THR Second hip recovery different from the first

[Layla]

I had a dreadful cramp the other night when trying to scratch my foot in bed and when out of bed to get rid of it nearly passed out. I don't know if this was connected. It was the thigh muscle at the top of my right leg.

It took me back to being pregnant 30 odd years ago when I dreaded going to bed having cramp almost nightly!

Hi Spongemum, this sounds dreadful. So sorry.
Have you ever tried Magnesium? You may want to look into it and give it some
consideration.

Magnesium supports the following:
Bone health
Healthy blood sugar
Cardiovascular health
Muscle relaxation and nerves
Promotes healthy sleep (falling asleep and staying asleep)

An article on Magnesium -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/magnesium-is-a-star.20301/

For nighttime leg cramps, I've also heard of drinking 4-6 oz of Q-Tonic before bed which is a water that contains quinine.
Read the label as some of the waters do not contain quinine, but quinine flavoring instead.

 

[spongemum]

Hi Layla

Sounds like a good excuse for a G & T.

I have just returned from a week on the Llyn Peninsula where I have walked climbed and been swimming twice in an extremely cold sea.
I feel more confident though continue to use a stick for difficult terrain as I remain cautious and do not want to fall.
Haven't felt that able to just 'live' normally for ages and just hope that the shadow disappears or doesn't affect the longevity of my earlier R hip replacement.
Grateful for bone smart support when I was convinced that something really bad was going to be the outcome.

 

[Layla]

I’m glad things seem to be going well for you. It sounds like you had a wonderful vacation. With any luck the shadow will disappear as you’re hoping. As long as you continue to enjoy progress and are able to engage in life once again, all sounds good.
Stay in touch and have a wonderful Summer!
@spongemum

 

[spongemum]

Asked for a blood test to ensure that the hyperthyroidism hasn't been caused by any metal from the loosening stem and had no feedback so assume all is ok.
Had the thyroid meds increased recently and then got symptoms of hay fever.
I don't suffer from hay fever so doctor suggested stopping thyroid meds to see if connected.
Symptoms of chestiness and sneezing stopped straight away.
Wasn't a problem on the 25 mg only when it went up to 50 mg.
I still feel very confused about the thyroid deficiency as I have no lack of energy, depression etc.
I haven't started taking them again yet.

Right hip does ache, usually when in bed more than up and about but intermittent stiffness and pain inside almost like appendicitis that can feel quite sharp but not like the old bone on bone pain at all.

 

[spongemum]

Pain in right hip now becoming more of an issue and I am wondering whether to see the surgeon or someone in his team again. He said in his letter to the GP and me back in April that I could be referred if I needed to.
It is now really uncomfortable to lie on and sometimes to lie on the left hip too so end lying up on my back to sleep.It is bad on rising and markedly painful on getting up from a chair.
It isn't the sharp pain of bone on bone like before the operation is but steadily painful and hurting on weight bearing.
I don't imagine it will get better or go away if I continue to leave it presuming the stem has loosened more. I don't know if it will further compromise or worsen the chances of a good outcome of a revision when that time comes if I just try to ignore it so I do think I need some advice.
Still haven't sorted out the thyroid meds either but asked for a blood test to be sure there was no connection or possibility of escape of metals from the implant.

 

[Hip4life]

@spongemum If I was experiencing this, I would be in my surgeon's office immediately. I wouldn't wait. If there is more loosening, the issue will not just go away. Why court more trouble and suffer any more pain than is necessary? Make the call to your surgeon and keep us posted.

 

[NightQuilter]

Do consult your OS @spongemum . It may not be anything too serious - perhaps some bursitis. My hips are nearly 20 years old and over the summer I developed some debilitating pain in the right hip which would ease off after a few days and then return periodically. OS took Xrays and MRI - no structural issues, fortunately. While they ruled out serious infection, and the actual cause was never isolated, they excised a lot of fluid that had built up and gave me some steroid injection. Good as new.

I hope your situation resolves as well.

 

[spongemum]

I did have a slightly earlier appointment just before Xmas as I have to have it checked yearly now.
Despite the pain I still have in the Right side and the problems sleeping they said everything was ok, the area of lucency/the shadow has not increased in size.
They did loads of xrays so much as though that is good news i still have the pain.The registrar reckons it is my back which has arthritis in and I am getting sciatica.
The pain develops when lying on either side at night and sometimes when sitting. Quite unpleasant if on a long car journey as it is sharp and radiates down the leg. If I try to adjust position it can sometimes help.

At night I have gone back to using a cushion between the knees which seems to relieve the pain but I still turn over a lot trying to feel comfortable which is frustrating. My OH sleeps very soundly fortunately. I breastfed all my three children and he never had to get up in the night once!
I am struggling with the thyroid meds which give me lots of nasty side effects like chest pain and tightness which I find a bit scary.
I 'm going to try a liquid rather than tablets to see if that improves things. Didn't seem to be any connection with leaking of metals in the artificial joints as I had feared may have caused the hypothyroidism.

It's all very stressful now with the NHS on it's knees. When I worked in Maternity in the 1970s we were always extremely busy but now everything seems to be about litigation and fear of it and nobody acknowledging the increasing demographics of older people like me and the pressures that has on our service providers.
I do consider myself lucky to get my second hip done even though it was over a year delay due to Covid.

 

[Gloucestergal65]

No paper pants here but I did get the marker treatment.

I got both. I did think the paper pants seemed a bit pointless.