THR Second THR only 8 weeks from first

[oznut]

Hello @bonnied999, lovely to hear from you and thanks for your kindness. Gosh, I think your disaster of dislocation is far, far worse than my situation (hobbling on decrepit old left hip with new right hip instated, then foolishly landing from a height on new hip to save old hip!! It was a horrible set back though, and a true worry until I got xrays back). I hope that things are getting better for you day by day. Must look into your thread to catch up, I have certainly looked in previously. It must be very difficult relying on your other hip in order to protect the one that dislocated. Every move must be fraught and make you very nervous. I think I will follow your advice re finding some strategies from a professional for strengthening my RTHR which take the poor old left hip into account. I feel I'm at a standstill! Though, to put it all into perspective, my mobility is far greater than pre-surgery, something to celebrate


@oznut - thanks and good luck to you too! This is interesting -
From my reading on the forum, OS's views vary so widely on appropriate times between surgeries, but that time lapse would certainly allow for a thorough recovery. It's major surgery after all, and duress for the whole system. Your initial recovery from anterior THR sounds great - as was mine. Comfortable, pain free. At least we know what to expect next time re the actual surgery/hospital. But I've read that recoveries can vary a lot between hips, hope ours is just as good as the first.

Next time I will experiment with coming off meds earlier. I was quite religious with mine, but around 3 weeks tapered off gradually. Incredible how you were just on regular pain killers so early on. I'm praying I get this approach next time, and the same OS. Do you have a date yet? And when was your first THR (your signature doesn't have your op details). Thanks for being in touch

Hi!
My surgery was 11/17 & tomorrow is my 6 week mark. Yesterday I met with my doc & had an xray. He was pleased that there has been zero movement & equal leg length. I have been "forgetting" my cane more & more & finally drove solo. It felt great & was a psychological turning point for me! I am hoping to get to the gym this week & do some cycling. I am planning to return to work in 1 week but only 4 hour days & only part time for 2 weeks so I feel very lucky to transition slowly.

We discussed the reality of my 2nd surgery (anterior again ) in late summer if I can hold off....he left it up to me. I am hoping I can regain some normalcy & do a bit of traveling in the spring/summer. I will continue my acupuncture & exercise & if things go south, I will try a cortisone injection to buy some time. Fingers crossed.

All the best in 2017 when our goals will be to become bilaterally bionic....

 

[Sunny girl]

Thanks for your good wishes @oznut and happy healthy new year to you too. Was worried to hear you'll be back to work any day, hope all goes well, please take it easy! You don't want to undo any of the good healing to date as it sounds all is progressing very well! I am really in limbo (haha, apt word) due to my old hip (which should have been replaced in September along with the right one) forbidding the walking and exercise my beautiful new hip would love to be doing. I really want to exercise and strength all my withered muscles! Plus have gained weight from being inert. The thought of another surgery has begun to feel daunting, but definitely want it asap so I can complete my recovery properly. Just all those memories of hospital keep coming back (not much human kindness from the nurses! And just the whole thing, yuck. I couldn't get out of there fast enough).

@SwimGirl, I was looking for your thread but couldn't find it - hope you don't mind my asking a question via my own thread? First, I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and the twinkling lights you were so looking forward to! And hope your recovery is going very, very well. Do give me an update. How's that Bassett Hound looking?

As you are the resident swimmer here, I would love your response! Would I be okay to swim now (12 weeks). I am going for New Year to friends, and they have a pool. I am not much of a swimmer at all, but tempted to go in due to extreme heat here. I can't do proper 'Australian crawl', only breaststroke with my head up out of the water! What about the froggy-leg thing? Should I just stick to the up and down paddling thing you do with 'crawl'? Thanks so much!!

It will also be an ideal time to do a little gentle exercise on my new hip, hanging onto the side of the pool. My old hip will have to just watch.

 

[SwimGirl]

@Sunny girl Hello and Happy New Year! I haven't posted in my thread for quite some time. Things are staying pretty much the same. I have done plenty of walking during Christmas while shopping. My son and I did our two days at Salvation Army at the toy distribution so I was lifting bags of toys and pushing carts for two solid days. Felt my left hip more than my right and sat down to rest when possible. I wonder if tincture of time will make a difference on this hip regarding recovery, but I don't think it would have made any difference if I had waited to have surgery. So, I am still much better than before. Also, I am still healing up to one year I am told by OS! I have to admit that things are much easier for me now. You lose your mobility with OA so gradually at first and then life becomes so so difficult. Others around you are clueless!

