Dickie 1
member
Thank you, Mojo333 for the kind wishes. That is exactly what I need some mojo back into my body. In myself I am feeling good, just need the pain to subside. By the way, the ice did help.
THR Severe pain after 15 months<
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Dickie 1
member
Today at 4 weeks, I have hit a road block. I feel I am only making small steps forward till now, today no steps forward. I still am reliant on 1 crutch inside and 2 if I go out, because of steps, altering levels from car park to shop front. I see the OS in 2 weeks time and cannot see that I will be any further forward in my recovery.
He pointed out a patient ahead of me at the last appointment before surgery, how well she walked, no aids at all. I am thinking that he will expect me to be the same. I can only do what I do. I am slowly just having small walks down our long driveway and making it to about 80-100 yards and return. I am not pushing myself and did request that my cleaner come yesterday to vacuum and clean the shower. I just feel like I have stalled.
I have just gone back to the information on recovery that Jaycey posted, and I am at that 1 block level up where I should be. I am not able to walk far, as the stiffness gets me. I am however trying to do a small walk daily.
He pointed out a patient ahead of me at the last appointment before surgery, how well she walked, no aids at all. I am thinking that he will expect me to be the same. I can only do what I do. I am slowly just having small walks down our long driveway and making it to about 80-100 yards and return. I am not pushing myself and did request that my cleaner come yesterday to vacuum and clean the shower. I just feel like I have stalled.
I have just gone back to the information on recovery that Jaycey posted, and I am at that 1 block level up where I should be. I am not able to walk far, as the stiffness gets me. I am however trying to do a small walk daily.
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That's okay! You're only one month out from major surgery. Everyone heals at different rates so try
not to compare yourself with others. I don't think you're going to make progress every single day. There are going to be ups and downs. Please try not to project how you'll be in two weeks. You may very well surprise yourself. You're right that you can only do what you're doing. Keep on taking it slow, you'll get there.
We'll be here to support and encourage you, so stop by often.
Hugs to you
@Dickie 1
not to compare yourself with others. I don't think you're going to make progress every single day. There are going to be ups and downs. Please try not to project how you'll be in two weeks. You may very well surprise yourself. You're right that you can only do what you're doing. Keep on taking it slow, you'll get there.
We'll be here to support and encourage you, so stop by often.
Hugs to you
@Dickie 1
Mojo333
Former BoneSmart Staff Member
How unhelpful!
You are doing fine I think and thank goodness you are listening to your body and not the OS.Might be slow, but this revision needs its time so don't you worry about others' expectations!
Hope the weekend is a good one for you.
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MyAussieGirl
supremo
I think we all do the best we can do and cannot be judged by another person's progress....many will be better ...many worse...Hugs and prayers and a flower 
Dickie 1
member
Thank you, my Aussie Girl. My Clexane injections are now finished. Progress remains slow. I'm still in a lot of pain requiring slow release analgesics every 12 hours and 1 Endone a day for breakthrough pain.
I was wondering, at what point do you stop wearing TED stockings (compression stockings) to prevent DVT. ?
I would love to see improvement, but I'm not or I don't feel I am. However, I am not going backwards.
Warm wishes to everyone.
I was wondering, at what point do you stop wearing TED stockings (compression stockings) to prevent DVT. ?
I would love to see improvement, but I'm not or I don't feel I am. However, I am not going backwards.
Warm wishes to everyone.
Dickie 1
member
Not happy, I limp when walking, so I think there is a leg length discrepancy at present. Pain is still up there. Feeling a little flat today. I can't see an end to the pain, I can't walk far. Nearly 5 weeks out and no great improvement, I'd thought my recovery would be better than it is. After a total failure the first time, I just thought I'd be a lot better. I'm still having breakthrough pain daily. Is this normal?
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Hi @Dickie 1
I'm really sorry you're struggling. Everything is still so new at only five weeks post op.
Would you consider having Josephine weigh in? If so, think about tagging her so she can advise.
I will pray that you begin to feel relief and experience the progress you're hoping for.
Hugs to you
I'm really sorry you're struggling. Everything is still so new at only five weeks post op.
Would you consider having Josephine weigh in? If so, think about tagging her so she can advise.
I will pray that you begin to feel relief and experience the progress you're hoping for.
Hugs to you
Dickie 1
member
Your probably right, Layla, it is only 5 weeks. I guess having been in chronic pain for 2 years, trying to get to the bottom of it all, has taken a toll. it is just early days still. However, I'd hoped I'd be further along in my recovery. I appreciate the support. The pain is a little calmer today.
@Josephine
@Josephine
Hippielife
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It’s always a nice surprise when one day all the healing has finally set us hippies free from pain. It usually sneaks up on us and eventually gives us the satisfaction that THR was genuinely worth it all!
Sending healing blessings your way!
