't mean you should.

Good luck!

Rua xx
 
@Ruamac - I see this is your second time around. I will follow you, as I have a suspicion my other hip may become an issue as well. You are right that the absence of pain only invites overexertion. How are you doing with pain?
 
I know a lot of people joke about it, but the reality is that not only do we need to listen to our bodies, but for those of us who aren't having a ton of pain initially and are tempted to ignore the fact that we just had a major body part replaced, we also need to also listen to our brain, and to the advice of those who have more experience. Sounds like you are on top of this!! :flwrysmile:

With that said, we all heal at different rates, and as long as you aren't creating, or pushing through pain, it's definitely possible that you will be ready for certain milestones at different times than others, and that's OK too:)
 
So glad to hear you are feeling hopeful and inspired.:happydance:
Editing yourself at this point is a great investment in a future without hip pain.:yes:
All your energy is needed for healing ...so do keep things at a minimum and your body will do the rest!
Don't forget to ice all you can ...that will also keep you down for a bit!:ice:
 
Thanks all. Apparently I am not immune from pain, as today I feel like I've been run over by a truck. I think it took five days for the anesthesia to wear off, and now it's hitting me. Keeping up with my ice and meds.
 
It all catches up with you. Rest, ice and elevate. Take something for the pain if needed. You don't want to get into a chronic pain mode. Very early days!
 
What timeline did your OS give you for recovery? It seems that most think once you've walked post surgery you're good to go and make it sound like that to the patient. I'm sorry you had to have such an early admittance to the over did it club as an early over do is really rough. In reality it's 3 mo of taking it very easy if you want to keep moving forward.
 

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