No! I have not returned to swimming and won't until about April. The weather is cooler here than I like for swimming purposes. However, I can tell you that my Dr. cleared me for swimming as soon as incision was healed.
The incision line did indeed lose it's pucker but the massage I was instructed on was very important!

The only thing I do for distance swimming is the crawl as you cover ground much faster than other strokes.
The frog kick from what I read on here previously is NOT recommended for quite some time! I would confer with Josephine on that. It does place a strain on the hip joint that the flutter kick does not! Can you take swim lessons to learn it? Once you start doing the crawl correctly it is the most relaxing of them all!

Preoperatively, the best exercise for the best mobility was gentle exercises in the pool as you are doing. Get old hip involved also. It will make a big difference until you have your surgery. Good luck to you and stay in touch!

 

[SwimGirl]

@Sunny girl I meant that you could take swim lessons to learn the Australian Crawl not the frog kick!

 

[Sunny girl]

Happy New Year and thanks @SwimGirl! Great to read of your Christmas activities, how wonderful you gave joy to so many through your Salvation Army work. I am very happy to hear you are progressing well, and that the after effects of all that lifting wasn't too alarming. It will be interesting when both your hips have caught up to each other and are more matched in healing to see if there's any differences (perhaps at 6 months?).

Glad your technique has helped smooth out the puckers in the incision.

I really appreciate the swimming advice, great to know it's possible so soon. Lessons would be ideal really, as I have a fear of the water - especially if I can't touch the bottom with my feet or my head has to go underwater (goes back to an incident when I was young). Because of the fear, I obviously fear the lessons too and it therefore goes to the bottom of my list of 'things I should do'. However, have in the past managed 40 lengths of my childish 'British' head above water breast stroke 'technique' without stopping for a rest (bang next to the side of the pool though, so I can grab it!) so the strength is there. Maybe if I force myself to get lessons (which I decide I should do every year, but fail to do) I will be able to use the water as rehab after hip 2.

It's sweltering here, so lovely to be immersed in water. I did some bicycling action in the pool, adductions, little stretches and walking - which was good. My muscles are completely wasted in both legs through enforced inactivity and I want them strong again! My thighs used to be like a footballers'! Tried a little flutter kick with breast stroke action (!). I can't get the old hip involved however. My old hip will not take any movement other than walking room to room in the home or ten minutes outside, otherwise I'm laid up in agony, resting and medicated for a week. The OS said it would be very difficult to recover properly with this bad old left hip (and he is right!!) which is why he originally wanted to perform bilateral in one surgery.

I love this phrase you often use - tincture of time - always makes me smile.

Have a lovely day and take it easy

 

[SwimGirl]

@Sunny girl Hello! Glad I can make you laugh with my tincture of time phrase. I am sorry you are having a difficult tim with your bad left hip! I was unable to walk even 10 minutes before I had my surgeries. Therefore I got serious about swimming for cardiovascular benefits. I was not letting OA define me as getting old! I should have had hips done 2 years ago but could not cope with the thought of having the same surgery my mother had at 76. However, one must not be in pain! Decided 60 was my magic number and so glad I did because now I am without insurance. Which means no PT right now..but I am good with that. Josephine let us all know it was not necessary for recovery.

Swimming is nothing to be afraid of. Stay near the side of the pool and find a compassionate instructor who deals with those who are afraid. My son is a lifeguard and swim coach and he teaches swimming to children also. You can do this and after you heal from your second surgery you will be swimming for longevity of life! That is my plan. I can walk now but when water temperature is just right I do love to swim!

Hope you are in good spirits at the start of a new year! I am making a new year's resolution list. Also, every week I will place a note in a jar about what I am thankful for in my life. When things seem bad I will pull the jar and read them. We will see how this works! Strive to be happy! Good luck on next surgery date. Let me know when you are back in the game! Have a great day!

 

[Sunny girl]

every week I will place a note in a jar about what I am thankful for in my life. When things seem bad I will pull the jar and read them

What a lovely weekly practice @SwimGirl, thank you for the idea. I, too, might try this. I have a huge jar I could use, I knew there was a reason to keep it. And in the tincture of time, I can warm my heart with those messages when feeling at odds with life. Thanks too for the swimming tips. I am so envious of those who plough through the water with ease, I'm missing out!

Have a lovely day.