Sending healing blessings your way!
sharonslp
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Hello Dickie. I've just finished reading your entire thread. Wow...a lot of anguish for you over the past two years. But here's what struck me in your posts that deal with your recovery just since the revision...you keep mentioning that you are still having breakthrough pain. That suggests to me that maybe you haven't worked out an effective schedule that keeps you ahead of the pain. Once it then "breaks through" at a too high level, all you are doing is playing catch up. And you keep repeating that cycle.
Five weeks is VERY early in the recovery process. And it doesn't matter how fit you were before your first surgery....full recovery really does take a good year, or even longer for many of us. It's not just a matter of new bone growth adhering to the implant, or the incision itself healing. There was tremendous disturbance of soft tissue that occurred during surgery, and it really takes a long time for everything to settle down and fully heal. While some people can get by with minimal pain meds and are off them entirely after the first month, many more of us need a consistent regimen for a much longer time. With my THRs, I stayed very consistent with the opiates for the first full month, and supplemented with Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Celebrex. In the second month I tapered off the opiates but used the Tylenol more extensively. In the third through fifth months, I managed on Tylenol and Celebrex exclusively. I continued to depend on Celebrex through six months for my first THR, and nine months for the second. But a day did come when I could be drug-free entirely. Now, I walk, I bike ride, I dance. I have aches and pains in other areas, and sometimes I have to medicate for that, but only sometimes. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel for most of us, and at only five weeks in, I think you have a pretty good chance at being part of the "most."
When Jo gets here, I'm sure she'll ask you about your activity levels and your pain med dosages and schedule. If she suggests some ways to manage your meds more effectively, do try that.
Five weeks is VERY early in the recovery process. And it doesn't matter how fit you were before your first surgery....full recovery really does take a good year, or even longer for many of us. It's not just a matter of new bone growth adhering to the implant, or the incision itself healing. There was tremendous disturbance of soft tissue that occurred during surgery, and it really takes a long time for everything to settle down and fully heal. While some people can get by with minimal pain meds and are off them entirely after the first month, many more of us need a consistent regimen for a much longer time. With my THRs, I stayed very consistent with the opiates for the first full month, and supplemented with Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Celebrex. In the second month I tapered off the opiates but used the Tylenol more extensively. In the third through fifth months, I managed on Tylenol and Celebrex exclusively. I continued to depend on Celebrex through six months for my first THR, and nine months for the second. But a day did come when I could be drug-free entirely. Now, I walk, I bike ride, I dance. I have aches and pains in other areas, and sometimes I have to medicate for that, but only sometimes. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel for most of us, and at only five weeks in, I think you have a pretty good chance at being part of the "most."
When Jo gets here, I'm sure she'll ask you about your activity levels and your pain med dosages and schedule. If she suggests some ways to manage your meds more effectively, do try that.
Dickie 1
member
Thank you for the reply Sharonslp. Sometimes I need someone else to point out how I am going.
Getting back to pain relief, I am and still are taking 1 slow release Palexia 250mg (opiate) twice a day, Panadol Osteo (slow release paracetamol) x 3 a day, Celebrex daily and Lyrica twice a day. This is the pain protocol I was discharged from hospital on, I take this no matter of routine at present. I will be reviewed by our local GP in about 2 weeks. I certainly understand that you need to take pain medication as part of a protocol and not wait till it too high to reel in.
I also take Endone for break through pain. However, I did not take any Endone yesterday. So there is a positive.
I do become frustrated though, as I'm making slow progress in my eyes.
I obviously, had no amount of pain-free times with the original THR. It was a fail from the start. Even this time around the surgeon was a little reluctant to operate, as any type of imaging done was inconclusive.
However, I do get high pain levels with any surgery. It is now only recognised by Drs that Fibromyalgia reacts badly to surgery. The GP thinks I'll be on Lyrica for sometime.
Activity levels, I am doing a small amount of gentle exercises, say when I am cooking dinner. I am only walking inside and close to the house outside. I am doing all the washing, so I walk out to the clothes line for that.
I can feel pain around where soft tissues were touched during surgery (I know that it is brutal surgery), I can also tell you where the end of the prosthetic is, as I feel pain in mid-shaft of femur, as I have a 2 stage hip stem that is longer. I will get there it is just a bit slower. Thank you again. I love the support here.
Getting back to pain relief, I am and still are taking 1 slow release Palexia 250mg (opiate) twice a day, Panadol Osteo (slow release paracetamol) x 3 a day, Celebrex daily and Lyrica twice a day. This is the pain protocol I was discharged from hospital on, I take this no matter of routine at present. I will be reviewed by our local GP in about 2 weeks. I certainly understand that you need to take pain medication as part of a protocol and not wait till it too high to reel in.
I also take Endone for break through pain. However, I did not take any Endone yesterday. So there is a positive.
I do become frustrated though, as I'm making slow progress in my eyes.
I obviously, had no amount of pain-free times with the original THR. It was a fail from the start. Even this time around the surgeon was a little reluctant to operate, as any type of imaging done was inconclusive.
However, I do get high pain levels with any surgery. It is now only recognised by Drs that Fibromyalgia reacts badly to surgery. The GP thinks I'll be on Lyrica for sometime.
Activity levels, I am doing a small amount of gentle exercises, say when I am cooking dinner. I am only walking inside and close to the house outside. I am doing all the washing, so I walk out to the clothes line for that.
I can feel pain around where soft tissues were touched during surgery (I know that it is brutal surgery), I can also tell you where the end of the prosthetic is, as I feel pain in mid-shaft of femur, as I have a 2 stage hip stem that is longer. I will get there it is just a bit slower. Thank you again. I love the support here.
Dickie 1
member
No great improvement, but pain has lessened a little, no break through pain now. The side of my hip near the wound (now healed on the skin) is still very sore to touch, as are other parts of the thigh. So I am guessing that the soft tissue is still healing away. I was meant to be attending the Surgeon for a 6 week review last Friday, I had arranged for my daughter to drive me the 80 minutes into the city. But just before we left, the rooms phoned and cancelled my appointment. The surgeon had been called to an emergency and was operating. I wasn't cross, as someone else obviously needed his expertise, I am not urgent. The trouble with rebooking is finding a person to drive me there. I tried a 2 km drive last week, and my hip wasn't happy at all. There is no way I can drive anywhere for now. So I am going back on Monday afternoon, with my Husband driving.
I am starting to do a few simple exercises now, as my hip copes with this. I have my left hip starting to catch intermittently. I suspect another hip replacement is on the cards in the next few months? This first hip deteriorated very quickly when first diagnosed.
I am starting to do a few simple exercises now, as my hip copes with this. I have my left hip starting to catch intermittently. I suspect another hip replacement is on the cards in the next few months? This first hip deteriorated very quickly when first diagnosed.
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Dickie 1
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I attended my 6 week review. The Surgeon is quite happy with my progress. He said that there is a lot of remaining inflammation and soft tissue to heal, remaining stiffness, but I gather stiffness is the last to go. He was okay with 'baby steps' as they are heading the right way forward. He wants me to start reducing the analgesics when I return to the GP this week. I am okay with starting to reduce analgesics. Surgeon said, at least nothing bad has happened. He was pleased too that I am doing more at home, becoming more normal.
He didn't seem to care about physiotherapy, as I'm only doing a few exercises daily.
He was more concerned about if the chronic pain has gone. I said, most likely, as the remaining pain seems surgery related and that is improving, it is just healing time now. I will return in 3 months (well appointment is 11 weeks away), with a new x-ray. I thought he might want to see me again. All good.
He didn't seem to care about physiotherapy, as I'm only doing a few exercises daily.
He was more concerned about if the chronic pain has gone. I said, most likely, as the remaining pain seems surgery related and that is improving, it is just healing time now. I will return in 3 months (well appointment is 11 weeks away), with a new x-ray. I thought he might want to see me again. All good.
Dickie 1
member
No great improvement, pain still significant. I walked about 200 metres down my driveway yesterday.
My Palexia was dropped this week back to 200mg from 250mg. Still taking Lyrica 75mg BD, Panadol Osteo which is a slow release form. As the Surgeon said, "Nothing bad has happened." I started to drive this week on a short trip only. I used my left foot to brake, mostly when I could. I am considering returning to the pool tomorrow for shorter than usual sessions. I walk in the heated pool and do exercises, but I will only walk for about 30-40 minutes and no exercises yet. I used to do about an hour to an hour and a half, but that would be crazy to go back to that level.
My Palexia was dropped this week back to 200mg from 250mg. Still taking Lyrica 75mg BD, Panadol Osteo which is a slow release form. As the Surgeon said, "Nothing bad has happened." I started to drive this week on a short trip only. I used my left foot to brake, mostly when I could. I am considering returning to the pool tomorrow for shorter than usual sessions. I walk in the heated pool and do exercises, but I will only walk for about 30-40 minutes and no exercises yet. I used to do about an hour to an hour and a half, but that would be crazy to go back to that level.
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Hi @Dickie 1
Great news that you're driving. Baby steps will get you there.
I'm sorry you're still dealing with pain but it's good to hear you've recently
been in contact with both your OS and GP and they're aware of your pain.
You're plan to take it slow in the pool is wise. Hope you enjoy it!
A great week to you!
Great news that you're driving. Baby steps will get you there.
I'm sorry you're still dealing with pain but it's good to hear you've recently
been in contact with both your OS and GP and they're aware of your pain.
You're plan to take it slow in the pool is wise. Hope you enjoy it!
A great week to you!
